Hi, I’m Ricki. My work and creative pursuits sit at the intersection of social activism, spirituality, and subculture.

SONIC STORYTELLER aka DJ RICKI FREE
Dancing has always been my favorite form of medicine. Over time, I realized that I wanted to take the catharsis I felt while moving to music on the dance floor and transfer it to the decks, growing from a casual record collector to a vinyl DJ and event organizer (don’t worry, you’ll still nearly always find me on the dance floor). I embrace genres that represent the alternative subcultures of yesteryear, from vintage country and rockabilly to soul, RnB, funk, and disco.

HOLISTIC HEALTH PRACTITIONER
My guiding principle as a holistic health practitioner is the same as my guiding principle as a DJ: to help people find a sense of embodiment in an increasingly disembodied world, aligning their outer movements, interactions, and expressions with their inner rhythms and reconnecting with the most radiant, healthy version of themselves. I am certified through the Academy of Healing Nutrition and can offer 1:1 coaching and group workshops in the realm of healing nutrition, menstrual health, digestive health, and more. My approach blends the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine with the best of contemporary western nutrition science.

WRITER
I love exploring the world - both my inner world and the outer world at large - through words. My writing presents itself in a variety of forms ranging from personal narrative and food writing to lyrics and experimental poetry.

During the week, you can find me managing operations at a tech non-profit, where I use my 9+ years of experience in business administration, people operations, and project management to support an organization that's envisioning and architecting a future of healthy digital public spaces. I am not merely "based" but deeply rooted in Chicago, IL. This city is my forever muse.

Photo by Alex Connor @viciousiris