GIVING THANKS

I have so much appreciation for my teachers and mentors over the years. I am forever grateful for the wisdom they share and the space they hold for me to find my way. 

To all my clients and program participants; thank you for showing up as YOU in all of your patterning and conditioning, and in your truth. Without you I would not have the wisdom I have today. You have shown me how brilliant we as human beings truly are. Your commitment and your willingness to create change inspires me every fricken day. I can’t thank you enough.

To all my family and friends. I love you. Thank you for being part of my journey as I shift out of being independent and protected and discover what it means to belong, to be supported, and to not have to do it alone.

And most importantly, thank you to my dog Rio for the unconditional love and presence and for always reflecting my states back to me. I don’t know where I would be without you at my side!

MY JOURNEY

I’ve always been someone who enjoys adventure, living spontaneously, and following my impulses. Here are the footnotes of where this way of living has taken me! 

I left home at the age of 18 to live and snowboard in Whistler, BC.

At the age of 19 I did a month-long placement at a fire department in Hamburg, Germany. (My family is German and German was my first language). I had spent a semester doing a co-op at a fire department in my hometown and had intentions of becoming a firefighter or ambulance attendant.

Shortly after that placement I ended up back in Whistler where I started teaching both snowboarding and swimming, while I also life guarded. This ski town was my home base until I was 29. The list of jobs I had during this time is pretty long!

After not passing a physical for a job as a forest fire fighter by a few seconds at the age of 22, I made my way to Australia where I learned to surf. I also took 3 months to backpack around South East Asia. 

I did my yoga teachers training mainly so I could continue to travel and work at surf camps at the age of 24. I spent 5 years teaching yoga in Whistler at high end resorts and studios. 

While at the beginning of my yoga career, I decided to become a raft guide at the age of 25. That lasted a season although I dated a guide and got to go on some epic adventures because of it.

I moved to Morocco to teach yoga and surfing at a surf camp at the age of 29. This led me to years of working at surf camps in places like France, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Tofino BC until I was 37 years old.

Through it all I completed a 4 year training to become a Feldenkrais teacher at the age of 31.

I officially became a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner after 3 years of training at the age of 37 and I continue to educate myself in the somatic realms through assisting trainings, and taking master classes.

Over the years I have also deepened my spiritual practice thanks to the support of mentors like Chris Dierkes, Francis Weller, and John Prendergast.

I’m now 42 years old.

I’m grateful that I often felt supported to follow any impulses, I rarely doubted my decisions, and I have few regrets.

I’m now aware that my self righteous, and “having it all together” survival patterns supported me in this lifestyle. I’m aware that me always being on the go supported my fears around commitment, being seen, and being vulnerable. I’m also aware that living in a way where I followed my impulses and desires for spontaneity and adventure is aligned with who I am. I see everything as a range. Sometimes our actions are our patterns supporting us by protecting, managing, controlling, and distracting us from our pains and challenges, while other times it’s a true representation of who we are. 

Nowadays, to me, the journey is about recognizing the way I move through the world in my patterns and in alignment with my truth. To deepen my understanding of my human experience I have to be open to see, hold, and explore how it is I'm engaging in life with curiosity and empathy. I have to be willing to explore my edges of the unknown, unfamiliar, and uncomfortable. And I have to recognize when I'm choosing the familiar, comfortable, and more survival base ways of navigating life verses when I'm choosing to live in a frequency that's in alignment with my true nature and in my purpose. It's not easy. It's messy. And I believe it's an ongoing journey and that excites the shit out of me! I'm grateful for the opportunity to guide those that are curious about what's possible through a life filled with inquiry and possibility!