About Esther

What I admired about my AhMa was her gift of gathering people with a homemade meal with garden fresh veggies and fruit. We would walk around her urban garden, and she would whisper to me, "Do you know where I got this Japanese Maple Tree? I saved a seed from your uncle's yard! Look how big it's grown!" She would cackle in delight at her own thriftiness and resourcefulness.

I am a community builder who loves to smell the soil and to listen to people's stories. I believe when our bodies are engaged, whether from washing mahjong tiles or harvesting herbs, it makes it easier for us to connect to our stories and each other. In times of deep disillusionment, burnout, and disappointment, I found solace, peace, and glimmers of hope in farming, shared meals, learning ancestral crafts, and mahjong.

My Philosophy

I believe the power in both all kinds of medicine from herbs to vaccines. The embodied healing practices of AhMa's Garden are for you if talk therapy needs to be in combination with somatic practices.

I'm particularly interested in learning alongside people working on people pleasing, codependency, racial identity, internal family systems, family systems, narrative therapy, attachment theory, and the enneagram.

I was born and raised in a Chinese Christian church. I have done extensive spiritual deconstruction as well a reconstruction into something new. In the past, I have worked with young adults with spiritual formation, life coaching, and overall mentorship. I believe that is a critical time in our lives to break out of learned patterns to learn new ways of thinking, healing, and growing.