About
I’m Cynthia Garner, mental health educator, disruptor, writer, mindfulness meditation teacher, single mom, artist, songwriter, author of Fierce Boundaries and Out of Grace, and founder of Leading to Heal. I am also an adoptee and survivor, deeply devoted to breaking the cycle of generational trauma by being the mother I did not get to have, and through helping people come home to themselves and lead with presence in a divisive world.
I specialize in nervous system regulation, trauma-informed leadership, and soul-centered approaches to personal and collective healing. With over two decades of practice, professional certifications in secular mindfulness, and a Doctorate in Body Mind Healing, my intention is to bring depth, warmth, and real-world insight to every space I enter. I support women, educators, survivors, and soul-driven leaders who are ready to create purpose-driven lives rooted in truth, tenderness, and aligned action.
A Life Lived Fully: From the Margins to the Heart
My story begins before I had words. I was adopted at 18 months, following my birth mother’s separation from a violent partner. Raised in a home shaped by both love and trauma, I learned early to seek refuge in writing, music, and stillness. The wisdom I share now has been hard-won—earned through a lifetime of listening deeply to what hurts and alchemizing grief into wisdom that heals.
Over the years, I’ve worn many names: Fulbright Scholar, archaeologist, bluegrass musician, educator, survivor, single mother, eco-therapist, and narrative nonfiction author. But beneath every title was a deep longing—for safety, for worthiness, for a place to rest.
My journey has taken me from lightning storms on volcanoes in Guatemala to heartbreaks in quiet suburban kitchens. It has included divorcing a depressed alcoholic, healing from a body shut down by chronic pain and relational trauma, and reuniting with my birth family decades after being relinquished. Along the way, I’ve learned how to interrupt the cycle of generational harm, embody my soul’s higher calling, and claim ownership of my story.
I am a life-long student of the human experience.
My story is one of coming home to myself after decades of exile and self-abandonment, repairing a ruptured relationship with my body, and giving myself permission to belong wherever I am, and to be who I am unapologetically. Through that process, I have come to see somatic work, artistic expression, and nature-based practices as radical acts of reclamation.
I believe that cultivating embodied mindful self-expression can ripple healing through our lives and our communities. When we slow down and meet our experience with curiosity and care, we begin to live with greater clarity, courage, and presence. In being willing to turn our individual attention inward and cultivate mental fitness and compassion within ourselves, we can also radiate healing across past and future generations.
The Heart of My Work
My work blends mindfulness, trauma studies, storytelling, somatic psychology, and creative practice. It is informed by a doctorate in body–mind health, a Master of Fine Arts in creative nonfiction, my Fulbright experience as an anthropologist in the Guatemalan Highlands, and more than twenty years as an educator and therapeutic guide.
I write and speak about nervous system health, mindful leadership, adoption and belonging, relational healing, emotional boundaries, and the practice of staying present through complexity. Each offering invites an honest exploration of our human experience, our relationship to being alive, and our deeper capacity to respond with kindness, integrity, and care.
I am thrilled to connect with you. Thank you for trusting your inner knowing, for your courage, and for your interest in my work. There is wisdom in your search—and a reason you’ve found me.
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