Kia ora, I'm Nathan

My route into this chair wasn't a tidy one, and I've come to see that as one of the better things I bring to the work. I've spent a good chunk of my life inside worlds that ask a lot of people — and I've learned first-hand what it takes to question them, leave, grieve, and build something new.

I served ten years in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, so I understand service life and the strange, quiet reckoning that can come after it. I grew up in, and eventually left, a high-control religious group — which taught me more than I can say about belonging, doubt, and the nerve it takes to start thinking for yourself. I'm an American who emigrated to Aotearoa and built a life here, and I'm part of the rainbow community myself.

I don't mention any of that as a list of credentials. I mention it so you know what I'm bringing into the room. If your story involves a uniform, a faith you've outgrown, a country you've left behind, or an identity you're still making peace with, there's a fair chance you won't have to translate it for me. I'll already know something of how it feels.

In the room I'm warm, pretty direct, and genuinely hard to shock. I don't do judgement, and I won't pretend to have all the answers — this works best as something we do together, not a lecture you sit through.