Speaking & Training

I deliver keynotes and workshops for conferences, universities, healthcare organizations, faith communities, and literary events on mental health, trauma-informed care, systems change, writing craft, and the intersections of faith and doubt.

Speaking fees vary based on event type, location, and organizational budget. Reduced rates available for nonprofits, community organizations, and educational institutions.

KEYNOTE TOPICS

Mental Health, Stigma, and Institutional Failure
Drawing on personal experience and professional expertise, I explore how institutions—religious, medical, educational—shape our understanding of mental illness, who gets believed, and what healing looks like when the systems meant to help us fail.

Spiritual Trauma and Religious Harm
For faith communities and interfaith gatherings: What happens when religious institutions become sources of harm rather than healing? Exploring spiritual abuse, religious trauma, deconstruction, and the search for belonging beyond institutional religion.

Trauma-Informed Communications
Practical frameworks for developing communications strategies and organizational practices that center the experiences of people who have been harmed. Applicable across healthcare, criminal justice, education, and community organizations.

Craft & Ethics: Writing About Trauma and Institutional Systems
For writers, MFA programs, and literary communities: How to tell stories about difficult subjects ethically. Managing disclosure, avoiding exploitation, balancing personal narrative with systemic critique. Developing voice, navigating the publishing industry, and building sustainable creative practice.

Healthcare Systems Navigation and Patient Advocacy
Inside look at what happens when healthcare systems fail vulnerable populations, from prisons to psychiatric facilities, and how advocacy and communications can drive change.

TRAINING & WORKSHOPS

I provide customized workshops for organizations on:

  • Trauma-informed communications and content development

  • Mental health literacy for leadership teams

  • Translating data into compelling narratives

  • Cultural sensitivity in healthcare and criminal justice communications

Workshops can be delivered as half-day sessions, ongoing consultation, or customized to organizational needs.

PAST ENGAGEMENTS

Delivered 30+ speaking engagements including:

  • Duke University, Wake Forest University, Azusa Pacific University, Point Loma University, Hope College, among others

  • Guest visiting writer at MFA programs including Alma College, teaching craft, ethics of writing trauma narratives, and navigating the publishing industry

  • Writing consultations at conferences including Lighthouse Writers Workshop, AWP, and Barrelhouse

  • Mental health advocacy organizations including NAMI and Active Minds

  • Faith communities and interfaith gatherings

  • Literary festivals (Los Angeles Book Festival, Greensboro Bound), author events, and writing conferences