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As she enters her “Wise Woman Elder” years, Leonie knows that some of the most important things she has learned came from being present for the moments when life is most raw: holding her beloved husband as he took his last breath in their home, dying from cancer; performing CPR on her father on her parents’ kitchen floor, knowing in her heart that he was gone even as her highly trained mind went into action; tending to her mother as she declined into Alzheimer’s, watching her brain disintegrate while her spirit fought back. For almost 40 years, she has been present with people as they face the difficulties and joys of being alive. She has created and facilitated retreats for people living with cancer, people moving through profound grief, and healthcare professionals struggling under the weight of their work. She has assisted thousands of women as they gave birth and worked alongside healthcare professionals through the COVID-19 pandemic, witnessing the extraordinary resiliency of people who choose to care for others. She has spent decades watching people face both deep pain and fear, as well as insight and joy. She knows our capacity to face what is difficult, to move through it, and to lean into what we seek.