Creative Strategist.
DEI Facilitator.
Business Mentor.
ABOUT TRISTAN (THEY/HE)
I’m a nationally recognized speaker, facilitator, and consultant with a lifelong commitment to human rights and justice.
My work is rooted in an intersectional, anti-oppression, and trauma-informed lens, integrating decades of study in culturally competent marketing, business strategy, and LGBTQIA+ Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB).
I offer strategic consulting, equity-centered trainings, and keynotes that move audiences from awareness to action—with clarity, depth, and care.
I regularly partner with educators, movement leaders, authors, and change-makers—folks whose work often shows up in NPR, NBC, The New York Times, and USA Today. Together, we co-create marketing and messaging strategies that center relationship over transaction, truth over polish, and impact over performance.
CLIENTS. COLLABORATIONS. WHAT’S NEXT.
I’ve had the honor of presenting and facilitating for programs with Stanford University, HubSpot, Portland Public Schools, the Port of Portland, Williston Northampton School, and the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the U.S., among others. These collaborations span education, tech, wellness, and publishing—and are united by a commitment to justice-rooted leadership and meaningful change.
I’m currently working on my first book, We Are the Message (working title), forthcoming from North Atlantic Books in Spring 2027. This project challenges dominant narratives around visibility, urgency, and worth in digital spaces—and invites readers to ask whether we’re reinforcing the world we live in or imagining the one we want.
I’m not here to help people perform their values—I’m here to support them in embodying them. My work meets the moment by offering practical, principled tools for building culture, strategy, and systems that reflect the world we’re not just dreaming of, but actively co-creating.
We Are the Message
WORKING TITLE
Coming Spring 2027
from North Atlantic Books
This isn’t a book about how to grow your platform. It’s a call to examine how we move through the digital world—what we amplify, who we center, and how we build trust in a time of crisis and hyper-visibility.
We’ve been taught that visibility equals value. That urgency equals relevance. That content equals worth. We Are the Message challenges all of it.
ORGANIZATIONS I’VE COLLABORATED WITH:
MY PHILOSOPHY
Marketing, for me, is about relationship—not conversion. It’s about telling the truth, not spinning a story. It’s about meeting the moment—not performing relevance.
I work with folks who want to align their strategy with their ethics—who want to show up sustainably, lead with values, and build trust that lasts.
We don’t need more polish. We need more presence. And a deeper commitment to care.
I’m not here to help people perform their values—I’m here to support them in embodying them.
MY APPROACH
My work is shaped by decades of personal and professional study across wellness, equity, and leadership. I’ve completed over 1,000 hours of yoga training and was named one of Yoga Journal’s 15 game-changers in 2021. I served on the Board of Directors for Accessible Yoga until its closure in 2024 and continue to teach with the Accessible Yoga School and other nationally recognized certification programs.
I hold degrees and certifications that reflect a deep commitment to justice-informed leadership and trauma-informed pedagogy. Across all my work, I advocate for liberatory, inclusive approaches to business, education, and community care.
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+ MA Latin American Studies & Human Rights - University of New Mexico, 2012
+ BA Politics & Latin American Studies - UC Santa Cruz, 2005
plus:
300hr Skill in Action Yoga Teacher Training with Michelle C. Johnson, 2023
20hr Training-of-Trainers with Dr. Eli Green & Eliza Davison at the Transgender Training Institute, 2021
18hr Trauma-informed, Brain-sensitive Yoga Teacher training - Portland, OR, 2016
200hr Yoga & Social Justice Teacher Training - Portland, OR, 2015
200hr Yoga & Ayurveda Teacher Training - Portland, OR, 2015
I’ve spent the past decade immersed in ongoing studies in the fields of racial equity, emergent facilitation, restorative justice and transformative justice, disability justice, and more.
Some of the teachers and organizations I’ve had the honor of learning from include Loretta Ross, Nicole Cardoza, Mia Mingus, AORTA, Resolutions Northwest, and many others.
Looking for support?
I am based on the land of the Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Clackamas, and many other tribes—now known as Portland, Oregon.
I primarily work online—consulting, speaking, and teaching remotely. I occasionally travel for in-person engagements when access, capacity, and alignment allow.
Whether you’re an organization seeking an equity-centered speaker or a creative looking for marketing mentorship—you’re in the right place.
I offer consulting, facilitation, and programs designed to help you show up with clarity and care.↴
Don’t hesitate to contact me if you’re not sure what you need.
Short documentary interview
GENDER AFFIRMING CARE: It saves more lives than you would think.
Made by Ani Ceccacci in Royal Oak, Michigan as part of a CSPAN StudentCam Competition, in association with PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs. January 2025.
MY VALUES
My work is rooted in anti-racist and anti-patriarchal praxis. In recognition of the reality of systemic oppression, marginalization, anti-Black racism, and settler colonialism, I am committed to ongoing learning, and to taking meaningful action—both through my work, and in solidarity with broader movements for justice.
To increase access and equity, much of what I offer follows a three-tiered pricing model with no one turned away for lack of funds; flexible, no-fee payment plans are available, and I regularly share free workshops and resources. My podcast is also a free, accessible space for learning and engagement.