About Me

Some of my core spiritual beliefs include:

• Sober, Secular, Safe space. My classes and one-on-one sessions are sober spaces.

  • This is a safe space for people struggling with substance abuse disorders; my lenses are harm-reduction and I am trauma informed.

  • This space is secular - you do not have to ascribe to any religion or spiritual path to be here, and no soliciting or conversion attempts are allowed in these spaces.

  • This is a safe space for queer, nonbinary, trans, ace, agender, disabled, fat, chronically ill, people of all races; I’m always learning and doing my best to make this the safest space possible. More on that below.

• Take Your Medications. I avoided starting antidepressants for decades due in part to bad advice from previous spiritual teachers. Starting antidepressants and anxiety meds literally saved my life and completely transformed me into the happiest, most stable person I have ever been. I will NEVER advise you to stop taking prescribed medications, and I advise you not to listen to any spiritual teacher who has strong negative opinions about doctor-prescribed medications.

• Eat Food You Like. Food has Nothing to Do With Spirituality. I’m a fat and bodily autonomy activist. One of my favorite podcasts is Maintenance Phase, which shows the actual science behind calories, dieting, and body size. Food has nothing, nothing, nothing to do with spirituality, and oftentimes the “toxic” or “processed” foods that spiritual people love to hate are simply foods that people in poverty can afford, so it’s not *really* about the food. I leave food out of it. I worked in agriculture for over fifteen years, and saw how the intersection of spirituality and food can create diets and eating practices that are extremely harmful to people (such as fasting, which can be extremely triggering for people with a history of disordered eating). I will never tell you to change your diet or espouse any preferred diet or eating practice. I think you should eat what you like, when you like, however much you like. Fuck diets.

• Disabled People Matter. Body shape, diseases, illnesses, and disabilities are NOT moral comeuppance or a reflection of spirituality/moral fitness. Disease is not “dis-ease” but simply a biological fact. There are too many spiritual “leaders” out there who use illness, chronic illness, and disability to shame and blame victims, creating an ableist world where only able-bodied “healthy” people are spiritually fit. Disabled people deserve to be seen and loved, and deserve to live in the world just as easily as able-bodied people. We don't yet live in that world, we have a long way to go to make the built environment, the economy, and spiritual services accessible to disabled people. I live with chronic pain and expect to become further disabled as I age. This is a safe space for the disabled community and I’m committed to continuing to learn how to make spiritual services accessible to all. This is not debatable.

• Trans People Matter. Transgender, Enby, Agender, and all gender-creative folks are beautiful, are fully human, and deserve respect, love, and care. Because of course we do. This is not debatable.

• BIPOC Lives Matter. We must right the injustices of the past and present; it is our inheritance and our collective responsibility. We must be actively anti-racist, we must make reparations, and we must give land back. This is not debatable.

• Sex Positive, Asexual positive, Body Neutral. You are the only person you will have to live with for the entirety of your life. Your body deserves to be loved, appreciated, and honored. Many spiritual teachers do not yet embrace the asexual/graysexual/autosexual communities — I do. Many do not accept sex workers and sex work — I do. Additionally, “body positivity” is a lot to ask of a person, especially those of us who have struggled with past eating disorders, disordered/distorted body image, etc. I ascribe to body neutrality: a loving, easy, plain, relaxed acceptance of your body as it is, rather than forcing yourself to be ultra-hyped about your body all the freaking time (how exhausting!).

• Pro-Science, Anti-Conspiracy Theory. We must work with science and scientists, not against them. We must accept truth as truth. Vaccines are safe. I will NEVER tell you to stop taking prescribed medications. Most conspiracy theories are bunk. There are much larger problems in the world that require our attention, energy, money, and time.

• Victim Blaming/Victim Shaming Is Disgusting. New Age spirituality is born out of the dominant culture (white, cisgendered, heterosexual, able-bodied, etc). Most New Age spiritual practices blame victims for their problems and circumstances. This is gross. This is yet another way for white cishets to ignore their white privilege, cisgendered privilege, and heterosexual privilege. I do not engage in this behavior and call it out when I see it.

• Decolonizing Spiritual Practices. Cultural appropriation is rife within spiritual communities. I work hard to decolonize my own practice, and I encourage others to explore and decolonize their own spiritual lineages and practices.