Linda has been a Registered Nurse for about 40 years and a Health Care Executive for about 36 years. Throughout these years, Linda has had a growing interest in whole person care and in the integration of traditional allopathic medicine and approaches that have been referred to as complimentary or alternative. Over the last 10 years these interests have evolved to a growing passion for care of the whole person through effective approaches that are personalized and unique for each person. This passion motivated Linda to extensive study which continues to be on-going and to advocacy throughout the healthcare system for caring for people physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Linda’s background in healthcare includes hospital-based care in the areas of Psychiatry and Physical Rehabilitation. She also has extensive experience in private duty home care and specialized long term residential care for children with severe physical and cognitive “limitations.” These special children were incredible teachers about how the Light of our beingness shines through what some would call disabilities. In addition to being an RN, Linda has a Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration and in her administrative roles she has enjoyed working with—and learned a great deal from—many wonderful and dedicated healthcare professionals and paraprofessionals over the years.

In August of 2001, Linda’s husband and soul-mate left this physical life at the age of 47. This became a turning point in Linda’s life as she found herself plunged into a very intense journey of grief and spiritual crisis. What seemed like a time of hopelessness and extraordinary confusion became a remarkably sacred time of spiritual awakening and an incredibly passionate time of increasing self-awareness and discovery of personal Truth. This transformation came with a lot of struggling and seeking. Linda described herself as a “sponge” for knowledge and insight as she read, studied, and searched for that place of inner wisdom and the guidance of Spirit.

Beginning in the fall of 2001, Linda took every class that was offered through SCS—beginning with Healing with Energy. Over the course of the next couple of years Linda repeated these classes over and over again and also completed the NLP intensives. Linda also studied Reiki, became a Reiki Master, and participated in numerous other classes about energy healing and spiritual exploration. In addition to earning her certification as a Reiki Master, Linda also earned certification as a Master Practitioner and Trainer of SCS and a Master Practitioner and Trainer for NLP through the Society of Neuro-Linguistic Programming. This lead to licensure as a hypnotherapist through the American Board of Hypnotherapy.

Linda’s education continued as she completed a Ph.D. in Holistic Health as well as the necessary study and exploration to become an Ordained Interfaith Ministry through Reunion Ministries. In 2005 Linda completed yet one other certification—she became a Certified Laughter Leader through the World Laughter Tour organization! This certification is one that is especially meaningful to Linda because it so clearly represents how her journey from deep despair brought her to a place where there is even greater joy than ever before.

Linda was the first Trainer for SCS and absolutely loved teaching all of the SCS levels for a couple of years. After training with Richard Bandler in Orlando in early 2004, Linda also began incorporating more NLP techniques into her formal and informal teaching. In addition to teaching SCS Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4, Linda has enjoyed developing and teaching additional non-certification classes for various groups that have an interest in the learning more about Energy, NLP, and Healing.

Prior to answering the call to become the Chief Executive Officer at Hospice at Home, Linda had a growing Private Practice and she has found that no matter what the setting or professional role, she is blessed to work with a wide variety of people of various ages, beliefs, and stated needs. This has included working with children and adolescents who were experiencing struggles with school and/or learning, young adults with substance abuse and life-planning issues, adults who were challenged in their relationships, seekers who wanted someone to help facilitate their growing awareness and healing on their journey, and older adults who are challenged by end of life issues and the process of transitioning from physical life. Another aspect of Linda’s work has been to facilitate at weddings, funerals, and other sacred celebrations, as well as to co-facilitate the long-standing and on-going Grief Journey group.

Linda’s life has been a tapestry of many experiences, relationships, challenges, and opportunities. Through it all she has become more aware and mindful that it is ALL GOOD ... and it is ALL LEARNING. There are no mistakes—only opportunities for more learning and increased awareness—leading to inner healing, a state of balance, and a sense of being more authentic. Linda says, “When one is seeking, the Truth reveals itself through each step of the journey and one begins to realize that the Truth DOES set us free—free to experience more joy, love, hope, peace, trust and anything else of which one would want to experience more.”

This incredible journey led Linda to a hospice organization in Southwest Michigan—Hospice at Home, Inc. where she began as a full-time consultant in September of 2004 and since July of 2006 has been the President and CEO. Hospice at Home, Inc. has offices in Buchanan, St. Joseph, and South Haven and also a Family Grief and Bereavement Center known as Lory’s Place. Linda says, “Hospice work is what I am called to do, and it was immediately evident to me that I have been preparing for this work my entire life. It is not a job to me ... it is a calling and an incredible privilege to be able to learn and serve in this way. I work with a team of amazing, loving, wise people. Whole-person care is what hospice is about, as we live our mission—to help facilitate a pain-free, peaceful, sacred death for each person within the context of their own life.”

Linda has shared over and over again that the tools she learned from SCS and NLP continue to be foundational in her own healing journey and in the work that she feels blessed to do with so many. Becoming aware of, challenging, and then ultimately changing limiting beliefs has become life a way of life for Linda. As she often shares her own story, Linda says that she was once an expert at worrying and taking on guilt. Now her focus has shifted to staying centered in a place of trust. Linda continues to be both student and teacher and is incredibly humbled when she is mindful of where her journey has taken her and exceedingly grateful for all of the learning and healing along the way.