1. Welcome

I was born in San Francisco in the 80’s, and moved to the East Coast for graduate school. I spent my 20s and early 30s traveling the world. I explored new places, met incredible people, and lived life on the go. But as I lay in bed in random hostels, watching YouTube videos about tiny houses and regenerative land projects like Earthships and food forests, I realized something: my dream was shifting. The travel bug started to fade, and in its place, a new longing emerged—to find my roots and settle down in a meaningful way. This shift in desire was the start of a new chapter in my life.

While I was backpacking, I found myself more entranced by these eco-living projects than the idea of moving from one place to another. What started as a dream to explore the world turned into a deep yearning to build a home that connected me more deeply, more intimately to the Earth.

Throughout these 15 years, I was also training with a spiritual teacher in New Mexico, spending weeks contemplating life and my connection to the spiritual world. Through earth wisdom teachings and ceremonies, I remembered that we are primally interconnected to everything on earth and can access an inner state of oneness with all things, through deep love and reverence for the Earth. This has led me to live life in a state of deep listening, to the energies around me, like the earth, the trees, the celestial beings. Which leads me to today, my charge as a scared human being— to cause no harm, to be a steward for our precious earth, and to be a good ancestor to our future grandchildren. Land stewardship is my newest charge and the Balsam Sanctuary is one way I have chosen to practice this call, for myself, the earth, and my fellow human beings. I invite you to join me, follow along my journey, and come put your hands on the earth if you can.