Please, call me Pamela.

I never know how to succinctly describe myself in, what, 500 characters? My very existence defies labels, boxes/molds. But if I had to, I’d say I’m a courageous high creative who loves people and relationships, animals, writing, portrait photography, embodiment, spirituality, Human Design, and food. ;)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

CouchSurfing was the reason I was able to see so much of Europe while I lived in Italy for two years back in the naughts (2000s). It's why I loved traveling alone even though I am extraverted. Thanks to CS, I was able to create countless connections with lovely souls in the different cities I explored and really see and learn about how the locals lived wherever I went.

My husband Anthony and I are currently taking an extended hosting break to focus on more self-care and settle back in to our home after an unusually hectic season. But in this post-2020 time, flexing that social muscle can be a great thing so I am open to meeting up.

As a host, it's truly a gift to be able to pay it forward to other travelers and to share experiences with new and adventurous souls. It’s important to me to host people who are genuinely interested in connection and not just getting some free stuff with no reciprocity. If this confuses you, we can talk more specifically.

Because of this, I do not host people with blank (or nearly so) profiles. I also have a strong preference for hosting more than just one night, so we have more space and time to get to know one another. Friends I’ve already spent time with through CS are welcome to request a couch even if it says I’m not available (this definitely doesn’t apply to those I don’t have an existing relationship with). At the same time, just because I’ve hosted someone once doesn’t necessarily mean I’d be open to hosting them again.

I’m a deeply tribal being who believes in contributing to the flow of energy between people (imagine the flow of an infinity sign). When you are here, I’d love to treat you with a hospitality that has you feeling warm and relaxed, connected and supported. Don’t be surprised if before you come I request a virtual coffee date just to see that we are a good fit!

Interests

I'm interested in almost everything, from the intensely deep to not-so-deep-whatsoever --
mostly creativity and arts (esp. writing and photography) and the human condition.

Spiritual and personal development. The Divine feminine and masculine, and sacred union. Animals, nature. Marrying the divine inside to the human animal that houses it. Love and all its forms.

I love being a woman and I'm learning all the time to love it more deeply. This does not prevent me from appreciating and celebrating the conscious man as well! ;)

So I am quite into Human Design, and (a bit less so) astrology. If you know HD I would love to nerd out with you.

Honestly, if you’re lit up about something (even if it’s not my jam), I could listen to you talk about it at length with great joy. I’m practicing leaning in to where there is life force in all the ways.

• animals
• arts
• writing
• design
• photography
• dancing
• cooking
• coffee
• traveling
• entrepreneurship
• psychology
• nature
• spirituality
• dance

Music, Movies, and Books

I can never pick just one favorite.

Favorite music - whatever touches my soul and moves my body in the moment. I generally like it all. It’s an embodiment experience for me and I like for the frequency of music to match how I feel at a given time.

Fave movies - The Greatest Showman; To All The Boys I've Loved Before; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; Amadeus. I am also convinced Mrs. Doubtfire was one of the greatest movie masterpieces of our time :D And I can’t help but love Disney; I was raised on it.

Books - memoirs (all David Sedaris, Cheryl Strayed - Wild as well as Tiny Beautiful Things), also fiction (I greatly enjoyed Where'd You Go Bernadette and Tessa Dare's historical romances as well as the Hades and Persephone saga by Scarlett St. Clair). Nonfiction - The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control. Mother Hunger. Whatever Arises, Love That. Anything by Sam Bennett.

On another thread, I really loved Jenny Han’s To All The Boys trilogy. I am currently reading the Court of Thorns and Roses series. Books are among my greatest pleasures in this life!

Every autumn, I participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) though I haven’t written a novel in a many many many years.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've been on stage at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. :-D

I've also been to the brink of death and back. I'm so thankful for what it taught me and continues to teach me about appreciation for life and being present to the Now.

I've walked on fire and walked through arrows pointed at the soft spot at my throat three different times (all in controlled environments).

*Everybody* is capable of the magnificent and the mundane. It is all a practice. I’d love to hear about your adventures.

Teach, Learn, Share

From practice, study, community, and lived experience, I know quite a bit about writing, language, personal development, Feminine-led living, and the brain/nervous system. (I had a traumatic brain injury when I was 19, so I've had to do a lot of work on this!)

I learned how to cook in Italy, so I can teach you authentic Italian fare but hardly anything from Taiwan (where my parents are from). Ironically, my Italo-Irish-American husband is the one who studied in Japan and has pulled out cooking lessons from my mom: Thanks to him, we’ve learned how to make dumplings, scallion pancake, hsi fan (congee), and furikake, haha.

I can teach you about trusting your intuition and following your creative impulses. Practical teaching on conscious communication/relating, and self-care.

Always love meeting other writers, artists, and entrepreneurs.

If you're visiting the Chicago area: Let's go to the Morton Arboretum! (I've got membership.) Or, we can light a bonfire in the backyard and enjoy some superfood hot cacao.

What I Can Share with Hosts

With my opposing astrological signs (Scorpio sun, Taurus rising) I hold quite a rare combination of seemingly opposite poles: listening and talking, giving and receiving, depth and surface. We may be able to create some real conversational magic!

In HD I am a 5/1 emotional generator with a roughly 50/50 combo of definition and undefinition. If you’re down, I can practice giving you a Human Design reading.

I can cook some yummy meals, take unique portraits of you and/or your pets, breathe life into creative vision.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, United States

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