I believe what adrienne maree brown articulated in Pleasure Activism: that we must learn to make “justice and liberation the most pleasurable experiences we can have on this planet.”

I believe this happens through slow, consistent actions rooted in joy, play, and core values every single day. It looks, sounds, and feels differently for all of us. I have learned this over the last decade when my own burnout almost took me out, and now feel rested, playful and committed to working on projects making the world better in some way.

I spent the first part of my adulthood committed to social change within the systems of public education in San Francisco and Oakland. I watched young people thrive as they found their talents in arts and sports and science, I facilitated educators connecting to their students in creative ways, and I felt these systems fail us again and again. Internal struggles that closed schools and left families & staff abandoned, gun & domestic violence without restorative healing practices, unsustainable workloads requiring late nights & weekends, strike after strike after strike. I was all-in with my commitment to it all until I lost my job in the middle of a school year and found myself at my lowest point.

You can learn more about this in my tedx talk, but the takeaway is that I created a framework to make sure I never found myself as victim to a system I was trying to dismantle again. The framework (now called Hustle & Play) is a continuous cycle of improvement that ensures my own values guide my direction forever, and it also serves as a counter-system to the one that failed me in the first place.

Using this framework for myself has led me to create a thriving photography business, a women’s organization, and bring Hustle & Play to the world for others to use.

I’ve combined the insight from using Hustle & Play in my own life with my experience in facilitation and coaching from education to help folks tap into their most joyful selves while finding their purpose and building sustainable wellness in their lives. I’ve created a community for us to connect to each other while we do this with peer learning groups, retreats, and workshops. I’ve worked with organizations to help them guide their teams to tap into their genius while staying present.

I’ve done this while I traveled the world, got lots of rest, made art, built beautiful relationships, and nurtured my inner child who loves to play sports. I am committed to my sustainable wellness as I continue to grow my professional footprint with my career.

I really believe we can make lasting, collective impact by tending to our wellness with intention, and I’m here to help us brainstorm the best way to do that together.

If you’re curious about building systems of wellness for yourself or your team, - I’ll help get things rooted in values & play - and we’ll go from there.