Hi, I’m J.D.
I help people make big changes and build a world that works for everyone in the midst of the great unraveling/turning.
I offer somatic coaching for individuals, partners, teams, and collectives; hands-on healing; conflict facilitation; and tools for effective collaboration.
My clients are parents, activists, community builders, designers, facilitators, farmers, care workers, fellow healers, and more. They often come to me for support in…
Quitting deeply-ingrained habits and thought patterns — growing capacity for healthy interdependence and fulfilling partnership — navigating conflict, anxiety, grief, and burnout — healing physical and emotional pain — de-armoring to show up with more truth and vulnerability — fully inhabiting their power and dignity, with maturity and accountability — cultivating the many skills we need to build visionary projects amidst social and environmental collapse.
My training and lineage includes Strozzi Institute / generative somatics, Miki Kashtan / NGL Community, Greaterthan, polarity therapy, and hospicing modernity.
I’m based in Durham, NC and meet with clients in my private backyard somatics studio or on Zoom.
If you’re interested in connecting, schedule a call with me.
Interview with Lisa Gill
Listen to J.D. on the Leadermorphosis Podcast in Junee 2022 with Lisa Gill and Ria Baeck.
Essay on Trauma-informed Collaboration
Read J.D.’s essay from March 2023 on his Trauma-informed Collaboration work inside the Greaterthan collective.
Interview with Alicia Trepat
Listen to J.D. on “The How - Affectively” podcast in May 2024 with Alicia Trepat and Emmanouela Mandalaki. Episode entitled “Embodiment: the new basis for collective organising”
Testimonials
Ashley S:
“In Resmaa Menakem’s book, My Grandmother's Hands, he writes, "Although they don't always realize it, people visit my office to be with my settled, regulated nervous system. ...Over time, their repeated contact with my nervous system helps their nervous systems settle."
J.D. is my real-life Resmaa. I didn't know it five months ago when we began working together, but I was seeking someone settled — someone to help me discover myself and envision a future where I wasn't detached from, at war with, or in denial of who I've been and what my body (and spirit) need.
I'm a 33-year-old dark-skinned Black woman and the eldest child of South American immigrants — who has been told that her purpose in life is to never settle. My body has kept the score of that mandate. I have been hyper-vigilant, deeply sacrificial, and not at all able to accept need as anything other than weakness in myself. It has taken J.D.'s gentle (yet firm), open, and humble teaching to release some of the narratives and patterns that bind me. I can now think about what other kinds of experiences or outcomes might be possible if I become aware enough of my needs to choose different ways of being.
If you're reading this and are considering working with J.D. as part of your own somatic healing journey, you're likely wondering what the work is. Somatic coaching has been such a gratifying reintroduction to self; such an opening of the aperture of what my future could hold... and it happens moment by moment. There are conversations where J.D. offers new language for old patterns; languid afternoons spent breathing deep and watching the sky, grass, and leaves take on a more vivid hue; it's unpacking what I've already expressed verbally in therapy on a cellular level.
I wish I had the words to express how incredibly healing this chapter of my life has been, but I'll conclude with this: I met J.D. through a friend whose grounded and thoughtful energy I've always admired. One morning over coffee, I remember asking, "How are you this way? How is it that you are able to withstand the pain of this life and the pressures of your work? Whatever it is you are doing, please share it with me." He said, with a knowing smile. "You've got to meet J.D."
You do. I promise, you do. When you meet J.D., you meet you.”
Jamie A:
“I had the privilege of experiencing a bodywork session with J.D., which was truly transformative and left a profound impact on me. During that session, J.D. skillfully guided me to remember past traumas that my body had stored away, traumas I had long forgotten about, even after years of various types of therapy. It was a powerful and emotional experience, but J.D.'s gentle and compassionate presence made me feel safe and supported throughout. After the session, I felt more present, grounded, and relaxed. J.D.'s work unlocked a reconnection to my body, and I was able to release not only physical tension but also emotional pain that I had carried for far too long. Since my session with J.D., I've been on a transformative journey, working on both my physical and emotional well-being. His profound insights and therapeutic touch helped me confront and release the pain that was brought to the surface during the session. If you're seeking a compassionate and talented practitioner who can help you reconnect with your body and work through physical and emotional challenges, I wholeheartedly recommend J.D.”
Kathryn C:
“I called J.D. because I wanted to figure out how to be happy in my work and more effective in my leadership. I looked forward to our meetings every week because after every single session I felt more confident and motivated. He often brought practices that revealed a new way of thinking about a problem or gave me insight into my own strengths and weaknesses. I felt free to steer our sessions to get the help I really needed that day, and always left with follow-up materials or practical skills for working differently. Thanks to J.D. I'm more honest about who I am, I know my strengths, I know what I need to work on, and I'm able to articulate these things to my collaborators (and at home). I know that being a leader looks different on me than other people, and that's okay. He's turned me on to more effective approaches to leadership, of creating structure in my work, and bringing new life and purpose into my business. His work has not only helped me, but also spread to the leadership and resources I now share with my entire team.”
