The more I listen, the more I learn that individuals and organizations alike don't know how to deal with those living with grief. As Vice President of Education and Workforce Development for a construction industry trade association, safety is a daily topic of conversation. When injury or death happen, trauma and grief are sure to follow. Through my work as a grief coach, my goal is to educate and support organizations and individuals on the impact of grief and loss. We are taking strides toward suicide prevention and total human health, yet grief is seldom part of the conversation. What is now often seen as awkward, I want to normalize.

Prior to entering the construction industry, I spent most of my career as a director of career planning at the university level and teaching career exploration and life skills to limited English proficient adults and youth. My related education and training includes: M.Ed. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages with an independent concentration in Career and Life Skills; B.A. in Business Management and Leadership; I’m certified to administer the DISC Behavior Analysis, and look forward to becoming a certified Reiki healer.

My gratitude motto is “give me two positives.” Family, friends, students, those whom I’ve coached and mentored, teams I’ve led (and virtually anyone else who will listen) all know that when faced with challenge, I’m going to ask them pause, reflect and “give me two positives.”