I have been on this path since 1994, when I first began studying with my teacher, NDR*, who supported me for seven years through weekly phone calls and retreats at his farmhouse in upstate New York.
In 2001, I learned that monasteries existed in the United States—places where one could live deeply immersed in dharma. I then spent six years at Crestone Mountain Zen Center, studying with Zentatsu Richard Baker-Roshi in Suzuki Roshi’s lineage.
My practice has been shaped by a range of traditions. Through devon, I was introduced to Tibetan Buddhism and went on to study within the three yana system with Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Lama Drubgyu Tenzin, and others. Most recently, devon and I fulfilled a long-held dream by completing a three-year meditation retreat, including the full cycle of Shangpa teachings and transmissions.
In total, I have spent more than six years in silent retreat across Insight, Zen, and Vajrayana settings, and that depth continues to inform both my teaching and my life.
Since 2013, I have studied closely with Joseph Goldstein in the One Dharma Vipassana tradition, and he remains my closest dharma mentor. Along the way, I earned a PhD in counseling psychology at UW–Madison, where I was influenced by Richie Davidson, John Dunne, and other remarkable teachers.
I also teach retreats throughout the country and lead our annual ten-part series exploring the paramis—qualities of an awakened heart.
Devon and I co-authored How Not to Be a Hot Mess: A Buddhist Survival Guide for Modern Life, and our new book This Messy Gorgeous Love: A Buddhist Guide to Lasting Partnership will be released on April 14, 2026.
*NDR has since died but always wanted to remain anonymous—he never advertised and stayed out of the dharma scene, hence the initials.