Hi, I’m Lea—author, speaker, grief coach, and book mentor. But more than that, I’m a wife, a mom to five (three biological and two adopted), a storyteller, and a woman who has walked through deep loss and still believes in joy. We live in Mississippi, which makes me a northern girl stuck in a southern world.

I help people find healing, hope, and purpose after loss—because I know firsthand how grief can leave you feeling stuck, alone, and unsure of what comes next.

I started writing here on the blog in 2016, but in 2019, my world shifted when my father passed away. Less than a year later, my mom received a devastating cancer diagnosis. In 2020, we survived a complete house fire, and in the aftermath, my son spiraled into addiction. Then November 2025, my mom died. Loss after loss, I found myself wading through grief, facing the heartbreak of addiction, and piecing life back together after losing everything in the fire. Walking through both the practical and emotional aftermath of each loss was the loneliest and hardest season of my life. I write the complete story in my first book, “The Freedom to Feel: Finding God in the Midst of Grief and Trauma.” (order below)

Through it all, I realized something: we don’t grieve well as a culture. We’re taught to “be strong,” “move on,” and keep our pain hidden. But grief isn’t just about death—it’s also the loss of dreams, health, security, relationships, and life as we once knew it. And yet, so often, there isn’t space to process those deep wounds—especially the unexpected ones, like a house fire or addiction in the family.

That’s why I do what I do. No one should have to walk through grief alone.

Whether you’re navigating the weight of loss or longing to write the story that’s been placed on your heart, I’m here to walk with you. Because healing happens in community, and your story—your pain, your hope, your journey—matters.

But when I’m not writing or coaching, you can find me sipping coffee, running kids here and there, getting lost in a book, driving with the windows down, or laughing with my family and friends.