is a doctoral candidate in Counseling Psychology at UC Santa Barbara; a steward member of The Blacker the Brain (TBTB), an interdisciplinary collective founded by Thea Monyeé, committed to decolonizing mental health and making mental health inclusive and expansive for Black/marginalized bodies; and a student of the decolonial movement, committed to the lifelong work of unlearning and divesting from white colonial ways of being to restore harmony and balance and co-create a more liberatory and joy-centered world. As a Kindred fellow, Kristina’s dissertation research focuses on exploring healing practitioners’ experiences with the TBTB Joy Assessment as a liberatory, joy-centered approach to healing, rooted in Black liberation and Eco-Womanist praxis.

 As part of sustaining her lifelong commitment to collective liberation, Kristina finds joy and healing in authentic presence, slowing down, being with nature, and listening to music she can’t help but dance to.