Staff Biographies

Administrative Staff

Amanda has been around Journeys for 14 years, leading summer trips, serving on the board of directors and generally volunteering. She is honored to be in her third year as Program Director at Journeys. Through past jobs teaching at a Waldorf high school and directing youth programs at a Unitarian Universalist Church, she has taken hundreds of teenagers through rite of passage experiences and on wilderness and international trips. Amanda holds a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering, but realized through her involvement with Journeys that her true calling is to serve as a guardian of the soul space for youth.  She is passionate about being in the wilderness and spending time with her wild 6-year old daughter.

Emily discovered Journeys in 2007 as she searched for the perfect Americorps placement. The position turned out to be SO perfect that she has remained an essential part of the office team ever since! Now stepping fully into a leadership role as a Co-Director, she is excited to help navigate Journeys into the future. She is especially interested in continuing to be the story-holder and –teller for Journeys; taking the heart of each of Journeys’ programs and communicating the stories through Marketing and Fundraising projects. Emily will also continue to offer extensive experience in youth mentorship during youth summer programs --- where else would she get all the great stories!? If she isn't hard at work, you can probably find her tending to one of her addictions: Herbalism, Yoga, Travel and Photography (you may have seen a number of her photos on our website and in our Brochures).

Idil first came to Journeys in June 2011 as an apprentice on the Coming of Age for Girls trip. She has been working in the outdoors with youth since 2004, when she was lured to the Pacific Northwest by the beauty of its forests and coastal islands. She has spent years teaching environmental science, teamwork, and camp skills at outdoor schools, and has mentored youth at after-school centers and on backcountry excursions. After going through a transformative rite of passage with a group of women in the spring of 2011, she is thrilled to be mentoring on the Coming of Age for Girls trip, and to get to support other participants in her role as Basecamp Manager this year. She is a firm believer that the wilderness is one of the most powerful places to grow as individual and as part of a group. In her free time, Idil enjoys playing guitar, visiting her relatives in Turkey, and seeing her family and friends on both coasts of the U.S. Idil is a semester graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and French Studies, and is Wilderness First Responder certified.

Program Staff

Randy has been a faculty member in the Liberal Studies Program at Antioch University Seattle since 1987. Prior to that, he taught kids, K-12, in Atlanta and Hiroshima, Japan for ten years. Currently, he teaches adult classes in dreamwork, archetypal and spiritual psychology, history and philosophy of science, ritual process and ceremonial design. Randy has been doing vision quest work since 1990 and has successfully created and facilitated Journeys' first Ritual Leadership program.

Paul Abodeely

Paul has been working with youth in schools, social service settings, and the outdoors for over 15 years. He has trained with Rites of Passage, Inc. and has guided youth and adult wilderness trips with ROP, Inc., Rite of Passage Journeys, the School of Lost Borders, the YMCA Boys Outdoor Leadership Development program and the Vashon Wilderness Program. He brings authenticity, joy and wholeness to his work. Paul thrives in compassionately supporting people as they find that place where revelatory self-awareness meets the world around them. To learn more about Paul, please visit his website.

Julia grew up in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Denver, Colorado and first experienced her love of the outdoors in the Rocky Mountains. Mentoring on the Solo Crossing trip in 2011 was her first experience with Journeys and the Pacific Northwest, and she fell in love with Journeys' soul work and Washington's lush landscape. She is ecstatic to be mentoring on the Solo Crossing trip for the third time this year. Julia holds her BA in History and English Literature from Swathmore College, is a Kripalu-certified yoga instructor, and is Wilderness First Responder certified. When she's not exploring the Redwoods around her home in Oakland, CA, she loves to do yoga, read, cook and write. 

Hi, I'm Jay.  I have benefited from Rite of Passage Journeys programs and trainings since 2008 as a student, a participant and a guide.  I am grateful to be back again this year guiding one of the Coming of Age for Boys trips.  Personal development in the wilderness holds much meaning for me and getting to serve in this capacity is very rewarding.   I grew up in Oregon, playing in the creek behind my parents' house and camping whenever I got the chance.  I find my truest nature while in nature, and while helping others find themselves.  I have almost completed a Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling, combined with Reiki and spiritual studies.  I am continually deepening my relationship to spirit, to others, to myself and to nature.  I enjoy gardening, hiking, being still, good conversations, drawing and the beginning of flip-flop season.  See you on the trail!

Gale Dawn is in her fourth year of working with Journeys. She leads trips, mentors, works in Community Outreach, and has facilitated custom education programs. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology, an M.A. in Education and she is a certified teacher currently teaching kindergarten. A lover of life and the outdoors, she brings a lifetime of wilderness and outdoor experiences coupled with training from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), the Wilderness Medicine Institute (WMI) and The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. She is passionate about supporting youth in exploring the authentic and sustainable self. Her goal is to empower individuals to identify their gifts and talents as well as their good, true and beautiful nature. All are important and all have value. Gale Dawn enjoys running, mountain biking, good slow food, and laughing with those she loves.  Plus, she crochets a mean flower!       

A native of Seattle, Cameron has been inspired by the magical old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest his whole life, and returns to them often for grounding, contemplation and sharing of song. He is (nearly) a graduate of The Evergreen State College, where he's studied Ecopsychology and worked as a writing tutor to cultivate authentic student voices. Inspired by his studies, he became part of the Journeys community in 2011 as an Apprentice Mentor on the Coming of Age for Boys trip and in 2012 he mentored on The Solo Crossing and The Journey Continues.  He is grateful to continue to have the opportunity to share his love for the wild world and be a guide while witnessing such transformative experiences. His passions include deepening his perception of and participation in the wonders of the natural world, writing essays and poetry, and learning how to be of more skillful service to his communities. Eye contact with marmots always makes him smile.

After completing her own Vision Quest, Cassandra led her first trip for Journeys in 2007 as a Mentor for the Coming of Age for Girls program. Since then, she has been a strong asset on the Adult Wilderness Quest team. Her training in shamanic practices, ritual leadership, herbalism, transpersonal psychology and alternative healing have gifted her with the insight and tools to create a safe and nurturing experience for participants. Her time outside of Journeys is spent gardening, being in nature, learning from her daughter and counseling youth, women and families.

After being a part of a Wilderness Quest with Journeys, Helen discovered a way of combining her love of wilderness, people and the sacred. She then took Journeys' Art of Ritual Leadership course and served as a guide for adult quests. She has extensive experience in the backcountry and working with people in a variety of settings from Board meetings to hiking groups to intentional communities. She has written a wildflower guide, studied natural history and conflict resolution, worked with youth, been a family planning educator, conference organizer, community organizer and co-founder of the Port Townsend EcoVillage. Hiking in the wilderness, painting and being a grandmother are a few of her passions in life.

Chris is excited to join Journeys for this year's Coming of Age for Boys Program.  As a wilderness guide and program mentor, he is committed to the power of diversity and collaboration, the importance of listening to young people, and reflecting their imperative contribution to the whole.  Chris is a certified Wilderness First Responder (WMI-NOLS), has trained with 4-H Rite of Passage, Washington State University, and holds a master's degree in Ecopsychology from Naropa University.  His strengths lie in his reverence for the natural world and the ability to weave individual stories into a tapestry of collective expression that perpetuates a stronger awareness of our inherent interdependence and connection.  He also brings a unique perspective on ceremony and ritual from years of sharing time and place in traditional indigenous communities.  Currently, he is living on the Big Island of Hawai'i, where he works as an archeologist for the National Park Service.

After receiving his B.A. in Cultural Anthropology, Graham discovered a passion for community life and development. For the past nine years his family has been a part of Tolstoy Farms intentional community and organic farm. His interest in health and wellness led him to the study and practice of massage therapy.  In 2005, Graham found his passion for mentoring in nature when he received an invitation to observe his daughter's day camp. Seven years later he is still working and playing outdoors with his children and with a variety of nature connection, adventure and wilderness survival programs. He attended the Twin Eagles Wilderness Immersion Program and is entering his sixth year as an instructor with Twin Eagles Wilderness School. In 2009, with a desire to share nature connection mentoring with families in their local urban environment, Graham started the Peaceful Valley Wilderness School in Spokane, WA. He is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Adventure Education from Prescott College and is looking forward to joining the Rite-of-Passage Journeys community.

Michaela grew up along the rocky north shore of Long Island in a small town called Locust Valley. She spent many days working alongside her parents in their family-owned Landscape and Garden Center business.  It was working with her father out in the field where her love for the outdoors emerged. Michaela received a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary and Special Education. Although she loves teaching, she very quickly realized her place was not in the classroom. She has worked as an organic gardener, naturalist, environmental and outdoor educator, basketball and soccer coach. Her desire to connect further with the natural world led her to an immersion program at the Wilderness Awareness School this past year and an apprenticeship in their youth and teen program in the fall. She mentored on Journey's Call to Adventure and Becoming a Young Woman trips in 2012. Michaela loves to swim in any body of water, do yoga with the rising sun, build primitive fires, go for trail runs and spend time with her fiance, Eric, listening to bird language and sharing sit spot stories.

Monica fell in love with Journeys when she worked as an apprentice on the Coming of Age for Girls trip in the summer of 2012.  She has an immense passion for working with young women, especially helping them traverse the sometimes rocky terrain on the path to womanhood.  During the school year she is grateful to have the opportunity to work as a Girls Circle Facilitator, leading peer support groups for 6th and 7th grade girls.  Her nurturing spirit has also thrived through her involvement with Big Brother Big Sisters, through which she has spent the past three years as a "Big Sister" to an amazing young woman.  She graduated from the Evergreen State College in 2010 with a BA in Liberal Arts.  In her spare time, you might find her cooking a meal for friends, practicing yoga, tending her garden or cozying up with a good book.

Cassie discovered her passion for connecting with nature in 2001 with the Wilderness Youth Project in Santa Barbara, California. Here she noticed the health and vibrancy that cultivating a relationship with wild places brings. Since then, she has dedicated herself to being a life-long learner of her place, through both the Kamana Naturalist Training Program and primitive skills (including basket making, wildcrafting medicine, and hide tanning). She is currently a student of the Twin Eagle Wilderness Immersion Program, spending three days a week romping in the woods, deepening her survival and awareness skills, and exploring her own inner landscape. When she's not sleeping in a debris hut at school, she can be found teaching yoga, collecting plants, or wandering around her sit spot. Cassie is excited to join the Journeys team this year.

Porter grew up running wild in the woods and fields of New England, and is deeply passionate about supporting youth in growing towards inspired adulthood, as well as teaching, adventuring, and nature-based education.  He is thrilled and humbled to be a part of Journeys' staff for the first time this summer.  Porter has worked extensively with youth in a variety of settings, and is committed to designing and facilitating programs that uncover and evolve each person's innate wisdom, creativity, curiosity and wonder.  He is completing his BA in Leadership and Education at Antioch University Seattle and currently lives in Olympia, where he works at a Waldorf school, builds community, dances often, sings more often, and adventures in the wilderness. 

Journeys has been part of every major transition in Darcy’s life, since her Coming of Age program when she was 13.  She was the Executive Director of Journeys from 2006 - 2011, after serving as a program manager at Outward Bound Wilderness and spending ten years as a guide and instructor for a variety of wilderness programs. She holds an MA in Environment & Community from Antioch University Seattle. Darcy recalls her early experiences with Journeys as the time when her passion for the natural world and community coalesced. Darcy brings to her job a strong belief that it is through the intersection of personal reflection, community, and the natural world that we can heal our psychological, social, and environmental problems. Darcy enjoys gardening and playing in the mountains with her husband, Dave.

As a former participant of two Journeys programs, Tour de Cultures ‘94 and Wilderness Quest ‘07, Julie knows first-hand the value of these experiences in people's lives.  She returned to Journeys in 2008 to serve in a leadership position, committed to helping young people have profound life-altering experiences, just as she did as a youth.  Julie loves to ask the deep questions and to really know people full-heartedly. Greeting everyone with a genuine smile, she likes to laugh at herself and life while maintaining authenticity in sharing the human experience. She is passionate about the power of reconnecting with nature and what it is that is sacred to an individual. She holds a Wilderness First Responder certification and has extensive experience maintaining clarity and being grounded during emergency situations.

Tara Nichol was born in Seattle, WA and grew up exploring the outdoors with her family.  She graduated in 2007 with a BA from Fairhaven College in Bellingham, WA and has worked in Outdoor Education for eight years.  Tara spent a year working for Rite of Passage Journeys as an Americorp volunteer and has been a mentor on the Coming of Age for Girls Program, the Call to Adventure, the Apprentice Journey and on custom programs. Tara currently works in early childhood education as a kindergarten assistant at Bright Water Waldorf School.  She is trained as a Waldorf teacher, and loves the awe and beauty that wilderness experiences give to young people. She is passionate about giving youth access to outdoor experiences and providing space for youth to connect with their authentic selves.

James grew a reverence for the wilderness at a young age and can't seem to get enough of it. He has hiked and backpacked throughout the country and abroad, but is excited to be coming back to the Northwest. James graduated from the University of Minnesota with degrees in German and Marketing. After trying out the corporate world, James chose work more closely aligned with his soul path. That path led him to his passion for facilitating youth in the discovery of their essential power to create their own lives. James has now worked with youth for over ten years --- leading trips, instructing at summer camps and holding retreats. For the past four years, James has worked with an organization called LEAPNOW, designing transformative programs and leading trips throughout the world. Coming of Age for Boys 2012 was James' first program with Journeys, and he brought his love for the outdoors, rites of passage, and conscious community to the group!

Edith has been working in alternative, adult and community education for over thirty years. She began her career as founder of an alternative community school in Tacoma. Edith then went on to spend a number of years at Antioch University where her work focused on helping returning adult students clarify their personal and professional goals. For the past ten years, she has been building her own business, LearningWorks, and works with individuals and organizations to enhance their ability to be effective in their chosen endeavors. Edith has an MA in Educational Philosophy and Design. She joined Rite of Passage Journeys in 1999 and has completed her own vision quest, served as an Adult Vision Quest Guide and helped guide and build Journeys.

In Spring 2009, Jason graduated from the LIOS, Leadership Institute of Seattle, Master’s program – after much dedication and many long hours of studying. He has over 20 years of experience in emergency response as an EMT, CPR/First Aid Instructor and ski patroller. Jason draws his inspiration from the wilderness and sees this as his vehicle for overcoming obstacles in the “steep chutes of life.” He shares his enthusiasm with the youth that he mentors.

Drew Middlebrooks first was introduced to Rite of Passage Journeys while he and his wife were living off foraged foods on the coast of Washington in the summer of 2006. Impressed by the nature of the Coming of Age for Boys trip, he decided he would like to spend some of his time in the wilderness doing work of this kind.  He has been leading trips ever since. His passions include honing his wilderness/survival skills, deepening his relationship with the natural world, immersion in Daoist studies and martial arts, and mentoring youth.  These passions continually inform his leadership style and the curriculum he develops for the trips. 

Matt is honored to be a part of the Journeys' team.  His bio is a thanksgiving to all of his mentors and guides.  For his work guiding rites-of-passage and mentoring others, he wants to particularly thank Naropa University's MA ecopsychology program, the 4-H rites-of-passage program, Jon Young and the Kamana naturalist training program, Aimee Frazier and Wild Whatcom, and his kung fu and exercise therapy teachers, Cam Cameron and Tom Dorsett.  Matt's current work includes coordinating a long term, outdoor youth mentoring program, teaching at a Nature School, and practicing and teaching kung fu for health, courage and integrity.