I have had the great pleasure of working with Anand while I served on the national advisory board of community leaders of Positively Trans, a constituent-led project of the Transgender Law Center. More than simply helping to keep board members on task, Anand’s mediation and conflict resolution skills helped us resolve conflicts in ways that brought the group together instead of relying on him—he created a cohesive sense of care. I experienced him as doing all of this with the amazing ability to be not only incredibly competent and capable but also warm, with a delightful sense of humor. It has been a true blessing getting to work with Anand. He’s a delight to work with and I really can’t recommend him more highly, whatever the project. Anyone who has the chance to work with him and benefit from his gifts would be lucky to do so. – Teo D., children’s martial arts & woodworking instructor, Greenfield, MA
As people invested in social change, we know that conflict is an unavoidable part of life. Still, many of us try to avoid conflict, sometimes making it worse by allowing small (and large!) wounds to fester. Other times, we dive in head first without pausing to examine our own motivations or the other person’s perspective.
My commitment to justice and background as a life-long facilitator call me to contribute my time and skills to help resolve conflicts. I first received training in non-violent communication and conflict mediation at age 6, when I became a peer mediator at my elementary school. I continued to learn and grow those skills through middle and high school, and began facilitating groups in college, where I enhanced my toolbox with methods from Quaker traditions and de-escalation training from Martha Langelan. Over the last decade, I’ve studied, practiced, and integrated body-based mindfulness techniques based on the work of Jon Kabat Zinn and S.N. Goenka. Taken together, these practices form a sturdy foundation from which I engage restorative justice.
Whether you’re aiming to resolve a specific conflict or simply need an impartial party to hold space for a tough meeting or staff retreat, I can help. My goal as a facilitator and mediator is to make everyone involved feel welcome, heard, and supported, so that groups can move through blame-and-shame and achieve meaningful accountability and progress. If you’re interested in learning more or would like me to facilitate for you, I invite you to contact me today.