Valerie Rae Smith, Ph.D.
QUEST
Life Coaching
QUEST
Life Coaching
About Moi
Hello! Thanks for taking the time to learn a little bit more about me. I am a wife and mother living in bucolic central Pennsylvania. My home includes my husband and best friend, my seventeen-year-old niece, and my eight-year-old son. Over the past four years we have cared for my father who lives with Alzheimer's. We recently made the difficult decision to move him from our home to a nursing home. If you are a caregiver in need of support please feel free to contact me. I know first-hand that caregiving can be a very isolating experience with little time for self-care.
I spent the last twenty years working in higher education. I received my BA in Theatre/Education from Taylor University, my MA from Miami University in Oxford Ohio, and my Ph.D. in Theatre from Tufts University. In addition to teaching theatre at Tufts and Boston College, I served as Artistic Director for Circles of Girls, a pilot performing arts program for at-risk adolescents. For several years I taught and administered an undergraduate theatre program at a small liberal arts college. I continue to perform and direct theatre and am a past member of the Boston chapter of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. A recent sabbatical allowed me to create a one-woman-show, Between 2 Chairs, at Touchstone Theatre in Bethlehem, PA. It was performed in 2009 as part of Open Stage of Harrisburg’s Flying Solo Festival and published by the Johns Hopkins Memory Bulletin. I am currently working on an original play about human trafficking entitled But What Can I Do? This project is part of the global movement to end modern-day slavery.
I am a Quaker. I enjoy learning from other faith traditions and respect those who don't ascribe to any. Reading and gardening are my two favorite pastimes. I have a dream of being able to feed my family from the produce we grow in our garden. For now we are just trying to tell the difference between a weed and an edible plant.
More than anything, I want to live an authentic life that illuminates the way for others. I love to listen to people’s stories, share my own and together envision a future full of possibility. I agree with Thich Nhat Hanh who wrote that “peace is every step.” I look forward to walking with you as you discover this blessing in your own life.
Peace,
Valerie
I spent the last twenty years working in higher education. I received my BA in Theatre/Education from Taylor University, my MA from Miami University in Oxford Ohio, and my Ph.D. in Theatre from Tufts University. In addition to teaching theatre at Tufts and Boston College, I served as Artistic Director for Circles of Girls, a pilot performing arts program for at-risk adolescents. For several years I taught and administered an undergraduate theatre program at a small liberal arts college. I continue to perform and direct theatre and am a past member of the Boston chapter of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. A recent sabbatical allowed me to create a one-woman-show, Between 2 Chairs, at Touchstone Theatre in Bethlehem, PA. It was performed in 2009 as part of Open Stage of Harrisburg’s Flying Solo Festival and published by the Johns Hopkins Memory Bulletin. I am currently working on an original play about human trafficking entitled But What Can I Do? This project is part of the global movement to end modern-day slavery.
I am a Quaker. I enjoy learning from other faith traditions and respect those who don't ascribe to any. Reading and gardening are my two favorite pastimes. I have a dream of being able to feed my family from the produce we grow in our garden. For now we are just trying to tell the difference between a weed and an edible plant.
More than anything, I want to live an authentic life that illuminates the way for others. I love to listen to people’s stories, share my own and together envision a future full of possibility. I agree with Thich Nhat Hanh who wrote that “peace is every step.” I look forward to walking with you as you discover this blessing in your own life.
Peace,
Valerie