Twenty-two years ago, I walked into my first meditation hall, not knowing much about Buddhism but instinctively knowing, I needed tools to help me navigate life's difficulty.
What I didn't realize then is that these skills would become my most important source of strength and support working in some of the world's most remote and challenging places.
For over two decades, I've trained and practiced in the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. In addition, I've worked in international peacebuilding and humanitarian development field for 15+ years across conflict zones and crisis contexts—supporting people who navigate impossible situations, helping them approach their work with more presence, vision, and longevity.
What I learned in those spaces changed everything: the people who sustained this work weren't tougher by nature. They'd built some of the same foundational practices I had—the groundwork—that held them when everything else was chaotic.
about Rebecca
Somewhere between facilitating peace processes and sitting in meditation halls, I recognized something essential: everyone's life has become a high-stakes environment.
The complexity, pressure, and uncertainty now defines ordinary life. The teacher managing classroom chaos and their own burnout. The healthcare worker navigating impossible systems. The parent trying to be present after giving everything at work. The leader making decisions without clear answers.
Our society demands more from us than ever before—more productivity, more resilience, more presence—while providing fewer resources to sustain it.
These practices are foundational for navigating the reality we all face: a world that needs us to show up with more clarity, presence, and resilience than ever before.
the recognition
what makes this different?
The Groundwork Collective exists at the intersection of:
20+ years of authentic contemplative training
15+ years of real-world application in high-stress contexts
Neuroscience and organizational development
The messy reality of parenting, relationships, and daily life
I've tested these practices where they matter most—not in seclusion, but in the field.
These are practices for our everyday lives, not escape from it.
Cooking transforms ingedients into memories and cultural treasures.
Food nourishes body and soul, fostering connections and joy.
I offer practices that build the inner capacity for everything else:
- To show up fully to what matters
- To lead with clarity through complexity
- To sustain meaningful work long-term
- To find ground when everything shifts
the approach
- To show up fully to what matters
- To lead with clarity through complexity
- To sustain meaningful work long-term
- To find ground when everything shift.
The Four Part Framework
Building your mental muscle. Learning to work skillfully with your own mind—not as escape, but as the foundation for everything else.
To find ground when everything shifts
Because sustainable change—in ourselves, our organizations, our communities—starts with the groundwork.
Movement
meditation
Community
Creativity
Reconnecting with your body and embodied wisdom. Your body holds intelligence that thinking alone can't access.
Cultivating authentic connection. Individual practice sustains collective change, and collective practice deepens individual transformation.
Accessing insight beyond the analytical mind. Creativity opens doorways to meaning, purpose, and the parts of yourself you've lost touch with.
You won't find me by the stove without my carbon steel pan.
Carbon Steel
Whether starting a grill or crisping up, a torch is a necessity.
Food Torch
There is nothing better than a sharp Japanese cooking knife.
My Knife
I always have my iPad around for notes, recipes and timers.
iPad Stand
My ThermoPro keeps an accurate read on multiple points at once.
