I didn’t realize it at the time, but I’ve spent my entire life gathering the tools that would lead me here—the creation of Bear Witness Coaching, LLC.

I grew up with a storytelling father and a compassionate mother.  From them I learned early that “real” and “true” are not always the same thing, and that discernment is its own form of wisdom.

My academic studies in multicultural literature and my love of international travel (3 passports and 40+ countries later) revealed a universal truth: the desire to understand ourselves runs through every culture and community. Those experiences taught me to stay curious rather than judgmental, to listen deeply, to speak with respect, and to honor the lives of people whose culture, faith, gender, age, or identity and circumstances  differed from my own.

Later, as the writer, producer, director, and performer of a one‑person play, It Is a Mess, Told in Three‑Part Harmony, I explored the phases every life encounters: Loving It, Forgiving It, and Creating It. That work taught me to embrace the ebb and flow of living and to build a core strong enough to carry me through change.

Across four decades of professional life—spanning TV production, teaching, nonprofit work, and government service—I’ve worked alongside people who cultivated thriving environments and others who struggled to do so. Those years made one truth unmistakable: emotional acuity is as essential as intellectual skill, and the balance between the two often determines whether a personal or professional space merely functions or truly flourishes.

All of these threads—storytelling, cultural understanding, creative exploration, and a wide range of professional experiences—shape the way I coach today.  My approach is grounded in deep listening and thoughtful inquiry. My intention is to partner with individuals, couples, and organizations to create spaces where assumptions can be examined, truths can be reconsidered, and agendas can be realigned with clarity and purpose.