CURRICULUM VITAE

 

Kelsay Elizabeth Myers, MFA, RSME, is a published author, certified expressive arts practitioner and registered somatic movement educator living in Marin County, CA. She offers integrative trauma resolution, mental health, and personal empowerment coaching for bold hearts on the road to transformation, embodiment and self-expression.

As Founder of Dialogical Persona Healing Arts, she focuses on uncovering deeper layers of the self for inner healing and compassionate change. She won Pacific Sun’s Best Life Coach award in the 2024 “Best of Marin County, CA” special feature and was also a 2024 Emerging Scholar Award recipient from The Arts in Society Research Network. With dual M.F.A. degrees in Creative Writing from Saint Mary’s College of California and certification as a Tamalpa Institute Life/Art Process® Practitioner, she is currently a Ph.D student of Transformative Studies at California Institute of Integral Studies where she’s exploring how art enables a living expression of a multifaceted and whole self. She has 14 years of experience teaching, researching and collaborating in integrative somatic trauma therapy modalities, identity and ways of understanding the self, what makes a meaningful life and using the arts for personal and social transformation.

Kelsay has previously taught American literature, Writing Composition and English fundamentals, Research and Argument, and Creative Writing at the college level, as well as served as teaching apprentice for the Tamalpa Institute Level 1 Online Training on personal embodiment. Her teaching background strongly influences her facilitation style in 1:1 coaching and group workshops on embodying stories for self-growth, personal development and authentic expression.

Professional Experience

 

Transformative Coach & Expressive Arts Practitioner | Dialogical Persona Healing Arts | Dec 10, 2020 - Present

With certification as a teacher and practitioner of the Tamalpa Institute Life/Art Process® and as a Registered Somatic Movement Educator with the International Somatic Movement Education & Therapy Association, I offer transformative programs and online courses using cutting edge soul-based and embodied expressive arts processes to help people discover and reclaim creative flow, experience more joy in life, and feel more settled in their whole system, so they can have more personal power in the world.

Editor/Peer Reviewer | Transformative Power of Art Journal | March 2, 2022 - Present

Founded by Amy M. Anderson, TPoAJ provides a space to share and discuss the transformative power of art. It adds to the ongoing scholarly conversation about forms of art as catalysts of transformation, whether experienced by witnessing a work by another artist, or by the process of creation, and often it is through the experience of these two in conjunction with each other where transformation occurs. We honor these experiences and processes through publication of free, open-call, peer-reviewed submissions including but not limited to, essay, music, painting, collage, photography, poetry, short-story, memoir, video, etc.

Reiki Practitioner | Dialogical Persona Healing Arts | Feb 22, 2020 - Present

As a Certified Reiki Level 2, Second Degree Practitioner, trained by Master/Teacher, Stacey Butcher, I offer distance energy healing to clients.

Cohost for Season 3 | What I Didn’t Tell My Therapist: REBOOT | Aug 27, 2022 - June 19, 2023

I joined Creative Wellness Coach, Leela Davis, as cohost of the podcast What I Didn’t Tell My Therapist: REBOOT in its third season. It’s a whole new season and a whole new couch with a focus on the weird, the mysterious, the shamanistic, the witchy, and the creative healing arts. The season features adoptee activists, trauma-informed kundalini yoga practitioners, astrologers, Human Design readers, Quantum Energy Healing, deep personal stories of healing, and much more.

Teaching Apprentice | Tamalpa Institute Level 1 Online Training on Personal Embodiment of the Life/Art Process® | Jan 2022 - Dec 2022

With certifications in Personal Embodiment and Embodied Leadership of the Tamalpa Institute Life/Art Process®, I served as Teaching Apprentice for the Level 1 Online Training in 2022 as I completed my Level 3 fieldwork supervision program. My Score included taking transfer notes of the faculty’s lesson plans, making sure the Zoom rooms ran smoothly, holding space as the constant for the students, acting as a bridge for faculty and students, and occasional 1:1 coaching with students or leading them through faculty Scores.

Art Facilitator | A PLACE OF HER OWN™, San Francisco, CA | March 29, 2016 - Sept 1, 2017

A PLACE OF HER OWN™ is a culturally driven arts-based transformative workshop series and residency program founded and directed by Cynthia Tom to help women who want to move forward in their lives. Through innovative visual mediation and artistic instructions, residents respond to the question, “If you had a place of your own, what would it be?” to gain an intuitive understanding of themselves and their power. A PLACE is designed for deep personal exploration, self-revelation, healing and growth from the inside out within a learning community of supportive classmates, teachers, mentors and healers.

Curatorial Fellow | Asian American Women Artists Association’s Emerging Curators Program, San Francisco, CA | Feb 13, 2016 - June 25, 2016

Curated and organized a full-scale art exhibition showing at The Sequoias Rotunda Gallery (1400 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA) from May 4-June 24. Sponsored by the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center of San Francisco as part of its 19th Annual United States of Asian America Festival, AESTHETIC BLITZ, was an exhibition in which female artists and poets of mostly Asian American ethnicity showcased work that was central to who they are as an artist and as a person.

Project Administrator | Asian American Women Artists Association, San Francisco, CA | June 03, 2011 - July 12, 2012

Copyediting, promotional writing, A PLACE OF HER OWN workshop instructor, grant research and writing, guest speaker on art process and organization, networking, project administration and program management.

 Former Teaching Experience

 

Associate English Instructor | West Valley College, Saratoga, CA | Aug 27, 2018 - Dec 21, 2018

Part time English Instructor teaching transition English 905: English Fundamentals writing classes, which are preparatory college composition instruction with an emphasis on student voices and personal engagement with the writing process.

English Instructor | University of the People, Online | Term 1, Sept 6, 2018 - Nov 14, 2018

Taught UoPeople’s English Composition 1 using the online Moodle platform. These courses are designed to foster skills in critical reading and thinking, and in the production and evaluation of purposeful academic writing. Students are introduced to literary genres, rhetorical patterns in writing, and the use and citation of research sources. All the components of an APA college-level essay and research topic are covered.

Adjunct English Literature Instructor | Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Sacramento, CA | Nov 10, 2014 - July 2, 2015

Taught up to two American Literature and Writing Composition classes every six week module to culinary students of Le Cordon Bleu as part of the General Education curriculum. Duties included: curriculum creation and management, development of lesson plans, grading, Powerpoint lectures, one-on-one conferences with students, individual time management and outside of class follow-up with students.

Teaching Intern for Argument and Research | Saint Mary’s College of California, Moraga, CA | Feb 08, 2013 - May 28, 2013

Assisted professor Janice Doane, PhD, in leading classroom discussions, grading student work, reviewing lesson plans and holding one-on-one conferences with students at the second level of Composition writing focused on making critical arguments and engaging informed scholarly research methods.

MFA Teaching Fellow Professor of Composition | Saint Mary’s College of California, Moraga, CA | Aug 27, 2012 - Dec 07, 2012

Taught undergraduate writing and critical thinking skills, designed a themed-course syllabus, lesson plans and multiple writing assignments, graded papers, provided mentoring and held one-on-one conferences with students.

Teaching Intern for Undergraduate Composition | Saint Mary’s College of California, Moraga, CA | Aug 30, 2011 - Dec 08, 2011

Assisted professor, Glen Silva, in leading classroom discussions, grading student work, providing feedback on writing, and holding one-on-one conferences with students. 

Teaching Assistant for Introduction to Creative Writing | Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI |  Sept 2007 - Dec 2007

Assisted Writer-in-Residence, Diane Seuss, in leading class discussions on writing craft, reviewing lesson plans and monitoring writing workshops. Additionally, guest lectured in Intermediate Poetry on the traditional Japanese form, zuihitsu, and Asian American Spoken Word artists.

 Education

 

California Institute of Integral Studies, PhD in Transformative Studies, Expected 2025

Saint Mary’s College of California, MFA in Creative Writing for Poetry, May 2013 

Saint Mary’s College of California, MFA in Creative Writing for Nonfiction, May 2012 

Kalamazoo College, BA in English with an Emphasis in Writing, Philosophy minor, June 2009 

 Certificates & Practitioner Trainings

 

Further Skills Development Classes & Workshops

 

Narrative Drawing Intervention & Family Therapy with Dr. Monica Wong, The Association of Family Therapists of Northern California (AFTNC), Institute for the Advancement of Psychotherapy, Feb 26, 2023.

Healing Trauma: Live Online 8 Hour Master Workshop with Dr. Peter Levine, The Embody Lab, Oct 9-30, 2021.

Open Floor Ground Floor Lab, Pacific Rim by Jenny Macke & Stacey Butcher, Online, July 15-20, 2021.

Healing Trauma: Building Resilience and Weathering the Storm by Dr. Albert Wong, Embodied Philosophy, Jan 2021.

Exploring Complex Trauma, an online course from Trauma Aware Care, Jan 2021.

The Academy for Soul-based Coaching, Invoke Your Client’s Magic Soul-based Coaching Training, Oct 2019 - March 2020.

How to Use Movement as a Healing Resource: A Weekend Workshop with Sylvie Minot & Wendy Heffner, California Institute of Integral Studies, June 2017.

Select Volunteer Experience 

 

Speaker Coordinator & Administrator, Networking Entrepreneurial Women of Marin | Sept 2024 - Present

Board of Directors Member, Networking Entrepreneurial Women of Marin | April 2024 - Present

Auction Coordinator & Administrator, Networking Entrepreneurial Women of Marin | Aug 2022 - Nov 2024

Chair, Saint Mary’s College of California MFA in Creative Writing Program Advisory Board | April 2015 - May 2018

Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Association of Korean Adoptees, San Francisco | Aug 15, 2014 - June 15, 2015

Vice Chair, Saint Mary’s College of California MFA in Creative Writing Program Advisory Board | March 15, 2014 - March 2015

 Awards & Recognition

Best Life Coach, Pacific Sun’s “Best of Marin 2024,” August 2024.

Emerging Scholar Award for the Nineteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society at Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea, May 2024.

Larkspur Business Person of the Year, Alignable Local Business Contest, March 2024.

CREA Global Award Honoree for creative and innovative ideas, adaptability in business, and contributions to sustainability and mental health projects, BRAINZ Magazine Selection Committee, June 2022 and June 2023.

Amazon International Bestselling Author for the multi-author book, Invisible No More: Stepping Into the Spotlight (Express Yourself Publishing), April 2022.

MFA in Creative Writing Program Advisory Board Scholarship for Literary Excellence, Saint Mary’s College of California, 2011-2012.

The Cauldron’s Stephanie Vibbert Award for Creative Writing and Political and Social Justice, Kalamazoo College, 2008.

Conferences, Symposiums & Presentations

 

“Deconstructing the Bowler Hat: My Life as an Object Lesson in Dialogical Persona Poster Session.” Nineteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society for 2024 Special Focus—Art for Sustenance. In Person. Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea, May 24-26, 2024.

“Embody Your Own Magic: How to Discover Your Soul’s True Expressions.” Talk for SoulSearch San Rafael Psychic & Healing Fair. Embassy Suites by Hilton, San Rafael, CA, July 29, 2023.

“Euphoric Movement: Finding the Primordial Rhythm of Joy.” Workshop for the 8th Annual Evans/Williams Somatic Dance Conference & Performance Festival on the theme “Embodying Joy: Empowering Students and Ourselves with Somatic Knowledge.” Hobart & William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, July 9, 2022.

“S(e)oul Expressions: A Transformative Experience for Korean Adoptees, Korean Adopted and Displaced Persons: Creative Practice Showcase.” Seventeenth International Conference on the Arts in Society for Theme 4: The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life. Online. San Jorge University, Zaragoza, Spain, July 4-6, 2022.

“Adoptee Ways of Knowing: The Role of Scholarly Personal Narrative in Transformative Inquiry,” Transformative Studies Department Mini Conference Presentation for TSD Doctoral Students, Pacifica, CA, Jan 2018. 

“A Narrow Road to the Interior: On Experimental Writing and Identity in Asian American Literature,” Guest lecture, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, March 2016.

“Creating Roots: A Postmodern Approach to Identity Construction Using Objects, Personae and Mythology,” Academic Mini-Conference Presentation for The Association of Korean Adoptees, San Francisco, CA, Nov 2013.

Guest lecturer on Asian American cultural experiences in the classroom, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, June 2009. 

Citation for Dr. Grace Lee Boggs Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree, Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI, June 2007.

Select Publications

 

I Love You Because/I Love Me Because: Courageous Stories Expanding The Word Love (I Am Creative Publishing), Jan 11, 2024.

“The Red Spine Dance.” For Women Who Roar, Jan 4, 2023.

“Bold Strokes.” Invisible No More: Stepping Into the Spotlight (I Am Creative Publishing), April 8, 2022.

“I Await The Blossoming,” “In Between Smoke Rising,” and “In Between Smoke Rising, the World Burns.” FIREBRAND: A WHITE STAG ANTHOLOGY, Jan 2022.

“The Red Coral Road.” K’in: A Literary Journal Celebrating the Range and Diversity of Voices Under Our One Son, Nov 15, 2021.

“These Days I Don’t Write Poems Anymore.” For Women Who Roar™, Dec 3, 2019.

“Manifesto On Freedom.” PSYCHOLOGIA WHITE STAG PRINT ANTHOLOGY, April 1, 2016. 

“The Red Frame.” Waxwing, Issue 6, June 15, 2015.

“My Favorite Essay to Teach: On Diane Seuss’s ‘Turd.’” Assay: A Journal of Nonfiction Studies Blog, In Present Tense, Jan 26, 2015.

“Where Did the Art Come From?” New Delta Review, Issue 5.2, May 5, 2015. 

“Like An Angel On The Balcony.” Portland Review, Vol. 61, No. 1, Nov 1, 2014.

“Becoming Realer: Identity, Craft and the MFA.” Lantern Review Blog: Asian American Poetry Unbound, Sep 2010 – Jun 2012.

“The Yin Yang: Dialectical Symbolism.” More Voices: A Collection of Works from Asian Adoptees (Koryo Press), April 2011.

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I AM All The Flowers, Mixed Media Oil Pastel and Collage Mandala for October 10th | 365 DAYS OF HAPPINESS: 2021 CALENDAR by Natalia Garbu | @mahala_calendar

Confronting Love: Freeing the Dancer Within, Oil Pastel and Found Collage Self-Portrait, 8 ‘ x 6’, and Video Recording of Live Dance Performance Ritual | Tamalpa Institute Level 1 Weekend Training on Personal Embodiment of the Life/Art Process® | July 10, 2020

The Vessel: Where Once the Stories Bloomed Like Teardrops, Found Object and Mixed Media Installation | LIQUID STORIES, Curated by Pallavi Sharma | San Ramon Community Center (12501 Alcosta Blvd, San Ramon, CA) | Oct 3 - 27, 2016. 

Contours Of A Metaphor, Found Object and Mixed Media Installation | A PLACE OF HER OWN, Curated by Cynthia Tom and Maggie Yee | I-Hotel in Manilatown Heritage Foundation (868 Kearny Street, San Francisco, CA) | May 19 - June 30, 2016.  

A Material Girl, Found Object and Mixed Media Panels | Connect2Korea Art Exhibit, Coordinator/Artist | Francis Hall in St. Mary’s Cathedral (1111 Gough St, San Francisco, CA) | Nov 15, 2014.

The Red Door (In Miniature) and More Bleach, Found Object Installation | Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence 2013 National Summit | Intercontinental Hotel (888 Howard St, San Francisco, CA) | June - July 2013.

A Material Girl, Found Object and Mixed Media Panels | 50-50 SHOW IV (Juried Exhibition) | Sanchez Art Center (1220 Linda Mar Blvd #B, Pacifica, CA) | Aug - Sept 2012.

More Bleach, Found Object Installation | ALTERED BARBIE, Curated by Gillian Anderson | 50 Shotwell, San Francisco, CA | Oct - Nov 2011.

The Red Frame, Found Object Installation | A PLACE OF HER OWN (Juried Exhibition), Curated by Cynthia Tom and Kimi Taira | SOMArts Cultural Center (939 Brannan St, San Francisco, CA) | May 2011.

Professional Affiliations