Lydia brings to her consulting over 25 years in experiential learning teaching and school leadership, first as a Dean of Students and clinical director, and later as an Assistant Head of Waynflete School.

She is passionate about building vibrant school cultures that prioritize both the relationships and the psychological safety students and educators need to thrive. A trained Gestalt therapist and coach, her professional development offerings are highly collaborative, lively, and build on what is working well in each community.

Lydia coaches individual leaders in schools, colleges, camps, and service learning programs on building support systems and responding to challenges in ways that engage students and promote both resilience and shared responsibility for community well-being.

Lydia began her career as an Instructor and Staff Trainer for Outward Bound leading wilderness courses for teens, cancer survivors, resettled refugees, and adults seeking life and career renewal.

She was the director of “TIME in Maine: Teachings in Mindful Education” a 4 day summer workshop for educators seeking to shift the nature of teaching and learning in schools to one that prioritizes well-being as the foundation for academic rigor. She is the Founder of the New England Youth Identity Summit, a student-led diversity conference with over 300 annual participants and is trained as a Master Facilitator for Narrative 4’s storytelling exchange program. While at Waynflete, she helped design the “Can We? Project,” an experiment in revitalizing democracy through student dialogue across differences.

A cancer survivor herself, she believes our true impact as educators stems from our ability to be present to one another in times of both joy and despair. She maintains a private practice in Portland, ME.