What We Imagine Matters.

I’m an anthropologist, author, educator, and storyteller who has spent over a decade helping people see the world differently. Whether I’m talking to a room full of game designers, a university lecture hall, a corporate team, or a general audience, the goal is always the same: to make anthropological thinking accessible, useful, and genuinely exciting.

If you want a sense of what I do on stage, check out my Ted Talk My TEDx talk “Anthropology, Our Imagination, and How to Understand Difference”

What I Talk About

I speak on topics at the intersection of culture, identity, storytelling, and imagination. Past talks have covered:

Culture, Diversity, and Inclusion Why diversity isn’t just an ethical position. It’s a survival strategy. How cultural bias works, where it comes from, and what we can actually do about it.

Cross-Cultural Communication What happens when different ways of seeing the world collide, and how to navigate that productively.

Worldbuilding and Imagination How anthropological thinking makes fictional worlds and real organizations more coherent, immersive, and resilient. Popular with game designers, writers, filmmakers, and creative teams.

Futurism, AI, and Cultural Change What anthropology tells us about how societies absorb technological disruption and what we keep getting wrong about the future.

The Power of Story How speculative fiction and narrative shape the way we understand ourselves, our differences, and what’s possible. A talk for anyone who believes stories matter.

Who I’ve Spoken For

• TEDx MSU Denver (2021)
• Denver Nerd Nite
• US Steel
• Colorado Creative Writers Retreat (Twenty Bellows Publishing)
• Colorado ComicCons and speculative fiction conventions

A Little More About Me

I hold an M.S. in Applied Anthropology from Portland State University and have spent 11 years teaching anthropology at the college level. I’ve done fieldwork with Native American tribes, consulted for major tech firms on post-pandemic cultural shifts, co-authored the book Build Better Worlds with forensic anthropologist Kyra Wellstrom, and published academic research on worldbuilding as a pedagogical tool.

I’m also a science fiction author, documentary filmmaker, and the host of Anthropology in 10 or Less on YouTube.

I speak to universities, nonprofits, corporate and tech teams, creative industry events, and general audiences. If you’re not sure whether I’m the right fit for your event, just reach out. I’m happy to talk it through.

Book Me

For all inquiries, please use the contact form below. Let me know who your audience is, what you’re hoping attendees will take away, and any relevant details about your event. I’ll get back to you within a few days.