I'm excited to share that I've started a new role as the Food Access Manager at Park DuValle Community Health Centers! I'm helping organize and develop programming at our newly launched Farmers Market and Wellness Center here in Louisville, and I'm finding so many connections between this work and the things I've spent years exploring through food, yoga, and spiritual direction.
My path here has taken me through public health outreach and prevention work in Utah, graduate school where I concurrently worked in the Bay Area restaurant scene, food justice volunteering on a community farm in Colorado, and a year and a half teaching yoga and managing the kitchen at a retreat center. Throughout these experiences, I've developed a particular interest in hospitality which I discovered is "the foundational environment of spiritual direction". Theologian Christine Pohl writes that hospitable communities respond to our deep human longing to “belong, find a place to share one’s gifts, and be valued.”
I love cooking for people. I love introducing someone to an ingredient they've never tried, turning something ordinary into a memorable meal, or watching a group of people who might otherwise never have met find common ground around a table. Food reminds us that we're embodied beings with needs, that we depend on one another, and the land. That's part of what excites me about this new role. We need healthy relationships, opportunities for connection, and to feel rooted in a community, just as much as we need access to nourishing food. A farmers market might seem like an unexpected place to bring mindfulness and contemplative practice but I'm so excited to explore how to bring these things together.
Upcoming Programming
One of the first programs I'm helping develop is Midweek Mindfulness at the Market, a new series offering twice-monthly opportunities to pause, reconnect, and recharge through mindfulness and wellness practices.
Our next sessions are:
Beyond the Mat: Elevate Your Wellness with Multidimensional Self-Care
Wednesday, October 28th
5:00–5:45 PM
Join Rona Dixon for an interactive exploration of the many dimensions of well-being and how they influence everyday life. Participants will engage in guided reflection, meaningful conversation, practical self-care strategies, and gentle movement with mindful breathing.
Register here: https://form.jotform.com/262785886847179
Return to Center: A Creative Mindfulness Practice with Isaiah Scott
Wednesday, November 18th
5:00–5:45 PM
Join Isaiah Scott for an experiential mindfulness practice incorporating gentle movement, light stretching, intention setting, reflective writing, creative expression, and a restorative singing bowl sound experience.
Register here: https://form.jotform.com/262784892830066
You can also find upcoming market events and wellness programming on the Park DuValle website.
Interested in Working Together?
Alongside my work at Park DuValle, I continue to offer spiritual direction and facilitate contemplative programming for individuals and groups. I'm interested in collaborating with organizations, workplaces, retreat centers, and communities to create opportunities for mindfulness, meaningful conversation, reflection, and connection. If you're interested in bringing mindfulness programming to your organization or exploring spiritual direction, I'd love to connect, schedule a call today!