Welcome!

This is the part where I get to tell you about myself.

If you read my blog, though, you’ll probably get a pretty good idea of who I am, what I do and where my passions are in life.

My core interests are family, spirituality, healing and wholeness, and social justice – their intersections and interconnections in our daily life and living from that center.

Thank you for joining me on this journey!

Professional life

I am a Reiki Master practitioner and teacher, life coach, retreat leader, writer and the owner of Dragonfly Reiki, in the Atlanta, GA area. I offer spiritual and energy-based healing and coaching to help women connect with deeper well-being, peace and wholeness they’re seeking in their daily lives.

I spent over 10 years in the corporate world in knowledge management and content management. I specialized in enterprise content management process and implementation, taxonomy, and working with offshore teams. I also spent several years offering website/social media support for Decatur Presbyterian Church.

Personal life

I grew up in Flushing, NY and despite nearly two decades in Atlanta, I am still fiercely proud to be a Queens girl. I began my studies at Queens College – CUNY, intending to earn a BFA in Fine Arts, but after moving to Atlanta, I transferred to Georgia State University, where I was a Faculty Scholar, earning a BA (Magna Cum Laude) in English – Creative Writing, with a minor in Philosophy – Religious Studies.

I have called Decatur GA my home since 1998. I’m married to Seth Young, and am a proud mom to a school-age daughter, adult stepson and an elderly (but still kicking!) dog.

I’m a published poet, with one chapbook, as well as two anthologies and a handful of journals where my work has been featured. I was active in the poetry and arts community here in Atlanta for a number of years as part of the Atlanta Poets Group.

I  regularly engage in Reiki practice, other healing arts, meditation, and prayer to cultivate a spiritually grounded, conscious life.   I grew up in an interfaith home, which was a big influence on my exploration of faith through various paths, whether they are contemplative or mystical practices or religious worship. I am active in church (my husband is a co-pastor of The Well, a new worshiping community in Atlanta) and currently working towards completion of the Certificate in Spiritual Formation at Columbia Theological Seminary.

I enjoy writing, gardening, photography, spending time with family and friends, as well as visiting museums and art galleries. I love to travel and be in nature. And of course I love to read anything ranging from poetry and novels to books on spirituality and philosophy.

Service-oriented life

Love your neighbor as yourself – or at least, I do my best! Giving back to my community is really important to me. Over the years I have served in local and global mission work in  number of ways: as a volunteer and board member for Decatur Cooperative Ministry, worked side-by-side with a community in the Agalta Valley through Honduras Outreach, met with visitors to Threshold Ministry at Decatur Presbyterian Church, and helped with fundraising for Veteran’s Heart Georgia. My Reiki students and I have hosted low-cost healing clinics for the public. I have also completed training in Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children program, whose aim is to end child sexual abuse.

In the news

I’ve been featured in the following articles:

• Atlanta Magazine, Janaury 2017: Do Alternative Therapies Really Work?
• Best Self Atlanta, January 2016: Into the Mystic
• U.S. News & World Report, August 2012: 8 More Ways To Find Time In Your Day

Why ‘A Life Itself’?

My blog name comes from the George Harrison song, “Life Itself“. My objective is simply to write, without a theme or constraint. Writing is an affirming, healing practice for me, and although the type of writing and subjects I write about change, my love affair with the written word and the process of writing has remained steady since I was a small child. Typically, though, the things I tend to enjoy writing about are parenting, motherhood, women’s issues, social justice, mind/body/spirit healing and spiritual practice.

Connect with Dana on Google+.