Quality of Life Advocates
Meet our Quality of Life Advocates, affectionately known as “Koala Bears.”
Aleia N. O’Reilly, LMT-AM is a licensed massage therapist, writer, spiritual guide and celebrant. She has been teaching and practicing natural healing arts for forty years. In her private practice the focus is on balancing spiritual and practical matters for conscious, love-filled filled living and dying. She uses a variety of tools including Jin Shin Jytsu, Reiki, massage, polarity, Matrix Energetics, and several other energy balancing modalities. She is a skilled ceremonial facilitator and enjoys offering ceremonies for birthing, marriage, memorials, and other rites of passage. Aleia has learned by working with people from all walks of life, that reflection on our own mortality inherently gives way to enriched relationships and a more conscious way of living. She is the founder and director of Further Shore and creator of Bridging the Gap, a training for anyone desiring a more conscious way of living and dying. Aleia is the program director and lead consultant. .
Network Professionals
Shayna Diamond received her masters in Medical Anthropology from Northern Arizona University and has worked with Arizona health nonprofits for over 20 years focusing on equity and project management. As the senior manager of strategic partnerships for the American Cancer Society, Shayna leads her team to meet goals through comprehensive relationship management with a portfolio of large primary care networks, health system accounts, health care systems, private – public payors, community organizations and state agencies. She can be reached at shayna.diamond@cancer.org
Betty G. Brown is a retired professor of public health, a human rights activist, and writer. She has begun to explore how professionals who work with the end-of-life process can be better understood and supported by the community. She is also writing a book about caring for a spouse with brain injury and his subsequent suicide. One of her recent passions is promoting awareness and acceptance of compassionate death, and policy reform. Betty lives in Flagstaff and can be reached at Betty.Brown@nau.edu
Meghan Callaghan ~ is a professionally trained, board certified music therapist (MT-BC). She uses live music in the care for people with serious illnesses and in hospice care. Techniques such as live music listening, music making, singing, and songwriting are utilized to increase quality of life, provide spiritual support, manage stress, express feelings, improve communication, and provide pain management. More info about music therapy can be found at www.mountainhealthmusic.com ~ Meghan is the music director for the Flagstaff Threshold Choir, an all-female a cappella choir that honors the ancient tradition of singing at the bedsides of people facing life’s thresholds of illness and death. The choir visits in small groups and chooses songs to respond to musical taste, spiritual direction, and physical capacity. Their repertoire includes rounds, lullabies, hymns, spirituals, choral music, and chants from a variety of traditions. For more information about Threshold choir or to invite members to sing for a loved one or friend, please visit https://thresholdchoir.org/flagstaff
Phone: 928-600-7576 or meghan.callaghan@gmail.com
Pamela Hopkins can be reached at 602-793-1300 or Pam.playing@cox.net ~ Pam has a Master’s Degree in counseling and has worked as a high school counselor in Tucson where she was on the team that created Amphi High School Alternative Education Program. She was also a counselor at Chinle High and in Leupp on the Navajo Indian Reservation. As a Northern Arizona University staff member, Pam helped to create the Navajo Teacher’s Corp. She is an entrepreneur and created her own company as a manufacturer’s representative in the electronics industry; owned a flower wholesaling business, and a Bed and Breakfast. She is currently in real estate with offices in Phoenix and Tucson.
Pam is a Spiritual Counselor and Llumination facilitator. She has experienced profoundly transformative spiritual work as both initiate and facilitator of the Priestess Process and is a Priestess in the Temple of Isis and Universal Life Church Minister. She has completed first and second degree Reiki, as well as Reconnective Healing levels one and two. She uses her psychic ability and keen intuition to guide her own evolutionary path and to serve others seeking to grow in ever more spiritual ways.
Meg Leander has a strong background in pre-hospice counseling and education as a practitioner, patient advocate, and board member with Further Shore, Inc. In 2011 Meg was employed as a Patient Care Specialist in Flagstaff, as a satellite service to Verde Valley Community Hospice. During that time, she worked directly with patients and family members to guide them through the end-of-life process via medical/patient advocacy and experiential counseling support. She is a Reiki practitioner, offers the Five Wishes living will coaching, and is certified as an Equine Specialist for those seeking support through equine therapy. Meg also has an extensive experience in medical sales and marketing, and holds a Masters Degree of Education in Counseling from Northern Arizona University. She offers a variety of T.L.C. consulting services. Meg’s can be contacted at: cell # 928-221-1600 or mmleander@gmail.com
Jennifer Paul, O.M. ~ is a Death Doula, Celebrant and Healing Arts Practitioner. As a Death Doula, she offers comfort, gentle touch, aromatherapy and bedside singing for the Death Journeyer. Jen works with families in their
personal environment to create sacred space and ritual during this most sensitive experience. As a facilitator, she offers the death journeyer, family and friends a safe space for significant conversations, song, story sharing, forgiveness, laughter, tears and gentle goodbyes. As a Celebrant, Jen co-creates ceremonies for a variety of life transitions, including healing ceremonies, rites of passage, weddings and memorials. As a Healing Arts Practitioner, she offers gentle touch through the modalities of Shiatsu, aromatherapy, and hypnotherapy while the client remains clothed on a comfortable mat in their own home or office. Jen’s website is www.lifepassages.com
Phone: 928-607-3941 lifepassagesaz@gmail.com
Elizabeth Polito ~ Beth has been a student of mind, faith and positive thinking for most of her life. She is a practitioner of Reconnective Healing and Personal Reconnection and Matrix Energetic Systems. She is certified in Resonance Repatterning, and as a Llumination Star Light Worker. She has been working as a Life and Higher Awareness Coach since 2004, with clients in New York, California, Arizona, Nevada, and the UK. The work assists in transforming unconscious patterns and blocks, and aligns clients with a more coherent state of joy, love, peace, well-being, abundance and positive self esteem. Her goal is to assist you in reconnecting with your true essence, and creating the life you desire. “I am grateful to be the vehicle, or hollow reed to this process because it is truly your Higher Power that is the teacher.”Beth has an extensive background and great love for the performing arts, and has been dancing, singing and acting since the age of 6! She holds a B.A. in Theatre and Dance from the University of Buffalo, and has performed in musicals all across the U.S. (including on Broadway), Canada, Hawaii and Asia. Her skills as a performer have given her a great foundation as a healer, and allowed her to be an exceptional listener, a clear and adaptable speaker, a highly intuitive guide, and most importantly, have taught her to find and include humor whenever possible!
Phone: 917-603-6458 or www.performingonpurpose.
Our Volunteers
Further Shore has many volunteers that help with various aspects of our mission. Visits with these Koala Bears are arranged through Aleia.
Rajean Bifano-Elzey ~ is a Second Degree Reiki practitioner trained by Aleia O’Reilly. She has taken this modality into her thirty+ year hair stylist career to create a safe place for the journey of many when appearances change dramatically due to illness or at life’s end. She provides ceremony, beauty, and compassionate listening during this very sensitive time.
Phone: 928-853-6359 Email: rajinflag@yahoo.com
Christine Stephenson ~ is a Certified Reiki practitioner. She likes to combine traditional Reiki with Reiki inspired drumming and Crystal Healing. Her other jobs include being a contract archaeologist, Best Friends Volunteer, and most importantly a Mom to two lovely daughters.
Phone:928-853-5372 Email: