I am a nurse / artist who made a movie about the journey women take to shed body shame. On that journey I dove deep into finding out what actually shifts a person from loathing to love and I work with people to learn those skills.
Who I work with:
About me
I recon as a coach and therapist I am a bit like Baubo. She is the goddess that when confronted with an inconsolable Demeter who was causing an eternal winter in her grief from the loss of her daughter Persephone. Baubo broke the spell of Demetre's action paralysis by lifting her skirts and causing Demetre to laugh for the first time since Hades stole her daughter. This laughter caused a crack just wide enough to allow her to gain hope and the hope enabled her to heal herself and ultimately bring on spring.
I am not your conventional therapist / coach. I work from the body up. Your subconcious is the part that is blocking your progress and your subconcious speaks body. Most therapy speaks words. What happens if your blocks formed before you formed words? Not much progress is the correct answer most of the time. I use a combination of expressive arts, somatic therapy, ecotherapy, needs-based coaching, and movement to help create the conditions where you start to heal yourself.
When I am not doing therapy stuff I run a charitable trust and am a film maker. My first film was released this year and seems to be doing pretty well so far. My next big adventure is creating a trauma informed education option for students for whom the mainstream education system just isn't working. That program is called Natural Leaders.
Speaker
I'm a TEDx speaker. In 2018 I spoke about the formation of our trust, Every Body is a Treasure after my 5-year-old niece started to show signs of body shame.
After 20 years of working with women and families while at the same time working as a creative, I have developed a theory of practice that acts like a very simple diagnostic tool to help you figure out where trauma has impacted you in your life and where it is still holding you back.
My Keynote Embodied Creativity takes the audience on a personal journey to discover where they have potentially been sidelined by trauma and how to return to their authentic creative selves.
Skill Basket
As a creative, I have three main areas that I get to serve others with.
Basically I am a HeArtivist. Heart + Art + Activism. I use my creative tools, coaching skills, and wairua (my access to creative energy) to support others to course correct into their natural path of greatest impact in the world.
Holistic Wellbeing
- Somatic Therapist (for people dealing with historical traumas)
- Transformational Coach (for those feeling burned out, people in a transitional period, or stuck creatives)
- Youth worker for gifted creatives, neurodiverse, rainbow youth, and girls struggling with self-compassion issues.
- Compassionate Communication trainer and facilitator
- Chakradance Facilitator
- Organic / Permaculture Farmer/Gardener
- Currently Studying Rongoā (Māori wellbeing / healing methods) at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
- Prior US Naval Nurse Corps Officer - 10 years of leadership and holistic nursing training.
Artist:
- I use my camera as a therapeutic tool.
- A tool to question others view of themselves
- A tool to ask questions of the world.
- Master Photographer and Past winner of NZ's Creative Photographer of the Year.
- Multi Award-winning documentary film-maker
- Community Artist - I use art making as a tool to build community wairua (wellbeing).
Community Building - Philanthropy
- Every Body is a Treasure Trust Founder / Director
- Post Graduate Diploma in Social and Community Leadership - University of Auckland
- Community Artist / Teacher / Facilitator / Mentor
- Click Happy
- The Rainbow Challenge
- Create Happy Media