The majority of my childhood was spent on 150 acres of untouched wilderness outside of Phoenix. When you grow up in Arizona, they take your desert survival education very seriously, as every 4th grader there will tell you. You learn that it’s possible to eat the fruit from a barrel cactus, how to read the sun, and that a gila monster is no joke. The desert teaches you about limits and resilience and to keep your eyes open for unexpected beauty. And these lessons directly connect to who I’ve become and the work I do.

I now find myself a happy San Diegan, an hour west of the kind of desert I grew up in and just miles from the México border. Living as a borderlander is non-negotiable for me. I am a fluent Spanish-speaker whose entire adult life has been marked by living, working, and traveling abroad. Having my feet and heart regularly in both the U.S. and somewhere else keeps complex realities and injustices in full view, right along with new perspectives and creative approaches that the human spirit can’t help but seek out.

I have spent the past 20 years in various ministry contexts with diverse populations: teenagers, university students, church members, and the dying and their loved ones. And the consistent strand through all of it? I find my deepest fulfillment in co-navigating the hardest, most painful twists and turns others face, confident that we all need “someone to tell it to”. And sometimes, we need a “spiritual-someone” to tell it to.  

I am a Christian minister, a truth-teller, a gatherer, and a deep listener. I am utterly convinced that God’s love is truly for all people and am deeply affirming of the LGBTQ+ community. I love the story of Jesus, the mission of the Church, and the gifts within tradition and rituals. In equal measure, I also grieve at how Jesus, the Church, and religion are used to harm and control people. I am committed to preserving the unquestionable core of spirituality across all faith traditions - that all are made in and for love.

I am a textbook extrovert, funk music enthusiast, amateur gardener, and over-the-top theme-party-thrower. If at any time, you find you need a break during a session, I promise we can just shift to any one of these topics. I seriously could talk about Earth, Wind, & Fire all day long.   

I will hold your stories and questions with confidence and respect. I will offer you perspective and invitation. Together, we can find where God is making all things new.