Rev. Wakoh Shannon Hickey, PhD, BCC, is a board-certified professional chaplain, educator, scholar, and interfaith activist in the Napa Valley of California. Wakoh, the Japanese religious name she received when she was ordained as a priest of Soto Zen Buddhism in 2003, rhymes with "taco." It means something like "harmony and happiness." Wakoh has practiced Buddhism since 1983 and is currently seeking dual affiliation as a Unitarian Universalist minister. Her first career was as a journalist covering politics, business, and law in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her second was/is as a professor of Religious Studies. Her third is as a chaplain, in both university and medical settings. She has worked full-time in hospice care since 2018. She is also the author of a ground-breaking history of mind-body healing; a kayaker; a servant to two cats; and -- when she's got a good breeze and a clear field -- a pilot of stunt kites. Wakoh started InterPlaying in 2003 to balance the structure and rigors of Zen monastic practice and of academic life. She became a Certified Interplay Leader in 2014. She seeks ways to incorporate contemplative practices and InterPlay into both teaching and chaplaincy, to help people connect with themselves and one another, explore their creativity, and tap into self-acceptance, confidence, and joy!