About Brendan

Vancouver is where I was born and raised. I feel lucky to say that I have a complex family history, which has taught me about the intricacies of relationship, healing emotional pain and the ongoing work of love. I have four siblings and I am “the baby” of the bunch. My family are my greatest teachers of life.

As a young person I was a performer and participated in school stage shows. My favourite stage show is Phantom of the Opera. I was also primarily an athlete – rugby and baseball being my main focus. I played competitive rugby for 15 years into my late twenties until I decided my shoulders had sustained enough damage. I still play over 30s baseball.

I was a high school Physical Education and English teacher for 14 years. My most cherished teaching experience was working for five years at Britannia Community Secondary School. The colleagues and the young people I collaborated with at Britannia changed my world-view and made me want to evolve as a person in the helping professions. My experience in teaching has made me believe that treating all people with dignity, modeling healthy vulnerability and being interested in others’ strengths are the keys to being helpful to anyone.

I have also spent time visiting other places to see what life is like around the world. My travels have taken on various forms. In 2012 I went to Gulu, Uganda with a sport for community development not-for-profit group called Gainline Africa. On a separate camping trip, I also got to visit Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. I lived for a year in Christchurch, New Zealand playing rugby in university. I have also been able to witness the amazing cultures of Central America. One of my life highlights was living briefly in the home of a family in El Salvador.

I have been married to my wife, Thea, for seven years. We are enjoying raising our beautiful daughter and growing together as a family. As parents, we are both committed to doing the work of love and to helping bring out each other’s inner wisdom.

I am currently 40 years old and use the pronouns he / his.