About

I was born to Jewish avocado growers who rescued donkeys, bought me any books I wanted (except the Sweet Valley High series) and told me I could grow up to become whatever I dreamed of.* Luckily, it seems to be turning out that way. But I took a winding path to get here. I’ve worked in Alaska studying grizzly bears, done stream ecology research in the Orinoco and Amazon, made coffee for the Hell’s Angels, been a backpacking instructor, interned at NPR, taught high school in Colombia, done environmental conservation work in DC, gotten my PhD at MIT, studied with Amitav Ghosh, Harriet Ritvo and David Jones, and volunteered with grieving kids.

These days, I work as a writer and have recently started training to become a secular hospital chaplain at Stanford Hospital. I am also a professor and the Director of Writing and Storytelling at the Stanford School of Medicine where I help physicians and medical students communicate more authentically and powerfully with their patients and themselves.

The constant in all of this is that I care about inspiring people to commit to the best kind of mischief, the sort that changes the world. If Charles Darwin, Georgia O’Keefe and Calamity Jane had a baby I hope she might be a little bit like me. 

*as long as it wasn’t being an artist. Sorry guys.

Are you introducing me on stage somewhere? Use this bio.