Ash Lounsbury (Ashville, North Carolina, USA)

I’m Ash Lounsbury (she/her). An ecopsychologist and enrolled citizen of the Wahzhazhe (Osage) Nation, I am currently settled on the mountainous, unceded land of Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Band Cherokee), or what is often referred to as Asheville, North Carolina, within the watershed of the Tah-kee-os-tee, or French Broad River.

Over the past few years, I have been reclaiming and remembering my belonging to the natural world, a journey that began as a way to navigate severe depression. Now, I bring these practices into my work, offering them to my community as pathways to reconnect with the earth. My hope is to provide accessible, ecopsychologically informed experiences that foster insight, healing, and an ever-deepening relationship with nature.I sometimes write about myth, ecohealing, and birds. I hold a non-clinical Master’s in Ecopsychology from Naropa University and Level 1 and 2 certificates in ecotherapy from the Earthbody Institute. With over a decade of meditation experience, I have had the honor to support Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield’s virtual meditation community members. My current corporate occupation is tending to online learning content.

Ash serves on the Communications and Webinars & Cafés Committees.
Read more about Ash in her Community Member profile.

Bruce Bekker (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)

Bruce began his career as a musician and instrument maker and has served as an arts leader and nonprofit administrator for much of his life. For over thirty years he co-directed the chamber ensemble Philomel Baroque. He has also led development at cultural institutions and at educational organizations serving inner-city students and families. He currently directs development at the Community Arts Center in suburban Philadelphia. Bruce is an avid gardener, reader, hiker, and concert-goer, and a believer in the transformative gifts of communities.

Bruce serves on the Regenerative Resource Committee.
Read more about Bruce in his Community Member profile.

Carlotta Cataldi (Barcelona, Spain)

Claire Carré

I am 62, I grew up in England and France, (of Irish & French parents). I speak basic Spanish. At uni, at different times, I studied literature, environmental science, dance and did my Master’s in theatre. I also studied somatic techniques of different types (bodywork). I really believe that to reconnect with nature, we need to reconnect to our animal body.

As a performer, I worked for 15 years in dance, theatre and puppetry companies, and gradually specialised in facilitating movement & body/voice work with people with a disability, mainly blind-deaf people. I have worked as group leader on environmental workcamps, mainly on river cleaning missions, in France, and also seasonal farm work. I’ve been a language teacher on both sides of the channel, and translator. It was in 1989 that I discovered Thinking Like a Mountain, and Joanna… A few years later, after attending workshops run by Chris Johnstone, Kathleen Sullivan, Pat Fleming, John Seed, and others, I started translating the Work into French and in 2003, gave the first workshops in France. I went to Joanna’s workshops and retreats in Europe whenever she came – I have been her assistant in England and Germany. I also assisted Anne Symens Bucher in Ireland and Pat Fleming in Portugal.

We (with friends & family) set up the association Roseaux Dansants in 2007, for Joanna’s work in French. I’ve been giving workshops and facilitator trainings since then, mostly in France, but also in Czech Rep, Spain, UK… With my mother, Françoise, we translated Active Hope into French, and it was published by Labor & Fides in 2018.

Claire serves on the Members Support Committee.
Read more about Claire in his Facilitator Member profile.

Claire Lewis Evans (Alabama, USA)

I am a seeker, nature lover, family member, maker, friend, meditator, and culture person. An editor and producer by profession, I am from and live in the American South, first Atlanta and now Alabama—”cradle of the Confederacy and birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement.” This region is rich in spirit, often heartbreaking, and amazingly biodiverse.

I am grateful to the WTR Network for opening connections to curious people who share my love and concern for the fate of our biosphere and all our relations all around the world, and I enjoy learning about the diversity of experiences and perspectives among its members and facilitators. I look forward to more to come.

Claire volunteers as a moderator in our forum.
Read more about Claire in her Community Member profile.

Denise Pang (Singapore)

Denise was born in Singapore to Sunny and Millie, and her lineage carries stories of migration and the Dutch colonization in Indonesia. Being of mixed parentage taught her to be open to diverse cultures and perspectives, while also seeking a sense of belonging. Denise graduated in sociology and linguistics, worked in global tech for 15 years, left the burnout to detox and train as a yoga teacher and pranic healer, then started her own practice in leadership coaching, facilitation, organization development and coach training.

Denise serves on the Social Justice Committee.
Read more about Denise in her Community Member profile.

Erin Holtz Braekman (Ontario, Canada)

Erin Holtz Braeckman is a writer and educator who seeks to rewild the Earth-based ancestral wisdom traditions of the Deep Feminine in her art and activism. She holds a B.A., B.Ed., and an M.A. in English Literature (Public Texts), as well as certification in Spiritual Counselling and a background in World Religions. She is a part-time faculty member at Lakefield College School, and teaches Hatha and Qigong as an E-RYT and reiki practitioner out of her home business, The Village Yoga Studio, in Ontario, Canada. When not with a book, her garden, or beloved family, she can be found weaving the Work that Reconnects into an “embodied inner life” by observing the sacred in the everyday. www.thevillageyogastudio.ca

Erin serves on the Deep Times Journal Committee.
Read more about Erin in his Facilitator Member profile.

Esmé Joy McAvoy

A mindfulness and Work that Reconnects facilitator living in Cali, Colombia in the foothills of the Andean mountains. I’m excited to join the Network as a volunteer and be of service to this global web of facilitators of this powerful work.

Esmé serves on the Members Support Committee.
Read more about Esmé in his Facilitator Member profile.

Eva Horáčková (Colombia)

A lifetime student of regeneration, degrowth, deep and political ecology. The WTR represents for me a solid ground in these times and societies where everything is marketed and monetized. I practice the WTR spiral through “Encuentros ecológico-emocionales”, held together with people in Manizales, Colombia, where I live. (Originally, I am from Czechia though.) I love being outside of built environment, hiking, rock climbing and just trying to heal myself from the illusion of separation.

Eva volunteers as a moderator in our forum.
Read more about Eva in her Community Member profile.

Galen Meyers (Florida, USA)

I am a regenerative systems thinker, student of cultural evolution, and group facilitator focused on integrating theory and practice in the wide deep field of human socio-ecological systems change.

Galen volunteers as a moderator in our forum.
Read more about Galen in his Community Member profile.

Gemma Armstrong (Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada)

Gemma lives on unceded Snuneymuxw territory on what’s known as Vancouver Island in BC, Canada. She has a mission to cultivate love and belonging, instead of separation, from the rest of natural world for herself and for those she works with. She works as a counsellor at a university and is eager to transition more of this work to outdoor settings. She grew up farther East in the foothills of the Rocky mountains where she could hike, ski and paddle to her heart’s content!

Gemma serves on the Webinar & Conversation Cafe Committee.
Read more about Gemma in her Community Member profile.

Grey Lee (Weston, Massachusetts, USA)

Grey is a long-time Joanna Macy student and attended one one-day workshop with her in 2012. She told me to have a wonderful life. I have been a practicing student of Buddhism for 25 years, currently with a small sangha affiliated with the Natural Dharma Fellowship of Cambridge MA/Springfield NH (Wonderwell Mountain Refuge). I love budget spreadsheets, I’ve been around the world, speak fluent Portuguese, am great at karaoke-ing 80’s pop tunes, and love The Emerald Podcast of Josh Schrei delving into the animate world cosmomajesty!

He is a project integrator, linking people in teams to attain goals amidst complexity. As a consultant, he helps companies with sustainability challenges and serves as an executive coach for operational synergies. He is a dedicated sustainability advocate for the interdependent realms of society and ecology.

Grey serves on the Regenerative Resource Committee.
Read more about Grey in his Community Member profile.

Jeff Bloom (Wisconsin, USA)

I am a husband and a father of two incredibly creative children. My wife and I chose unschooling as our guiding principle for how to raise our kids. This process has required us to access deep levels of trust in the embodied wisdom of our species, and the connections that inform our development. It has been difficult to swim against the tide of credentialed education and raise our voices against the drum beat of ‘getting ahead in life’. But I believe this is the essential work of all of us modern humans, to unschool ourselves in the ways of incessant progress, and learn to align with Life.

Jeff volunteers as a moderator in our forum.
Read more about Jeff in his Community Member profile.

Kevin Lay (Portland, Oregon, USA)

Kevin has flourished in the last ten years as a composer of mostly vocal and choral works. He also performs classical guitar, writes poetry, and loves to hike. Kevin has studied with Joanna Macy since the early 90’s and has facilitated the Work That Reconnects since 2008. Kevin is also certified to teach Deep Listening as taught by Pauline Oliveros. He is currently president of Cascadia Composers and occasionally dabbles in creating fancy software.

Kevin serves on the Deep Times Journal Committee.
Read more about Kevin in his Facilitator Member profile.

Paul Daniello (Oregon, USA)

I have spent the majority of my life working in the streams, woods, farms, and prairie to help maintain and heal Mother Earth. I graduated from Hofstra University with a BA in Biology. My professional background focused on water quality, organic chemistry, and land conservation. I permanently protected 1800 acres of land in Massachusetts for ecological, recreational, agricultural, water quality values, The non-human part of nature makes my heart leap! So does my ex-racing greyhound

Paul volunteers as a moderator in our forum.
Read more about Paul in his Community Member profile.

Paula Hendrick (Leicester, Massachusetts, USA)

Paula first encountered Despair and Empowerment work in a 1981 workshop in Massachusetts (USA), and this evolving body of analysis and practice has been foundational to her life ever since. While living in Seattle, WA Paula attended many workshops with Joanna Macy, including Seeds for the Future, a month-long intensive with Joanna and her husband Fran. She co-facilitated the Spiral a number of times during these years, and co-founded Great Turning Northwest. Paula also volunteered as Director of Publications with the New Road Map Foundation, in support of the Voluntary Simplicity Movement.

After returning to her home state of Massachusetts, Paula worked with the regional Interhelp (WTR) Network for many years. She’s grateful to be able to volunteer with the WTR Network and to participate with the Anti-Oppression Resource Group. Paula and her partner Carol Harley met at a workshop with Joanna in 2005.

Paula serves on the Communications Committee.
Read more about Paula in her Community Member profile.

Rachel Hutchings (Skiatook, Oklahoma, United States)

With 30 years of experience in leading teams and managing complex projects and programs, Rachel has cultivated a deep understanding of resilience in both personal and professional settings. Her journey into yoga began as a way to alleviate physical pain, but it soon became a transformative practice that included meditation, gratitude, and mindfulness. These practices have been invaluable in helping her navigate some of life’s most challenging moments and continue to support her well-being in everyday life. Rachel is passionate about sharing these tools with others to foster resilience and inner strength.

Rachel serves on the Webinar & Conversation Cafe Committee.
Read more about Rachel in her Community Member profile.

Rebecca Selove (Joelton, Tennessee USA)

Rebecca has worked as a clinical psychologist in community settings and private practice for several decades. Currently she is a public health researcher focused on cancer-related disparities. The foundation for her love of Earth was established during her childhood on her family’s dairy farm in West Virginia. She was blessed to be surrounded by animals, flowers, clouds, creeks and mountains on a daily basis. She read her first Joanna Macy book in the mid-80’s and has been facilitating Work That Reconnects-inspired workshops since the early 90’s. She lives and gardens on a certified organic farm in Tennessee.

Rebecca serves on the Deep Times Journal Committee.
Read more about Rebecca in her Facilitator Member profile.

Rodha Vanderhart (Alabama, United States)

Recovery room nurse for 42 years, spent a summer in Caracas as a teenager, worked with physically disabled adults in Rome for a year, love to read, cook, travel, and connect people with shared information. Passionate about the intersection of spirituality and nature and also helping our country face its racist foundations.

Rhoda volunteers as a moderator in our forum.
Read more about Rhoda in her Community Member profile.

Sara El Sayeh (Cairo, Egypt)

I’m a mother, writer and facilitator from Cairo, Egypt. I love working with the imagination to facilitate a path for better futures. In addition to the work that reconnects, I’m also a change worker and an Offers and Needs Market facilitator.

Sara serves on the Member Support Committee.
Read more about Sara in her Facilitator Member profile.

Thao Kin (Hanoi, Viet Nam)

Thao Kin is an ecology and environment trainer with an academic background in Sustainable Development in Ecology and a heart for compassionate space holding. She holds a strong passion for Deep Ecology and has been facilitating the Work-that-Reconnects since 2019. Her calling is to bring the awe and enchantment of nature back to human consciousness through education and living experience. She is the co-founder of an intentional community called Project Awe in Vietnam with this vision. Kin is the network weaver at Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) Oceania and Asia and part of the Kincentric Leadership Initiative, an experimental field that places direct collaboration with the more than human world at the heart of all interventions, strategy, culture and ways of working.

Kin serves on the Social Justice Committee.
Read more about Kin in her Facilitator Member profile.

Zsanna Sebesteny (Paris, France)

I discovered Joanna Macy during Covid lockdown, through the Belgian Inner Transition training. I trained to facilitate the Work That Reconnects with Roseaux Dansants and Transalquimia (in French but in Spain!). With 3 of my fellow trainees, we started facilitating together and created a sister association to Roseaux Dansants and Transalquimia, Echos de la Terre, whose mission is to support initiatives that contribute to the emergence of a world where humans live in peaceful harmony with all other beings. After adapting Chris Johnstone’s Active Hope Training into French, and proposing Circles of Active Hope for French speakers, we are now offering a training in French to start facilitating Circles of Active Hope. The latest project is an illustrated book (printed in French, English and Spanish) and an animated film (yet to be made!) called : Guardians of the Poison Fire, a true story of our times and of future generations, where humans act in alliance with other beings to take care of the elements: Earth, Air, Water, the Poison Fire and the Fire of Love. There is a lively network of facilitators developing in France, Belgium and Switzerland now. I’m happy to be part of that and contributing to bridging with the international network.

Zsanna serves on the Member Support Committee.
Read more about Zsanna in her Facilitator Member profile.