Meet Dawn
Born on Cape Breton Island in Sydney, Nova Scotia, raised largely in Washington DC, Dawn moved to Maine as she entered high school. At just nineteen years old while studying at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, life took an unexpected turn when she became pregnant with her first child. This marked the beginning of a profound journey driven by determination and self grown courage.
Her mission was clear: to be the best mother possible, remain in school, achieve financial independence and grow emotional strength. By twenty-three years old - after welcoming her son into the world, Dawn earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Education and just six short weeks later, Dawn stepped into her first full time teaching position.
Photo Credit: Deanne Burr
Early in her career as an educator, Dawn worked closely with very young students facing significant emotional and behavioral challenges which ignited and awakened her compassion for caring for these struggling students during the school day and learning the magnitude of compassion needed for motherhood beyond the school day.
As Dawn continued growing professionally- earning a Master’s Degree while embracing motherhood - Dawn was appointed to leadership roles that enabled her to facilitate meaningful change within educational settings. The arrival of her youngest daughter coincided with accepting her first major role as a principal in Portland. A time filled with joy intertwined seamlessly amid professional accomplishments.
However, life isn’t without its struggles; being diagnosed with breast cancer during this chapter pushed boundaries further than ever before. However, returning back to school three weeks after surgery showed resilience powered by love- for family & and community alike - and fueled motivation onward each day.
As anyone who knows Dawn will attest: Caring deeply for others has always been central to understanding herself better too…Yet through this experience came the realization that self-compassion is equally important—it can never feel frivolous or unnecessary! Personal challenges require taking time for self-care or we will run ourselves into the ground.
Today marks not only growth from past lessons learned but also commitment towards spreading awareness around practicing kindness toward oneself amidst humanity's collective experiences—acknowledging shared pain/suffering creates opportunities for greater connection that strengthens our ability to endure hardships encountered along the way too!
Dawn believes that our capacity for internal strength and happiness can be developed. However, it must be protected through the practices of mindfulness, kindness to self, and the awareness that no one is alone in experiencing pain and suffering. We are all a part of a greater humanity who all experience loss, pain, suffering, fear, isolation, and sadness. By acknowledging this humanity, we strengthen our capacity to endure suffering while also maintaining compassion for self and others.
Together let us cultivate more understanding and support systems so we may navigate these complexities hand-in-hand moving forward together!
Thank you for visiting this space—I hope it inspires you toward your own heart-centered endeavors #SelfCompassionMatters!
“My work with Dawn in integrating the elements of Self- Compassion into my daily life has had such a dramatic and positive impact on every element of my world. I am able to balance self care practices with managing all of my personal and professional roles and responsibilities with self compassion.”
— MEGAN
“Through my work with Dawn, I have developed skills to share the same kindness and compassion with myself that I have always shared with others. This has further resulted in my having a greater capacity to be available for those that I love.”
— ALISON, SCARBOROUGH