Biography

I've been in DC for more than 10 years and was raised in Richmond, Virginia. In college (early 90s) I studied French literature and thought I'd eventually go on to master the language. For various reasons, that part of my life eventually gave way to other interests, and I began to see a great need for personal growth rather than academic achievement.

Losing my mother during those earlier years was pivotal to my becoming the person I am now. Mother loss is difficult at any age, but in your 20s it can really throw a wrench in your plans. I spent several years grieving that loss and then a few more working out my own identity in the absence of the fundamental character of influence in one's identity development.

With more than a decade of recovery through many different cognitive and mind-body therapies, the existential angst has given way to a stronger spirit. Who doesn't eventually feel in one's life the truth of "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"? I am an unrepentant optimist convinced of the resilience of the human spirit in adversity and also the ultimate triumph of reason over ignorance.

Giving and receiving massage, and teaching and practicing yoga put me in touch with that connection to human strength and potential in so many ways. I don't really believe in any sort of "nirvana" or final plateau of meaningful existence, and I don't strive to achieve any high moral ground in this life. Rather, I do my best to live day to day, making conscious choices toward myself and others, and I have found yoga and massage indispensable tools for deepening my consciousness in this regard. Don't let this be interpreted as any sort of heightened sense of perfection or any of that. In fact, sometimes the more real one is with oneself, the darker the night seems to be. Which is why yoga and massage are so important to me as supports through the difficulties reality will inevitably produce.

Additionally, my life is deeply enriched by my partner, Chris and our 3 cats, and a circle of friends who teach me a lot about the world through their experiences and their balancing-acts of selflessness with selfishness.