Testimonials
"Being supported by Melanie in the depths of my grief has been transformative.
As someone relatively new to feeling sensations of deep grief, Melanie created a container held by her full humanity, resources from nature, and ancestral support that felt bigger than any of the grief I was moving through.
She holds a compassionate, warm, nonjudgmental container where everything feels allowed, and nothing feels “too big” to carry. Melanie has a way of connecting pieces of myself that I would have never thought to relate, which has led to alchemy and transformation towards so much more nourishment and ease, even within moments of difficulty. With Melanie’s support, I feel so much more resourced to meet the waves of grief as they occur in my day-to-day life, and I feel so much more equipped to meet them with compassion, care, and invitations towards sensations of more vibrancy and aliveness rather than shutdown or collapse. Melanie’s support has been a grounding presence in difficult times, and I am so grateful for our work together. I would highly recommend support from Melanie for anyone who wants to alchemize grief in a gentle, easeful way that creates lasting transformation."
-Rebecca Studer
"Grief, death, and my own mortality have been important topics in my personal and professional life for decades. It easily slips to the back burner.
Coming up on my 71st birthday in my 45th year of practice as a clinical psychologist helps bring it forward. This course welcomed me closer to this profound aspect of my existence in a wonderful new way. To garden, to follow, to hold grief awaiting the gifts, the harvest, to invite intimacy with it. Wow! This course created a safe space with skillful guides who helped me move beyond my experience of grief as something to be “processed” or resolved."
- Alan McFarland
Clinical psychologist in Springfield VA
"I thought the work of a death doula was limited to people in hospice or with terminal illnesses, but I see now that the death doula’s scope of work is much wider.
Though I am not facing a terminal illness, I renewed my perspective on life while imagining I had only three months left. One of the most helpful realizations I made is that I was continually“tabling” things until “later.”
But when “later” doesn’t exist, priorities quickly become more defined and “tabling” important things begins to feel like an assault to the self. Thankfully, I have the option of applying this realization going forward in my life, hopefully for many more years.
Working with Melanie also helped me process my dad’s death. I had no support from a doula or even a hospital chaplain when he died nine years ago and I have been casting about ever since trying to find peace around his death in our death-averse culture. Melanie helped normalize my experiences with and feelings about watching my dad die and this feels like a huge weight has been lifted off of me. The pain of losing my dad will never go away, but being able to work through the experience with Melanie has helped me with the grieving process.
Death is a normal part of life, and our culture is in desperate need of learning how to cope with it. As a death doula, Melanie offers education, guidance, and comfort to anyone facing death, to anyone anticipating or grieving the death of a loved one, and to anyone who desires to be more present and make the most of life. I believe everyone, regardless of health status, would benefit from completing a Best Three Months Care Plan with Melanie.”
- Rachel Hills
"From the moment I met Melanie, I was touched by the deep connection she has to her purpose. Her ability to truly embody such grace and compassion as she interacts with others is unparalleled.
I was fortunate to have participated in a workshop she created and facilitated called Gardening our Grief. With her gentle prompts to us we felt comfortable sharing our feelings. Her calming voice as she spoke comforting words to us made me feel so loved. With her empathetic support for us all, she made me feel heard and supported. It was a beautiful experience and so helpful as I’ve been processing the grief from losing my mom. Thank you, Melanie, for doing this workshop. It was truly a gift you gave us."
- Karla F.
"I came to this space overwhelmed by unwanted heaviness and anxiety but left feeling seen, validated and recharged.
I found community and comfort from complete strangers who somehow were able to articulate the pain of my heart I hadn't yet been able to name. I left with more to consider and more hope for my ability to navigate this grief in the future."
- Andi France
