Who is The Tattooed Buddha

WHAT IS THE TATTOOED BUDDHA?

The Tattooed Buddha is a team of writers and readers, looking to make a small ding in the universe.

Beginning in January of 2015 as just a small, independent, online publication, The Tattooed Buddha has grown to be inclusive of many different views and voices. The goal is to foster an open dialogue for evolved approaches for dealing with life on a day to day basis, building community, encouraging mindful relationships and parenting, and always thinking outside the box.

The writing shared is thought provoking, moving, funny, and even at times sad as we tackle the true issues that every human being will encounter.

We invite you to join us on this journey; to set down the fixed notion of labels, and join hand in hand with us as we share and experience life together.

Meet The Team

Dana Gornall

Founder & Director

Dana Gornall is the founder of The Tattooed Buddha.

She started writing as soon as she could form sentences and has always known there was more to life than meets the eye. Becoming a mother was the first step on the winding, sometimes rocky, path of transformation and she has never looked back.

A writer, editor, sign language interpreter and lover of language, she finds bits of enlightenment in all of those connections. When not working or writing, you can find her lying outside in the dark night gazing up at the millions of stars, watching bad reality television, and holding onto every shred of time spent with her kids that are growing way too quickly.

You can also see her writing on The Tattooed Buddha, Elephant Journal, Be You Media and Yoga International.

Michelleanne Bradley

Director/Content Creator

Michelleanne Bradley is a practicing Pagan and Buddhist in the San Diego area. She was ordained into the Order of Interbeing by Thich Nhat Hanh in 2013. She completed two years of facilitator training with Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society, and has completed a Year to Live practice. She founded the Luminous Garden Sangha, and is a facilitator with Los Palomitas de Paz Sangha. Michelleanne’s focus in practice has been on the role of women in Buddhism (and really, everywhere).Michelleanne is a feminist, and writer, and consultant who says fuck a lot.

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Brent Purple Oliver

Writer & Podcast Team

Brent Purple Oliver is an award-eligible writer, mindfulness coach, and speaker. He’s spent more than 20 years studying and practicing fairly conventional forms of Buddhism. These days, he’s a politely radical proponent of the modern mindfulness movement, advocating for a universal, practical, non-religious path to happiness and self-transformation. Brent is a coach in Shinzen Young’s Unified Mindfulness system because it’s just such an approach. He works with individuals interested in everything from alleviating stress to pursuing classical enlightenment. He also coaches groups, and offers presentations to companies, schools, and organizations curious about the benefits of mindfulness.

In addition to being a columnist at The Tattooed Buddha, Brent’s writing has also appeared in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, and Morpheus. He lives in Lexington, KY with his wife, two cats, and a crippling addiction to horror. Swing by his website brentpurpleoliver.com for more information.

Shae Davidson

Writer, Tattooed Buddha Team

Historian Shae Davidson has worked in industrial and social history museums throughout Appalachia and has taught in West Virginia, Ohio, and Illinois. Shae’s past publications have included articles in Turning Wheel and Perspectives on Anarchist Theory.

John Lee Pendall

Editor & Audio Producer

John Pendall is a featured columnist & editor for the Tattooed Buddha, podcast host, musician, poet, and self-published author. He has a B.S. in psychology and lives between two cornfields in rural Illinois. His errant knowledge base covers, astronomy, theology, music theory, and quoting lines from movies. John practices the “Outer Way” which he describes as, “I guess it’s fundamentally DIY Buddhism and Taoism with a huge focus on autonomy, introspection, experiential learning and real world applicability. It isn’t traditional or secular. I only call it the Outer Way for convenience, it doesn’t actually have a name since it’s just about doing what comes naturally.” Feel free to check out his blog, Outer Way Zen.

Amy Cushing

Editor

Amy Cushing is a part-time yoga teacher, quarter-time writer, and full-time mom. As the Domestic CEO, she also specializes in finder of all things lost. She holds a B.S. in Political Science and an M.A. in English. She was an editor at Elephant Journal and has also had her writing featured in Elephant Journal and Be You Media Group.

Amy has been teaching yoga and meditation in the Phoenix-area since 2005, after earning her 200-hour Yoga Teaching certification from Martin and Jordan Kirk. She is currently working toward an Iyengar-focused certification in Yoga Therapy from Scottsdale Community College. She hopes to take her expertise to clinical settings, offering yoga and meditation to people during pre-op, post-op, and post-injury to help them on their way to healing.

Amy lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, two kids, and cute-but-a-little-bit-crazy pup.

Duane Toops

Sound Editor/Writer

Father, writer, poet and content creator. He has a BA in Religion, and is currently completing an MA in Humanities. Check out his website here.

Support Team

Deb Avery

Featured Writer & Social Media Promotion

Deb Avery lives in the Southern United States with her animals, surrounded by mighty oaks and woodlands. All of Nature is her friend and teacher. She is an avid gardener, reader of books, lover of all beings and also has been referred to as a “bit of a weird one,” which she takes as a compliment. Having lived in many diverse places, including several years abroad, she has learned first hand that deep inside we are all one and the same. She enjoys long walks with her dog Sam, yoga and meditation.