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Beth Haggett, Ph.D.

24 May 2016
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Beth Haggett, Ph.D.
Mind-Body Medicine

“I’ve witnessed the benefits of mind-body medicine and welcome the opportunity to help expose others to its power.”

Nurturer

“Saybrook is what they say they are—humanistic. As a student, my teachers went the extra mile for me. Today, as a professor, it’s an honor to carry that tradition forward.”

Call it human instinct. Call it an intuitive ability to thrive. Coaching comes naturally to Saybrook professor Beth Haggett, Ph.D.

In addition to her graduate students at Saybrook, she trains internal coaches for large high-tech companies how to build more meaningful relationships with colleagues and customers. But it’s not always easy—especially on days when she finds herself walking into a room full of IT professionals with an agenda that includes teaching them “how to breathe.”

“It takes courage to not be scared that I might be rejected because they think it’s weird,” admits Dr. Haggett, relaying a story about a training session she was hired to co-teach with a high-profile tech executive. “I started out teaching that self-awareness requires tuning in to our breathing and noticing what’s going on with our body.”

Dr. Haggett’s Internal Coach Training course is a “best practices” in the customer support industry and is licensed by Help Desk Institute, the Consortium for Service Innovation, Novo Nordisk, and Dell Computers. But it broke the corporate mold and made the executive she was co-teaching with very uncomfortable at first.

“He said, ‘Seriously, are we going to do yoga too?’” recalls Dr. Haggett, a licensed clinical social worker who complemented her professional success with a Saybrook Ph.D. in Mind-Body Medicine in 2012. “By break time, everyone was gathered around me wanting to know more, and the co-teacher turned out to be a big fan as well!”

Whether it’s with her clients—who include Dell Computers, Autodesk, and Yahoo—or her students, Dr. Haggett says her mission is to give people the tools they need to thrive and cultivate healthy habits. She tries to lead by example, which starts with making sure she has her own life and family in balance.

“I always try to walk my talk. So if I’m tired, I need to make sure I get those self-care things in,” she explains. “I do want to make a difference on many levels, but I want to do it mindfully.”

In fact, a self-guided imagery experience while at a Saybrook residential conference led her to convince her husband to sell their home and move to a remote area of Utah, where she spends her down time riding her horse, meeting local ranchers, and nurturing her young grandchildren. From there, she runs her business and creates new, humanistic-based curriculum for Saybrook and major corporations—including a project with the Veteran’s Administration in Topeka, Kansas.

Being back at Saybrook as a professor brings her journey full-circle, a way for her to continue to feed her love of learning with a desire to nurture the next generation of humanistic practitioners.

“My own professors at Saybrook set the bar for me,” explains Dr. Haggett, who is also a personal and executive coach, speaker, organizational consultant, and aspiring author. “It’s important to step into that place of trust immediately, from the first class.”

Dr. Haggett says she is grateful to have found her niche in life, and to continue finding ways to incorporate mind-body medicine into her career.

“I felt like an outsider for a long time, but now people respect what I bring, and that’s very rewarding,” she says. “I feel like I’m part of a movement. Saybrook is teaching students what they need to know to help the world. There is so much going on in this growing field that I know together we will have a lasting impact.”

Saybrook nutrition student on Integrative and Functional Nutrition in clinical practice

19 May 2016
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Brianne Morwood, RD, CD, LDN, is  a dietitian and a student in the first cohort of Saybrook’s new Master’s of Science Program in Integrative and Functional Nutrition. Another student in this cohort, Karmen Gregg, is interviewing the cohort members and creating blog postings about each.  Here are Brianne’s responses to a series of interview questions.

What motivated you to pursue integrative nutrition versus conventional dietary treatments alone?

Conventional treatments often have a limited and superficial effect on health, while an integrative approach can identify the underlying cause of disease, thereby providing a lasting treatment and cure. The challenge of this aspect of nutrition was both inspiring and motivating as I begin my career as a dietitian.

If you had to choose one attribute that is unique to Saybrook University and your education experience, what would it be? Why?
Although Saybrook provides education through an online, distance format, the amount of support provided by professors, staff, and peers is exceptional. The residential conference allowed peers to interact and bond before beginning the program, and this friendship has continued throughout each term.

What do you think are the most important attributes and competencies for integrative nutritionists?
An integrative nutritionist should always be familiar with the latest research, as health and nutrition are continually changing. Additionally, one working in this field must be able to compile a list of effective treatment options and work with patients to determine which would be most appropriate for their situation. Thorough education and close monitoring are essential, as the patient’s primary care provider may not be familiar with interactions between dietary supplements and medications, and may not recognize the patient’s reactions to integrative treatments.

As an integrative nutritionist or dietician, what is your approach toward patient care?
As an integrative dietitian, my approach to care is individualized to the specific needs of my patients. Each patient has a unique past medical history and symptomatology, and thus each must be provided with a unique treatment plan.

How influential was the residential conference on your personal and professional growth? Describe any mind-­body approaches that you have adapted as a self-­care strategy, as well as incorporated into patient care plans to enhance well-being.
The residential conference provided an excellent foundation in mind­-body approaches to self care for both my personal life and my practice. My eyes were opened to the variety of mind-­body approaches available, and I briefly learned how to perform each, which improved my confidence in applying the techniques to my future practice. Currently I am working more to incorporate meditation into my daily routine, which will prove quite beneficial while enrolled in a demanding master’s program and working full time. The residential conference also promoted development of friendships with my peers, which has led to invaluable relationships throughout the program.

Since you enrolled in the program, how are you applying this knowledge into your personal and professional life?
Since enrolled in the program, I have been working to apply my knowledge of laboratory values and supplements to my assessment of patients. Recently, I have been working to incorporate aspects of the Nutrition-Focused Physical Exam, and I am seeking hands on training in the near future. As for my personal life, I have continued to incorporate mindful eating into my daily routine, and this has proven quite effective.

How do you envision the emerging field of integrative medicine and nutrition within the current medical model?
I envision that integrative medicine and nutrition will become an essential component of the current medical model. Conventional treatments often do not cure the underlying cause of disease, and patients are becoming quite frustrated with the lack of improvement in their health, causing them to turn to a more integrative approach. Additionally, with the changes in reimbursement, health systems may be looking for ways to decrease cost and increase outcomes, which integrative medicine and nutrition can provide.

What is your professional goal, or what career do you hope to pursue after graduation?
My dream is to open a wellness center that incorporates a variety of approaches to achieving and maintaining health. From meditation and massage therapy to fitness, nutrition, chiropractic care, and naturopathic medicine, this center will promote health and wellness by treating the underlying causes of dysfunction and disease.

Saybrook instructor speaks on integrative approaches to palliative care

20 April 2016
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Dr. Leila Kozak

Leila Kozak, PhD,is the Director of Integrative Medicine in Palliative Care for Paliativos Sin Fronteras (Palliative Care Providers Without Borders).  She is a Saybrook University graduate and an instructor in the Saybrook University College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences.  Dr. Kozak is currently a “Clinical Champion” at the Office of Patient-Centered Care and Culture Transformation at the Veterans Administration Central Office and works locally with VA Puget Sound Health Care System in advancing patient-centered care and integrative health for Veterans. She will be delivering a keynote address and conducting a breakout session at the Palliative Care Institute Spring Conference, May 13-14, 2016 at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.

Palliative care providers are increasingly seeking non-pharmacological supportive interventions to increase comfort and quality of life, which has led to the integration of complementary therapies within palliative care environments. A variety of complementary therapies have been shown to reduce suffering and improve quality of life in palliative care populations. This emerging field of integrative palliative care brings wonderful opportunities as well as challenges.

In her keynote, Dr. Kozak will discuss the opportunities and challenges related to the use of integrative modalities in palliative care, including acupuncture, aromatherapy, biofield therapies (Healing Touch, Therapeutic Touch, and Reiki), expressive arts therapies (art, writing, and music methods), massage, mind-body interventions, and movement approaches.

Dr. Kozak’s break out session will discuss “The Role of Touch Therapies in Enhancing the Patient Experience.” Her presentation was inspired by a video interview describing the implementation of touch therapies at VA hospitals, in which a Veteran undergoing palliative care described his experience receiving massage: “It makes you feel that you are not just a thing, you are a person.” During the 90 minute session, Dr. Kozak will introduce participants to various touch therapies, describing affordability and costs and emphasizing evidence and the role of these modalities in symptom management and quality of life. The session will also provide practical strategies that participants can use to implement touch therapies at their medical facilities.

Readers may register for the conference at:

https://ee-portal.wwu.edu/courseDisplay.cfm?schID=266

A massage therapy session for a veteran at the Ann Arbor, Michigan VA clinic

Saybrook dean conducts free webinar on heart rate variability training

12 April 2016
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Dean Don Moss

Heart rate variability (HRV) is the moment to moment fluctuation in heart rate, or the variation in the small segment of time between heart beats.  Human beings with higher heart rate variability experience better general health, wellness, and resilience.  Persons with lowered heart rate variability are more likely to experience anxiety, depression, and a variety of physical illnesses.  Patients with heart disease who show lower HRV are more likely to suffer additional heart problems and even sudden death.  Higher HRV is correlated with longer life in cardiac patients and in the general population.

Today, with heart rate variability biofeedback, health professionals can train human beings to increase their heart rate variability.  This training is helpful in treating anxiety, depression, PTSD, asthma, and a host of other medical and mental health problems.

On April 19, 2016 from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM, Saybrook University Dean Donald Moss will conduct a free webinar for the Biofeedback Federation of Europe. The webinar will cover several critical topics regarding heart rate variability biofeedback:  1) What is heart rate variability? 2) Why should a health professional care about heart rate variability? 3) What do we actually train in HRV biofeedback? and 4) What does research show us about the usefulness of HRV biofeedback for common medical and mental health disorders?

This webinar will also report some of the promising uses of HRV biofeedback emerging in optimal performance and coaching practice. The presentation will also include a case study of an individual with public speaking anxiety who benefited from HRV biofeedback

Registration is now closed.

Donald Moss, Ph.D., is Dean of the College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences, at Saybrook University.  There he has built training programs in clinical hypnosis, biofeedback, integrative mental health, and integrative and functional nutrition.  Dr. Moss has served as president of Division 30 (hypnosis) of the American Psychological Association, president of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB), and president of the Michigan Society for Behavioral Medicine and Biofeedback.  He is currently President-Elect of the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.

Moss is co-editor of Foundations of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback (AAPB, 2016), co-author of Pathways to Illness, Pathways to Health (Springer, 2013), chief editor of Handbook of Mind-Body Medicine for Primary Care (Sage, 2003) and Humanistic and Transpersonal Psychology (Greenwood, 1998). He currently has a new book under contract for Springer with co-author Angele McGrady on Integrative pathways:  Navigating chronic illness with a mind-body-spirit approach.   He is chief editor of Biofeedback: A Clinical Journal, a quarterly publication and has edited a number of special issues on hypnosis, pediatric applications, and related topics.  He has been an associate editor or consulting editor for the journals Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, the Journal of Neurotherapy, Psychophysiology Today, and other journals.  He has published over 70 articles and book chapters on psychophysiology, spirituality, health, and integrative medicine.

Saybrook University nutrition webinar on fit versus frail: Nutrition and exercise for maintaining strength, function, and independence while aging

31 March 2016
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Saybrook’s College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences presents an online webinar on maintaining strength and independence while aging.  The speaker is Dr. Jeannemarie Beiseigel, Director of the Saybrook University Master’s of Science degree program in integrative and functional nutrition.

The webinar is available on YouTube.

Getting older is not for the weak.  Diet and lifestyle can, to an extent, slow physiological aging by preserving lean tissue and strength.  This talk will review the role of nutrition and exercise in preventing and reversing age-related loss of muscle mass and function.  Dr. Beiseigel will discuss recommendations and considerations for practice and future research.

Bio-sketch:  Jeannemarie Beiseigel, Ph.D., RD, LD, CSSD, is a Registered Dietician/Nutritionist and a Licensed Nutritionist.  She earned her M.S. and Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic, completed an internship at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and worked on post-doc research through the USDA.  She later served as Senior Scientist for the Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition with General Mills, and spent six years overall doing research and development in the food and dietary supplement industries where she reviewed the science and actively monitored field progress and regulations of the functional ingredients in foods and dietary supplements.

Sandy Gebhart, student in Saybrook’s inaugural class in nutrition, describes her use of integrative and functional nutrition in clinical practice

30 March 2016
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Sandy Gebhart is a student in the first cohort of Saybrook’s new Master’s of Science Program in Integrative and Functional Nutrition. Another student in this cohort, Karmen Gregg, is interviewing the cohort members and creating blog postings about each.
There is something special and unique about being an inaugural cohort. A roller coaster of emotions surrounded us all as we started this amazing Master’s of Science program in Integrative and Functional Nutrition.

 We were intrigued and excited about the unknown, and driven by the passion for food and nutrition and the foundations for building a healthy, vibrant life. Now that we have all settled in, deep into our second semester, we have adapted and progressed personally and professionally. I wanted to check in with the amazing women that I’m share this journey with to see what brought them to Saybrook, what motivated them, and what is in store for them after this Saybrook journey.

This blog entry reports on an interview with Sandy Gebhart. Sandy is working as a registered dietitian and health coach for a company called Total Nutrition Technology, Inc., in Charlotte, North Carolina. She learns more each day with each client she encounters about the biological individuality of each client and each client’s unique biochemistry. She has already incorporated some of the integrative nutrition techniques learned in her Saybrook courses, coaching clients through specific diets and using mind-body techniques that are helping her clients reach their health and wellness goals.

Sandy found her passion and interest for nutrition during her dietetic internship with Mary Beth Augustine. (Mary Beth Augustine also served as the founding director of Saybrook’s nutrition program). Through that experience she was able to develop a foundational understanding of integrative health. Mary Beth mentored Sandy to never stop learning and acquiring knowledge.  This ever-changing field of integrative health/nutrition allows endless opportunities for nutrition professionals to keep learning and growing.

Here are Sandy Gebhart’s responses to a series of interview questions:

What motivated you to pursue integrative nutrition versus conventional dietary treatments alone?
When I was an undergraduate I had the privilege of working as an intern under Mary Beth Augustine. Through her guidance and teachings my mind became consumed with the knowledge of integrative nutrition. When I came to understand that there were more than just conventional dietary treatments available, I knew that I had to learn more.

If you had to choose one attribute that is unique to Saybrook University and your education experience, what would it be? Why?
Saybrook is unique, because the university prides itself in facilitating full communication between professors and students. Through the use of video conferences students are able to engage in conversations with peers and instructors.

What do you think are the most important attributes and competencies for integrative nutritionists?
I think that the most important attributes of an integrative nutritionist is that she or he recognizes that one diet does not fit all. Taking time to assess and evaluate each unique individual is a crucial component of an integrative nutritionist.

As an integrative nutritionist or dietitian, what is your approach toward patient care?
My approach towards patient care is that each individual has a unique genetic and environmental make-up.

How influential was the residential conference on your personal and professional growth? Describe any mind-body approaches that you adapted as a self-care strategy, as well as incorporated into patient care plans to enhance well-being.
The residential conference allowed me to practice mind-body approaches that I had never tried before. Meditation and deep breathing are two mind-body approaches that I am currently practicing myself and which I am currently recommending to my clients.

Since you enrolled in the program, how are you applying this knowledge into your personal and professional life?
I have learned a great deal of information every week, since I enrolled in the program. My approach is to keep an open mind and use my knowledge to further serve my clients.

How do you envision the emerging field of integrative medicine and nutrition operating within the current medical model?
In the current model of health care, symptoms of a disease are treated and the disease itself is often times not addressed. The integrative nutrition model addresses the root causes of a disease and is able to reverse the symptoms through multiple treatment strategies.

What is your professional goal, or what career do you hope to pursue after graduation?
My professional goal is to pursue a career as a health coach. I believe that my education at Saybrook will further educate me to be able to serve my clients in the most effective way I can.

Nina Narelle

26 March 2016
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Nina Narelle
Ph.D. Managing Organizational Systems, 2012

“Saybrook showed me I could do organizational change work in any kind of organization and find it rewarding. That was a great thing to discover.”

Team Builder

“There are a lot of smart people in the world who can solve technical problems, but there are not a lot of people in the world who can solve complex humanistic problems. My hunch was that Saybrook would help me develop that capacity, and I was correct.”

Nina Narelle built a nonprofit career in organizational change the old-fashioned way. But a “hunch” that the Seattle-based LIOS Graduate College of Saybrook University could give her work a humanistic edge pushed Narelle out of her comfort zone and into one of the most transformative experiences of her life.

“I had to break through my own mental models of how the world works,” explains Narelle, adding that her time at LIOS inspired her love of self-expression through doodles and blogging. “LIOS showed me I could do organizational change work in any kind of organization and find it rewarding. That was a great thing to discover. Now I work at a consulting firm where we work with Global 2000 for-profit companies, big complex corporate systems, and I love it.”

Using principles of co-creation, visual thinking, and people-centered design, Narelle’s work at the XPLANE strategic design consultancy firm reflects the humanistic values she learned at Saybrook. The challenges within the organizations she works with are complex, often revolving around organizational alignment or strategy activation. Her expert solutions focus on bringing people together—the human touch.

“A big part of our philosophy is that we don’t solve the problem for you. We help you solve the problem,” she says. “We design experiences for them so they can figure out the solution. We are very sensitive to the idea of facilitating a human-centered, co-creative process that enables people solve really complex problems from inside their organization.”

Narelle is grateful to LIOS and Saybrook for opening her mind to a more human approach in her life’s work.

“This is real-time learning. You apply your skills directly, not just in theory,” she adds. “You cannot get through the program without having some kind of evolution in your behavior—both in how you move through the world and in how you can impact change within that world.”

CIMHS webinar available online: Can ACA improve the status of the U.S. healthcare system?

24 March 2016
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[arve url=”https://youtu.be/gvTc7Lk5HBM”/]

The College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences now presents an online webinar on the topic:  “The Affordable Care Act: Can It Improve the Status of the U.S. Healthcare System?”

This webinar is part of the YouTube series: “Saybrook University Webinars on Integrative Medicine.”

This presentation discusses the current status of the U.S. healthcare system and key elements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that may help to improve it.  The discussion includes information about world health care rankings, a summary of key elements of the Affordable Care Act, and a review of what has happened with the ACA since March 2010 in terms of results, issues, and attitudes.

Presenter One:  Lindsay Johnson Chang, MA, is a 2nd-year student in the Healthcare Systems track of the CIMHS program.  She currently works for VOX Telehealth as Vice President of Program Management, where she develops online platforms to enhance patient engagement, education, and compliance in high-cost areas such as orthopedic surgery and palliative care.

Presenter Two:  Luann Fortune, Ph.D., is a member of the faculty in the College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences at Saybrook University.

Kirk Schneider, Ph.D.

1 February 2016
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Kirk Schneider, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychology

“Saybrook is the flagship graduate school for the new and expanded existential humanistic vision, which now encompasses an integrative, multicultural, and spiritual dimension that is at the cutting edge of psychology today.”

Minding The Movement

Saybrook University Professor Kirk Schneider’s relentless journey to understand the world through a human lens, and his early work with humanistic luminaries such as Dr. Rollo May, has made him the leading scholar for contemporary existential-humanistic psychology.

The walls of Saybrook University Professor Kirk Schneider’s office in San Francisco’s Cow Hollow are something of an existential-humanistic psychology museum—a carefully curated scrapbook of all the people, places, and artifacts the Saybrook legend has collected and carried for nearly four decades.

There are paintings by Dr. Rollo May, drawings and illustrations from his patients, and a charcoal sketch of the professor at work. These keepsakes are kept close to honor the people who informed his existential path, which began at the age of 3.

“My 7-year-old brother died suddenly, and there was a shattering that took place,” explains Dr. Schneider, who received a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Saybrook in 1984. His brother’s passing prompted a lifetime of humanistic exploration and scholarship. Along the way, he was fortunate to work with many great existential scholars—from his studies at Saybrook University with Dr. Stanley Krippner and Dr. James Bugental, to a life-changing conversation with Dr. May himself, at his iconic home in Tiburon high above the San Francisco Bay.

Not only did Dr. May, the father of existential psychotherapy, agree to become an advisor for Dr. Schneider’s Saybrook dissertation, he also invited the young doctoral student to co-author “The Psychology of Existence: An Integrative, Clinical Perspective,” a textbook on existential psychology.

“These kinds of experiences are what made Saybrook a watershed experience and the launch pad to my work on behalf of the existential-humanistic ways of life,” he says. “But none of it came easily or instantly. Saybrook challenged me and countless others to be self-learners and self-initiators—life-long skills that have helped me many times.”

Today, as the author of more than 100 articles and 10 books, vice president of the Existential-Humanistic Institute, and long-time adjunct faculty at Saybrook, Dr. Schneider carries the torch to move the existential-humanistic psychology movement boldly into the 21st century.

“Saybrook faculty and students are consciously attempting to draw upon the existential humanistic core that founded the school and advance that perspective to a new level of relevancy to the contemporary world,” says Dr. Schneider, who recently published a paper about “resetting psychology on its rightful existential-humanistic base” in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology.

“In the wake of current events, such as the prevalence of mass shootings, I feel very strongly that we need to bring a focus on the person back to major sectors of our society,” he says. “The long-term remedy, I believe, is to bring depth-humanistic principles to child-rearing to educational settings, to work settings, to religious and spiritual settings, and even to the government.”

Just as Dr. May, Dr. Carl Rogers, and other humanistic psychology pioneers paved the way for a university like Saybrook to flourish, Dr. Schneider would like to see the modern humanist movement inspire a task force—with principles that can be shared with activists and community leaders to impact change on a global level.

“It’s really become a movement about helping to reset psychology on an existential-humanistic basis,” he explains. While his office embodies the past and present of his involvement in this movement, Dr. Schneider believes Saybrook can embody its future.

“Saybrook is the flagship graduate school for the new and expanded existential humanistic vision, which now encompasses an integrative, multicultural, and spiritual dimension that is at the cutting edge of psychology today,” he says. “It is a joy to teach the next generation of inquirers.”

Kelly Hudson

1 February 2016
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Kelly Hudson
Ph.D. Psychology, 2010, M.A. Psychology, 2005

“I wanted my research to help the community where I live and work.”

Empowered

After a troubled childhood, Dr. Kelly Hudson’s experience at Saybrook University—and the support of a beloved mentor—helped her realize her potential. Today, she’s helping children develop a more authentic, affirming life. 

When Dr. Kelly Hudson calls herself a “work in progress,” she does so with pride. After all, she didn’t get to Saybrook University or build a successful career as a professor, author, and co-owner of Precious Little Ones Development Academy by being “finished.”

And yet, the story of her childhood makes this “work” all the more meaningful. “We were dirt poor, living in a wooden house with no indoor plumbing. Not to mention the mental and physical abuse ever present,” explains Dr. Hudson, who completed both a master’s degree and later, a Ph.D. in psychology at Saybrook. “I grew up thinking I wasn’t smart enough, and I never thought the life I have now would have been possible for me.”

She credits the Saybrook experience—and the mentorship of Saybrook Professor Dr. Theopia Jackson in particular—with helping her realize her full potential. “Theopia taught me what it means to be authentic, and showed me that education is empowerment,” she says.

Under Dr. Jackson’s guidance, Dr. Hudson integrated the work she was already doing with young children at her Precious Little Ones Academy with an individualized specialty in early childhood development at Saybrook. Her dissertation included research about the role of the child care provider in the social-emotional development of young children, a subject she had devoted her career to since 1994.

“I wanted my research to help the community where I live and work,” says Dr. Hudson, explaining that the children she serves are from multi-culturally diverse families. “What we are doing is very different, incorporating high-quality social-emotional development.”

Serving a small, select population, Precious Little Ones has built a reputation on creating customized curriculum tailored to the individual child—a fulfilling endeavor that allows Dr. Hudson to give babies and toddlers the affirming start in life she was lacking as a little girl.

Similar to the Montessori theory of education, there are no labels in Dr. Hudson’s child care center. Every child is an individual, and they are educated with a program that specializes on helping them reach their potential.

“I had one student who wanted to learn cursive by the time he was 4 years old,” she says. “So we worked with the family and created a program for him. I am very proud of the work we are doing here. Children need authenticity—something that Saybrook reinforced in me.”

In addition to her accomplishments at Precious Little Ones, Dr. Hudson has held a series of teaching roles and co-authored a book, Online Instructor Sanity: Stories & Self-Reflection to Bring Joy to Your Online World.

“I entered Saybrook lacking confidence, but walked off of the stage on graduation day with my head held high, knowing I had worked fearlessly alongside some of the greatest professors in the world,” she says.

So yes, Dr. Kelly Hudson may still be a “work in progress.”

“But with confidence,” she says, “and on the shoulders of those that came before me.”