River spent over 20 years as a trial attorney and lobbyist who owned her own law office by the courthouse. She walked away at the height of her career to fulfill her mission to support relational evolution.
I do what I do because I don't want you to get stuck in the situation I was in. As an attorney, I was taught to fight, divide and separate. I looked successful on the outside, but didn't have a reason to get out of bed. ... Until I opened up to my authentic sexual expression.
After realizing the purpose of life is to love, connect and unite, I could no longer fight.
I had to invest my life in love.
As a certified surrogate partner and love, sex, and intimacy coach, I support people in turning the most desperate situations into juicy successful love lives. I facilitate small group weekend workshops on desire. And I co-organize a variety of exciting communities.
Your sexuality is natural and wants to be expressed in a healthy way. Visualize you living your most amazing potential in sex, intimacy and loving connection. Becoming the teacher for your future loves. I like to help you get there.
About Page Table of Contents
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Tell me more
I was raised in the Texas desert, flew out of the nest to Austin as soon as I could fly, and lived in San Francisco before returning to Austin to build my own nest. I had almost no information about healthy intimate relationships for almost forty years of my life.
And now ... I have been blessed with the most exciting life ever lived. I haven’t just read about sexual freedom. I’ve explored every sexual fantasy. I've explored so many edges of human experience, on so many different fronts. I’ve stood on mountaintops and fallen into black holes. I’ve heard we can’t have an intimate relationship that includes both excitement and safety, and I haven't believed it. Even though so much is listed on this page, my most thrilling moments of personal growth are simply too inappropriate for this site.
I'm a lover of evolution. Fifteen years ago I set an intention to live every aspect of my life in integrity and I've been on that journey ever since. I spend a lot of time outside. I’m your basic cushion sitting, raw vegan, yoga doing, walking and jogging, animal loving, cold and hot springs sitting, motorcycle riding chick.
For years, I have served clients as a professionally certified surrogate partner, clients who felt they might not ever be able to have a successful intimate relationship. I have watched as they have succeeded beyond all expectations.
Nothing makes me happier than to behold a sexual awakening. I believe that when we all shed guilt and shame around our sexuality, all the problems of the world will be solved because we will no longer be capable of harming one another.
Trainings & Certifications
- Certified Surrogate Partner
- Certified Universal Healing Tao Instructor
- Certified tantra practitioner
- Wheel of Consent workshop facilitator
- Certified Conscious Uncoupling coach
- Toltec Eagle Knight lineage
- Yogini Satyananda lineage
- Yoga asana instructor training
- Kink Forte Femme alumni
- Inner MBA from New York University
All the juicy learning adventures
I've had the honor of sitting with so many masterful teachers. I trained with each one named here in person unless noted. And if any wisdom has been gleaned, I bring it all to my time with you.
Surrogate Partner Training
I am one of the first surrogate partners certified by the Institute for Mind Body Therapy, trained by two legends in the field: Dr. Tova Feder, author of Sex is the Least of It and others, and Dr. Susan Kaye, who worked directly with surrogate partner program creators Masters and Johnson. This year, I am co-founding the Surrogate Partner Collective and we will provide our own professional surrogate training program.
Main teachers and teachings
- Andrew Heartman, Nicole Anand and Brian Gibney - co-founders of the Surrogate Partner Collective
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Dr. Susan Kaye - surrogate partner training program, ongoing mentor
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Dr. Tova Feder - surrogate partner training program
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Barbara Keesling - Sexual Healing book and personal conversations
Wheel of Consent
The Wheel of Consent, developed by Betty Martin, may be the most profound teaching related to touch in our time. I have served on the leadership team of the new School of Consent. I am also a certified Wheel of Consent Workshop Facilitator.
Main teacher
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Betty Martin - like a pro training in 2012, 2017, 2019; Ethical Practices: Containers, Conversations and Assessment Protocols for Somatic Sex Educators and other Sex Workers; Teaching the Wheel; Wheel of Consent Workshop Facilitator Training; ongoing supervision.
Conscious Uncoupling
I am a professionally certified Conscious Uncoupling coach, trained and certified in this revolutionary method by New York Times best selling author and creator, Katherine Woodward Thomas, MA, MFT.
Universal Healing Tao
Grand Master Mantak Chia gifted the West with the Universal Healing Tao, and I have been privileged to obtain instructor certification in Formula One, Iron Shirt 1 and Healing Love.
Main teachers
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Loren Johnson, Senior Instructor 2
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Minke de Vos (live online)
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Sharon Smith (live online)
- Richard Anton Diaz (live online)
Tantra
Tantra is arguably the oldest form of worship known to humankind. I am a certified TantraNova practitioner. And my deepest journeys have been with the Satyananda teachings.
Main teachers and teachings
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Swami Satyananda Saraswati (books and videos) - kundalini tantra (my tantra yoga guru since 2011) Swami Satyananda Saraswati took mahasamadhi in 2009, before I knew who he was. If I could have dinner with any one person, it would be Swami Satyananda Saraswati.
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Swami Yoga Kanti - the Satyananda kriyas and tattwa shuddhi at Rikhiapeeth Ashram in India
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Swami Shakti Murti - the Satyananda kriyas and tattwa shuddhi at Rikhiapeeth Ashram in India
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5-Day Shiva Yagna - Rikhiapeeth Ashram in India
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Kalpana - personal training in Satyananda yoga
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Navvaratri - Satyananda yoga
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Swami Satyadharma - Satyananda yoga
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Freddy Zental - personal intensive, TantraNova teacher certification
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Elsbeth Meuth - personal intensive, TantraNova teacher certification
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Rod Stryker - tantra intensive conference
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Alex Jade - body electric school tantra workshop
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Jay Craver - body electric school tantra workshop
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Everitt Allen - singing bowl yoga
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Siri Bahadur - gong bath yoga
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Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche - tsa lung, 9 breaths of purification
Kink
Kink is my home. So many years ago, the kink community provided safe space for me to express my desire, which lead to all of my life changes. I am forever grateful to all who contribute to this vibrant subculture. Midori is my greatest teacher in this universe.
Main teachers and teachings
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Midori - forte femme women's sensual dominance weekend intensive, passionate bonds weekend workshop, interrogations, predicaments, rope challenge
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Laura Antoniou - passionate bonds weekend workshop
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Mark Yu - energy and kink
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Lochai - rope and bondage
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Fakir Musafar - sacred hook pull
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Cleo DuBois - sacred hook pull
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Arielle Webb - jealousy, self after care
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Slave Tomo - hojojitsu
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Topologist - takate kote
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John Baku - fetlife purpose and history
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Lizard - rope
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Ruby Rider - pegging
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Kinky College
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Joules McKnuckles
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too many individual classes to name
Toltec
I think of Toltec as Mexican tantra. I have been blessed with the opportunity to apprentice with two of the greatest teachers: HeatherAsh Amara and Raven Smith. We are the Eagle Knight lineage of Toltec which was brought into modern times by Don Miguel Ruiz, author of the Four Agreements and teacher to HeatherAsh and Raven. I served on the board of directors for the Toltec Center of Creative Intent, the only Toltec church in the US.
Main teachers and teachings
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HeatherAsh Amara - four years in official apprenticeship, fire walking and similar practices, sacred time management, conscious relationship, sexual integrity, dream circles, inner fire training, too many individual teachings to name
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Raven Smith - two years in official apprenticeship, deepening retreat, toltec cosmology & tools, too many individual teachings to name
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Jai Cross - two shamanic journey courses (online), too many in-person teachings to name
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Amy Zielinski - manifesting well-being (online), deepening retreat
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Laura Toups - deepening retreat
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Arielle Webb (Critter) - recapitulation, jealousy and other classes
Performance Art
I love to communicate without words. My burlesque stage name is Tsunami and here are my performances to date.
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November 17, 2013 - Tsunami in Cosmic Gimp at Brass Ovaries' student recital
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March 21, 2014 - Tsunami in Superhero in the Spring Fever show at the North Door
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April 19, 2014 - Tsunami in shibari suspension by Charm, with Nikki, at Amour Fetish Party
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July 26, 2014 - Tsunami & Grace in Dandini at Brass Ovaries' summer show
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March 27, 2015 - Tsunami & Grace in Lady of the Lake in the show Nymphs of Avalon at the Marchesa
Main teachers and teachings
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Ms. Sophie - two erotic performance courses
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Danae Paskero - pole-certification level 1 and 2, personal training
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Arabella Kali Ma - dance of the immortaless
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Arielle Webb - sacred striptease and lapdance
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Michelle Shimmy - the shimmy
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Cleo DuBois - sacred eros performance
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Bo Eason - one person show training
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Zein Al-Jundi - Syrian/Egyptian bellydance
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Hossam and Serena Ramsy - Cairo bellydance and beat
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Coco Lectric - burlesque
Yoga Asana
I am a Yoga Illumined yoga teacher training graduate. Asana is one part of yoga. It is simply the part practiced on the mat.
Main teachers and teachings
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Zoe Mantarakis - yoga illumined teacher training, which includes hatha yoga, mantra and meditation inspired by yoga-vedanta, the yoga sutras of patanjali and the teachings of shri brahmananda saraswati, ramamurti s. mishra; and too many individual classes with Zoe to count
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Sumukhi - yoga illumined teacher training, which includes hatha yoga, mantra and meditation inspired by yoga-vedanta, the yoga sutras of patanjali and the teachings of shri brahmananda saraswati, ramamurti s. mishra
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Shiva Rea - tantra asana
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Baron Baptiste - Baptiste intensive retreat
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Bhagat Singh (Chrispy) - asana
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Ann Hyde - Forrest yoga
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Ricky Tran - sanskrit and asana
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Lauren Zinn Buck - creative asana
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Fumiko Takatsu - face yoga (online)
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and too many individual classes to name
Animal Energy
Animal energy gifted me with a profound new understanding of energy. I stewarded 5 loving canine companions over 28 years, and now I am in love with a feral feline.
Main teachers and teachings
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Cesar Millan (videos and books) - pack leadership, energetic communication
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Kim Kelly - canine training
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Tara Stermer - canine aggression and translation
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Asia Voight - shamanic animal communication
Nutrition
Every bite we take is either alive or dead and I love eating food that is alive. My diet is mostly raw vegan. I have been vegetarian for over 30 years and 98% vegan for 15 years.
Main teachers and teachings
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Gabriel Cousins (books and audio only) - Conscious Eating is my food bible
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constant online learning.
Other big stops along the way
- David Gibson - sound healing course
- Robert Moss - dreaming / shamanic journey course
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Sheelo (trained by Stan Grof) - psychedelic psychotherapy, holotropic breathwork
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Deborah Sundahl - G spot and female ejaculation workshop
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Teri Ciacchi - priestess at two Aphrodite Temple retreats
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Charla Hathaway - various aspects of tantra and touch
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Bart Whittington - pelvic floor massage
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Arabella Kali Ma - radical radiance
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Drea Marz - orgasmic meditation coach
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Rachel Cherwitz - orgasmic meditation workshop
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Keith Paolino - orgasmic meditation workshop
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Nicole Daedone - one taste origins
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Shane Melear - body and energy healing
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Byron Katie - new year cleanse weekend workshop
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Robert Evans - platform
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Matt Thomas - branding and platform
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Randy Davila - getting published
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Matt Sonzala - podcast production
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Diane Samsel - Voice Dialogue
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Brad Blanton - Radical Honesty
Previous life in law and politics
After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin, I spent a year as a slacker and then headed to law school where I earned a Doctorate of Jurisprudence at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. Opening my own law office straight out of law school, I built a thriving trial practice by the courthouse that lasted 21 years, specializing in high conflict divorce and custody cases.
For most of that time I was a tireless political activist, becoming a professional lobbyist and community organizer for social justice causes and helping to change a variety of laws within the criminal justice system. I co-founded the Sunshine Project for Police Accountability, was president of the local ACLU for years, ACLU national snitch accountability campaign coordinator, and sat on these boards:
- Texas Table
- East Austin Leadership Development
- Texans Together Education Fund
- Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
- Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable
- ACLU of Texas
- City of Austin Police Oversight Focus Group
I was co-founder and owner of the hip hop and politics website Southern Shift, and coordinated the 2008 independent Obama campaign Texas Stand Up. I was a finalist for the city-manager-hired position of Austin Police Monitor who lead the Police Civilian Oversight Board in Austin.
The pictures below:
- Senator John Whitmire, Dean of the Texas Senate (longest serving Senator), wrote a nice note to me on his newspaper picture.
- Playboy bunnies - this was taken at a marijuana legalization party at the Playboy Mansion (activism had so many beautiful moments).
River in the news and law office reviews
