My Story

Born and raised on the Mvskoke (Muscogee/Creek) Nation Reservation land of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, I was shaped by my Mvskoke/Western European–Baptist mother, my Western European–Unitarian father, and all the Gen-X kids that skated the neighborhood with me!

At 16 when I told my grandmother I would be enrolling in an Aviation Science program for my Bachelors, she suggested I become a family therapist instead. It would be 14 years before my grandmother’s words would make any sense to me. The wisdom of her years and ability to see the truth of me beyond my story has now become a legacy I strive to embody. She saw what I could not yet see, a tender heart, deeply attuned to others, always oriented toward growth, healing, and liberation for all beings.

In my mid-20’s I committed myself to the most challenging and rewarding of my great adventures: to learn how to let down my guard and become vulnerable, to move towards living a life in full alignment with my authentic self and in deep connection with others. I found transformation in my own experience of Hakomi, Nonviolent Communication practices, medicine ceremonies, dancing, and in the arms of beloved community. In my late 20’s I began teaching Nonviolent Communication in the Oregon State Penitentiary; this experience clarified that my life’s work is in the healing arts. In 2008, I left my career in aviation to study counseling.

I’ve devoted myself to this path with wholehearted passion, because this work feels like one of the truest expressions of my heart. I’m deeply grateful that I listened to the quiet inner voice that guided me toward what felt aligned and life-serving. Over the years, I’ve also grieved the ways many mental health systems and therapeutic models have been shaped by colonized values and limited understandings of what it means to be human. That awareness continues to call me toward decolonizing my own life, practice, and ways of supporting healing. The creation of Mindful Compassionate Dialogue Therapy (MCDT) has been both an offering and a homecoming, a wellspring of inspiration that reflects my faith in the vast potential of human beings to heal, grow, and live in conscious, compassionate relationship with themselves, each other, and the living world.

These days, I live a simple life in Southeast Portland with my wife and our dog. I find joy in skating, dancing, and playing in many forms, balancing the depth of this work with the lightness that keeps it alive. Connection, learning, and love are at the heart of it all.