It was an absolute honor and pleasure to spend time with Director Erika Harold and Deputy Director Stephanie Villinski of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism as we presented on judicial wellbeing to two judicial circuits in Illinois on January 29, 2026. We missed the wisdom of our friend and colleague Dr. Diana Uchiyama, JD, PsyD, CAADC from Illinois LAP who usually presents on the clinical side of the issues of secondary trauma. Unfortunately, she wa

Life shifting epiphanies in the Chaos of a Maximum-Security Facility seems unfathomable. An environment where every human being, employees and incarcerated individuals, are in fight/flight/freeze mode is not the most fertile ground for deep reflection. Having facilitated discussions for the past 8 years in challenging environment, I have been privy to an incredible amount of wisdom garnered through lives lived through adverse, traumatic and at times tragic life experiences.  

https://www.ncsc.org/sites/default/files/media/document/Judicial%20Conduct%20Reporter%20Spring%20Summer%20Fall%202025.pdf?utm_campaign=863048_Judicial%20Conduct%20Reporter%20-%20Spring%2C%20Summer%2C%20Fall%202025&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=v-0&dm_i=7L57,IHXK,5QHXVU,34NGB,1,,, Thank you to the National Center for State Courts for including my article on the intersection of judicial wellbeing and judicial ethics in the Judicial Conduct Reporter Spring/S

Holidays often serve as moments for reflection, particularly on those individuals who have profoundly influence the lives of people in our communities. Over the past four decades, I have had the privilege of meeting people worldwide who have devoted themselves to enhancing their communities by advancing the principle of justice. With experience in the judicial sector both in the United States and internationally, I have observed that judicial officers, irrespective of jurisdi

I had a fantastic opportunity to teach at the National College on Judicial Ethics in Louisville, Kentucky, for the National Center for State Courts. The NCSC gathers both new and experienced members of state judicial discipline boards to discuss emerging topics in this crucial area. During this conference, I had the honor of meeting three members of the Board in Colorado, including Ann Mangiardi, the Executive Director. The first session was a panel discussion on Judicial Wel

August 20, 2025, was a seminal date in the area of judicial wellbeing. The first International Judicial Conference on Integrity and Judicial Well-being was held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The title of this conference was " From Principles to Action: Advancing Judicial Well-being as the Foundation for Integrity, Resilience, and Public Trust." The themes of this conference revolved around the Nauru Declaration on Judicial-Wellbeing, the connection between judicial inte

On December 4, 2025, I witnessed a spiritual reconnection. As I reflected on the experience, my first assumption was that I was transposing onto these men expressions that I was hoping to see. We have a tendency, through affirmation bias, to validate our beliefs by misconstruing what we are experiencing. A few days later, as I shared what I felt with another group of men in a more secure facility at the complex, I was told that my experience was real.   FCI-Florence is a medi

I was very honored to deliver the opening plenary for the Drexel University College of Medicine - Behavioral Science, 33rd Annual Forensic Rights and Treatment Conference year's theme is "Contemporary Issues Impacting Forensic Services." The Director of this Division, Chris Owens, has done an incredible job in making this Conference an ongoing success and I am humbled to be associated with the incredible speakers who presented. The plenary, which had 195 participants, was abo

I Spent the day with freshmen students at East high school in Pueblo sharing stories and soliciting their opinions on a variety of issues related to mental well-being. Being retired affords me the flexibility to be honest in sharing obstacles that I faced throughout my life. There are logical ethical and practical reasons to keep personal stories private, but sharing one’s vulnerabilities allows deeper connection by giving others permission to share their own. Thank you to A

Thank you to Charles Anselmo from Central High School for the opportunity to share my thoughts on the state of the rule of law and the workings of the criminal justice system with students from his governement class. The student’s questions ranged from personal regrets to the role of integrity in people’s lives! The students also expressed an interest in pursuing careers in law and forensic science with the goal of working in law enforcement. Just as gratifying was getting th

Spent the day at South High sharing my life experiences both personal and professional.

On November the 6, 2025 I was honored to spend an hour on line with all the probate judges from the State of Vermont. Thank you to Judge Jodi French for contacting me and asking that I share my thoughts with this incredible group of caring people! We focused on discussing the unique challenges and stressors faced by judges in the judicial system, including the impact on mental health and the importance of maintaining judicial integrity while handling sensitive cases like adop

Had a fascinating discussion with lawyers from the Santa Barbara County Bar Association on the issue of lawyer well-being. We talked about both the ethical and practical reasons for staying healthy on a physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual level as we counsel people navigating the judicial system. We also discussed the relevance of the Nauru Declaration on lawyers, especially our ethical obligation to be aware of how healthy we are at all times and seeking out co

I had the honor to present to supervise visitation providers from different provinces in Canada at the international supervise visitation center conference held in Niagara Falls, Canada, on October 30, 2025. We had an extremely productive three hours as we discussed the nuances of course of control and the impact of the law and judicial decision-making. By reflecting on how our own life experiences, perceptions of our duties at work, and the complexities of these cases as we

Closing out the National Judicial College Academy course on aspiring judges with well-being as a recognition about the importance of this topic. Although the training was online, we engaged in a lively discussion of what it means to exercise self-care. The stressors and secondary trauma that are experienced by Judicial officers and their staff is real. I was very happy to introduce to this group of lawyers whose aspiration is to become judicial officers to the concepts conta

After leading breath and movement classes in facilities for 8 years, I finally got to lead a class for the employees at Federal...

Traveling to Ladakh to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Siddhartha High School afforded me the opportunity to spend quality time...

What an amazing opportunity to share information on how to manage sovereign citizens and prose lit against with administrative law judges...