Meet the Directors
David Spaw, Founder
Inspired from his personal experience of healing and by his friend, Michael Lerner, and Commonweal co-founder, David set out to bring Healing Circles to Texas. He lost two wives and a sister to cancer and was drawn to this modality as a pathway to discovery and healing accessible to all. Together with Susan Rafte, they assembled a team of volunteers, hosts, advisers and organizations who were passionate about sharing Healing Circles in community. In the time of Covid the local team joined forces with the global movement, training circle hosts in 32 countries and 22 healthcare institutions.
David is a retired corporate executive of a regional and international construction company. He has served on many nonprofit boards and community organizations, most recently at the Jung Center Houston, Community for Conscious Aging, the Greater Houston Healing Collaborative and since 2016, as the Program Director of Commonweal overseeing the Texas initiative.
Becky Dodds, Director
Becky Dodds, MS, LPCA is a psychotherapist at the Center for Creative Resources in Houston, TX with supervisor Jyl Scott-Reagan. Becky holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and is a Certified facilitator and supervisor with the Center for Mind-Body Medicine where she works with trauma recovery and healing. In 2016, Becky became a certified yoga instructor (RYT 200) with a focused study in trauma-sensitive practices. Becky’s interest in healing and post-traumatic growth drew her to Healing Circles Houston where she serves the community as a host, guardian, and trainer.
Lindsay Espejel, Director
Lindsay Espejel is a Registered Nurse with more than 12 years of experience in a variety of nursing specialties. Her own personal journey of healing and her desire for community drew Lindsay to Healing Circles Houston. The transformative healing power of connection that she experienced in Circle ignited a commitment to share Healing Circles with nurses as a space of reprieve and care for the caregiver.
Lindsay serves as a host/guardian for Healing Circles in a variety of settings and serves on the Healing Circles Healthcare leadership team. She has coordinated Healing Circles for Healthcare training across more than 20 healthcare organizations to teach nurses and healthcare professionals the Healing Circles approach Lindsay is passionate about supporting whole systems healing and she is currently pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Integrative Health and Healing.