Hi, I’m Jenn (she/they).
I live with neurodivergence, madness, chronic illness, pain, and disability. My work is shaped by survival, grief, and what it means to keep choosing life in a world that often makes that feel impossible.
The Body Grief Coach grew from my own experience of living in a changing bodymind, navigating grief and loss, and moving through systems that did not always know how to care for me. My story includes childhood sexual abuse, involuntary psychiatric commitment, forced medication, and being labeled noncompliant when I was really trying to survive.
I turned to substances, self-injury, and disordered eating to stay alive. These were not failures. They were strategies. Over time, with care, support, and a deep reckoning with grief, I found safer ways to live in my bodymind. That process continues to shape how I understand survival, grief, autonomy, and change.
My work is rooted in disability justice, liberatory harm reduction, Mad Liberation, and the wisdom that comes from living through things. I am especially interested in the experiences of disabled and chronically ill folks, psych survivors, Mad and neurodivergent people, and those who are plural, multiple, or navigating altered states.
I’m not interested in forcing hope or finding a silver lining in everything. Sometimes things hurt, things change, and there isn’t a neat lesson in any of it. I’m interested in being honest about that, making room for grief, and figuring out how to keep going without abandoning ourselves.
These days, I’m stepping back from making direct support the center of The Body Grief Coach. I’m making more room for writing, gathering resources, exploring ideas, and sharing what I’m learning along the way. I still offer a small amount of 1:1 support and occasional consulting, but this work is becoming something broader than what happens in a session.
Learning and Lineages
Coaching Certifications
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Certified Grief Coach
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Certified Workplace Grief Coach
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Certified Health & Wellness Coach
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Certified Trauma-Informed Coach
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SHE RECOVERS® Coach
Eating Disorder and Body Liberation Training
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Certified Body Trust® Specialist
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Certified Eating Disorder Recovery Coach
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Eating Disorder Harm Reduction Course with Gloria Lucas
Community Care, Recovery, and Harm Reduction Training
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Certified Community Health Worker
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National Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist
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Certified Digital Peer Support Specialist
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Certified Trauma Support Specialist
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Certified Trainer, Recovery Coaching: A Harm Reduction Pathway
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Certified MAT Advocate
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Alternatives to Suicide Facilitator
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Hearing Voices Facilitator
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Mindful Recovery Facilitator
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Emotional CPR
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Harm Reduction Approach to Self-Injury
Death, Grief, and Threshold Studies
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Death Doula
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Deathwives Death School
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Nine Keys School of Death Arts
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Grief Immersion for Death Workers
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Ordained Animist Minister, Web of Life Animist Church
Yoga Certification
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Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT® 500)
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200-Hour Training: Trauma-Informed, Accessible, Adaptive, and Size-Inclusive Yoga
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300-Hour Training: Community and Health Resilience Yoga
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Collaborations and Contributions
Grief and Harm Reduction Initiatives
Act With Hope: After Grief and Loss in Peer Services (May 2025)
National Council for Mental Wellbeing
A webinar addressing grief and loss in substance use recovery for both clients and peer recovery support specialists. Offered practical strategies for navigating grief, fostering resilience, and supporting both workers and those they serve.
Empowering Recovery: Ethics and Shared Decision-Making in Behavioral Health (Sep to Oct 2024)
Harborview Behavioral Health Institute
A free, self-paced, accredited training on ethics and collaborative decision-making for behavioral health professionals, supporting client-centered care in substance use and mental health settings.
Peer-Led Grief Support Space for Harm Reductionists (Feb to Jul 2024)
National Council for Mental Wellbeing
A six-month pilot project offering monthly peer-led virtual gatherings for harm reduction workers to share, tend, and honor grief. Focused on building connection, community, and emotional support through harm reduction and collective care principles.
Community-Based Work
Group Facilitator, Harm Reduction Works
(Oct 2023 – Sep 2024)
Facilitated Harm Reduction Works groups for family and friends, offering a harm reduction-based approach within a supportive and compassionate space. Together, we shared coping strategies for stress, encouraged self-care, and exchanged valuable resources.
LGBTQIA2S+ Committee Member, NAADAC – The Association for Addiction Professionals
(Nov 2021 – Apr 2025)
Contributed to reviewing and promoting clinical standards supporting LGBTQIA2S+ individuals in addiction and mental health fields. Advised leadership on current issues, developed educational resources, and advocated for inclusive standards among professionals and agencies.
Community Crisis Response Team Member, Nashville Community Crisis Response
(Aug 2022 – Feb 2024)
Collaborated with community organizers to promote non-carceral mental health crisis responses. Facilitated workshops, connected people with resources, and contributed to a community survey to improve crisis response equity.
Domestic Violence Peer Support Group Facilitator, YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee
(Jan 2019 – Jun 2019)
Led weekly peer support sessions focused on domestic violence, centering harm reduction and creating space for compassionate conversations about substance use and the distinct challenges of substance use coercion. Offered support around grief, trauma, and collective care while fostering connection and community among residents.