I am an author, screenwriter, poet, actress, and teacher. My work sits at the intersection of the literary and healing arts, and frequently makes use of poetry, play and humor in its approach to the themes and questions at the center of my life and work: what does it mean, and what does it take, to live a life of creativity, meaning, and connection?
My classes and workshops integrate my background and experience in the literary and theatrical arts with my more recent study of the emergent science of personal, ancestral, and collective trauma healing to create experiences designed to lead both individuals and the group on a journey from a state of block, stuckness, and disconnection, back home to authenticity, inspiration, freedom and connection.
I hold a degree in English Literature from the University of Oxford, have worked professionally as an actor in theater and television, and am the author of You Are Elizabeth Bennet/Lost in Austen (Faber, Riverhead). In 2008 a period of crisis became a spiritual awakening that resulted in a shift in perspective and direction influenced most notably by the teachings of Eckhart Tolle. My study and understanding of trauma is indebted to the works of Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing), Gabor Maté (The Wisdom of Trauma, When the Body Says No), Richard Schwartz (Internal Family Systems), Stephen Porges and Deb Dana (Polyvagal Theory), and Mark Wollyn (The Family Constellation Institute, It Didn’t Start With You, and the Core Language Approach). In 2021 I completed The Principles of Collective Trauma training with Thomas Hübl, and his teachings remain the largest single influence in my current approach to the use of the literary and theatrical arts as potent ancient tools for restoring presence, creativity, and connection.
I currently live in Los Angeles with my two daughters, Eliza and Amelia, and labradoodle, Wally.