After a 20-year career in traditional public health settings, I left my university position to become a "public health entrepreneur" and started a small business in my community called Bravely Be that promotes wholeness and community among people and the land. Our workshops, community events and food-related work are designed to inspire and support the pursuit of a healthy, joyful and meaningful life in connection with the natural world. We serve the East Side of St. Paul and greater Metro Area. Food, natural fitness, and great ideas are our tools! I have a Master's degree and PhD in Public Health from the University of Minnesota and a BS in Biology from the University of Miami in Florida. I'm a Land Ethic Leader with the Aldo Leopold Foundation and have studied and practiced mindfulness meditation for almost 20 years. Personally, I have always been a connector, an adventurer, and a student of life. As a child, I explored my own edges through athletics, reading, and trips to my grandfather’s farm. As an adult, my explorations of body and mind expanded to bushwhacking in the rainforests of Costa Rica; bicycling across the United States; attending silent meditation and yoga retreats; bungee jumping in New Zealand; and competing in such endurance events as the Minnesota Border-to-Border Triathlon, American Birkebeiner ski race; and the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike “Race Across the Sky.” I'm inspired by big challenges.