Getting to Know Tara

and the Wind Rose Collaborative

My life experience has been defined by the paradox of dwelling in two worlds. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, I come from a large Italian family that values food, loyalty, and telling it like it is. These roots continued to shape me even after my parents moved us to Portland, Oregon, where we embraced the laid-back and tolerant Northwest vibe. I was raised by hippies (note the tie-die) in a spiritual-but-not-religious household, and adopted the faith of my ancestors, Catholicism, in my early 20’s.

These seemingly disparate cultural experiences—Brooklyn to Portland, East Coast to West Coast, hippie-agnostic to hippie- Catholic—have ingrained in me a deep respect for the beautifully diverse expressions of the human spirit, and revealed that faith and unconditional love flower in many forms. This understanding is foundational to my work, my relationship with God, and the connection I seek to establish with all living things.

Essential to me in the spiritual guidance I offer is a commitment to being more real than is typical in our society, particularly in religious circles. I don’t rattle off religious platitudes or trite cliches, believing that such false comforts are just too small to adequately address the enormity of the human experience.

Instead, I share my own stories of what it means to live a life that is full of both loveliness and heartbreak, a life that has been impacted by chronic pain and disability, multiple miscarriages, parenting a child with autism, and other kinds of profound grief. I don’t know that I’ve handled these challenges with any particular grace, but I have lived them fully awake and alert, letting them teach me more about what it means to be a human being. Mother Teresa once said, “May God break my heart so completely that the whole world falls in”; and I find that, when I allow it to, what I have suffered creates more room in me for empathy, love, and connection.

In my day-to-day world, I have the privilege of being a wife to my wise and noble husband Matty, and a mother to our three rambunctious children, Cirocco, Sabina, and Gesumina, who are gloriously wild and untamed in a way that makes them difficult to parent but very awesome human beings. We are a homeschooling family and spend as much time as possible being feral out in nature. I love amazing food, jigsaw puzzles, British murder mysteries, and am obsessed with the beach and beachcombing. I will happily dork out on you anytime about my collection of beach treasures.

Training and Experience

  • Bachelor’s in Holistic Ministry from Marylhurst University 
  • Spiritual Direction Certification from The Urban Spirituality Center
  • Seven years of experience as a Spiritual Director, Speaker, and Retreat Leader with The Faber Institute

(If you are interested in such things)