I’m white, queer, trans, currently non-disabled, and in the lifelong process of reclaiming my Native American heritage by way of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (Chata in our native pre-colonized language). I currently experience neurodivergence very minimally and sporadically (though I do have my own experiences with mental health crises), and have access to the healthcare I need when I do. I both experience privilege and disadvantages financially. I am aware that my light skin and physical appearance as a trans person affords me privilege to access work and to ask for higher wages. I also currently have debt and rent the space I live in. I do not have a college degree. I am a US citizen and speak English as a first language.

Land Acknowledgement

I currently occupy the land of the Cowlitz and Clackamas peoples and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Siletz Indians, colonized as Portland, OR. While I believe acknowledging the stolen land I’m on and naming the original stewards of it is so incredibly important, my dedication to supporting all things Land Back goes beyond a simple acknowledgement, as naming this without other action is performative at best.

As a person whose ancestors experienced displacement, violence in many forms, assimilation, and complete disconnect from their heritage and ways in order to survive, I feel this truth in every fiber of my being. Part of my dedication to the Land Back movement is reclaiming what I can of traditions, ways, beliefs, and language I have access to—a lot of which is sadly fully lost. 

Another dedication of mine is to support local Indigenous communities and individuals in any way they’re asking of. From showing up to events, to donating, to volunteering, to learning about the stories and ways of the local Native communities, to buying my produce from Indigenous farmers and fisherpeople (a new goal of mine!), I am honored and humbled to be a part of helping to steer a Native liberated world…AND I’m also committed to doing more.

“Land Back is reclamation and rematriation. It’s all encompassing. It’s land, ceremony, sovereignty, food, water, culture, traditions, language, our boys and men with long braided hair, gender non-conforming Two Spirit people. That’s Land Back. That’s everything.” -Kendra Wilson-Clements of We the People Consulting

A great resource for learning about the original stewards of the land you occupy is native-land.ca and Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass is a beautiful book for rooting into Indigenous storytelling and connection to the Earth.  

Accountability/Feedback

While I do hold marginalized identities, my light skin and non-disabled body (among other identities) give me privilege that BIPOC and/or disabled queer and trans people do not have. Since lived experience is the best form of knowledge, I will inevitably unintentionally make mistakes and cause harm. I am dedicated to my continued learning, taking responsibility for my own healing, and repairing harm when needed.

I’m dedicated to my own personal healing through my daily spiritual, processing, and body tending practices, learning about and implementing IFS work and somatics, regular therapy, and studying somatics as it relates to whiteness (shout out to Melina Martinez who regularly offers Somatics for Social Justice for White Folks through Both/And) all of which help me tend to myself and take responsibility when I’m called in and given critical feedback.*

Other forms of accountability that are core values and commitments of mine are continuing to learn about all things anti-oppression, anti-racism, and collective healing from PGM (People of the Global Majority), disabled, queer, and trans folks; uplifting and sharing where and who certain frameworks and knowledge came from; financially supporting educators, organizers, aligned organizations, and mutual aid efforts when I can; and immersing myself in relationships with people and communities who are also rooted in this work. 

I ask for feedback and name that I’m open to receiving it at any time both during and after my containers and with folks in my life while also remaining in my commitments to tending to my own nervous system when I do receive it. Continuing to learn, practice, and integrate as mentioned above also helps me to mitigate harm I may cause before I do so. I continually hold the complex tension of all of this, as I believe that it’s not the responsibility of PGM, queer, trans, and disabled folks to constantly have to name when harm has occurred, but also want to create a repair-centered container for when it does need to be brought forward.

I am open to receiving feedback through email at any time, and also am available to have deeper discussions via video call or other forms of connection as needed. Please scroll down to contact me if there is any feedback you wish to share with me.

*Resmaa Menakem’s My Grandmother’s Hands is a key resource for learning about somatics as it relates to racialized trauma.

Financial Access

Due to financial disparities that oppressive systems have placed on PGM, queer, trans, and disabled folks, I believe it’s essential I purposely offer both 1:1 and group programs to create different pathways that support financial accessibility needs. I also have all offers priced in a 3-tiered system informed by the Green Bottle framework (see graphic below). Aside from this, I also do offer partial and full scholarships as needed and/or when I can. 

While I seek to embody anti-capitalist methods in all of the ways I move through the world, especially within pricing my offerings, I unfortunately have to navigate a capitalist society, and I’m always in the work of and curious about how to best hold and navigate that tension. 

If you are feeling called to work with me and need a partial or full scholarship to do so, please reach out to me. If you’re figuring out the best pricing tier for you, please use Alexis J. Cunningfolk’s Green Bottle framework below to inform your decision. It’s imperative that those more proximal to financial privilege pay the higher tiers, so those who need the lower tiers can have access to those while I’m also being compensated equitably. This is one of many ways we practice community care, y’all!

Disability Access

Disability justice is an ongoing learning and practice for me that I am dedicated to. I currently create disability access in my work by including closed captions on all videos I share, sharing image descriptions for all videos and posts, enabling closed captions on all Zoom calls and providing a transcript for the recordings. I am currently working on including captions in all recordings of workshops and trainings as well.

I am also dedicated to my continued learning around better practices and also ask every person I work with if there are any disability needs that they have. If you have any needs and feedback you wish to share with me, please reach out.

In Conclusion

This statement is a living, breathing document that I will check in on monthly to make needed additions or revisions to. I believe my dedication to being a part of creating a liberated world is a lifelong one and I hold strongly my responsibility in doing so. I hold myself and others with care and compassion as we continue to learn, grow, and do better, and hold the vision of ALL people, especially my Black, Brown, Indigenous, queer, trans, and disabled siblings and comrades, thriving in the here and NOW and continue to move forward from that vision.