Let's start here....

For as long as I can remember, I've felt called to create and enact spiritual rituals. When I was six, I'd pick flowers and present them to Mary's statue in a Catholic chapel, or create imaginary ceremonies to accompany my singing the "Godspell" soundtrack. By the time I was eight years old, I'd line up my cousins and make them play "wedding" with me...and I was always the officiant!

My core values include curiosity, connection, and courage. I harness these spiritual tools to push back at the ways our culture alienates us from one another, and threatens us with numbness. I believe that we were made to feel wonder, pleasure, and love.

I also believe that life returns our affection, and rewards our vulnerability. When stage 2 breast cancer dropped into my life, I kicked it to the curb. Was I scared? Yes. But I wasn't alone... and my license plate trumpets that reminder: UB BRAVE.

I'm playful, nerdy, and a bit unconventional. A bride once called me "quirky" in her review, and I've embraced that term as a badge of honor. While I honor tradition, my out-of-the-box ideas put a fresh, creative spin on established norms.

My partner and I love the life we've built together. You can usually find us hiking, renovating our 1893 house, or playing Wingspan with competitive zeal! Every day, I offer gratitude for the voice of Spirit, which leads me forward to love the hell out of this world.

The Traditional Bio (if you're into that...)

I was raised in the Midwest by a liberal United Methodist minister and a clinical psychologist. My younger brother is a European travel guide/travel writer (possibly the world’s second best job, after ministry). I was raised to explore other cultures with respect and inclusivity. I spent many years (starting with second grade in México) living and traveling throughout Latin America.

While a graduate student at Tulane University, I discovered Unitarian Universalism and...well, Spirit called me in an unexpected direction. I left my Anthropology PhD uncompleted so I could move to Berkeley for seminary. I officiated my first wedding in October 2001 and I was formally ordained as a UU minister on December 5, 2004—a date that the State of Maine requires me to write on every marriage license!

I spent two decades serving as a church pastor in California and then Maine before being recruited to serve my denomination as a leader at the national level, a role in which I support thousands of clergy and other worship leaders around the world. In addition to my formal ministry, I practice yoga and meditation as an embodied devotional practice—one that I engage in daily.