Teachers

Akong mga guro (my teachers)


Here is a list of individuals with public profiles who have provided me with and continue to guide me with their teachings. I acknowledge that each human teacher is a complex being, as we all are, and not all teachers embody or practice everything I work towards.


This list is ever growing and evolving. All descriptions and bio excerpts are taken from each person’s website or bios found online (links and bios are being updated continuously).


  • AC Dumlao - AC Dumlao uses they/them pronouns. They are a queer/bi+ transgender non-binary first-generation Filipinx-American. As an activist and educator, their focus is on centering and uplifting underrepresented and multiply marginalized people and their communities.

  • adrienne maree brown - adrienne maree brown is the writer-in-residence at the Emergent Strategy Ideation Institute, and author of We Will Not Cancel Us and Other Dreams of Transformative Justice, Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good, Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds and the co-editor of Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction from Social Justice Movements and How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office. She is the cohost of the How to Survive the End of the World and Octavia’s Parables podcasts. adrienne is rooted in Detroit.

  • Alice Sparkly Kat - “According to Brooklyn-based astrologer Alice Sparkly Kat, astrology is the ideal magical lens through which we can parse the harsh neolliberal and colonial systems of power that harm marginalized people. It’s these very systems that misappropriate the language, symbols and wisdom of the planets to prioritize self over the collective.”

  • Alok Vaid-Menom - ALOK (they/them) is an internationally acclaimed gender non-conforming writer, performer, and public speaker. As a mixed-media artist ALOK’s work explores themes of trauma, belonging, and the human condition.

  • Asha Frost - An Indigenous (Ojibwe) Medicine Person, mentor, space holder, and seer.

  • Dr. Bayo Akomolafe - Dr. Bayo Akomolafe is a public intellectual, poet, professor, life partner with Ije Clement-Akomolafe, and father 'to/with' Alethea Aanya and Kyah Abayomi. As executive director and chief curator at The Emergence Network, Bayo brings together communities of activists and leaders dedicated to new/awkward posthumanist trajectories of transformation, while rejecting outdated human-centric assumptions of how to affect change.

  • Catherine Hernandez - Catherine Hernandez is a proud queer woman of colour and an award-winning author. She is of Filipino, Spanish, Chinese and Indian heritage and she is married into the Navajo Nation. Her first novel, Scarborough, won the Jim Wong-Chu Award for the unpublished manuscript; was a finalist for the Toronto Book Awards, the Evergreen Forest of Reading Award, the Edmund White Award, and the Trillium Book Award; and was longlisted for Canada Reads.

  • Center for Babaylan Studies - The mission of CFBS is to spearhead reconnection with the heritage and creativity of Filipino indigenous wisdom and spirituality in an age of globalization.

  • Chingy Nea - Chingy Nea (A.K.A The Gay Chingy) is a writer, comedian, and critically acclaimed ex-girlfriend based out of Los Angeles and Oakland, CA. Chingy’s work covers subjects like queer identity, pop culture, and sex culture.

  • Cristal Hines - Activist & Community Organizer, Leadership Development Coach, Operations Strategist, Consultant, BSW

  • Dr. Brenda Rodriguez Alegre - Lecturer, Gender Studies Programme, School of Humanities, Faculty of Arts, University of Hong Kong

  • Dr. Lynn Gehl - Lynn Gehl is an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe from the Ottawa River Valley. ​Lynn is both a writer and an artist. Her work encompasses both anti-colonial work and the celebration of Indigenous knowledge.

  • Ericka Hart - Ericka Hart, M.Ed., D/s, pronouns: she/they, is a black queer femme activist, writer, highly acclaimed speaker and award-winning sexuality educator with a Master’s of Education in Human Sexuality from Widener University.

  • Gloria Lucas, Founder and CEO of Nalgona Positivity Pride - Nalgona Positivity Pride (NPP) is an in-community eating disorders and body-positive organization dedicated in creating visibility and resources for Black, Indigenous, communities of color (BICC.)

  • Jacqui Wilkins, ND - Doula, Land Tending, Yakama~Irish~German, Of the Stars, Mama Bear, Medicine Maker, Reclaiming:Remembering

  • Janna Lynne Umipig - Jana Lynne (JL) Umipig is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, healer and activist who seeks to elevate narratives of remembering self as a reflection of her own life's journey toward decolonizing, re-indigenizing and humanizing self.

  • JB Ramos - Master Filipino Martial Arts teacher at Combat Science

  • Jen Maramba/Tulay Araw - Tulay Araw is the name gifted to Jennifer Mae Maramba by her beloved elders and teachers during a retreat and ceremony with the Center of Babaylan Studies in New Mexico. Tulay Araw is a connector of many teachings, teachers and elders. She walks a path of light, love and healing while connecting to her ancestors, being guided by her teachers and learning with future leaders & healers.

  • Jen Soriano

  • Jeremy Dutcher - Performer, composer, activist, musicologist — these roles are all infused into his art and way of life. His music, too, transcends boundaries: unapologetically playful in its incorporation of classical influences, full of reverence for the traditional songs of his home, and teeming with the urgency of modern-day struggles of resistance. A member of Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick, Jeremy first did music studies in Halifax before taking a chance to work in the archives at the Canadian Museum of History, painstakingly transcribing Wolastoq songs from 1907 wax cylinders.

  • Jerrold McGrath - “I focus on cross-sector collaborations around issues of broad social concern such as artificial intelligence, equity in response to COVID-19, hope and hopelessness, and the digital diaspora. My creative practice explores the ways we are organized by the world.”

  • Johl Whiteduck and Miinikaan - Chef Johl is the owner of NishDish Marketeria and Catering, which specializes in Anishnawbe cuisine since 2005. He is one of Tkaronto’s leading First Nations food sovereigntists and has dedicated his life to identifying, sourcing, relearning and reclaiming what the traditional Anishnawbe diet is.

  • Julay of Lalahon Flow and Sacred Spirit Ink - Queer femme ink ritualist on Coast Salish territory, weaving cosmic webs thru spirit ink. Centering queer/femme/trans/non binary healing practices.

  • Justin Sunseri LMFT - “I became obsessed with the Polyvagal Theory in 2018 and have been implementing it into my work as a therapist ever since.”

  • Kai Cheng Thom - writer, performer, cultural worker & speaker

  • Kapwa Collective - A group of Filipinx-Canadian artists, critical thinkers, and healers who work towards bridging narratives between the Indigenous and the Diasporic, and the Filipino and the Canadian.

  • Kat Blaque - Kat Blaque is an Illustrator, Animator and Public Speaker who's been on Youtube since 2005. She creates videos about all of the various things she embodies and uses her personal experiences to teach life lessons and start conversations with her very generous, intelligent audience who loves to serve up "True Tea" every week. Ultimately, her content is about how we can relate to each other more and fight against the things that divide us, while not losing sight of our own boundaries.

  • Kearie Daniel of Parents of Black Children - The vision of Parents of Black Children is to effectively engage education leaders, to create an equitable and peaceful educational experience, free from oppression and anti-Black racism for students of African Canadian descent

  • Khadija Mbowe - Gambian-Canadian-American performer Khadija Mbowe is a charismatic and dynamic singer, entertainer, educator, writer and all around creative.They are also a content creator using their voice and social media platforms to entertain and educate whenever they can.

  • Khara Tapay Jabola-Carolus - Executive Director of the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, a statewide feminist government agency dedicated to restoring the equal status of women and gender non-conforming people in Hawaii.

  • Kristian Kabuay - Kristian is an artist/entrepreneur/futurist specializing in endangered writing systems from the Philippines. Kristian has spoken around the world at museums, schools, and companies. His work is wide-reaching that spans across multimedia, traditional practices, and technology.

  • Leesa Renée Hall - Leesa Renée Hall is an anti-bias facilitator and mental wellness advocate who helps those with gentle, quiet, and highly sensitive personalities explore their unconscious biases by going on an Inner Field Trip®.

  • Lovette Jallow, founder of Action for Humanity Sweden - Action for Humanity is a non-profit organization based in Sweden. The main activities include spreading awareness and information about human rights and structural racism. The organization also provides safe spaces for marginalized groups and youth to discuss societal issues.

  • Lukayo Bitoon Estrella and on Patreon - A wordslinger and healer from the Bikol diaspora, Lukayo is based on the unceded and unsurrendered territories of the Anishinaabe (Algonquin), in so-called Ottawa, Canada. When not daydreaming of starting a sanctuary with land defenders and nonbinary priest(esse)s, Lukayo is probably hanging out at their intentional community home made up of other spiritual activist queerdos.

  • Lyn Pacificar of Herbalaria - Lyn Pacificar has over 30 years’ experience as a Filipina Albularyo, a traditional folk herbalist and spiritual healer who uses a combination of modalities including prayers, rituals, diagnostic readings, and ancestral communication to achieve a certain goal for the recipient. She comes from a long line of healers, and is under the guidance and tutelage of Katuuran Apong Mansanat, along with her other Ancestral and angelic spirit counsel.

  • Maisha Kazi of Studio Mukti - writes about “yogic philosophy; ways to use our bodies to connect with planetary, Universal energy; my experiences as a brown woman teaching Yoga in the West; Astrological insights; discussions of the state of the world, etc etc etc.”

  • Mamerto “Lagitan” Tindongan - Mamerto “Lagitan” Tindongan is an 8th generation Mumbaki, a shaman from the indigenous Ifugao tribe of the Philippines. Since moving to the United States in 1991, Mamerto has been rekindling his being around tribal tradition, moving into a deep level of practice and understanding that has expanded his reach into the spiritual world and the living world.

  • Malou Aragon, RDN of Sound Nutrition and Body - decolonize. eat. embody. connect

  • Mia Mingus - Mia Mingus is a writer, educator and trainer for transformative justice and disability justice. She is a queer physically disabled korean transracial and transnational adoptee raised in the Caribbean.

  • MKali Hashiki - a Renegade Sexual Mystic; a Tour Guide to the realm of Eros; & a Teacher of Somatic Erotic Possibilities. I’m a Certified Sexological Bodyworker; a Certified Sound, Voice, & Music Healer; and a Certified Tantric Sacred Intimate. I’m also a published essayist; a former professional social justice organizer; and an Ifa devoteé.

  • Monique Melton - Monique Melton is a natural, big-bold creamer, a deeply rooted woman of faith, anti-racism educator, author, speaker and podcast host, committed to her calling to pursue Black liberation through her various opportunities of anti-racism engagement.

  • My colleagues at Kapisanan Philippine Centre

  • Mystic Moon Medicine - Loli Moon is a spiritualist and practicing Bruja/Witch. With ancestry starting at the shores of West Africa and Jamaica. Fourth generation medium, Loli is surrounded by the spirits of sight, and like many others in her lineage, can see the unknown with ease. Loli is a diviner, healer, conjurer and nomad of the realms.

  • Naavikaran - Gender creative Indian, educator, choreographer and producer

  • Natoya Hall - Mother Of Starkeeping Mystery School™️, Ascension Guide, Energy Healer, New Earth Teacher, Writer, Light Body Activator

  • Nikki Cajucom - “I am a cultural strategist, consultant, and intrapreneur based in Tkaronto with over 5 years of leadership development experience in the global creative economy, and over 10 years of youth engagement in the local community arts and social change sector.”

  • Orion Camero

  • Pidgeon Pagonis - Pidgeon Pagonis has slowly, oftentimes not so quietly risen to visibility as an activist on behalf of intersex people.

  • Pinar of Queer Nature - Pinar is an Indigenous multi-species futurist, mentor, consultant and eco-philosopher.

  • Prentis Hemphill - (They/Them) is unearthing the connections between healing, community accountability and our most inspired visions for social transformation. Prentis is a therapist, somatics teacher and facilitator, political organizer, writer and the founder of The Embodiment Institute.

  • Rachel Cargle - Rachel Cargle is an Akron, Ohio born public academic, writer, and lecturer. Her activist and academic work are rooted in providing intellectual discourse, tools, and resources that explore the intersection of race and womanhood.

  • Rachel Ricketts - My name’s Rachel Ricketts (pronouns she/her/hers)! I am a queer Black woman, global disruptor, speaker, mystic + bestselling author of Do Better: Spiritual Activism for Fighting and Healing from White Supremacy.

  • Rafiqah Sulaiman - Transgender(Mukhannath) Muslimahn (28, she/her) for social justice advocacy, Disabled neurodivergent Queer, Filipina Mestiza

  • Rania El Mugammar - Rania El Mugammar is a Sudanese Canadian, Artist, Arts Educator, Equity, Anti-oppression, Liberation and Meaningful Inclusion Educator & Consultant, performer, speaker and published writer.

  • Ricky Varghese - Psychoanalysis and trauma studies, Freud, Lacan, and feminist psychoanalysis; queer theory, with a specific interest in theorizing HIV/AIDS, critical sexology, and porn studies; masculinities, critical race studies, and theories of sexual difference; death studies, historical and memory studies, rituals of mourning and practices of remembrance

  • Rossa Socco - “She is a teacher, herbalist, doctoral student in Chinese Medicine, and cultural practitioner specializing in depleted mothers/ women + GNC folk/ organizers, pediatrics and PTSD.”

  • Shane Bernardo, co-founder Food as Healing - Food as healing is the ongoing study and practice of using food (and the stories embedded within them) as a mediums for healing. Food As Healing is a social movement to center the lived experiences of our collective ancestors and especially for those of us in the global majority.

  • Sonya Renee Taylor - Sonya Renee Taylor is the Founder and Radical Executive Officer of The Body is Not An Apology, a digital media and education company promoting radical self-love and body empowerment as the foundational tool for social justice and global transformation. Sonya’s work as a highly sought-after award-winning Performance Poet, activist, and transformational leader continues to have global reach.

  • Syd Yang of bluejaguarhealingarts.com - Syd Yang is on a mission to transform eating disorder recovery into a practice of collective liberation so that all bodies may feel possible, free and loved. A queer trans/non-binary, mixed race, Taiwanese American healer + writer, Syd weaves together magic, possibility + intention in their work with individuals and small groups.

  • T. Sharp Dopler - “I am an Indigenous educator & group facilitator who wants to make a difference in people's understanding of Indigenous issues in Canada & the world!”

  • Tada Hozumi - “I’m an animist-somatic practitioner and artist, devoted to individual and collective healing, working on Unceded Coast Salish Territories AKA Vancouver BC”

  • Tanya Tagaq - Tanya Tagaq is an award-winning Inuk throat singer, visual artist and best-selling author from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Her experimental music mixes traditional throat singing with modern rock, pop, classical and alternative sounds, and she often challenges long-standing post-colonial issues in her work, such as climate change, food sovereignty, and loss of traditional knowledge and education.

  • Tee Noir - Culture, commentary, Black womanhood.

  • The Nap Ministry - We examine the liberating power of naps. We believe rest is a form of resistance and reparations. We install Nap Experiences. Founded in 2016.

  • The Queer Muslim Project - Countering queerphobia and Muslim hate, one story at a time!

  • Vivek Shraya - An acclaimed artist, Vivek uses video, spoken word, and musical performance to engage audiences on topics like mental health, queerness and inclusion. Inspiring audiences to celebrate who they are, she challenges the ways we are taught to think about gender and offers insights on how to create change.