Trauma Recovery & Collective Healing

For over a year, I immersed myself in one of the most meaningful projects of my career—creating a series of training videos for the National Alliance of Trauma Recovery Centers (NATRC). This work centered on a powerful, evidence-based model for supporting survivors of interpersonal violence, especially those most impacted by systems of oppression.

Through seven in-depth training videos and this 15-minute overview video, I worked to weave together the voices of trauma recovery experts, survivors, and advocates—bringing their wisdom to life through storytelling, animation, and dynamic visuals. Every step of the process, from interviewing over 30 people to structuring the content for clarity and impact, was guided by the belief that healing is possible, and that trauma-informed care can transform lives and communities.

"Thank you for being an incredible partner in the creation of our first training video series. The time, dedication, and heart that you put into understanding our model and then bringing it alive for and with our national community of providers has been amazing. Our whole team is excited to share these videos and the impact they’ll have!"
— NATRC Team

While the full training series remains private, I’m honored to share this overview video, which offers a glimpse into the vital work of Trauma Recovery Centers nationwide.

💛 Watch this video to learn how TRCs provide holistic, survivor-centered care—and why expanding access to these resources is essential for breaking cycles of violence and building a world where healing is possible.

In the spring of 2021, we partnered with Sakhi for South Asian Women to create a video series called Emerging With Hope. These videos share stories from their community about how they’ve navigated and shown up for each other in the midst of the pandemic.

“If we do not speak up on behalf of those who are being oppressed and treated as criminals by our own government, we are complicit in a crime against our brothers and sisters.”

Last Friday, immigrants, faith leaders and allies marched from Baltimore City Hall to Baltimore’s ICE offices at Hopkins Plaza for a Lights for Liberty Rally in support of immigrant families across the country. Led by by CAIR, Jews United for Justice and CASA, the protest, rooted in both love and outrage, was an amazing testament to the power of unity and the strength in community. As we organize and bear witness to the brutality of this administration, remember that we belong to each other and it is never too late to show up. #CloseTheCamps. #KeepFamiliesTogether. #MeltICE. #AbolishICE.

The U.S. government maintains the largest immigration detention system in the world.

Mandatory detention laws, quotas, a lack of compassion and outright hate drive the continuation and expansion of this country’s immigration detention facilities, funneling those in need of asylum into a sprawling system of unaccountable incarceration. As of today, more than half a million immigrants and refugees are captured and detained in inhumane conditions. With cruelty serving as the bedrock of America’s immigration policy, detainees are subject to standing room cells, food and water deprivation, abuse, sexual assault, and daily dehumanization solely for wanting safety and for wanting more for themselves and their families.

Yesterday, on the steps of Middle Collegiate Church, over 450 people gathered at a #CloseTheCamps protest organized by MoveOn and the New York Civil Liberties Union chapter of the ACLU, and led by Rev. Jacqui Lewis and the Resistance Revival Chorus. In an act of radical love, protestors called for the reunification of families, divestment from detention and deportation, and the closure of the U.S.'s hundreds of immigrant detention camps. In solidarity. #CloseTheCamps.

It is always an honor to create videos that weave tapestries of possibility. In November, we collaborated with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, ROC the Bay: Restaurant Opportunities Center Bay Area, La Cocina, Causa Justa Just Cause, Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY), and Community Works West to highlight Restore Oakland, a job training, advocacy and organizing center born from their collaborative effort.

More than a hub, Restore Oakland is a model for community investment. By building interdependent, restorative systems that acknowledge origins of harm and invest in the healing and possibilities of each member of the community, the space will demonstrate what a new local economy and justice system could look like.

A visual poem sharing the words of water.

What would we hear if we listened to water?

This is an invitation to remember ourselves as water; to feel and act from our interconnection and belonging with the earth, each other and the great mystery.

We collaborated with Anne Koller to create this visual poem after Anne listened to water and heard this message.

"I'm an ancestor of the future who can be a part of the culture shift that will allow us to live in a way that allows us to honor life in its full sacredness."

Diverse Legacies is a weekly workshop (held in the Bay Area starting on Jan. 28) that uses art and theatre to help those who partake dive into the multitudes of themselves and embody the future they want to live in. Rooted in bond and collective healing, all who participate are sacredly witnessed in their pain and power, allowing them the space to come home to themselves.

We worked with CIVIC to create a series of videos sharing personal stories of people and their families that are affected by immigration detention.

We had the honor of partnering with KIPP Chicago to create this powerful video highlighting the transformative work they are doing for their students and their communities. 

Uncommon Schools' Leadership Development Retreat is a time for Uncommon's school and regional leaders to come together and celebrate the accomplishments over the past year and build alignment with one another.

We created this joyful video as a visual reminder of the important work that occurs across all 44 schools and six regions. Our aim was to inspire and motivate leaders to continue their tough yet transformative work.

Mastery Collaborative is an initiative dedicated to fostering an environment where students progress by demonstrating independent mastery of learning goals, or outcomes.

Listen to these reflections and learn how Mastery Collaborative is shifting the narrative from one of inadequacy to one of empowerment in New York City's public schools.

We edited this video for Uncommon's 10th Anniversary Celebration. 

Earlier this year I was a story coach for 12 young leaders from muslim countries around the world. We went on a multi-month journey to explore their experiences, uncover the message they are meant to share with the world, and communicate it in a compelling personal talk.

In April, after braving tears, fear and doubt, they stood on the stage in Tunis and shared their stories. I've never felt more proud than when I saw them all bow together at the end in front of a standing ovation, knowing they had given it their all.

Listen to these stories and I promise you'll see the world in a new way.