Biography

Suz started community college and her own business at sixteen years of age. She graduated from UC Berkeley as a Haas Scholar and with scholarly distinction in 2005 and completed her Master of Science in Education with a specialty in online teaching and learning at CSUEB.

After many years in the tech industry and business schools teaching topics such as mindfulness, leadership, coaching, instructional design, compliance education/risk management, i/o psychology, product/service design, and design thinking internationally, she was called to a hands-on healing practice.

Suz has been working with clients since 2014 when she began clinical hours as a student of massage therapy and bodywork in both Western and Eastern traditions. She completed her California State Massage Therapy Certificate requirements in 2015. She passed her national board certification exam in 2020. This is the highest credential offered in the United States for massage therapists and bodyworkers. It requires advanced study as well as several years of experience to sit for this exam. Following this exam, she has demonstrated leadership and expertise, qualifying as a continuing education provider for massage therapists and nurses.

Additional training

Anatomy and Technique

• Structural integration, anatomy, physiology, body reading, kinesiology, and dissection labs with Anatomy Trains

• Introduction to TRE Facilitation

• Introduction to Craniosacral Therapy (CST) Techniques

• Introduction to Esalen

• Transforming Stress into Calm and Confusion into Clarity by Embodying Key Embryological and Neural Pathways, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen

• Best Practices for Implementing Interoception-Based Supports (in progress)

• Introduction to Psychotherapeutic Touch

Entheogens and Psychedelics

• Core Facilitator Training, 2024 and Facilitator Practicum Training, 2024 (in progress) at an entheogenic church in Oakland

• UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, Certificate in Psychedelics and the Mind, 2024

• Cannabis business and science with Oaksterdam University, 2020

• Cannabis grow-a-long club, 2024

• Introduction to Psychedelic Autism Certificate and Intermediate Psychedelic Care for Neurodivergent Clients with Autistic Psychedelic, 2023 - 2024

• Harm reduction and volunteer training with DanceSafe

• Commenter and participation in the California SB102 and SB508 coalition and bill writing process

• Additional Courses and Workshops:

  • PhD level coursework in transpersonal, somatic, and integral psychology at the California Institute for Integral Studies

  • Spirit Pharmacist, Psychedelics as Analgesics

  • Fluence, Psychotherapeutic Touch in Psychedelic Therapy

  • Elements of Ritual with Kathleen Harrison

  • Beckley Academy Foundations/Relational Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Training, 2024 (87% complete)

  • Introduction to Psychedelics for Chronic Pain from the Psychedelic Pain Association

  • Integrating Neuromuscular Rehabilitation with Psychedelics with ReMap (In progress)

  • Attended full day FDA public workshop: Understanding Current Use of Ketamine for Emerging Areas of Therapeutic Interest as well as FDA panels on topics such as emergent PTSD care.

Mindfulness, Buddhism, Stress Reduction, and Traditional Practices

• Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction instructor training with the University of Massachusetts Medical Health Center for Mindfulness

• Certified Trauma Professional (coursework and exams completed; massage therapy deemed ineligible for certification)

• Dzogchen and Zen Buddhism with various teachers

• 32 Parts of the Body practice with Bob Stahl

• Resonant empathy, NVC, interpersonal neuroscience, and constellation facilitation with Richerliving.org and Sarah Payton

• Sat seventeen days at Jakon Rate in Peru

Innovation Management, Group Facilitation, and Other Topics

• Basic Life Support Certified, American Heart Association

• Association of Training and Development (ATD) speaker profile

• Peacemaking Circle Keeper Training at The Circle Center

• International Innovation Management at Stanford University

• Studied cooperation theory, Complex Adaptive Systems, and media literacy with Howard Rheingold at RheingoldU

Odds and Ends

• 2004 - 2005 Haas Scholar, UC Berkeley

• Filed a patent

• Contributed a chapter to a book on collaborative learning called The Peeragogy Handbook

• Co-wrote a published song

• Hosted an event on B Corps and opening lecture

• Lectured at Seoul National University and spoke at the Houses of Parliament in Korea

• Directed a short film, Executive Produced a short film called Made in Heaven (imdb)

• Authored a online magazine article

• Wrote a feature length screenplay, Gertrude

• Guest speaker for organizational design professionals hosted at Valero

• Wrote an op-ed article

• Spoke at a psychedelic integration conference

• Teaches cider making at Oak Barrel Winecraft shop

• Wrote a comic book called I Was Born on Fire

• Wrote The Psychedelic Mindbody Integration Coloring Book downloadable for free on the Unwind Oakland blog

• Cover photo artist for the Berkeley Undergraduate Research Journal, 2003 and 2004

• Association of Training and Development speaker, Design Thinking and the A & D of ADDIE