About Me
I grew up in Columbus, Georgia in a very outdoorsy family that enjoys a good story and a good laugh. As a child, I had fun riding horses - a family passion. I also liked to paint and draw and read. I majored in art in college and moved to New York City to get an MFA in painting. I worked as a painter and a sculptor there until 1988 when I began writing. From 1994 to 1999, I worked in Los Angeles as a writer on television comedies and took up improv. I now live in New York city and also spend time in Georgia. I still do improv and still love art.
My Family
My ancestors came to the United States from England and Scotland hundreds of years ago. Most of them settled in the South and spent generations there. In the South, there is a complex beauty and at the same time, stark suffering, exploitation and overt racism. Constellations helped me come to a more truthful, clear-sighted relationship with myself, my family and my Southern culture.
My Training in Constellations
In 2013 I began receiving Family Constellation Therapy both in groups and one-on-one with Natalie Berthold Ryan in New York City. In May 2020 I started studying with Natalie to be a facilitator myself. I completed a year-long training with her. In 2023 I took an Advanced Training course and a training for One-on-One sessions from Leslie Nipps. I’ve taken advantage of the many classes and workshops offered online to observe and study with many well-known facilitators. I continue to seek constellations for myself as I think it’s vitally important that I do my own inner work to provide reliable guidance to my clients. I also continue to study Family Constellations with other facilitators for the same reason.
Other Modalities
I’ve always explored therapies seeking to heal as well as expand my understanding of myself and others. In 1975, I started nine years of Jungian Analysis. In the 80’s I did Past Life Regression therapy. I studied the Tarot and the I Ching. In 2000, I did NAET, a technique that uses acupressure to eliminate allergies. That therapy changed my world view when it gave me the visceral experience of energy shifts changing my physical experience. After that, I studied Polarity and Craniosacral therapy, practiced belief inquiry and did Qi Gong. I learned shamanic journeying and studied Intuition and Energy Healing. In 2024, I became a certified Akashic Records Reader.
Lucy and the Bear
Lucy is an eight-minute video that I wrote, illustrated and narrated. The story comes from my own childhood experiences with an explosive dad. In 2008, Joe Hicks, who worked for decades as the gardener, surprised me when he told me he’d gained something from my dad’s temper. Joe’s wisdom prompted the creation of this work.
Explosive tempers run in my family, and the constellations I did showed that the causes are rooted deep in my family’s past. After working on it, I felt a deeper understanding and compassion, and a shift in the anger energy as well.
