Favorite part about being human:

the gift to experience and express a full spectrum of emotions, imagination, love and hope; and the innate capacity to create, dream, connect, and ponder.

What I wish people understood about humanities as a solution:

People process and reflect on information in many different ways. In fact, people are overloaded from information; what they need is to feel seen, heard, understood and appreciated. the humanities allow for deeper engagement; deeper embodiment; deeper internalization. All of which allow for a true, lasting individual and transformative process. Big changes start at the top, with those who value humanness. As far as solutions to complex problems go, ultimately, the humanities are more cost effective, more impactful, deliver larger results.

Wish for healthcare:

I wish those in leadership would become more curious and willing to explore out-of-the-norm solutions. I wish systems became more reliant on human innovation and less on technological or seemingly pie-in-the-sky solutions. The solutions are in the human beingness; already available, here, now, right within reach.


I’m an award-winning writer, educator, speaker, and a leading voice at the intersection of poetry, medicine, and human flourishing. As the inaugural Poet-in-Residence at the Creighton University School of Medicine—likely the first in the country to be housed within a medical school—I’m redefining how the humanities can support hospital systems, healthcare leadership, care providers, patients, students, and educational communities.

My mission is simple yet profound: to help people reconnect with themselves and each other through the transformative power of words. Through poetry, reflective writing, and my signature Poetic Intelligence framework, I create meaningful experiences that foster clarity, resilience, empathy, purpose, and human connection. My work recognizes that while medicine excels at treating disease, the humanities help us better understand the human experience of illness, healing, caregiving, and being alive.

A 2023 Santa Fe Poet Laureate Ambassador and 2025 recipient of Willamette University's Innovative Achievement Award, I’ve spent more than three decades helping individuals discover vision, meaning, and possibility through creative expression. I work with individuals, families, groups, teams, healthcare organizations, universities, and corporate leaders, creating experiences that invite reflection, insight, and authentic conversation.

My work has served a wide range of audiences, including the Creighton University OB/GYN Department Fall Retreat, the Women in Medicine Symposium for CHI Health, the College of Professional and Continuing Education staff retreat, Creighton University faculty and administrators, CHI Health and CommonSpirit health leaders and clinicians, and Valleywise Health Hospital.

Poetic Intelligence retreats have been held nationwide for audiences in Sedona, Santa Fe, San Francisco, Tampa, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Austin. Whether working with a room of physicians, a leadership team, a family, or an individual seeking greater clarity and purpose, my approach remains the same: meet people where they are, guide them with respect and intention, and ensure life-long transformational results.

Through every workshop, retreat, keynote, and conversation, I continue to champion a belief that feels critical today: We cannot lose our humanness. We must be vigilant in maintaining true connections to Self, other, and expression.