I grew up in Kyiv, Ukraine during the Soviet Regime in the 70s and 80s. At the age of 21 I fled from the repressive USSR and arrived alone in Canada with my 1-year-old daughter, Jules. Having no concept of the “ways of the West”, I spent many years trying to fit into the culture of capitalism. Breaking my body, my mind and spirit, I tried to catch up to what “success” meant in this system and culture. Even though I had a degree in Automated Mining Systems from Metallurgical State University of Kyiv, Ukraine, I graduated with a profound lack of interest in the mining industry. I eventually found my way into Software Engineering and “settled” in this field for 20 years as an ethical hacker/software development consultant.My experience made me feel like an outsider in Canada – and continued to make me feel foreign and unnatural - that is until I finally discovered the “creative underbelly” of the culture – artists, musicians, circus performers, dance makers, anarchists, philosophers, activists, people of First Nations, story-tellers, history-makers, ceremony-keepers and sacred teachings of Heyoka clowns.  It was through these connections and relationships, that I began to learn about and connect with this alternate Canada, my place in it, and my true hosts here on Turtle Island. In 2016, I began a 5-year study and deep personal transformation within the walls of the Gestalt Institute of Psychotherapy in Toronto. A few years later another magical awakening was emerging – a “collective being” was coming together with the birthing of “River Rising” land-based project.Being involved with these two entities, (Gestalt Practice and RR land-based project), allowed me to re-engage with the world and rejuvenated me, awakening my senses, and decoding my hard-coded atheism to allow for a spiritual curiosity about humanity, the earth, nature and our place in it.   I want to co-conspire with humans and nature. My journey is to work with others to co-create spaces, where “We” and “I” are not in competition, but rather aligned in a flow of curiosity and creativity that inspire us to collaborate, and cooperate. I am a relational engineer, a playful instigator and explorer of intimacy. As a practicing Gestaltist, I am here to weave modalities that inspire, support and evolve human and non-human life and experience.