Bio & Background

I am an active member of ISMETA, registered RSMT/E (Registered Somatic Movement Therapist & Educator), living and creating in Onguiaahra, the traditional shared lands of the Chonnonton, Anishnaabe, and Haudenosaunee peoples, also known as the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. I am a first-generation Canadian of Irish heritage.

I can't remember a time when I wasn't insatiably curious about movement, art and the experience of being human. I danced and sang and made art as a child, but rolling around on the floor, flailing, falling and wiggling was my favourite way to move and explore "what was this body...and what could it do?"

I first started coaching and teaching athletics in my teens, and have been an educator of contemplative practices for over 20 years. Trauma-responsible methodologies have been part of my client practice since 2007, and I have been studying Somatics since 2009. I've worked within various pedagogical systems, from yoga (RYT500), meditation and Pilates to flow arts, dance, creative writing and somatics, within the studio system, one-on-one, and volunteering with underserved populations.

I have direct contact with an extensive range of lived experiences. While they have contributed to my deep well of training and experience in trauma treatment, I focus on offerings that support folks to create from aliveness instead of rupture. Offerings that build more integrity into who we are as whole human beings, not just people who've lived through hard things.

I feel most called to create experiences that invite us to embody possibilities and realize our potential. I've been creating intentional events since my teens, as a 90s raver in Toronto, eventually growing into multi-media art and music experiences, movement conventions, retreats and festivals. For many years, I was Artistic Director of InFlow Festival, an intentional movement and flow arts conference series that brought international talent to Ontario to work with local performers. I am thrilled and honoured to be stewarding SEEDS 2027: Somatics in Ecology, Education & Design, a 3-day conference devoted to exploring what it means to live in a somatically-oriented society.

Tell Me More

Lineage

Any Somatics professional working today is standing on the shoulders of countless visionaries and innovators. Claiming our lineage honours the embodied knowledge of those who have pioneered this field and traces a line through our research.

I have undertaken dedicated study of Body-Mind Centering and Laban-Bartenieff for nearly 20 years in workshops, conferences, professional certification modules (Kinesthetic Learning Center, Sonder Movement Project) and at the graduate level (York University MA Dance). While these two systems are at the foundation of my somatic training, I have also studied extensively in Phenomenology, Experiential Pedagogy, Yoga, Continuum, Conscious Dance, Qi Gong, Eastern philosophy, and Energy Medicine.

In addition to formal training modules, I've sought out private training to support my professional acumen and undertake deeper research in areas not offered publicly, specifically the somatics of neurodivergence, experiential pedagogy and applied phenomenology.

I am grateful for all my teachers and the generosity with which they've shared their embodied knowledge. Those who've had the greatest impact (and with whom I still work) are Myra Avedon, Naomi Sparrow and Walburga Glatz. These brilliant women are all Somatics pioneers and prominent figures in the field who are first-generation students of Bonnie Bainbridge-Cohen.

Myra Avedon | BMC Teacher & Practitioner, Osteopath, Cranio-sacral therapist, Registered Psychotherapist. Director of The School for Body Mind Centering (1989-1999), instrumental in developing BMC pedagogy and programming.

Walburga Glatz | BMC Teacher, Practitioner & Program Director, Phenomenologist

Naomi Sparrow | BMC Teacher & Practitioner, Master Herbalist and Qi Gong Teacher

Education & Qualifications

I am deeply committed to my professional and personal development, constantly growing my skills and knowledge. This list is not exhaustive but represents core programs and certifications (50hrs+)

ISMETA | Registered Somatic Movement Therapist & Educator (BMC, Laban-Bartenieff)

York University | Masters Dance Studies

York University | BAH Literature & Creative Writing

First Nations University | 4 Seasons Reconciliation Ed.

UBC | Reconciliation Through Indigenous Education Cert.

Lakehead University | Ontario Master Naturalist Cert. (in progress)

Sentler & Batson | Embodied Art-making

Embody Lab | Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Cert.

NeurOptimal | Neurofeedback Practitioner Cert.

Justice Research Institute | Trauma Sensitive Yoga Cert.

New Leaf Yoga Foundation | Trauma-Informed Yoga & Meditation for Youth

Moksha Yoga Intl. | 500RYT (Hatha, hot, yin, flow, pranayama)

Body Harmonics | Pilates 200 hr TTC

Contemporary Hoop Dance | 100hr TTC.

Vipassana | 10 Day Silent Meditation Course

Various | Circus Arts Training 500hr+

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) | Level 1-4

Bioenergetic Emotional Access Method (BEAM) | Practitioner Cert.