Healer, Advisor & Teacher
Soul Strong
Helping people and organizations remake life in the aftermath of wrong
The word “healer” is a bit of a misnomer. I don’t actually do the healing; that’s up to the individual, organization, or institution. Rather, I help people and groups better understand how they see, understand, and struggle with moral dilemmas, pain, and adversity — and how to transform it into moral repair and moral resilience.
Over 20+ years experience in the public, private, and social sectors, with folks from every walk of life — all backgrounds and beliefs, all political persuasions, all professions and vocations — I’ve been exposed to a wide range of stories of how right can go terribly wrong.
Every person, group, and organization struggles with moral challenges, moral distress, even moral injury. And what injures one, might be different than what injures another. That’s one of the unique aspects of moral pain — it’s specific to a particular person (or entity): their beliefs, principles, identity, culture, norms, relationships, origin story, experiences, and more. We could all use help rectifying and remaking life in the aftermath of wrong. Soul care is self-care.
What Comes After Wrong?
This is the question everyone wants an answer to but few know how to ask — or even to ask. So often people dance around the issue of moral pain, concluding their symptoms, like anger, shame, guilt, anxiety, depression, burnout, disgust, resentment, grief, isolation, loneliness, and more, are the only things that need addressing. (Hint: they’re not.)
My first step is helping people reframe their understanding of a morally injurious experience, taking it out of the world of “disorder” and placing it soundly on the human spectrum of moral harm. Then, we get down to the essential task of transforming it.
Science-Driven, Soul-Centered
My Work
My science-driven, soul-centered approach to moral trauma has made me a trusted advisor and healer to individuals and leading nonprofits, institutions, think tanks, and companies, from military and veterans, to law enforcement, first responders, healthcare and social service, business, spiritual/faith groups, education, politicians, and more.
Like my writing, my work is guided by hearts (compassion and benevolent honesty) and smarts (professional skill and expertise). I don’t try to be everything to everyone: I know my lane, and I stay in it; but I do drive it with confidence and commitment.
How I Can Help
I offer three services: 1) organizational consulting; 2) teaching, training, and programming; 3) coaching and mentorship. I’m happy to custom design engagements, depending on your situation.
Organizational Consulting
I advise organizations, companies, and institutions on embedding moral resilience as a strategic imperative. Moral harm not only affects morale, performance, creativity, productivity, collaboration, and reputation, but also the bottom line. (Consider: one morally harmed employee can cause an epidemic of moral contagion.) This is particularly significant for mission-driven organizations that lead with purpose and values.
I bring more than two decades of experience, as well as C-level and Board expertise to my work. I collaborate with leaders to build and refine strategy, map scenarios, tackle tough questions, and get community buy-in. I provide workshops for leaders, managers, staff, and Board members on what moral harm is, how it lives inside people, and how it affects individuals, teams, and organizational systems. I also provide training for addressing moral harm and building moral resilience in the workplace, particularly for leaders and managers. And I work with crisis teams to address real-time or future moral, ethical, and reputational threats.
Teaching, Training & Programming
I offer several courses on moral trauma, moral resilience, and related areas like forgiveness, healing writing, emotional regulation, conflict transformation, and ethical decision-making. Some are self-directed; others are in a group (typically virtual). I also provide training for clinicians and professionals. Lastly, I offer several science-backed programs that can be integrated into any organization, group, or institution.
All programs are science-backed and suitable for general audiences or for specific populations and groups. Examples include military service members and veterans, and their spouses and families; law enforcement (local, state, and federal); healthcare and social service professionals; business workplace; spiritual and faith groups; abuse and violence (physical, sexual, emotional); abortion, miscarriage, and infertility; infidelity; refugees, human trafficking, and displaced persons; addiction and substance misuse; medical injury, illness, or procedure; incarceration; and suicide. I am happy to work with your organization to custom-design a program for your unique needs.
Coaching and Mentorship
I offer intensive one-on-one professional development for emerging writers, healers, and researchers/scholars (including graduate students and doctoral candidates).
Writers: I help emerging (and established) writers, who have a desire to find, shape, and share their soulful stories with the world, take on the serious business of writing and publishing their life.
Healers: I work with clinicians, coaches, clergy, and other caring professionals to build moral resilience as part of their healing practices. Soul care is self care.
Academic Writing: I help emerging scholars find their “scholarly voice," develop ideas and methodology, overcome psychological hurdles, craft proposals, master the art of the abstract, find ways to be creative within an academic structure, and write and edit with excellence.
Dr. DeMarco's session on moral injury was profound. It should go before all the others ... like on day one! I felt that as Operators and veterans, we all really related to moral injury (vs PTSD) more than anything else.
-Green Beret at an Operator Reset for 5BY5 Performance Therapy
Without exception, when Michele spoke, you could hear a pin drop in the room. She managed to make a hotel ballroom room of 1500 people feel like an intimate gathering among friends.
-Judy Soroko, Patient Ombudsman Services at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
There is no exercise better for the human heart and soul than reaching down and lifting people up. This is what DeMarco does so well–through her knowledge and expertise, her perspective and insights, and her presence and compassion When you find Michele, you simply find the best.
-Deborah Chiaravalloti, former Vice President, Partners Healthcare