Since I was a very young child, I’ve noticed patterns about how people relate to one another and get things done together. By the time I was a teenager, I could see that humans often organize themselves in ways that put productivity at odds with our human needs, where focusing on one would likely come at the expense of the other.  It seemed unnecessarily unsustainable, and I sought out experiences and learning that would give me the skills I would need to support different ways of being together and working together.

I’ve volunteered as an activist and organizer since 2002, facilitating and working with diverse grassroots organizations. I’ve also worked as a facilitator supporting worker cooperatives, small businesses, and faith-based groups. I use the principles of Non-Violent Communication, Convergent Facilitation, Restorative Circles, and other tools to help groups face conflict, make collaborative decisions, and build adaptable systems based on their values.  Since 2014, I’ve also led workshops for activists that aim to support resilient movements by creating intentional culture and infrastructure for engaging with conflict. In 2016, I co-founded Your Allied Rapid Response, which provides a 24/7 bi-lingual network of support to people in my county who are targeted for repression (www.yarr-sc.org). In general, I have oriented my life toward aiming to make the most transformative and connective choices I can in each moment.