Lillian discovered Council in April 2011 at the memorial service of a friend, which was being led by veteran Council trainer John McCluskey. The two immediately connected and decided to reunite for a Council I training that summer. After that experience, she was hooked.

She left her career as an alcohol and drug counselor in Portland, Oregon, and moved to Los Angeles to be closer to the center of the Council community.

A few years later, she was certified as a trainer, guided by her mentor Kate Lipkis alongside many other incredible mentors along the way. Throughout her journey, Lillian was part of the pilot prison program that brought the practice to a Northern California prison. Deeply rooted in youth and initiation work, she previously facilitated high school rites of passage trips for Crossroads, New Roads, and Snapchat at the Topa Institute. Her personal and professional relationship with the wild further expanded across the Atlantic and at home, having fasted on numerous occasions with the School of Lost Borders as well as with Martin Shaw in England.

Today, Lillian brings her passion for deep connection to her local community by leading monthly women’s Council circles. She resides in the mountains of Colorado, where she lives with her husband and is a proud dog mom to Stella and Reggie.

While she frequently visits Southern California to continue her lineage of Council work, locally she balances her time between practicing Council, working as a nerdy software engineer, and performing as a musician around Colorado.

You can reach Lilian here: councilheart@gmail.com

And find out more in her website.