I am a very imperfect yet fortunate person who has both been given a lot and come through a lot, thanks to Spirit, the loving Ancestors, communities, mentors and family (of origin and chosen).
I identify as a queer cis 3rd generation Asian American woman of Okinawan and Japanese descent, formed on the unceded ancestral lands of both the Gabrielino Tongva and Muwekma Ohlone peoples. (greater LA and SF Bay Area). My urban baby boomer sensibilities are essential to me. It's also important for me to live out a reckoning of my experiences of privilege and of oppression.
I hold an MSW from UC Berkeley, an MFA from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and an MDiv from the Pacific School of Religion.
I am honored to be a Certified InterPlay Leader and Teaching Mentor, Certified Facilitator of Poetry as a Tool for Wellness, and thankful to have been awarded a PEN Rosenthal Emerging Voices Literary Fellowship and Hedgebrook Writing Residency.
I am a member of Spiritual Directors International, Sacred Roots Women of Color Healers Collective, Buena Vista United Methodist Church, and the Racial Equity & Transformation Advisory Council of InterPlay & Body Wisdom, Inc.
These have been some of my greatest teachers: Artists who are spiritually grounded + socially transformative Children who have suffered unimaginable abuse and institutionalization Children and adults facing life-threatening illness and loss Persons and families living with HIV/AIDS Black, Indigenous, Brown, Trans siblings and loved ones living with Disabilities Faith-rooted activists Ocean
I am grateful for the possibility to accompany you, sharing what I have been given as a fellow bodyspirit, hoping to become a good ancestor.