About Me
I was born in Arkansas and spent my schooling years in the southern part of the USA. As an adult I have lived in Seattle, Washington, Taipei, Taiwan, and New Delhi, India, and now in the mountains of central Washington State. Aside from exploring creativity and personal growth, other important things in my life are my family, friends, community, my dog, traveling, being in nature and, most importantly, being an observer of life, wherever I am, every day.
My work as a coach practitioner is a culmination of so many strands in my life: teacher, artist, community builder, facilitator, spiritual explorer. I have always cherished cultivating collaborative relationships with people that make space for discovery and connectedness. The complexity of my family life growing up has served up all kinds of opportunities for understanding the human experience, trauma, and the process of healing and transformation. It has been through mutual presence and witnessing with others in supportive relationships that I have been able to live a life of ever more spaciousness and creativity than I would have imagined. It is with a sense of deep gratitude and a commitment to this exchange that I offer to hold this space with others.
Formal Education:
- National Board Teaching Certification K-12th Grade Visual Arts 2009, 2019
- Washington State Teaching Certification K-12th Grade Visual Art, 2000
- Masters of Art in Art, 1992
- Bachelors of Art in Art, 1985
Teaching & Facilitation:
- Creative Connected: Coaching for Creativity and Self Discovery, 2021-Present
- Instructor, Online Studio Facilitator, The Grünewald Guild, 2020-Present
- Visual Art Teacher, K-8, United States and Overseas, 1989-2021
- Spiritual Director and Retreat Facilitator, 1993-Present
- Founding Member of Educators Sangha, New Delhi, 2001-present
- Practicing, Exhibiting Visual Artist, 1986-Present
Related Learning:
- Accredited Coach with Association for Coaching, 2025
- Level 1 & 2 Practitioner training with Internal Family Systems, 2023 – 2024
- Personal Coaching with a Level 2 trained IFS Certified Coach, 2021 -Present
- Coaching for Self Leadership course through Internal Family Systems Institute, 6 week 9 hour course, 2022
- IFS Institute Annual Conference Expanding our Perspectives: Revitalizing Inner Resources, 20+ hours, 2022
- Somatic Parts Work with Mandy Snyder, 10 week 20 hour course, 2022
- Enneagram and IFS With Tammy Sollenberger and Joan Ryan, 6 week 12 hour course, 2022
- Designing Your Life, Stanford University, 6 hour course, 2022
- Science of Wellbeing, Online Course, Yale University, 10 week 19 hour course, 2022
- Trauma Informed Toolkit for Youth Workers, Center for Adolescent Studies, 8 week 20 hour course, 2018
- Spiritual Direction training, directing, and retreat facilitation Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life, 1992-1998
To see my personal art website go here
Creative Connected 