About Jessie

Since my car accident in 2013, I have learned that mindfulness is the healing balm our discombobulated brains and bodies so need. I’ve also learned that sometimes I need to modify mindfulness practice in order to keep from getting overwhelmed.

I describe mindfulness more in my blog, but simply put when we practice mindfulness we use our senses to notice (and allow) what is happening in the present moment. This differs from our usual pattern of focusing on our thoughts, which take us away from the present and lead us to regrets about the past and/or worry about the future.

While no two concussions are alike, all concussion and trauma survivors tend to be easily overwhelmed. We go to fear/anxiety/anger and/or shut down/foggy-brain much more readily than we did before. I want nothing more than for you too to feel the sense of relief that comes from quieting the mind, and to empower you to skillfully meet the challenges of concussion symptoms. With practice,  you too can learn how to go into overwhelm less often, less deeply, and for less time.

I introduce Mindful Concussion concepts in the step-by-step order I think works best. We start in the ‘parking lot’ of learning, with practices that are least likely to overwhelm. Of course we need to learn how to go ‘downtown at rush hour’ and lean into the hard stuff too, but through trial and error I have found ways to start slowly, and build up to the hard stuff over time. My blog and on-line and in-person courses and workshops offer you the life raft full of tangible tools I wish I had had from day one.

Try this: Place your hand on your heart. Yeah, right now, even if it feels silly. Repeat after me: “This is hard. This is really hard. But I am not alone.”

There are millions of us all around the world who struggle with post-concussion symptoms. You are not alone. So come, sit with me. Let’s pretend we are chatting over tea in my Vancouver home (I’ll serve it up in these special cups I bought in Korea that I save for one-on-one chats with friends). Let’s circle up folks. Join the Mindful Concussion community now.

More about Jessie

I am a concussion and trauma survivor. I get it. I know what it’s like to feel that the world is way too loud and bright!

I love learning! I feel so honoured to have been able to learn from so many wise people. I am continually learning new things and incorporating them into my own life. I feel deeply humbled to have the chance to share these lessons with my students.

I am a Qualified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Teacher through the University of California San Diego Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute. This highly respected teacher training includes working closely with skilled mentors who offer sage advice to help hone teaching skills. I have also completed David Treleaven’s 35-hour Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness training, and I am deeply honoured that David has chosen me to be one of a handful of people he is mentoring in 2022. 

I have been on more than fifteen meditation retreats. I have been lucky to learn in-person from beloved teachers such as Rick Hanson, Kristin Neff, Christopher Germer, Sharon Salzberg, Michelle McDonald, Phillip Moffitt, Kamala Masters, Steve Armstrong, Norman Fischer, Howard Cohn, Temple Smith, Amana Brembry Johnson, Beth Sternlieb, Nikki Mirghafori, Christina Feldman, Padme Shyam, and Kate McCandless. I have spent time at two monasteries (Deer Park and Birken).

I have engaged in many online learning opportunities. I have taken part in multiple short courses and multi-day Summits, as well as the 5-month online Awakening Joy course with James Baraz, the six-week (daily!!) Awake in the Wild online course with Mark Coleman, as well as regular attendance in a weekly online meeting with other mindfulness teachers.

I have read more than 30 books on mindfulness, meditation, trauma and nervous system regulation. I have been particularly inspired by books by: Thich Nhat Hahn, David Treleaven, Rick Hanson, Pema Chodron, Kristin Neff/Chistopher Germer, Tara Brach, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Mark Coleman, Elizabeth Stanley, Shauna Shapiro, Peter Levine, and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. I look forward to digging into the growing list of yet-to-read books on my bookshelf!

I am a seasoned adult educator. I have been teaching Latin American and Canadian Studies at Langara College in Vancouver since the year 2000.

As far as I can tell no one has married the concepts of concussion care and trauma sensitive mindfulness in the ways that I have. I’m bursting at the seams to share what I have learned/am learning with you, your loved ones, and the professionals who care for you.