Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am.
Parker Palmer
Hi, I’m Lisa
It is a joy and an honor to companion others on their spiritual journeys. I am a certified Spiritual Director through the Shalem Institute’s Spiritual Guidance Program (SGP25), and I serve both women and men who are seeking a deeper relationship with God — and a clearer sense of what belonging and meaning uniquely mean for them.
I have lived in Darien, Connecticut for over twenty-five years with my husband Paul. We have two adult children, James and Annie, both now grown and on their own paths. I am an active member of Talmadge Hill Community Church, and I co-lead the Greenwich chapter of JourneyMates, a Christ-centered contemplative prayer community grounded in the practice of deep listening.
My Path to This Work
My professional life has taken many turns. I began my career in banking, moved into non-profit administration, and have now — gratefully — arrived at what feels like my deepest vocation: serving as a spiritual companion to others.
Within each of us, there is the sound of the genuine flowing through you.
Howard Thurman
It is a great gift and privilege to listen for that sound in the lives of those who entrust me with their journeys.
My own faith journey has taken many turns as well. It has been winding, often surprising, and filled with grace. Along the way I have discovered the transformational power of deep, attentive listening — both given and received. In our shared humanity, I see possibility when we are truly seen, truly heard, and truly accompanied.
My Approach
My work is grounded in the Christian contemplative tradition, but my heart is open to anyone seeking to listen more deeply for God. I draw on prayer, scripture, the Enneagram, and the wisdom of contemplative teachers, depending on what each person brings to the room.
I am especially drawn to walking with those navigating codependency and the slow work of finding their own voice, those exploring the Enneagram as a path of self-knowledge and transformation, and those wrestling with experiences of spiritual awakening or mystery that don’t fit neatly within ordinary categories.
If any of this resonates with you, I’d love to meet. You can reach out to schedule a complimentary introductory conversation.
To listen is very hard, because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements, or declarations. True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, to welcome, to accept.
Henri Nouwen
Listening is much more than allowing another to talk while waiting for a chance to respond. Listening is paying full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings. The beauty of listening is that those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking their words more seriously and discovering their own true selves. Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you.