Speaking & Events

This is where I come alive.

Put me in a room—on a stage, behind a mic, in conversation—and something shifts. It always has.

From a foundation in theatre to years in public-facing political and nonprofit work, to clinical practice, teaching, podcasts, and national speaking, I’ve built a way of engaging people that isn’t about talking at them—it’s about being with them. And with a lot of laughter.

And when I get to speak about my special interests—neurodivergence, queerness, trauma, relationships, power, and the body—
that’s where things start to open.

Because most people I work with are already sensing it:
Something about the way we’ve been taught to understand ourselves isn’t working.

My work lives right at that edge.

What It’s Like to Work With Me

Expect depth. Expect honesty. Expect moments where the room gets very quiet—and then suddenly very alive.

I bring clinical expertise, but I don’t leave it in academic language. I translate complex ideas into something felt, usable, and real. I weave together story, humor, systems thinking, and nervous system awareness in a way that actually lands. And I have a way of gently asking you to think about yourself. But that’s always up to you.

I will name what often goes unnamed and I answer questions that often feel uncomfortable.

I don’t believe in oversimplifying people.
And I don’t believe in forcing people to fit into systems that were never built for them.

Topics I Speak On

Every talk is tailored to your audience, but some of my most requested areas include:

  • Neurodivergence, Autism, and ADHD (beyond “functioning” and compliance)

  • PDA, demand avoidance, and nervous system autonomy

  • Queerness & LGBTQIA+ identity and affirming, nuanced care

  • Relationships, sex, and connection (monogamous + non-monogamous)

  • The intersection of queerness, neurodivergence, trauma, and chronic illness

  • Complex trauma, dissociation, and the body as a source of knowing

  • Working with “complex” clients and systems without flattening them

  • Rethinking therapy: moving beyond rigid, productivity-driven, or behaviorist models

  • Cult dynamics, high-control systems, and religious trauma

  • Power, consent, and the quiet ways coercion shows up in clinical and organizational spaces

  • This history of LGBTQIA movements, mental health and more in the United States

Formats

  • Keynote talks

  • Conference presentations

  • Workshops & trainings (clinical and non-clinical audiences)

  • Panel discussions

  • Podcast guesting

  • Guest lectures & adjunct teaching

Some of My Favorites

  • If You Want To: PDA, Sex, and the Politics of Neurodivergent Desire

  • Designing and teaching University of Maryland School of Social Work’s first elective on eating disorders

  • Complex Bodies, Complex Minds: Neurodivergence and disability in eating disorder treatment

  • From Doctored Videos to Hostage Doctors: What non-profit and political professionals need to know about trauma and vicarious trauma.

  • Star Trek, Cat Memes and and Investigation of Hope: A commencement address.

  • Promotion, activism and advocacy in LGBT issues; a project for Belarus,
    with the US Department of State

  • “The Victory Tour” which I aptly named over a year’s worth of presentations an speeches after passing marriage equality at the ballot box for the first time in world history

Let’s Work Together

If you’re looking for a speaker who can hold complexity, challenge assumptions, and genuinely connect with your audience—you’re in the right place.

If you want something that feels human, thoughtful, and just disruptive enough to shift how people think and work—let’s talk.

📩 info@breaktheframetherapy.com
📍 Available for virtual and in-person events nationwide