About Me
Born in the West of Ireland, I have traveled the world and now reside in Southern California. I am a writer who has covered politics, entertainment, environmental issues, and travel for newspapers in Ireland, the UK, Japan, and Argentina. I was the producer of arts programming and a longtime political reporter on national radio in the UK and Ireland RTE for several years, rising to Bureau Chief in Dublin for UTV, breaking several stories related to the Northern Ireland peace process. I was rewarded for my writing and broadcasting with a Neiman Fellowship to Harvard University, where I then devised and taught a course on journalism. In addition to my Journalism Degree, I have a Masters in Mythological Studies and Depth Psychology, a PhD from Viridis Graduate Institute in Ecopsychology and the Humanities, and an iMBA from NYU.
Before coming to the US I worked as a radio presenter and DJ in Japan and Ireland. Once here I became West Coast Correspondent for The Sunday Tribune, settling in Los Angeles to cover news, features, and culture. I became a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 2008 and a voting juror on the Golden Globes since 2009, attending and reporting on international film festivals as part of my coverage.
With a life-long passion for story and myth, I have worked with authors as a consultant, as a ghost-writer and editor, collated and edited literary anthologies. The co-founder of the Harvardwood Fiction Writers Group in Los Angeles, I was elected to the Board of Harvardwood to run Harvardwood Publishing in 2013. I recently established the Harvardwood Literary Prize https://www.harvardwoodliteraryprize.org/, a prestigious new international award dedicated to recognizing and rewarding the most outstanding biography in the English-speaking language each calendar year.
Fascinated by rituals and their importance in daily life, I recently received my Doctorate in Eco-Psychology, studying the effects of unprocessed grief. I have crafted secular rituals for all kinds of important life events, from conception to death, and often will perform ceremonies for those seeking closure. I also enjoy teaching and have led mindfulness workshops for journalists and artists. In early 2020 as a response to the global pandemic, I founded Rituals for the Living, https://www.ritualsfortheliving.com/ a small business that creates hand-crafted grieving ritual kits for building personal memorials at home for lost loved ones and beloved pets. I also am the Founder of The Jizo Foundation, https://www.thejizofoundation.org/ a non-profit dedicated to establishing Jizo Grieving Sites around the world, to address the vast number of women and families mourning the loss of a baby at birth or before who have nowhere to grieve.
Having experienced great personal losses myself, I strive to help others be able to grieve with dignity. In addition to establishing Jizo Grieving Sites around the world, I also plan to work with the Green Burial Council of the US in the establishment of green burial sites, for those wishing to have a more ecological and natural final resting place.
Services
Writing
I have worked as a journalist, an editor, a producer, and a presenter, writing original content across all media in Ireland, Japan, Argentina, and the United States for nearly three decades. My journalism skills earned me a Nieman Fellowship to Harvard University in 2004, where I then created and taught a course on journalism at the Harvard Extension School. I am the co-founder of the Harvardwood Fiction Writers Club in Los Angeles, and the elected Director of Harvardwood Publications. I have commissioned and edited two anthologies of short stories and poetry, Seven Deadly Sins and Once Upon A Fairytale.
I am available as a ghost writer and have collaborated with authors on several books. I also offer consulting services to writers and film makers who wish to better understand mythology and archetypal psychology and how to weave these elements into their work.
I am offering consulting services to writers and film makers who wish to better understand mythology and archetypal psychology and to weave these elements into their work.
I am also on the jury of the Golden Globe Awards and am regularly invited to attend major international film festivals.
Secular Rituals
Whether you are from a religious tradition or not, ritual plays an important role in helping us make meaning of the big events in our lives. As a graduate of the Mythological Studies program at Pacifica Graduate Institute where I was awarded the Joseph Campbell scholarship, I am deeply immersed in mythology and ritual. Whether it’s a birth, illness, wedding, death, or other significant life event, I will work with you to help craft a meaningful ritual which will imbue your important occasion with value, meaning and healing. I am available to lead in-person events if near Los Angeles.
Consultancy
Having been a writer and producer for many years across newspapers, magazines, radio, television, print and the web, I understand well how to craft a story to hook audiences and potential clients. My study of Archetypal Psychology has given me a keen understanding of the unconscious, invisible energies which are often unknowingly driving people’s behaviors and choices. I can consult with you on your project or service and provide advice on archetypal elements to be aware of, which ones to cultivate or avoid.
I also offer workshops and seminars to the corporate world, teaching how to adopt eco-psychological principles in the workplace, making profits ecologically and ethically.
Speaking Engagements
I am available to speak in person to groups both large and small on various topics surrounding grief, healing, and ritual as well as on Archetypal Psychology and Ecopsychology. I am also available for panels, workshops, seminars, and online virtual events.
Projects
I have written a limited TV series based on the life of the bon vivant composer Georg Friedrich Handel. The project is 40% financed.
I am developing a multi-media VR series called First Nights, based on a popular book and course taught at Harvard University. It tells the gossipy, behind the scenes story of eight famous and beloved pieces of classical music and what it took to get them to the stage, by hook and sometimes by crook.
Clients
In addition to private clients, I have also worked with the following:
