A place for honest conversations, deep listening, and experiencing our shared humanity.
I believe we can talk about difficult things without turning one another into enemies. My work is about creating spaces where people feel safe enough to be honest, curious enough to listen, and courageous enough to be changed.
You don’t have to agree with me
to be welcome here.
“Before we are our politics, professions, histories, or identities, we are human beings longing to be seen, heard, and valued.”
My work explores race, identity, belonging, and the stories we live inside.
It’s about helping us recognize one another as connecting human beings so that we can create a world where love, compassion, and respect are stronger than fear, division, and distrust.
I KNOW WHAT IT IS TO QUESTION
WHETHER YOUR VOICE MATTERS.
My mother died when I was eleven months old. I was lovingly raised by my aunt and uncle until I was almost six. When my father remarried, my life changed. I learned to stay quiet and keep my thoughts to myself.
School became my refuge. It was where my curiosity was welcomed and my voice had value. I graduated from high school at fifteen, college at nineteen, and eventually became an attorney and law professor.
Those accomplishments opened doors, but I still had to learn how to ask the questions that mattered.
A LIFE OF ASKING BETTER QUESTIONS
JUSTICE
My legal work with low- income clients, and teaching students to practice law showed me the distance between people who have access and those who do not.
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Years of personal-development and coach training helped me explore identity, belonging, listening, and the stories we carry about ourselves and others.
TRUE COMMUNITY
Community-building experiences showed me that people who begin divided and mistrustful can come to see each other as human beings.
This is what led to Creating True Community
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE IN TRUE COMMUNITY
YOU CAN SAY WHAT YOU REALLY THINK
You will not be shamed for using imperfect words or asking an honest question.
YOU WILL BE LISTENED TO
Paula creates space for voices that are often dismissed, overlooked, or spoken over.
YOU MAY BE CHALLENGED
You may encounter a story or perprective that unsettles something you have long assumed.
YOU WILL BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY
Challenge does not require humiliation. Disagreement does not require rejection.
You will be safe, but not left unchanged.
My intention is to love, honor, and respect myself and every other human being.
I do not believe this is sentimental, unrealistic, or naive. I believe it is a practical way of living and the beginning of the world many of us say we want.
BEYOND THE WORKSHOPS
I love smart questions, good books, and comedians who make me laugh out loud.
I find wonder in nature, puppies, and babies.
I play bridge and cherish time with friends and family.
I am a lifelong student of human development.
I believe race is a story humans created, the meaning of which can change
I recently celebrated my 80th birthday and brought together dear friends from many parts of my life.
A LITTLE OF MY PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
Attorney and former law professor
Nearly three decades with The Legal Aid Society in New York, serving low-income clients
Associate Professor Emerita, University of Tennessee Winston College of Law
Founder of The Racial Healing Workshops
Longtime student and facilitator of personal development and relationship-based transformation
Come as you are.
Bring your questions.
You don’t have to know the right language.
You don’t have to agree with everyone in the room. You only need a willingness to listen honestly, speak respectfully, and remain open to what another person’s experience might teach you.