Equity Statement

Everyone is welcome in my practice with regard to race, gender identity, gender expression, ability, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, immigration status and/or country of origin.

I want to help people with as much of their lives as it feels safe to. Ideally, we could bring our whole selves to each interaction – however there are systemic, institutional, interpersonal, internalized, cultural and economic biases and discrimination that prevent that from being a reality. Our colonial and capitalist systems expect tradeoffs for authenticity. We also have things that we just don’t want to share with others.

There are a couple of life experiences that have shaped me with regard to equity:

Watching and supporting my mom in her journey with multiple sclerosis, a progressive neurological disease. Over a span of twenty years, she lost the use of all her limbs. As you can imagine, that affected her work life greatly. My mom was sure about wanting to contribute through work, and continually came up against barriers to doing so. She modified the ways she worked over and over, as well as what she did for a living. Watching her commitment and joy in being of service to others shaped my thoughts about what’s possible for our work lives and the specific connection to human dignity through work.

Working at Nike in Information Technology. I spent 10 years at the company. Being a woman in that organization and in that department was incredibly challenging on a day-to-day basis. Whether self-advocating for equal pay at each review or working amidst ongoing macro and micro-aggressions, it took its toll. I was heavily involved in the company’s employee resource group leadership team to try and make changes in the culture, but eventually felt that it wasn’t worth the quality of life lost by working there and I left the company.

As a white, cis, straight, middle-class woman, I have an immense amount of privilege. Witnessing the barriers my mom dealt with around disability and having my own barriers to overcome around gender give me greater empathy for the struggles many face, but it’s not enough in and of itself. There are many parts of peoples’ experience I won’t understand and it is my responsibility to educate myself and take action to make change.

Here are some of the commitments I’m making in my practice around equity and inclusion:

I acknowledge that I am on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past and present and honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe.
I am careful about the places that I choose to be involved with, looking for those with a strong commitment to an anti-oppression framework.
I donate time and money on a regular basis to local and national organizations. My current financial donations are to the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, the Institute of American Indian Arts and The Pine Ridge Girls’ School.
When I had an office, I consciously chose a building that was accessible and had an all-user restroom, making sure from a physical structure standpoint that my practice was supportive and welcoming.
I’m continually doing a lot of reading and listening. I welcome conversation and feedback from clients and colleagues about ways I can improve so I can be realistically, compassionately and relevantly supportive to people.

I’m learning all the time, making mistakes and learning again. My hope is that my focus on direct communication, genuine caring and commitment to action opens up honest dialogue, real connection and measurable progress.

If you have any questions and/or feedback for me, I welcome hearing it.