When the pandemic began in 2020, I found myself struggling with deep anxiety and sleepless nights. My therapist introduced me to simple practices like box breathing and visualization, which became small anchors in the storm.

In November 2021, my father passed away. Along with my grief came a surge of anxiety and depression, compounded by the responsibilities of managing his estate and caring for our senior dogs. In those tender months, my therapist shared a piece of wisdom that still guides me: self-care is not a reward—it’s basic health. That reminder led me to acupuncture, massage, and the beginning of my exploration into the mind–body connection.

I discovered the Grief Support Network, where I attended virtual circles and joined their 6-week mindful grieving program. These communities gave me tools and companionship as I began tending to my own grief. When our beloved dog Bella passed soon after my father, I carried two losses at once. Honoring their memory brought me to a grief retreat in Maui with the Center for Somatic Grieving, where I went deeper into somatic practices and found kinship with others on the same path.

That experience—and the 9-month program that followed—made clear to me that I wanted to offer others the kind of presence and support I had received. Grief lives in the body as much as in the mind, and I felt called to help people meet it there.

Since then, I’ve continued to learn and grow, completing training with David Kessler and The Embody Lab, and pursuing studies in yoga, breathwork and movement therapy, and nervous system restoration. These practices have supported my own healing, and now they shape the way I companion others through grief and transition.