I describe myself as a self-motivated learner, devoted to positive self-cultivation, in service to the growth and development of my family, friends, and greater community. Blessed by the love, care, and guidance of my father, Rev. Gola Wolf Richards, I have been raised in a contemplative tradition reflecting the Chinese Book of Changes (I Ching); within a family context where learning how to apply wisdom to life’s difficulties and challenges is considered the highest form of art.  Following in the footsteps of my father, my passion is to teach others the art of conflict-resolution; based on the understanding that: Integral dynamics for world peace increase, as individuals learn profound orientations for maturing how we manage actual and potential conflicts, within and around ourselves.

As a human development educator, the value of any concepts I teach fundamentally depends on whether I am able to authentically actualize them, in the character of my personality.  With this in mind, my approach to education stems from the daily practice of striving through contemplation, for clarity in interpreting the complexities involved in my life, and the lives of those around me.  What I teach then not only comes from decades of studying psycho-philosophic principles of Change, but most importantly, from applying these principles in day-to-day struggles, with commonplace human concerns.  In this sense, the insights that I share have been earned through contemplative discipline; reflecting how a profound orientation to conflict-resolution is practical and integral, to how happiness and sanity must be sustained.

Along with teaching and consulting, music is a meaningful outlet for me to contribute to the contemplative arts.  Under the name Dove Pax, my wife, Jessica Richards, and I write and produce original music inspired by the principles we strive to live by, in our efforts to be the best versions of ourselves. By contributing our music and production support, it is our joy to regularly collaborate with my father, in support of his contemplative audio and video works at BroadcastWisdom.com; where we also serve as board members for The Institute for Contemplative Education.