ABOUT ME

---

     My very first summer job as a teenager was working in a nursing home as a certified nurse's aide. I kept this job through college, loving the human connections I made and the gratifying feeling of meaningful work. There I began cultivating my firm belief that how we approach and care for those at the end of life is integral to the health of not only humanity, but the future of our world.

    I shifted direction after college, working as an early childhood teacher and school librarian, and writing educational articles and blogs. I was jolted out of my complacency, as so many were, by the heartbreaking effects of the COVID pandemic. As death and dying loomed larger in the news and daily conversation, I heard frequently about the growing role of end-of-life doulas in holistic, compassionate, end-of-life planning and care. I felt immediately called to the profession, and with the support of my family, I completed the training for an End-of-Life Doula career at UVM's Larner College of Medicine. 

    In addition to certifications from UVM as both an End-of-Life Doula and Companion Animal End-of-Life Doula, I am a Reiki Master, with training in Gentle Touch massage, herbalism, guided meditation, and aromatherapy.  I am also a hospice volunteer. My husband and I have recently become "empty nesters," as the last two of my five children have headed off to college. Luckily, we have two poodles, 17 chickens, and a fat-tailed gecko to keep us in good form.