i deeply believe in humanity’s potential to do good…

People always ask, “How did you get into this work?” My very earliest memories are worrying about how my parents were going to have enough money to buy food. Growing up in poverty in Portland, Oregon, I saw every day that there was clearly enough for everyone to have their needs met.

I also saw that plenty of people wanted to do good, but didn’t know the best ways to do that.

As a small child, I had no idea what the causes of these disparities were or how to fix them, but I resolved to do something to make sure other kids didn’t have my same experiences.

In the wake of the murder of Michael Brown and the uprisings in Ferguson, I was doing a lot of free educating online and I began to realize that I had a few skills. Specifically, I was really good at raising money for people in need and I was really, really good at distilling complex and emotionally sensitive concepts into actionable ideas.

In 2018, I started #ReparationsFriday, a weekly mutual aid endeavor on Twitter, with the goal of helping Black and brown people get caught up on bills, pay for gas and groceries. In 2020, I started Pay The Rent Club, an initiative I created to pay the rent of a family of color every year. Since then, we’ve been able to pay several years of rent for a family each year, and continuing to expand. You can chip in for as little as $5 a month and help a family experiencing housing insecurity.

I love educating people on the subjects of racial bias, behavioral neuroscience, and creating justice using data. If you need a speaker, consultant, or trainer on these topics, reach out to me here and I’ll get right back to you.

and Personally… ♥️🔥🌙🌲🌊

🌲 When I am not teaching about how racism functions in people’s nervous systems (and, more importantly, how to fight it!) you can typically find me podcasting, on a hiking trail in the Pacific Northwest, or looking for cheap flights to hiking trails and ancient sites somewhere else.

🌲 Did you know that just being in the forest helps your nervous system regulate and strengthens your immune system?! (You can read all about this absolutely incredible fact HERE, complete with research papers, podcasts, and readings at the end!) It makes perfect sense if you think about it. Humans did not evolve in sterile, white, artificially-lit boxes. We evolved in the forest, in the jungle, in the savannah. As a person with Black and Mexican ancestors, the minute I learned the nervous system benefits of spending time in greenspace, I became pro-camping, pro-outside, pro-urban forest, and accessible greenspace.

🌲 Data shows that urban greenspace increases people’s sense of community and belonging, reduces heat, and is associated with improvements people’s mental and physical health! For all of these reasons, you can often find me agitating for more access to the outdoors for Black and brown folks in the US, and preaching the value of spending time with trees to anyone who will listen.

🌲 I absolutely love exploring new places, cultures, forests, and communities, and sleeping outside. 🏕