No matter where I am in the world, Cashmere Valley, Washington is home. I grew up playing in the dense orchards that surrounded my grandparents' home. The freedom to wander and discover that I enjoyed as a child inspired me to create a life filled with plenty of exploration and open spaces.

My father also inspired my love of experimentation. He was an inventor, artist, salesman, and musician. I acquired my love of learning and travel from him. Whatever the project, he found a way for me to take part. Looking back, I can see that, unbeknownst to me at the time, project-based learning, iterative design, self-directed learning, and constructivist sensibilities, were embedded into my childhood home life.

My mother is an educator, musician, poet, painter and stained glass artist. Our home growing up contained an eclectic mix of whimsey and practicality in just the right proportions. With my mother's assistance, I wrote my first poem at age six. My work as a writer and designer grew from her creative influence and encouragement.

So far I've lived a very unscripted life. Lots of unconventional work and long periods of learning, travel and experimentation. One of my favorite trips was a spur-of-the-moment motorcycle trip to Alaska.

My first husband Mike and I quit our jobs for two years to built boats in 1995.

I've skydived over Lost Prairie Montana. Stayed in a hostel in Boulder Colorado, while I learned to fly a sailplane. And camped and worked in Paradise Valley, Montana for five months gathering samples for a groundwater study for the State of Montana's Bureau of Mines and Geology.

I studied Taoist yoga full-time for seven years and eventually taught the first yoga classes in the Montana prison system at the Montana Women's Prison. When I moved to Spokane, Washington, I taught in three homeless shelters. In 2009, I founded The Sacred Crane, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting independent practitioners of the Taoist Arts through hermitage, spiritual care, and educational opportunities. I never wanted to teach in traditional yoga venues. I taught via outreach or from my home studio instead.

I completed my B.A. in 2011, got married again and moved to Santa Barbara, California to be with my husband Christopher. I took a job as a field interviewer on a federal health care study. I put 25,000 miles a year on my car driving throughout Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles Counties talking with respondents. I completed over 500 advanced calls and field interviews, a very profound learning experience about people and field data collection. Needless to say, my lifestyle changed radically from one of contemplative practice to one that focused on career and marriage. After three years in the field, I'd traveled 75,000 miles and completed hundreds respondent interactions. I was ready to return to college to complete a master's in instructional design at California State University Fullerton. I sought to combine my interests in sociology, research, online learning, and contemplative education.

All of my family lives in Washington, so I split my time between Santa Barbara and Spokane. My husband splits his time between Santa Barbara and Nashville.

As hobbies, I paint abstracts...