ABOUT LAURA
(she/her/hers)

I was born in Beijing, China and immigrated to the United States at age eight. Growing up across two very different cultures, I have been on an ongoing journey to embody and integrate the richness of both. From a young age, I felt called to serve those in need, which first led me to pursue a career in nonprofit management and leadership. In this capacity, I worked in settings ranging from a fast-paced, results-driven San Francisco management consulting firm to rural village schools in southwestern China.

Though I was doing the work I always thought I wanted to do, I felt increasingly burned out and disconnected from myself and my purpose and joy. I was at a crossroads. My entry into vipassana (mindfulness) meditation together with my long-time passion for dance and martial arts awakened a personal journey of healing and liberation. I started to listen to the inner voice that, for so long, had been ignored. This led me to take a leap of faith in redirecting my call to serve from nonprofit work to somatic psychotherapy, completing my MA in Somatic Psychology at the California Institute for Integral Studies and clinical training at the Center for Somatic Psychotherapy.

I have worked to incorporate a social justice lens throughout my work for the past 15+ years, with experience facilitating dialogues and workshops on identity, privilege, power and oppression, etc. I remain committed to holding an awareness of how the intersectionality of gender, race, culture, class, sexual orientation, ability, body size, age, immigration status/experience, and other factors impact the way each of us experiences the world.

Today, I am grateful to be of service in facilitating others’ healing through the practice of somatic therapy. I look forward to being with you through your healing and transformation. Let’s embark on this journey together.