Teaches at Silvia Gonzalez
I use mindful practices rooted in Chan/Zen to help clients reinvent a healthier relationship with finances.
I've had an accounting practice for 18 years, which has provided me with a clear understanding of how people manage their finances. I’ve listened to my clients reveal their underlying fears about their businesses and the financial difficulties they've encountered. I’ve learned the importance of focusing on the individual as a whole rather than just managing their books.
I’ve also been actively meditating daily for the past 16 years. Five of those years, I practiced and volunteered regularly at Dharma Drum Retreat Center, a Buddhist Chan Center founded by Chan Master Sheng Yen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheng-yen) . Through attending numerous intensive, silent retreats led by Master Sheng Yen's lineage successors or monastic teachers, I learned the art of deep listening. In doing so, I am able to allow clients to discover for themselves how they have contributed to their circumstances and how to correct their reactions and responses to help themselves.
Additionally, I attended a weekend workshop dedicated to learning how to assist in facilitating retreats. This training was further enhanced by continuously attending retreats including a 21 day, silent retreat in Europe. During my volunteering, I was assigned the mediation hall frequently which facilitated in broadening my understanding of mediation from the perspective of an observer.
My experience continues to grow as I provide workshops, classes, or volunteer at other centers co-facilitating Chan/Zen retreats.
I have a bachelor's degree in accounting and master's degree in rehabilitation counseling.
My year-long internship was in East Harlem, Manhattan. The center provided programs for poor African or Latina women on parole or as an alternative to incarceration. Many had a history of substance use, mental health, sexual or physical abuse, and limited education and work experience. The center focused on reuniting them with their families and rebuilding their lives.
I’m currently employed as a clinician at an outpatient treatment facility which provides individual, group and family treatment for people with substance use disorder and co-occurring disorders. I also incorporate mindfulness living and meditation.
I’ve combined my life experiences with money, work, and meditation practice to bring you Wise Finances (https://slgwdk.com/wise-finances/)