Welcome!
I’m Freda - human to three felines, lover of the arts, and at my best in nature. I live in pastoral Lancaster County, PA. For nearly 30 years I’ve served in a variety of capacities supporting adults with intellectual disabilities.
In addition to my professional career, I’ve earned my life coach certification and am pleased to serve a wonderful group of clients – most of whom are women in transition. As part of my coaching practice, I’m also passionate about leading women’s groups and retreats.
Some clients describe me as warm, kind, and caring.
In this spirit of compassionate interest, I ask you (in the words of Mary Oliver):
Tell me, what do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
I’m here to journey with you as you explore this pivotal question.
A Glimpse into My Journey
My life-coaching practice is the culmination of my own losing and seeking and finding. Walking this path, in the words of Barbra Brown Taylor, has led me to “a wholeness more real than the most real brokenness.”
While journeying out of the systemic maze into which I was born, I spent many seasons in a sort of “no man’s land.” I had counted on my social structures of origin to guide me into wholesome living. Instead, those structures left me with holes in my soul. As a result, disillusionment and despair frequently enveloped me like a snow squall, reducing my visibility and slowing my progress to a crawl.
I craved for connection with someone who could truly relate to my struggles -- one who comprehended the nuanced dynamics of my particular transitions and identity crisis. When I closed my eyes and dreamed of what real comfort might feel like, l yearned for solace and rejuvenation like that which comes from a hearth and a warm, crackling fire. I longed for a “lantern” to illuminate the steps I would take in my uncharted wandering.
Now, decades into my journey of healing, I have become the person and the resource to fulfill what I sought. And I’m grateful to serve in that role for others in need.
What My Lantern Has Illuminated Over the Years
As an avid student in the school of life, I have been graced to discover:
- a sturdy sense of self and hard-won courage to hear my own voice…despite growing up under harsh “rules of conformity” in a conservative culture.
- a spacious spirituality that sees the initials of the Divine in stars, the neighbors’ eyes, and even in the poignancy of my own vulnerability.
- interconnectedness with the greater global family reminding me that “there is suffering, hardship, heroism, beauty, and love everywhere.” (Kristi Nelson)
- insights into how several systems can operate in a healthy manner, including familial, cultural, and religious.
Consequently, Hearth and Lantern Coaching offers clients help in finding:
- an invitation to exercise self-awareness and self-governing.
- suggestions for healthy self-care and resources for recharging.
- a resetting of a personal compass for those who have suffered disorienting circumstances.
- renewal of zeal and life vision.
“Sit. Feast on your life.”
(Derek Wallcot)
Here Is How I Believe I Can Help
Awaiting you hearthside,
Freda
