holding multiple, often contradictory, truths. I’m not interested in picking sides or creating viral hot takes. I encourage myself and my clients to embrace complexity and nuance and to explore the multitudinous nature of human life.
 

honoring individuals while condemning systems. At the center of my belief system is the knowledge that the actions and beliefs of individuals, even those that cause great harm, are the results of systems that seek to oppress and dehumanize us all. This is not a reason to let people off the hook for harm but rather my motivation to see the humanity in everyone and to engage in systems of accountability and restorative justice, even and especially where harm occurs.
 

not being good. The good/bad binary is false and cannot hold the complexity of humanity. I refuse to engage in language or behavior that seeks to claim goodness or reject badness and I encourage my clients to move beyond the desire to prove or perform their own goodness.
 

existing in a body. Western culture too often separates the body from the mind and encourages us to engage in intellectual work from a disembodied place. I aspire to bring my whole body into the classroom and the office and I incorporate embodiment into all of my coaching. This might look like taking a few breaths together, incorporating small movements, or even simply turning off our Zoom cameras so we can be untethered from our screens.
 

processes of accountability that begin, not end, with apologies. Too often, our society treats “I’m sorry” as the end place of harm. I believe that accountability begins with an acknowledgment of harm and an apology. What accountability looks like after that depends on the needs of the harmed, the ability of the harmer, and the nature of the harm that has taken place. As a facilitator of spaces, I recognize that I am not divorced from these processes and that I will most likely both be harmed and cause harm within the context of this work.
 

a more beautiful world. I believe that a more beautiful world, one in which we are all seen and loved, in which we belong to one another, is possible. I believe that, through self-inquiry and community, imagination and love, we can build this world together.