Brycken Olive

Brycken Olive began at Meridian intending to pursue a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, but the experience soon opened a wider path. Inspired by the program and the community around it, Brycken shifted into the PhD program, drawn by a way of learning that felt both rigorous and alive.

As an experiential learner, Brycken had long searched for educational spaces that allowed for more than intellectual engagement. At Meridian, the material could be studied, reflected on, embodied, and brought into creative practice.

“My whole life, I’ve always looked for schools that are a little different because I’m an experiential learner,” Brycken said. “With Meridian, there’s a place for me here. I felt like I could actually live the material, reflect the material, be with it, and really bring in my creativity.”

That sense of belonging has been especially meaningful because creativity is central to Brycken’s life and work. As an artist, dancer, and somatic practitioner, Brycken wanted a learning environment that could hold the depth of personal transformation while also making room for movement, imagination, and expressive arts.

Meridian’s online structure has also supported Brycken’s learning. The rhythm of one class each week creates consistency and connection, while still allowing space for creativity and spontaneity.

“The way the platform is set up, the one class per week really feels good,” Brycken said. “It’s very structured yet has a creative unfoldment that’s not so much a box but a skeleton. There’s structure but freedom to move.”

For Brycken, the program has deepened a lifelong commitment to working creatively with others. Having practiced somatic work for years, Brycken sees the PhD as part of a larger progression: integrating art, movement, healing, therapy, and psychology.

Brycken’s path toward psychology has grown out of a lifelong relationship with creativity and healing. Art, movement, and dance have been sources of personal healing, while somatic therapy has become a way to offer that healing presence to others. Pursuing psychology feels like a natural next step: a way to bring creativity more fully into the field and offer it to others.

Her experience at the Transformative Learning Lab was a powerful embodiment of this experience. Meeting peers and faculty in person after getting to know them online felt present, meaningful, and deeply connective. Brycken described being able to express through dance when words were not enough, and having that expression witnessed and reflected back by the community.

Looking ahead, Brycken hopes to teach expressive arts therapy and somatic expressive arts therapy, while continuing to work with people through creativity, movement, and embodied practice. The journey continues to unfold with each new day, month, and stage of learning.

“I am living the dream creatively,” Brycken said.

For students considering Meridian, Brycken’s encouragement is simple and wholehearted: