Hey yall, I'm a late 20-something originally haling from the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in East Tennessee. I've spent most of my life living in and traveling around the US South - as my cooking skills can attest.

I have also been a professional student for the past few years, and I'm now pursuing my doctorate in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University (GMU). At GMU, I currently work in marketing and research capacities at the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution. My research focuses on the psychology of transformation: How and when do people change? What social and cultural contexts can facilitate growth and development? And how can we use this knowledge to wage peace in the midst of the world's most violent conflicts? I have formal training in psychology, political science, anthropology, medical studies, and peace and conflict studies... And I love smashing all of these approaches together to conduct research that really matters to the world.

I am also a conflict resolution practitioner, specializing in conflict transformation and resilience-building in novel contexts. So far, I've been able to host my workshops in places like public parks and music festivals... The more heterodox the location, the better for me. I firmly believe that most of the difficulties we face in life are overcome-able using skills and abilities that we have inside us. It is my role to help my participants discover and realize their unique gifts and contributions to the world. It is a beautiful role indeed. In this capacity, I conduct research, outreach, and programming for the Parachute People, a nonprofit my friends and I are starting to facilitate conversations about mental health and wellness at live music events.

In my other life, I am a devoted live music attendee - I love going to concerts and music festivals as much as possible. Here's some music on my most recent playlist: Two Feet, Andrew Bird, SHAED, Broken Bells, Dr. Dog, The Allman Brothers, AlunaGeorge, Ukiyo, Jamie xx, Parra for Cuva, Local Natives, Parov Stelar, Aphex Twin, and Futurebirds. If you're into good music, we're gonna be tight.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

In general:
My favorite part about travel is connection. The more people I meet in this wild world, the more I see similarity - similar hopes, fears, dreams, and mysteries. I wanna meet my new best friend (or boyfriend?) surfing couches!

Specifically:
At the end of December 2019 and beginning of January 2020, I'm conducting conflict resolution practice in Israel/Palestine as part of my doctoral program. While I'm in the neighborhood, I figured I would extend my trip for a few days - would love to see more of Israel and the Authority if I have the chance!

Interests

Let’s talk about it.

• writing
• festivals
• human rights
• cooking
• beer
• coffee
• reading
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• beaches
• mountains
• whiskey
• research
• conflict resolution
• peacebuilding

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm gonna save you some time. Here's my Spotify profile link: https://open.spotify.com/user/1231251558?si=dyC323mCQn62wdPzBmi0AQ

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I'm a 7-year Bonnaroo veteran.

Here's a story from 2017:
- 12am to 3am on Sunday morning I'm raging at Flume
- 3am to 7am I say goodbye to my friends on the Farm and pack up my car
- By 9am I drive to Nashville to catch a flight to NYC
- By 10pm, I land
- By 7am Monday morning, I am at the United Nations to serve as a Court Rapporteur for the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Work hard, play hard ;)

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm an open guy. Message me and we can get into it all.

What I Can Share with Hosts

We can share a whiskey, some beer, food recipes, late night conversations, and so on, and so forth

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States