WELCOME!

I use visuals to make you feel seen, heard, and grounded in our collective journey towards justice.

START HERE.

 

This video covers:

  • Who I work with and the problems I solve

  • The most common visual tools I use: graphic recording, studio work, and templates

  • Pros, cons, and comparisons

  • How to get started (TL;DR: get in touch!)

 

Graphic recording

  • Great for making participants feel seen, heard, and engaged; and for making making dense information beautiful and accessible.

  • Charts and timelapse videos can be used as event artifacts, social media material, or shared with participants, funders, and community members.

  • Rio can silently capture key themes and quotes, or actively mirror back what she’s hearing and ask for participant reactions.

  • Current status: Rio only works digitally. She uses a tablet and projector for in-person events.

Rio opens the 200+ person Inaugural Gathering of the San Diego Food System Alliance for Food Vision 2030 in October 2021. Photo Credit: Hannah Bernabe for San Diego Food System Alliance.

Graphic facilitation

  • Rio designs and facilitates meetings with visuals at the center.

  • She uses everything from visual agendas so participants can see our journey to visual templates so folks understand how each discussion prompt fits into the larger conversation.

  • Current status: Rio is staying true to her inner introvert and only taking on select facilitation projects for the foreseeable future.

Visual coaching

  • Rio is a certified visual coach and offers a healing-centered program based on the SHIFT-IT Visual Coaching Process.®

  • The signature 15-hour program is specially designed for BIPOC folks with an in-between identity and who see healing work as structural work.

  • Program variations coming soon.

  • Current status: Rio is intentionally limiting her marketing and the number of clients she works with. Get in touch directly to learn more about the program.

The magnetism map (above) is one of 17 maps in the SHIFT-IT Visual Coaching Process® created by Christina Merkley and is part of the visioning phase. This is one of Rio’s personal maps (yes, she uses SHIFT-IT for her own personal processing!).

Digital templates

  • Great for collaborative activities, such as brainstorming, sorting, collecting insights, or creating action plans.

  • Designed for interactive platforms including google slides, mural, miro, jamboard, and more.

  • Use an existing template or work with Rio to create a custom template for your specific conversation.

Studio Work

  • Great for polished visual summaries of an event for funders, participants, or community members.

  • Can be used to communicate takeaways such as action steps or commitments, and processes such as interventions or logic models.

  • Typically complements written materials like a report, memo, or grant application.

  • Can be sized for social media, paper handouts, and more.

  • A studio piece is not created live, unlike a graphic recording. Instead, Rio and the client go back and forth on text, layout, and design.

 

Consulting + Training

  • Facilitation (virtual and in-person)

  • Graphic recording (virtual only)

  • Creating warm, inclusive, engaging spaces (virtual and in-person)

  • Designing meeting agendas and processes (virtual and in-person)

 

A note on abundance

I am always honored to be invited into a community to hold space, witness, or capture a gathering. It's important to me that my offerings are abundant, available, and accessible to as many people and conversations as possible.

I prioritize racial equity work. I offer discounts for events that explicitly address racial equity and organizations whose budgets have been affected by the covid19 pandemic. Here is a list of questions that I ask folks to consider as they decide whether they are eligible for the racial equity discount:

  • Does this gathering address racism, not race, as a social determinant of health? 

  • Does this process center and serve people historically at the margins? 

  • Does the ultimate outcome include transferring power to those who currently have less? 

  • Are the majority of people crafting and attending this event BIPOC? 

  • What is the difference in privilege and positionality between the funding organization and the graphic recorder? Rio's clients range from Fortune 500 companies to grassroots groups; she moves though the world as a second-generation Asian American woman.

I have an abundant economy policy. In practice, this means I state my standard rates and -- after intentional conversations about ourselves, what it is we value in the world, and what we want to see grow -- find a trade that works for both of us.

I try to make my work as accessible as possible and am always open to feedback. I use visually accessible color palettes and have worked with partners to create alt text describing my work. For events that do not happen in English, I am happy to refer work to graphic recorders who are native speakers, work with interpreters, or have my work translated.