My name is Jess, but with my athlete and teacher backgrounds, Hansen is just as authentic. Feel free to call me either.

I have held (and still hold) many roles: classroom educator for high schoolers, spiritual director, speaker/teacher, hospital chaplain. What all of these have in common is the commitment as a “soul-journer” (props to my friend Emily for allowing me to borrow her word!). One who comes alongside and accompanies in the journey of soul growth.

In particular, as a person who holds a queer identity, I am committed to holding safe and curious space for anyone finding themselves in a place where their own sense of self has been harmed by organized religious institutions. What I know is religion, faith, spirituality, and the ways it has been weaponized to harm, traumatize and dehumanize, upholding systems of domination and oppression. This weaponization has frayed people’s relationship with God/the Divine, themselves, and all of creation. And I hold the conviction that relational connection in safe community is foundational to healing from religious trauma and reimagining a faith and spirituality that is life-giving, embodied, and liberative for all.