About Roger
Curiosity has been part of me for as long as I can remember, and I owe some of that to the people who first made room for it. My mom, dad, and grandmother encouraged that curiosity in ways they may not have even realized at the time. Some of my favorite childhood gifts were a telescope that let me disappear into the night sky and a rock tumbler for the stones I’d find while exploring outside.
At the time, they were simply things I loved. Looking back, I can see how much those small invitations to explore helped shape the way I move through the world today - wondering what might be beneath the surface, looking a little closer, and noticing what can easily be overlooked.
That curiosity has followed me throughout my life. I’ve found myself drawn to experiences that invite me to slow down, pay attention, and question how much we may miss simply because our attention is somewhere else. I don’t see any one practice, philosophy, or experience as the destination. For me, they can be different ways of creating space to notice what may already be present.
As Within grew from that ongoing curiosity - a place to slow down, pay attention,
and explore with openness, intention, and respect for wherever you’re coming from.
A Thread That Stayed With Me
My curiosity about Reiki didn’t begin recently. In the early 2000s, a friend welcomed me into my first introductory Reiki class, opening a door to ideas about Reiki, energy, and intention that were completely new to me at the time. My understanding was limited, but something about it stayed with me even as life moved in other directions.
Over the years, I found myself beside people I love in hospital rooms - sometimes while they were healing, and sometimes while they were transitioning. Those are moments when there may be very little you can change or fix. I often wished I had a more intentional way to simply be present - something that helped me feel grounded, connected, and able to offer care without needing to control the outcome.
Years later, I was welcomed into intentional group spaces centered around reflection, growth, connection, and healing. Those experiences invited me to look inward in new ways and explore parts of myself, my relationships, and the world around me with greater curiosity. Even as a participant, I sometimes found myself naturally drawn toward helping someone feel steadier or more grounded. More than once, someone later shared that my presence had helped them, or assumed I was part of the facilitation.
Eventually, Reiki found its way back to me in a way I hadn’t planned. While sitting with a close friend in Mexico, overlooking the ocean, she mentioned coming to Atlanta the following weekend for Sister Surayya's Reiki class. My immediate response was, “My Sister Surayya??? I’m taking it too.” There wasn’t much thought behind it - it just felt right.
That weekend, I returned to Reiki more formally, training in Usui Shiki Ryoho and receiving my Level I and II Reiki attunements. It felt less like discovering something new and more like continuing something that had been quietly present for a long time.
Along the way, there have also been friends, teachers, family members, and people who entered my life at just the right time - through conversations, experiences, challenges, or simply by sharing a different perspective. Each has encouraged me, in their own way, to keep questioning, growing, listening, and becoming more intentional about how I move through the world.
And through all of it, my husband has continually reminded me that growth doesn’t require becoming someone else. He has encouraged my curiosity, rooted for me, and given me the space to keep becoming more fully and authentically myself.
When I look back, I can see that none of this unfolded in isolation. My mom, dad, and grandmother helped nurture the curiosity that started it all. Lynn opened an early door. Shannon invited me into new ways of exploring. Melissa was part of that perfectly timed moment that brought Reiki back into focus. Sister Surayya welcomed me deeper into the practice. Romelle has continually encouraged me to trust who I am. And so many friends and people along the way have helped me see things from a different angle.
As Within is shaped by all of those threads. We’re in this together.