Meet the coaches
Hi, I’m Adriana!
I represent Healing Roots Together. I received my Master’s in Social Work from Boston College and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker practicing in New York State and Massachusetts. I am Latina and first-generation daughter of immigrants from Cuba and Puerto Rico. I live in NYS and have served communities in the Bronx, Harlem and Central New York. Every community I have served faces the same issue — disconnection. After 20 years as a community mental health provider I know that we can create community by healing our roots together.
Adriana’s Story
At the age of 34, my doctor told me that I was perimenopausal and would never be able to have children. This news was devastating, as I was ambivalent about having children, but I did not want the choice taken away from me. As my friends and peers embarked on their journey of parenthood, I rejoiced for them while wondering what my future held. Rather than grieving my loss, I immersed myself in my career, took on a second job, and ran two marathons.
During the pandemic, I immersed myself in caring for my houseplants because I realized that my usual coping mechanisms of yoga, running, and seeking support from family and friends were not enough to meet my needs. I needed to nurture and nourish myself. I found that houseplants are like us in many ways. Plants are just like humans and they too experience Birth or Germination, Trauma or Destruction and Death.
My career and service to others in need has helped me see that caring for houseplants and gardening can be a nourishing and healing experience. As a childless person, my garden and care for my houseplants helped fulfill the need to nurture during the hardest time we all experienced in a generation.
Adriana’s Experience
After nearly 10 years of successful leadership at a nonprofit in NYC, I decided to pursue my passion and start my own private practice — Healing Roots Together.
I have embarked on a mission to create a sanctuary for women like me — those who didn't fit neatly into established narratives. I envisioned a place where women experiencing childlessness could come together, where grief and mourning could be acknowledged and understood, and where tools for self-nurturing and personal growth could be shared.
My personal experience has not only shaped the organization I’ve founded but has also transformed me into a compassionate leader and advocate for women's emotional well-being. Through my unwavering dedication, I have created a haven where women can find connection, healing, and a renewed sense of purpose. My journey from a place of personal struggle to a position of empowerment and leadership stands as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of connecting with nature and community. I am also an experienced non-profit leader and I understand that in order to succeed in the corporate world as a BIPOC person (Black, Indigenous, (and) People of Color) requires mentorship and guidance.
Adriana’s Certifications:
Therapeutic Horticulture — I am certified to practice therapeutic horticulture where I utilize gardening as a medium to help people experience their feelings and learn about themselves through the plant life cycle.
Grief Education — I am a certified grief educator, trained by David Kessler, where I can help you learn and apply effective techniques to help you discover your inner strength and resilience in the face of loss.
Trauma-Informed Treatment — I am trained in evidence-based trauma treatments and all of my work is trauma-informed.
Hi, I’m Caroline!
I work as a consultant for Healing Roots Together. I’m 41 and currently live on Mount Desert Island in Maine with my partner Erik, dog Mercedes, and cat Bo. I grew up in New Jersey and lived in Virginia before I landed here. I received my Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University and I am a Licensed Master Social Worker practicing in Maine. I have served communities in NYC, Northern VA, and now in Downeast Maine. For 15 years, I’ve supported people who have trauma histories, depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, and those who are terminally ill. Currently, I work as a Recovery Projects Director at Healthy Acadia, a community health organization.
Caroline’s Journey
At 28, my mom passed away from brain cancer and at 32, after one round of IVF, Erik and I got pregnant with our baby girl Elle. 5 months later Elle died. After enduring 2 more rounds of failed IVF attempts, we decided to stop trying and accept that we might never have kids. From 28 to my mid 30s, was a time of deep grief.
Caroline’s Experience
Over the past 4 years, I’ve grown tremendously in my emotional, mental, and spiritual fortitude. This childless journey is ongoing and simultaneously, I’m living an awesome life. I have family and friends, I travel, visit loved ones, run, hike, play, read, cook, meditate, kayak, write, and I have a view of the Atlantic ocean. I’ve learned that in fact, I am a mother, just not in the traditional sense. I express my warmth and nurturing nature with my family members, friends, colleagues, clients I serve, and with the animals and plants of the earth. My love is expansive and the label of childless will never take that away from me.
If I could go back in time I would change one thing - I would have found a village of like-minded women much sooner than I did. So many of us suffer in isolation and it doesn’t have to be this way.
It would be an absolute honor to accompany you on this journey as you navigate this landscape of life without children. May we find connection, healing, and a renewed sense of purpose together.
Caroline’s Certifications
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
Level 1 Reiki
Grief Educator - student of David Kessler
Recovery Coach