
Equal parts dumb jock and pedagogy nerd, I have spent a lifetime playing with movement.
I have been a physical instructor since 2004. I taught figure skating, climbing, and mountaineering before starting martial arts in 2010.
I love both historical and modern arts. My core martial art is historical swordplay. I’m equally comfortable with sword in one hand, sword in two hands, dagger, and two swords. I also practice unarmed striking, modern knife combat, and grappling.
My work covers recreational martial arts, practical self defense, and even professional use of force.
I am a co-owner and coach at Valkyrie Western Martial Arts Assembly, where I’ve taught since 2012. I have also taught martial arts and self defense workshops across Canada, the US, and the UK.
I worked with the Vancouver Police Department’s Force Options Training Unit from 2015-2020. There, I participated in hundreds of tactical training scenarios and taught for their Special Municipal Constable program.
I also hold an MA in English Literature, and did my graduate work on medieval chivalric romance. I taught at the undergraduate level in literature, history, and medieval studies. As an independent scholar, I leverage my academic training to do better martial arts research.
I am super interested in how people learn to move. Motor learning always came easily to me, and I’ve spent my teaching career working to understand and serve those who struggle. I believe that learning should be fun, and that good community is essential to good martial arts.
I want to to carve out space for all those who’ve traditionally existed at the fringes of martial arts — especially women and queer and trans people. My goal is to build lasting social infrastructure that lets us all get the most out of the arts that I love.
Movement is how I express myself, and fighting is how I grow. I want everyone to experience the joy that comes from understanding what your body can really do.