We have much to learn from the natural world, including the subtle lessons of compassion, beauty, stillness, and patience. A contemplative with an artist’s heart, I retired from Cornell University in June 2022 to devote time to Circle of Trust® facilitation, gardening, painting, and time with family and friends. At Cornell, I taught numerous courses, and co-led a garden-based outreach program for 38 years; my professional work has centered plants and human well-being, garden-based learning, and the intersections of art and horticulture. I have been the recipient of numerous national teaching and writing awards.
I offer keen attention to mindfulness, creativity, personal growth, and cultivating community in my facilitation, whether engaging with retreat participants, students, or online learners around the world. I am an ICF Certificated Integral Professional Coach, fostering spaces into which I can bring reflection with keen listening, insight, and energy. As the demands of contemporary living increase, my intention is to help to close the gap between where we find ourselves currently, and who we might long to become, in our personal and professional lives, by supporting transitions, tapping into our gifts to access our strengths, and pursuing clarity about meaning and purpose – all while engaging with this beautiful earth.
I am a visual artist, and my paintings reflect a love of, and interest in, the natural world. My work has been shown in galleries throughout central and western New York, and two pieces were recently featured in a Canadian botanical art exhibition. I have created large scale earth art pieces in collaboration with Cornell University students, and am moving into new media.
I live in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State with my husband Scott, and a cat named Dottie. Together we enjoy cooking, hiking, paddle boarding, cycling, and cross-country skiing. We have two strong-spirited adult sons. I love our peaceful back yard garden as a true sanctuary, and am a zealot for cooking and eating with our friends – my mom taught me how to preserve the bounty in our garden, and until she passed away last summer at age 90, we often worked together there, and in the kitchen. Courage work is a joy and I look forward to how our paths cross.