Hi, I’m Shanti (she/her)! I grew up in the mud of Olympia and have wandered around the PNW trying to find my way since. As a youngster, I tunneled through on the path I thought I was supposed to take, essentially drew my future career out of a hat, and I’ve done okay (despite still feeling queasy and faint at the sight of blood). My neurospicy brain loves the flexibility of healthcare as a career, and I’ve dabbled in many different positions and areas since becoming a nurse practitioner, from community health to urgent care to correctional health, and for the last few years, psychiatry. In synchrony with this professional path, I’ve witnessed and experienced profound shifts personally, as my baby brother bravely blossoms into himself as a trans man, as my young children joyfully explore their gender expression, as my community becomes more open, accepting and supportive, and as I follow their lead and allow myself to question and embrace my own queer identity.

At every turn both personally and professionally, I’ve experienced the brokenness of our healthcare system, and while I strive to be a human touchpoint in the industrial capitalist wasteland, I know we all need things to shift for the better as soon as possible.

For years, I’ve been trying to figure out how to engage in changing the healthcare system, and Pride & Joy represents an exploration towards that end. My community is queer and trans and suffering in so many ways and for so many reasons, and we are also bright spots of hope and creativity and vitality in the world. With Pride & Joy, we hope to break down some barriers to support folks in expressing themselves fully with tools often kept locked and legislated.

Outside of my paid work, I’m busy with three of the cutest and most exhausting beings on earth (2 kiddos and a pup). Time outside in the dirt, sun, and trees is my therapy, and crafting inside with an electric blanket and audiobook gets me through the darkness of winter.

I’m excited to meet and work with YOU!