FOUNDING MEMBER

I have been training, researching  and practicing in the spaces of trauma, healing and leadership for 30 years, and during this time I have been able to learn from and work with men, women and young people of great intelligence, generosity and power in a wide array of contexts around the world.

My formal training began when I was 20, living in Nepal, and training under Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, the Abbot of Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery in Boudhanath, Nepal. I was fortunate to spend a great deal of one on one time with him over many months, and during this time I was given direct teaching in practices that I have integrated into all of my work in the world professionally ever since.

I then built upon this foundation with my academic studies at Reed College studying under professors of religion, philosophy and linguistics Kees Bolle and Edwin Gerow who taught me how to read sacred religious texts, grasp Indian and Continental Philosophy, read Sanskrit + Hebrew, and understand the formal structures of myth, mythical narrative and symbol. This period of my life gave me an orientation and set of practices to access the body and the mind in direct, concrete and replicable ways.

At 23 I began training in the Chinese martial and healing arts under Sifu Gregory Fong in Portland Oregon, with an emphasis upon the principles and practices of Yiquan or Mind Boxing. With Sifu Fong I was given access to the elusive and mostly secretly held practice of standing meditation and other hot meditation practices designed to give the practitioner direct access to speed and power while building the neurophysiological capability to utilize the energy found in pressure, conflict and duress to one’s benefit and growth. The Yiquan practices originate in Tibet and comprise critical elements of the heavy physical training for many of the wisdom lineages from both Tibet and India. I trained under Sifu Fong for 25 years until his death, and have used the core practices of Yiquan in every aspect of my work in the world.

At 24 I began training in traditional medicine arts under Patrica Spradling, founder of what was then the Wy-East Healing Center on Mt Hood in Oregon. Patrica’s lineage of mixed Indigenous and Northern European bloodlines drew from sources of knowledge- both modern and ancient – in the art of trauma healing, Patrica embodied the qualities of kindness, ferociousness, love and power with such wisdom that no landscape of trauma and violence felt impenetrable. I trained under Patrica for 12 intense years until her death.

Beginning in the early 1990’s as part of my work with gangsters and other high risk young people and families, I learned under a range of practitioners and professionals in the fields of trauma and healing with a special emphasis upon the neurophysiological and historical implications of trauma recovery.

In the professional realms, I have worked in the domains of leadership training, strategy, innovation and design as well as individual, community and organization evolution and trauma healing throughout North and South America, Europe and Scandinavia for the last 30 years.

During this time I have worked in urban and rural communities as well as Native American reservations + communities with adults, youth, elders and leaders. I have worked with non-profit organizations, universities, government agencies, public schools, police and fire departments, juvenile and adult prison systems, military personnel and veterans in areas that include leadership development, mediation, conflict + violence prevention and resolution, trauma healing and personal evolution.

I have extensive experience working in global Fortune 500/1000 companies as well as in privately held, startup and midsize companies in industries that span health care automotive, transportation, investment and finance, oil and gas, environment, technology, design,consumer products, marketplace ecosystems, fintech, marketing, deep tech AI, construction and traditional banking.

For 6 years I was an Adjunct Professor in the Conflict Resolution Master’s Program at Portland State University where I taught a host of dynamic courses around leadership, conflict, trauma, healing, ceremony and design.

Over an 18 month period in the early 2000’s I designed a trauma healing and recovery program for the newly formed Psycho-Social pillar of the Mercy Corps International strategy for post-conflict intervention and support. This program embedded extensive research and design around cutting edge facilitation and trauma healing modalities into a dynamic and practical set of tools and practices for on the ground peacekeepers, program officers and medical personnel.

Over the last decades, in addition to the above, I have worked with hundreds of individuals to help them navigate their healing path in an intimate and tightly designed format grounded upon clear objectives and deep commitments.

Coming to today, through our work at The Dawn Collective, I am incredibly fortunate to support and provide trauma healing + leadership support to some of the most remarkable  people I have ever met: Air Force Pararescuemen, Naval Officers and SEAL team members, Army Rangers, Special Forces (SF) and Special Air Services (SAS) members of the UK military, and First Responder across the United States .I am also working with some bad ass technologists. We are bringing deep tech AI companies and solutions into the world designed to support the healing of individuals, communities, and maybe, entire societies.

I have learned – through many trials, tribulations and successes – that the path towards learning and growth is neither quick nor easy. In fact the commitment can often feel like walking the razor’s edge. The path can draw blood, it can be sharp, and at times unforgiving and lonely.

I believe we can draw inspiration, however, from all of our lineages as we embark on our journeys. We can draw inspiration from our ancestors that have endured great hardships and sufferings to pass on to us wisdom. We can learn from the many courageous men and women in the world actively seeking to heal themselves and others of their traumas. And we can learn from our children who look to us for love and leadership every day.