About
Heidi has spent 20 years studying contemplative practice and offering contemplative presence to others—making space for adults and children to find a grounded, centered place inside.
She holds a B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University and an M.A. in Counseling from Lewis & Clark College. She spent 2 summers training with Benedictine monks in San Luis Obispo, CA, completed a 2 year program with the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, NM, and has 7 years of training as a mindfulness practitioner and educator. Prior to her career as a therapist, Heidi facilitated a weekly, Montessori-based contemplative experience for children for 10 years and worked as a spiritual director and mindfulness educator. |
My Story
For as long as I could remember I had been able to make anything work if I just tried harder. And then parenting a newborn and 2 year old at the same time brought me to my knees. I decided to take one morning a week to sit by the ocean so I could “get it together.” I was too exhausted to do anything else but just sit there. Pretty soon I realized “just sitting there” was changing my life. Slowing down, being present, paying attention, and drawing my sense of self from being instead of controlling or achieving—these practices were giving me a solidity and stability from which to engage life in a whole new way.
I discovered that what I had stumbled upon in those moments by the ocean was actually supported by several well-developed fields of study and practice, sometimes known as “the contemplative path” or “mindfulness” depending on the context. What was intended to be a temporary fix became a weekly practice, a new way of life, and ultimately a vocation. The obscurity of motherhood has been fertile ground for 15 years of studying, practicing, and making space for others to practice a contemplative way of being and seeing.