About Me
My Calling
The end of life holds a unique space in my heart. It wasn't the path I envisioned after graduate school, fresh with a psychology degree focused on aging. Back then, I started work at a housing service for seniors, then moved a world away to spend 15 years in commercial banking.​​
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My life took some unexpected turns, but one thing remained constant – my desire to support older adults. Today, I'm thrilled to be back where I began, working alongside people as they navigate the complexities of aging, grief, death, and what lies beyond.​
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This work is a calling; it's an honor and a privilege to walk with individuals and their loved ones through life's final chapter.
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My Experience
The year 2017 was a turning point fo me. Caring for both my parents, who passed away that spring, opened my eyes to the profound intimacy and complexities of end of life care. I felt unprepared and unsupported through their dying journeys.
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Four years later, the opportunity arose to walk with a dear friend through her final months.Witnessing her peaceful passing, guided by her wishes, solidified my calling. Her positive death experience ignited in me a deep desire to support others and to make things easier for them at their end of life. ​
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Fueled by this purpose, I became a hospice volunteer and pursued specialized training. My End of Life Doula certification from the Doulagivers Institute (2022) and additional training from INELDA (2024) equip me to offer the compassionate support others deserve as they navigate death and dying.
I've expanded my services to include grief coaching and education, drawing on a certification as a Grief Educator (2024) from renowned grief expert David Kessler.
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Today, working with patients and loved ones is undeniably the most fulfilling work of my life. I'm honored to be part of a movement that prioritizes a dignified and peaceful end of life experience for all.
Membership in Organizations
To promote the work of End of Life Doulas and Grief Educators, I am a member of the following organizations:
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Sarasota Area End-of-Life Doula Collective, Co-founder, Secretary-Treasurer, Membership Coordinator
My Credentials
I am also trained as a health and lifestyle coach and nutritionist. I have taken classes on effective communication, listening skills, boundaries, dementia, and death literacy.
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For those interested in my traditional credentials:
B.A. in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis
M.A. in Adult Development and Aging from Syracuse University
M.B.A. in Finance from Columbia University Graduate School of Business
Ph.D. in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health
Certifications and course work in nutrition, health and lifestyle coaching, end of life doula care, grief education, advance care planning, dementia, and death literacy.
Fun Fact
When I was in graduate school, I took my first course on death and dying with the famous Swiss-American psychiatrist Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, author of over 20 books on death and dying and a pioneer in raising awareness of terminal illness and death. Before her work, death was an unexplored and neglected topic in medical schools and American culture. Little did I know how famous Dr. Kubler-Ross would become! She later became the driving force behind the “death with dignity” movement in the 1970s and an advocate for hospice care. Her most famous contribution is her recognition of the five stages of grief as a pattern of adjustment to loss of all kinds: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
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Let life be beautiful like summer flowers and death like autumn leaves.
- Rabindranath Tagore
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Sorrow is an inseparable dimension of our human experience.
We suffer after a loss because we are human. And in our suffering, we are transformed.
― Alan D. Wolfelt
