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 co-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.
The desire to connect with people on a deeper level has always been the catalyst for writing and still is every single time she sits down at the computer to bleed her heart onto the page. 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 or dancing in the kitchen with her children.
You can also see her writing on The Tattooed Buddha, Elephant Journal, Be You Media and Yoga International.

Alicia "Woz" Wozniak
Editor
Alicia “Woz” Wozniak is a Clevelander living in Florida, with the rest of Ohio. Tired of snow and cold, she and her daughter, Weez, moved to the Sunshine State from the Buckeye State in 2009. Since then, she’s been pretty happy; perpetual summer suits her well. A lover of words, particularly the funny ones, she’s a writer and editor who is very hesitant to have any tattooed on her body out of fear of permanent typos, but she’s very ready for another one; number six. Friends told Woz many years ago to start a blog. This platform has enabled her to develop her writing skills; making people laugh through her stories makes for a good day. She’s further developed her writing and, ultimately, her editing skills with elephant journal, The Well Written Woman, The Salvaged Boutique, and, of course, The Tattooed Buddha. She gives thanks for opportunities to hone her crafts and wade waist deep in words.

Peter Schaller
Editor & Wellness Content Creator

Brent Purple Oliver
Recruiter & Podcast Team
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.

Daniel Scharpenburg
Columnist & Workshop Faciiltator
He believes the path is really about opening ourselves up and becoming more genuine and real. His main focus is on the Mindfulness practices rooted in the earliest Zen teachings. He believes these teachings can be shared with a little more simplicity and humility than we often see. He has been called “a great everyman teacher” and “really down to earth”. He believes in meeting people where they are and sharing teachings as widely as he can.
He was declared a teacher in the Dharma Winds Zen Tradition. Prior to that he spent time as a Bodhisattva Monk in the Korean Zen tradition and as a Dharma Facilitator in the Tibetan Rime tradition.
Daniel writes for a few websites including The Tattooed Buddha and Elephant Journal.

John Lee Pendall
Editor & Sound Editor
Support Team

Sherrin Fitzer
Social Media Marketing

Deb Avery
Featured Writer & Social Media Promotion