Sift.

A HEALING PATH DISGUISED AS A WRITING PRACTICE

12 years ago I found myself sitting at the table in one of Laurie Wagner’s much-lauded Wild Writing™ classes.

I’ll admit, when I signed up I didn’t know what Wild Writing™ was and wasn’t entirely clear on what I would get out of it, except for maybe more well-written blog posts.

As it turns out, it wasn’t a “writing” class at all.

What I found was a life practice
I would return to it over and over again because…

…IT’S A REFUGE

…IT ALLOWS ME AND MY FELLOW WRITERS TO UNMASK

…IT’S COUNTER-CULTURAL, BUCKING THE NARRATIVE THAT WE MUST CHASE IMAGE AT ALL COST

…IT’S A MINDFULNESS PRACTICE AT ITS MOST ALIVE

…IT’S FUN IN THE MOST UNEXPECTED WAYS

…IT ENDLESSLY OPENS THE MIND, EYE, AND HEART

…IS A CONTAINER BIG ENOUGH TO HOLD THE SACRED AND THE MUNDANE IN EQUAL MEASURE

…IT CUTS THROUGH THE NOISE

…IT LEAVES ME REALIGNED AND REORDERED

…IT EASES MY BREATHING

As I have made the practice of
Wild Writing™ my own I have come to call it:

Sift.

So what exactly is Sift?

The practice goes as follows…

  1. I read a poem aloud and select a few lines from that poem to use as possible jump-off lines for our own writing. The poems used in Sift are narrative poems not Shakespere. We use poems because poetry is a powerful side door into the truth of our lives.

  2. We write quickly, listening for what wants to be said, allowing the creative unconscious to come through onto the page. We keep the pen moving steadily so as to outwrite the part of us that wants to sound clever or impress people with the perfect turn of phrase. We tell the truth, even if that truth is boring, vulnerable, or contradictory. We do this for 10-15 minutes, pen never leaving the paper. What comes out comes out. 

  3. Everyone in the group takes turns reading what they wrote out loud. As each person reads they are witnessed, held and appreciated but no comments or feedback is offered.  As the teacher, I write too. I stumble too. I spill myself on the page too.

  4. We repeat a few more times.

Poem. Write. Read and Listen. Repeat.

Seems simple enough? 

It is.

Maybe it seems scary too? 

When we stop trying to appear like we have it all together (or are a “good” writer”) and allow our truth to be seen by others it can feel scary. 

It is in this simplicity, vulnerability, and edginess that healing and magic happen. I have experienced it every time I have sat at or led a Wild Writing™ or Sift table. 

I can’t wait for you to experience it too.

I believe this practice is for you if you’re hungry to…

  • Be in spaces that feel both gentle and expansive

  • Hear your own voice.

  • Tame your inner critic.

  • Connect with other humans more authentically

  • Give a voice to whatever is stirring inside you.

  • Have a tether in this uncertain world.

  • Stop trying so hard

Is Sift for you?

Just like we don’t have to call ourselves yogi to practice yoga we don’t have to call ourselves a capital W writer (though you can) to practice Sift-ing. And just as we get on the yoga mat to practice so much more than moving our body, in Sift we get on the page to practice much more than writing. 

Who am I?

Hi! I’m Rachel.

I really like frozen custard, naps, and going to thrift stores. I live in the Bay Area but my heart is also in Tucson, Arizona. I think Antiques Roadshow is the best TV show. I’ve been helping folks hear and feed their truest hungers for most of my adult life and Sift is just an extension of this incredible work.

After 20 years of working with people around their hungers and 13 years as a coach, intuitive eating counselor, and retreat leader I was a ready for a shift in my work. Something felt stale and I needed to listen to my hungers and move towards what felt most alive.

My life has long been committed the belief that our hungers are wise and our job is to hear them and honor them. I know of no other practice as potent for hearing the truth of what we hunger for than Sift. 

As my career as a coach and intuitive eating counselor has evolved it has become clear to me that I am only interested in spaces where being our full human selves is welcome, where there is space to be multifaceted, where having all the questions and none of the answers is just dandy. This is Sift. 

Though I have led Sift groups over the years, as of 2024, I am a certified Wild Writing™ teacher able to bring a new depth to the table.


I need this practice now.
The world needs this practice now.
I imagine many of you need this practice now.  

  • I signed up for Sift with Rachel not knowing what to expect but with the intent to challenge myself (and with a dash of inner-critic fear). Rachel's outline of the program doesn't do justice to the experience of being in it. It's like a weekly meeting with myself, sometimes a time to release and be playful, sometimes a line into something deeper. I enjoy the process, which naturally facilities presence, and it's been an honor to sit in communion with other women and to hear the stories they choose to share. Perhaps the best thing about Sift is it's without expectation and judgment, truly. I can flow into and float out of our weekly sessions.

    Olivia K.

  • Sitting at the table with a group of thoughtful women is my weekly retreat. And I mean that in the most sacred, spacious, nurturing way. Rachel offers a gentle invitation and I get to set aside my to do lists, relentless perfectionism and over functioning ways to be guided into JUST BEING with words and the wisdom that pours onto the page. For two hours, I don’t need to control anything. I don’t need to be clever. I get to show up and be present to a circle of women who are present to me, too. When the time comes to return to the lists and obligations, I do so with a profound sense of restoration and renewal. Thank you.

    Michelle F.

  • I love Sift for bringing together an amazing group of women. The structure is helpful for introverts like me (not a lot of small talk). This group has been incredibly helpful and supportive for helping me process some difficult life events as well as finding my voice. Rachel is offering a beautiful gift to the world!

    Jeena C.

  • Sift is true self-care. Bubble baths are nice, but patience and space for one's self-discovery is a truly long-lasting, impactful way to care for one's self. The practice of writing and sharing has given me a chance to ground. The practice of tuning out the world for two hours has shown me that there is always time to connect with my desires. The practice of showing up has shown me that an environment that will hold a space for non-judgemental expression exists. The practice of writing and sharing is a life-long game changer.

    Sarah S.

  • I took Rachel's Sift course at a moment when I was struggling to find my creative voice (and wondering what I would do with the time I was not spending dieting). With Rachel's gentle guidance and Sift I was able to unlock my buried love for writing and years later, I still use this practice.

    Rebecca N.

  • One day after Sift had just ended, I heard myself say, “This is one of the best things I’ve ever given myself,” and I felt it deeply. Sift has been very healing for me and I loved discovering what was in my heart and on my mind each time.

    Jenna H.

  • The space that Sift provided was like nothing else I have ever experienced. It's hard to capture how healing it was to let absolutely anything inside of me come out on the page and have those words, feelings, and experiences witnessed without intervention or comment. To experience shared humanity without the rush to caretake, or fix, or even say one word at all is one of the most profound emotional and spiritual experiences I have ever had.

    Courtney R.

  • I feel like the Universe brought me to Sift - I have followed Rachel for a long time, and I was intrigued when she posted about the offering, but didn't pull the trigger. Then she offered a free session and it landed at exactly the right moment. I've loved these sessions with women from around the country and the world. I've felt completely safe and inspired, and the practice of letting poems wash over you and inspire you is so powerful. I can't wait for the next group!

    Wanda S.

  • I highly recommend Sift - Rachel’s gentle yet empowering guidance and leadership creates a safe space to be, to write, and to share. I was a little hesitant at first, nervous that I wouldn’t “fit”, and Rachel created safety and warmth, and I felt like I really touched my deeper being - a wonder experience.

    Kristina B.

The Nitty Gritty

WHEN

Winter-Spring 2025 Sessions

Sunday Group
Meets 8:30-10 am Pacific

January 19, February 2, 16, 23, March 2, 9, 16, 23, April 13, May 4, 11, 18, 25

Monday Group
Meets 9:30-11 am Pacific

January 20, February 3, 10, 24, March 3, 10, 17, 24, April 14, 21, May 5, 12, 19

COST
I offer a sliding-scale pricing structure for Sift modeled after the work of Embracing Equity. It is important to me that the healing power of Sift be accessible to people in a wide range of financial circumstances while also supporting me in continuing to offer my services. Please review the three pricing tiers below to determine which price is the best fit for you.

Tier A Pricing
$844 ($65/session) and can be paid in four installments of $211.

  • Have a relatively high degree of earning power due to level of education (or gender and racial privilege, class background, etc.)

  • Work part-time or are unemployed by choice, including unemployment due to full-time school in a degree-earning program

  • Own the home you live in 

  • Have investments, retirement accounts, and/or inherited money

  • Travel for recreation.

Tier B Pricing  
$650 ($50/session) and can be paid in four installments of $162.50

  • Can repay your student loans, are in repayment, or have paid off your student loans

  • Have employer health insurance and/or other employer benefits

  • Have daily reliable transportation

  • Are able to miss work either for sickness or leisure and are still able to pay next month’s bills

  • Travel when needed, especially for an unexpected occasion like a family funeral or emergency

Tier C Pricing  
$390 ($30/session). Can be paid in four installments of $97.50

  • Have medical expenses not covered by insurance

  • Have immigration-related expenses

  • Are elderly with limited financial support

  • Are a returning citizen who has been denied work due to incarceration history

  •  Experience discrimination in hiring or pay level

  • Are descended from enslaved people or Native/Indigenous Americans

WHERE

All sessions take place over Zoom. Fear not, these are not another dry virtual meeting. Despite the digital platform, the sessions are intimate and alive.

“ Hi, Rachel.

I wanted to offer a heartfelt thank you for the lovely Sunday morning Sift sessions this winter. 

Here on my first go-round with the practice, I wasn't sure what to expect. But I was positively blown away by the beauty of the practice, and by the power of writing and listening to women.

I think one of the things I appreciated most about the practice is the absence of group processing. There's no "Oh, I loved the image of the blackbird in your writing" or "it sounds like you are going through a really hard time with your sister" or whatever. The power of the practice is in its simplicity. Women write what they need to write. Women listen to women.

I felt safe to write without worry, without rehearsal, without concern about how someone might react. This was so freeing.

And the poems you selected: wow, what a pleasure. This is part of the power of this practice, too: finding shared nourishment in these deep wells.

Thank you for the opportunity to pause, make sense of the world, and integrate. What an honor to practice with you. I'm grateful.

— C.C.”

Join us for 13 sessions of writing, truth-telling, playing, releasing, witnessing, relaxing, and sifting.

Sunday Group


Meets 8:30-10 am Pacific
January 19, February 2, 16, 23, March 2, 9, 16, 23, April 13, May 4, 11, 18, 25

Monday Group


Meets 9:30-11 am Pacific
January 20, February 3, 10, 24, March 3, 10, 17, 24, April 14, 21, May 5, 12, 19

Questions?

  • No. Not at all. Those topics, like all aspects of our lives are welcome on the pages of Sift but these groups are not topic-specific.

    That said, this practice deeply feeds me and I know it will do the same for you as well.

  • You’re in good company here if you don’t identify as a writer. This is a healing and listening practice, not just a writing practice.

    If you do happen to identify as a writer, this practice will only serve to make your writing more authentic and evocative.

  • No. What is shared in each circle stays in each circle. Whatever you share will be left there.

    If you have to miss a call, you miss a call.

  • Please email me with any questions. I’m here to help you understand Sift and if its the right practice for you.