My racial, ethnic & cultural identity is complex and evolving

I’m a white-presenting 2nd generation settler of MENAHT and Celtic/Anglo descent, born in the UK, raised in the Middle East, and came to live in Canada in 2004.

On my maternal side, the 6 generations I can trace were all refugees, originating mostly around Anatolia and the Balkans, but with genetic roots in Sinti (Roma), Jewish, and Arab ancestry. My grandmother and mother were survivors of eugenics policies during the Nazi occupation of Greece in World War Two.
The paternal side of my family are Irish immigrants to England, and genetically trace to what are known as ‘Black Irish’ (Irish with Spanish ancestry, called black for their darker hair), Finnish, and Welsh.

I hold immense privilege as a white-presenting dual citizen (from birth) of Canada and the UK, but have never felt at home in either culture. My mother’s Greek family immigrated first to Venezuela in the 1950s, before immigrating to Canada in the early 1960s and ‘adapting into whiteness’: creating anglo-friendly short forms of their names, and taking on behaviors and values of the dominant culture around them as a means to fit in and find social connection. As a teenager, I lived in Kuwait, the country that has felt most like ‘home’ to me, and I hold deep respect for the hospitality and kindness I experienced from Arab Culture, and many of the other cultures that were present in the Middle East.

I practice anti-racism, anti-oppression, and support decolonization. 

When I came to Canada I was ignorant to the expressions of racism as it exists in North America, and stumbled in my ignorance. It has been an ongoing journey to unpack the layers of internalized white supremacy, and I don’t know if that journey has a finish line. I see anti-oppression as a practice, meaning there is always more to learn and more to do.

I refute binary gendered scripts

I support diverse gender expression and reject the idea that a person must behave according to a limited scope because of their genitals or endocrine system.

I support inclusion

I am sensitive to the needs of the differently-abled, and am in an ongoing process to examine and improve the accessibility of my offerings, including adding subtitles to my video materials, providing transcripts of audio materials, and making graphics more user friendly. This is a time consuming process, so if you come across any materials you need alternative access support with, please send me a message and I will prioritize this material for you.

I support personal spirituality but remain skeptical of spiritual cliques

I have respect for diverse religious and spiritual practices that (a) do no harm , (b) support healthy relationships between all humans, and (c) are rooted in traditions and lineage.
I am a student of Siddha Yoga, and have also studied additional spiritual paths and practices that support my personal connection to spirit. 

I embrace both modern western medicine and traditional medicine and healing practices

I listen to science and seek to understand the workings of the body. My experience has been that both alopathic and naturpathic paths for wellness have their merits and their drawbacks. 
I support free choice regarding responsible, intentional, fully informed, respectful use of psychedelics as part of mental health healing, where plant medicines are gathered and other medicines created respectfully, with integrity for indigenous traditions, the land, and the people who participate in all steps of the processing of medicine from origin to student. 

I advocate for consent culture, feminism, and dismantling the patriarchy