The shorter version of my story

I was given the name Fauna as I was initiated into young adulthood. This name symbolized the wild and nurturing spirit I have for Life, the Earth, and all living beings.
In my late teens and 20’s I left home to experience community living, and organic-regenerative farming. I spent many seasons volunteering at local farms in the Willamette and Upper Rogue valley in exchange for a humble place to stay. It was during this time that I was introduced to gentle and loving practices like yoga, meditation, qigong, and non-violent communication through the people I met along the way. Living in close proximity to the Earth and in a more natural rhythm, I believe put me in greater touch with myself, helping my nervous system to unwind and relax from a childhood of trauma and growing up in an urban hustle that fuels the sympathetic nervous system. The healing I experienced during this time helped set me on the path towards becoming a healer and bodyworker.

In 2016, I felt a very strong pull to witness and support the No DAPL pipeline movement led by the First Nations Lakota people of the Standing Rock Reservation. I drove from Tacoma, WA to Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. It was a long, yet time was nonexistent, month spent volunteering at the camp kitchen, attending Inipi Ceremony (Sweat lodge), and listening intently to the Indigenous storytellers from around the world that generously shared their people’s creation story, their struggles, and prayers around the sacred fire. I also met many allies, leaders, visionaries, and young folk like me who were eager to help and learn. This experience became a catalyst for me. Setting me on a path of seeking the truth about the history of the United States and discovering movements like Land back, All Water is Sacred, MMIW, and liberation of the global majority. While also opening my eyes to the heart-breaking truth about colonization, white supremacy, and climate collapse. I drove home with a determination to do my part in supporting these movements.

After I returned home to Washington, I spent a couple more years of seasonal farm work and travelling across the country and back. My next big adventure led me to working and living at Breitenbush Hot Springs. My partner Fergus and I lived and worked there in the mountains until the 2020 fires forced us to evacuate. We settled down in Salem shortly that following winter and have been living in this sweet city ever since.

I opened my private practice in 2023 and feel so thankful to be able to use what I have learned about the body, trauma, and healing practices to help clients recover from burnout, pain, and disconnection.