strengths / skills

a normal human being who makes lots of mistakes and tries their best to leave things better than they found them

6–9 minutes

biggest strengths

deep listening / holding space / simply being / tending to needs without judgment
deep insight / out of the box thinking / radical ideas / problem solver / brainstorming
deep meditation on interconnected ways / being / beings of the universe
deep patience / slowness / gentleness / tenderness
deep question finder / conversation maker
celebration of difference in mind / body / spirit
radiating loving kindness / unconditional love
teaching / learning / teaching how to learn / learning how to teach as an art form
find gratitude in anything à la positive spin, silver linings, strengths oriented, pump you up, brand / image
radical permission to be our beautiful / imperfect / flawed / messy selves
service as worship of your divine nature
ferocious intent to heal the world, one loving baby step at a time
human “glue” – connector, community builder, organizer
writing – affirmation, validation, poetry, think pieces, compassionate story
funny, smart, charismatic, breadth not depth
a good eye for movement and space – aware, observant, detail oriented – particularly of emotional states
a lovely “backboard” for any of your ideas / problems / tangents whimsical and mundane
beloved by children and highly effective childcare provider

“self-taught”

( nothing is actually “self-taught” as we cannot learn without connection / listening to other beings (who may not be human). what this phrase usually refers to is learning that is self-led and/or outside traditional teaching environments )

teacher, facilitator, childcare, budget, finance, cook, french, pickleball, climbing, guitar, sourdough baker, writer, design / ergonomics, singer, fashion, drawer, collager, digital design, honestly the vast majority of things in my life

random other proficient skills

code, make websites, spreadsheets, swim, resume writing, talking with anyone in a generative way despite differences in values / ideologies, travel, volunteering

it may be easier to understand some of my strengths through the lens of my

major accomplishments

healing / repair

only by following the sense of mutual need in my / our hearts, i have been co-repairing a relationship since may 2023
this was a primary enmeshed partnership of 6.5 years that turned deeply toxic / fractured / broken / disconnected
cohabitation for six months after breakup
- during this time i guided us both through healing with many slow / spacious / open / honest / vulnerable / safe conversations and spiritual metaphor
- when she expressed a need for more verbal accountability, i wrote a couple pages worth of extremely thorough apologies with zero explanations or excuses
- when she realized full extent of her harm (relationship PTSD from my emotional abuse / neglect) i immediately validated
the risk for triggering / reopening trauma due to our separate healing journeys became too high so we slowly transitioned to separate housing
while intensely depressed and reeling from confronting my own longstanding wounds for the first time, i independently invented and facilitated us in a restorative / transformative justice process
- i do not claim to have invented these concepts, merely that i had never heard about them whatsoever — which means this process was purely heart-led through the strength of my care / dedication / intuitive strength / mutuality in my being — i had never been in political / advocacy / stewarded community spaces before — i acknowledge there are many folks / ways far more educated / experienced / effective than me and i am grateful to continue learning
- i gathered her closest support group ( including mutual friends ) and divulged the harm i had done as well as her need for support
- she tried to make excuses / explanations for me and i denied the attempt as this space was purely for her
- we all collaboratively discussed steps moving forward and what she needs
- i independently created my own support structure removed from her to tend to my own needs / healing, who i also divulged my harm to
fostered connective / generative / healing agreements
- i gave her ownership of most spaces with mutual friends so she could have support / safety / fun away from me
- created dedicated times of the week to text for emotional safety / predictability / stability
- when it became apparent that more space was necessary to de-mesh minds / lives, agreed on six months of zero contact ( with planned check in of whether to start talking again )
- afterwards, scheduled spacious times for mutually enthusiastic activities in person (and reduced when too much)
i have always done my best to let her lead the pace of interaction / contact / healing including cancelling or postponing
the healing journey continues day by day — though we don’t yet see much of each other it is healthier than ever

some of my own healing journey

in my lived experience indigenous worldview / practice / belief is a salve to every emotional wound / mental health disorder

hell of a lot of thinking / journaling / sitting with feelings
private therapy
therapy support group
many online and in-person workshops / lectures / discussions regarding consent / relationships / trauma / boundaries / sex
a lot a lot a lot of alone time
always deeply reflective / insightful / accountable in case of harm to / from
grounding tools such as journaling / nature / song / music / breathwork / body-scanning / somatics / mindfulness / yoga / journaling
an entire wall of my room was a giant healing vision board
daily meditation
i can’t understate how much journaling – often hours a day
artistic expression / therapy / writing
therapy / self-help books
- restoring the kinship worldview: indigenous voices introduce 28 precepts for rebalancing life on earth – wahinkpe topa (four arrows) and darcia narvaez, phd
- sand talk: how indigenous thinking can save the modern world – tyson yunkaporta
- adult children of emotionally immature parents – lindsay c gibson, psyd
- come as you are – emily nagoski, phd
- no bad parts – richard c schwartz, phd
- daring greatly – brené brown, phd msw
- the dance of anger – harriet lerner, phd
- calling in – loretta j ross
- non-violent communication – marshall b rosenberg, phd
- the boy who was raised a dog – bruce d perry, md phd and maia szalavitz
- the body keeps the score – bessel van der kolk, md
- thanks for the feedback – douglas stone and shiela heen
- parenting with love – glenn i latham

“self-taught” french

within 18 months of study reached one level below “mother tongue” (C1)
studied theoretical knowledge for one year at home (pheonetics, vocabulary, grammar)
- about 4 hours a day of disciplined approaches
- “virtual immersion” through movies, recordings, audio, spoken practice
- self-led curriculum through many online sources, apps, methodologies
- once basic methods were no longer challenging, pivoted to creating my own database of vocabulary, ideas, rules, flash cards
- vast spreadsheet for import into a spaced repetition flashcard program (Anki)
researched best means to move to France, landed on student / au pair, attained visa status as well as self-found a family, and moved abroad for a shortened school year
continued self studies and began in-person classes for French as a Second Language
didn’t speak a word of English – most folks didn’t know I was American
in other news: then cold called/emailed about 300 companies to get a volunteer visa for my subsequent move to the UK (16 months)

built two self employed/run businesses

pickleball coach & nature nannying (+ household managing)
successful marketing campaign entirely through word of mouth
delivered lessons to over 500 people over few years
profit margin around 95%, gross annual income totaling $45K
big picture organizing ideas, methods, data, to do lists, schedules, itineraries, etc
built websites, client base, income / expense / tax tracking
created curriculum, methodologies, facilitation style, drills, practices, rituals
client-serving and individual / neurodivergent / age / income / mobility / disability affirming strategies
built community between clients, teachers, students, parents

cosmic wheel

to turn / to learn / to yearn / to burn

EDITS

12/28/25

removed “meditation and loving kindness” section in honor of the ~~humble road~~ dirt path

11/29/25

removed summary from intro in honor of the long and winding road
child — universal pupil — monk – deep listener — mediator — translator — navigator — tender of humans — facilitator of cooperative learning — story teller / singer / holder / opener — leader — healer — reminder of indigenous worldview — worshipper of the sacred divine within us all — advocate — builder — question as artform — radical joy / permission / authenticity as rebellion — and — most importantly
some humans have a “green thumb” – plants somewhat mystically do better in their care. i have learned time and time again that i am not among them HA
what i do have is a “human thumb.” well…. two of them… err… the analogy doesn’t quite translate but you get the picture. my strengths primarily lie in the emotional / cognitive / spiritual realms and i help / heal humans simply by being myself – aka spreading love / compassion in action :)
“self-taught” section changed “school environments” to “teaching environments” in respect of classrooms outside of school
added indigenous worldview note at beginning of “my own healing journey” section