About Heart Lab's founder

Charlie has a BA from Macalester College. He was principle founder of the Boys to Men Mentoring Network of Minnesota and its executive director for 7 years. His work included creating healing curriculum and facilitating support circles.  This experience led him to direct and produce the documentary “Journeyman,” an award-winning film whic

Charlie has a BA from Macalester College. He was principle founder of the Boys to Men Mentoring Network of Minnesota and its executive director for 7 years. His work included creating healing curriculum and facilitating support circles.  This experience led him to direct and produce the documentary “Journeyman,” an award-winning film which was shown on a majority of PBS stations in the U.S. The film explores child raising breakdowns in American culture and profiles healing practices which can turn lives around. 

His 40+ years of work and service in 12 step programs led him to conceive and co-author “Welcoming the Spiritual Awakening Within Me” a workbook for Emotions Anonymous International. His decades of meditation practice led him to Common Ground meditation center of Minneapolis where he is one of the teachers of the Mindfulness and Recovery Group. He has developed curriculum and practices for a dozen different organizations. In 2022 he was a principal author of Heart Lab, a workbook to facilitate Mindful, Compassionate, Trauma- Informed Peer Recovery Groups. He has decades of peer support circle facilitation experience in many contexts. He has led many healing workshops and retreats both live and on line.  He now specializes in mindful, compassionate, trauma informed awakening and recovery.