Cultivate presence, Increase Joy
"Learning to be fully present is the greatest of all human journeys. When we truly wake up, we become available for self-discovery and transformation. From this place, peace becomes possible." --Stephanie Swann, Ph.D., LCSW
For more than thirty years, I worked as a psychotherapist specializing in trauma, supporting others in the tender process of healing and remembering their innate wholeness. I have always been a seeker, drawn to understand the deeper nature of the mind and heart. Over the years, it has been a profound privilege to sit with others on their journeys — to witness courage, tenderness, and the universal longing to be free. My own life changed profoundly in 2008 when I took a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course. The stillness and clarity that began to emerge opened a doorway into a new way of being — one guided by the Dharma.
Since that time, the Buddha’s teachings have become my compass and refuge. In 2022, I retired from my psychotherapy practice and now devote my life to sharing the Dharma and teaching mindfulness. I am a certified MBSR instructor and one of the guiding teachers for the Atlanta Insight Meditation Community.
My practice and teaching are rooted in the Thai Forest tradition, especially the wisdom of Ajahn Chah, whose simple, profound guidance continues to shape my understanding of awareness and release. I am also deeply guided by the teachings of Early Buddhism through the scholarship and practice of Venerable Analayo.
My personal practice centers on Satipatthāna — mindfulness grounded in embodied awareness — and Ānāpānasati, mindfulness of breathing, as steady anchors for insight. The cultivation of the Brahmavihāras — loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity — keeps the heart open, while reflections on emptiness reveal the vast, interconnected nature of all life.
Service remains at the heart of my days. It is both a responsibility and a joy to walk beside others on their path — to listen deeply, to offer what guidance I can, and to learn again and again how healing and awakening unfold through connection. Each encounter reminds me that we awaken together, one mindful breath, one open heart at a time.
Credentials
Ph.D. Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Massachusetts
M.S.W. University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Instructor, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Center for Mindfulness
Atlanta Mindfulness Institute instructor
Atlanta Insight Meditation Community Guiding teacher