WildCore™ Teachers

 I grew up without any dance in my life being raised in a conservative family.  What a shame! Thankfully during my rebellious teenage years I took a deep dive into electronic dance music culture.  I found a true love for the meditative state that dance can bring one to and the non verbal communication and connection with other people that can be found in this state.  I moved to Alaska as a young adult, and for a while again didn’t have much dance in my life.  Thanks to Brietta for moving to my small town of Haines Alaska, I was reintroduced to the joy and healing that dance could bring to my body and soul as she started teaching NIA and Soul Motion dance classes.  I attended her classes for many years and then decided to become a NIA teacher myself.  I taught NIA for several years and also became a Zumba instructor.  When Brietta created WildCore it spoke to me more than any other dance class I’d taught or taken. I just walked away from every class feeling so energized and healed, my cells buzzing with the energy work I had done.  I decided to become a teacher so I could share this experience with others.  I currently teach WildCore in Haines, Alaska where I live with my family, enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle, and dance every chance I can get. 

Teaches at Embody Center for the Healing Arts, Sandpoint, Idaho 

I have always been drawn to the great mysteries of life, the things we cannot see but feel, the universal truths that live at the core of our being. Modern life distracts us from this deeper knowing, and our upbringing and conditioning often lead us astray. However, this innate wisdom is always available to us if we choose to listen, if we are willing to do the work (Oh yes! It takes work!) to clear out the noise.

Personally, it took physical illness to wake me up to the deeper parts of myself. For many years I was working stressful jobs and showing up for my family and community in unsustainable ways. I had very little awareness of my own needs and boundaries, and was focused primarily on pleasing others. Because I was not connected to my body—a result of trauma and cultural conditioning—I did not see the harm I was causing my body nor its signs of illness. 

To address the root causes of this state of “dis-ease” in my body, I took a holistic approach to healing. Over time, I completely changed my lifestyle. I started with the basics—food, rest, movement (These basics will not be overlooked in counseling with me!)—learning what it meant to truly take care of myself. I sought all the information related to holistic healing I could get my hands on, and it did not take long for me to realize that what I had manifested in my body was in direct relationship to my emotional and spiritual wounding. This led me to alternative healing methods, such as acupuncture, meditation, women’s groups, EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, and WildCore Movement. I simply am no longer capable of compartmentalizing the various parts of self, and have become passionate about addressing the whole person in my work with others. 

My background as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) has exposed me to an array of life experiences and needs, deepening my appreciation for the human condition, and strengthening my desire to help people relieve their suffering and meet their potential. Working with individuals and families managing challenging symptoms and behaviors that stem from complex, generational and systemic trauma, taught me how to approach healing work from a trauma-informed lens, as well as a relational one. Our early experiences, particularly related to our attachments with our parents or caregivers, play a vital role, not only in our future relationships, but also in how we view the world and ourselves.