Here is a little bit about me:

I was raised in the beautiful coastal regions of the Abenaki, Pennacook, and Wabanaki people, unceded territory now known as southern Maine and New Hampshire. My current home is on Chelamela, Kalapuya, and Siuslaw unceded land, now known as Eugene, Oregon.

I identify as multiracial; I am second generation Arab-American, Swedish, Welsh, and Scottish Highlander. I am nonbinary, queer, autistic, and Buddhist. I have directly experienced discrimination, marginalization, and subtle acts of inclusion at the hands of what we call dominant culture. Two generations ago, my immigrant family was poor and of lower-class standing. My grandfather worked his way through the “American Dream” and changed our family’s social standing. As a result, I was raised in the upper middle class. For this, I acknowledge the advantages my grandfather’s privilege entitles me.

Since 2016, I have received over 120 hours of training in mediation, and in 2019 was training as an Equity-informed Mediator from Resolutions Northwest, in Portland, OR. I have been working with private mediation clients in person, online and volunteering my services at the Center for Dialogue and Resolution (CDR) in Eugene since 2016.

I have a BA from the University of New Hampshire and in addition to 120 hours of mediation training, I have been trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS) levels 1-3, Intimacy from the Inside Out (IFIO) level 1, Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) levels 1-2, Trauma Informed Care (TIC), and Non-violent Communication (NVC).

Over the years, I have been fortunate to received intensive and rare training in Tibetan Buddhism through a line of authentic Tibetan lamas starting in 2008, and then in 2012, my root teacher, HE Ayang Rinpoche, gave me permission to teach Tibetan meditation. I have been teaching Buddhist meditation and providing spiritual counsel ever since. Because of this background, my work with clients and students is rooted in a strong foundation of mindfulness, self-compassion, collaboration, and perspective-taking.

On a more personal level, I love the great outdoors! I love being at sea, in the mountains, hiking, paddle boarding, cooking with my daughter, enjoying meaningful connection within my local queer community, spending time with family, playing games with friends, singing in Eugene’s Queer Choir Collective, and curling up with a book and my silly orange tabby.

I honestly believe that self-reflection, humility, personal accountability, and a good sense of humor are the keys to life. I practice those keys as best I can and embrace my limitations when they arise… when they arise, not if!