Meet Our Team
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Co-owner / Co-founder | I am seeking to map out the convergent space of trauma-focused therapy (the relational and transpersonal), psychedelic integration (biology and story-telling) and shamanism (the emergent). Ultimately I believe the connection and reciprocity woven into the mycelium under the forest floor to be the model of personal regeneration and growth.
Having had a transformative psychedelic experience myself, the powerful benefits that such an experience can have on any person’s therapeutic process were made apparently clear to me. After many more experiential journeys and trainings, I began facilitating psychedelic therapy sessions, interweaving aspects from various modalities and plant medicines that have constellated into a holistic approach to therapy and healing.
Over this past decade I have gained an extensive knowledge of how to work with various psychedelic medicines. During this time I I have also created several distinct protocols for using psychedelic medicines, which I have then taught to other therapists, psychiatrists, MDs and healers over the past several years.
Presently I work in Los Angeles as both a therapist and an executive coach and am fortunate to work with clients who are leaders across many fields, from the arts to finance to politics. Prior to this work, my primary focus was working with sexual trauma at The Center for Healthy Sex, as well as recovery from addiction at several treatment centers. I incorporate aspects of the empirical sciences, existential philosophy, Jungian psychology, mindfulness, Internal Family Systems and attachment theory to help people develop deeply authentic and fulfilling lives. I also coach C-Suite executives all over the world on how to lead their teams and companies towards excellence with compassion and inclusivity. I truly look forward to making a connection with you in whatever form that may take.
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Co-owner / Co-founder | Over the last 20 years, I have inspired, created, taught, trained and certified in various modalities of health, wellness and movement throughout the United States and abroad. I have curated individual, community and company based programs for a myriad of folks; from creatives and artists to C-suite executives. One of my passions lies in bringing embodiment practices (yoga and dance) and mindfulness practices (meditation and breath work) to everyone, but especially to communities who might not otherwise have access to these modalities. I believe they have the power to heal us individually, as well as being necessary tools to help dismantle broken, oppressive systems.
Alongside my teaching, this last decade has led me on a deeply introspective journey - one that has required a complete unlearning and then relearning of who I am and how I may best serve my community and the world at large. I have spent time with various healers, shamans and wisdom teachers from around the globe, learning how to best engage with plant medicines; ultimately learning how to hold gentle, healing space for myself, so that I may then hold that same space for others.
I use a constellation of my past experiences - that of a professional dancer, a mindfulness teacher, an interior and fashion design enthusiast, and a two decades long political activist (amongst other things), as well as my decade of psychedelic practice and guiding, to inform the ways I move though the world and the lens in which I operate from. It is in my comfort of diving into the shadow parts of our humanity, as well as my desire to find the light, that provides me a great reverence for life and our ability to heal.
My main focus and work these days lies at the intersection of race, politics, psychedelics and healing. And it is from this intersection, alongside my husband James, The Forest Floor was born. Together, we have developed and fine tuned a specific psychedelic therapy protocol that we have not only used to guide hundreds of individuals, couples and groups, but one that we use to train other licensed professionals and healers so they may then take this work to their own communities.
Whether I am guiding someone through a vigorous yoga class, a mentorship program, or guiding them on a journey to the outer edges of the universe, my aim is to always serve our highest good and bring to the surface our best selves, no matter how difficult or easy the journey may be. I really look forward to meeting you along the way.
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Lead facilitator | I work at the intersection of knowing ourselves and understanding one another so that we may all experience collective liberation, freedom, and joy. For 35 years my professional focus has centered creativity, storytelling, aesthetics, innovation, leadership, and service. Having grown up in a military family, I’m adept at change and starting over. I exist comfortably in ambiguity. Said differently, I can really hold space and I’m happy to meet you wherever you are on the “woo” to “pragmatic” continuum. My grounded and calm energies combined with my patient, probing questions help folks find focus and flow. My way has been one of the embodied edgedweller. I live to explore, pushing my limits physically, aesthetically, and conceptually. And, then, I love to share my discoveries, opening new doors for others. I’m confident, queer, and gentle. Because I’ve spent so much time searching for flickers of light in the dark recesses of ambiguity, I’m super comfortable holding space for you as you clear blockages, identify alternate routes, and venture forth.
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Manager of operations | I have gravitated toward joy and community my entire life. Growing up in San Francisco and enamored with live theater, I relished in the wonder of what humans could accomplish together. Many plays and musicals later, that love of collaborative creation led me to study theater in college, where I discovered Clowning. As a clown, I learned that the parts we often try to hide can be our most special assets. This newfound perspective led me to study Clowning at the San Francisco Clown Conservatory and then improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater in LA.
I now utilize my own playful spirit to create videos on the internet that are “just for fun,” but in reality feed my soul and continue to scratch the itch of creating community through play.
I am honored to be a part of the Forest Floor and continuously awed by human nature and what we can accomplish through tapping into our most authentic selves. I look forward to the continued sharing and celebrating of both our unique and similar gifts.
Portrait Photography by Gabriela Cardona