I’m a very lucky guy.  I have a loving family and amazing friends all over the world. I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth, and one of my favorite things to do is sit in the park and listen to the birds sing. I’m not at all interested in most of the things that used to stress me out. I don’t currently have any inflexible judgments or beliefs and I more or less get along with everybody I meet. I enjoy meeting interesting people everywhere I go and sharing ideas and experiences with them. I don’t have much money or possessions, but I am relationally wealthy, and what I do have is more than enough.

I remember a time, not that long ago, when I viewed my life very, very differently.

I lived most of my life with pretty terrible depression, a personal Leviathan I wouldn’t wish on history’s worst villains. It created a labyrinth of confusion, sadness, and disconnection that I wandered through for three decades. My story has many twists and turns, some of them quite dark, but I am beyond blessed to have found my way out. I now see depression as more than just darkness – it was also an opportunity. Depression forced me to ask “why” about nearly everything I encountered. This curiosity created a seeker within, and I’ve been seeking meaning my entire life.

Along the way, I developed an intimate connection with books, music, ideas, travel, and the esoteric. I have also tried seemingly every therapeutic tool known to man.  I’ve had a colorful tour of the human experience, and the lessons I’ve learned are with me wherever I go. I aim to share everything with an open heart and curious mind. My hope is that my life experience can help, even if only slightly, the lives of all who stumble into my world.

With much love and gratitude, welcome to Self and Sangha.

QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE

• I am a 35 year veteran of the mental health wars, including all the felt personal experience and experimentation that goes along with that. I know what’s at stake and I know what it takes.

• I have a BA in History and Philosophy from the University of Massachusetts and I’ve been an avid reader of literature, philosophy, politics, economics, and history my entire life. In short, I’m an earnest lifelong student of the human condition.

• I was a teacher at a school in Massachusetts (2008 - 2012) for children and teenagers with severe behavioral issues stemming from abuse, neglect, addiction, and other significant traumas. I worked closely with beings who were suffering terribly and I was humbled and awed by their resilience and courage.

• I worked for eight years (2012 - 2020) as a Tax Consultant in a steadily growing, fast paced, and deadline driven Zurich firm. A brutal burnout in 2014 forced me to experiment with many tools, on the job and in real time, which helped me find a healthier and more sustainable way to engage with the stressors of the modern workplace. If burnout is a topic for you, I’m your huckleberry.

• I am a long time meditator and have guided many people in their own practice.

• I am a certified yoga teacher.

• I am a certified somatic movement teacher.

• I have an intention (or perhaps you could call it an obsession) to continue finding, learning about, experimenting with, and sharing practices and tools that can help improve one’s quality of life.