Wisdom seeker, aspiring Jedi, life artist (Lebenskünstler)...
I empower people through transformational experiences, and I help them explore their limiting beliefs through challenging questions and casual conversation. I am here (on earth) to serve as a catalyst for positive change and personal growth, gently guiding people of all ages toward greater self-realization.
My academic area of expertise is language use, possibility, and empowerment. I am passionate about self-directed experiential education, and deeply curious about how other people see the world. Although trained in linguistics, my personal research is interdisciplinary and draws on insights from psychology, sociology, education, and philosophy. I have studied topics as diverse as the nature of knowledge vs. wisdom, intercultural classroom dynamics, and the concept of 'energy' in alternative medicine.
My PhD involved participant-observation in the areas of outdoor education, clinical hypnotherapy, and fire-walking, with a focus on helping people overcome their self-imposed limitations. This research was conducted while serving as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and a Commonwealth Scholar to the UK.
My academic area of expertise is language use, possibility, and empowerment. I am passionate about self-directed experiential education, and deeply curious about how other people see the world. Although trained in linguistics, my personal research is interdisciplinary and draws on insights from psychology, sociology, education, and philosophy. I have studied topics as diverse as the nature of knowledge vs. wisdom, intercultural classroom dynamics, and the concept of 'energy' in alternative medicine.
My PhD involved participant-observation in the areas of outdoor education, clinical hypnotherapy, and fire-walking, with a focus on helping people overcome their self-imposed limitations. This research was conducted while serving as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and a Commonwealth Scholar to the UK.
Time well spent...
Experiential Education:
Rotary Youth Exchange Student to Hokkaido, northern Japan. Encounters with Canada participant (an awesome week in Ottawa). RYLA - Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, recipient and guest speaker. Katimavik participant (8 months of volunteer work throughout Canada). Began learning yoga while living at a Sivananda ashram. Explored faith, prayer, and exorcism at a Christian monastery. Practiced meditation and mindfulness at a Buddhist monastery. Spent a summer leading wilderness canoe trips with Camp Outlook. Program Coordinator for Columbia Basin Youth Links. J'explore (5 weeks of French immersion in Quebec). Rode my bicycle from Quebec to the northern tip of Newfoundland. Independent exploration: Europe (6 months) + Australia (8 months). Tour of Israel and Palestine with a focus on spirituality + social justice. WWOOF: Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Vipassana (10 day silent meditation retreat), multiple times. SEALFIT: 3 week Special Forces Immersion Academy + Kokoro 33 Architecture of Hypnosis course with Dr. Mike Mandel. Systema training with Vladimir Vasiliev and other top instructors. Wim Hof Method - both online and in person with Wim Hof. Inner Engineering - as taught by Sadhguru, (Isha yoga). Spent a week kayaking in the Broken Group Islands, (Canada). (In progress - please check back later if you're curious.) |
Academic Research + Qualifications:
BA - Honours Linguistics, McMaster University, Canada. Knowledge vs. Wisdom; Intercultural classroom dynamics Dean's Gold Medal for Excellence in the Humanities MA - Theoretical + Applied Linguistics, York University, Canada. 'Energy' in the Discourse of Alternative Medicine Ontario Graduate Scholarship PhD - School of Linguistics, Bangor University, North Wales, UK. (Im)possibility and the Pragmatics of Empowerment Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship Commonwealth Scholarship to the UK |