About Andrea & the Origins of Thoughtful Encounters
I came to this work through many doorways - grief, culture, my Brasilian lineage that understands healing as relational, and through the kind of knowing that doesn’t arrive with words.
Through years of holding space for people during hard and tender moments, I’ve learned that profound thresholds - visible and invisible - ask one thing of us: presence. The willingness to be with what is, without turning away or rushing towards what comes next.
Thoughtful Encounters came to me in an instant. It holds my work as an end-of-life doula and legacy guide, an intuitive, an artist, and an energy practitioner in a vessel that allows me to meet people where they are at different moments of their journey. With presence, intention, and grace.
The Making of Thoughtful Encounters
I came to end-of-life/death doula work as a result of my personal lived experiences.
When I was 26, I lost my biological father, who was living in my place of birth, Brasil. Due to physical and emotional distance, I only learned that he was sick after he had already passed.
As someone who has always felt connected to my father through spirituality and creativity, it was heartbreaking not to have the chance to be present with him during one of his most profound moments.
At the age of 45, I lost my stepdad, who I met at age 6 and played a big role in helping to raise me when I came to the States. As an artist, he was the first person to put me in front of a proper easel for hours to see what came of it…
While the experience of watching his death process was challenging and filled with grief, I clearly remember what an honor it was to be by his side during his period of transitioning and to advocate for his last wishes.
Something I had been unable to experience with my father…
These experiences, along with my background as an artist, a highly sensitive human, and an energy worker, aligned. It brought to the forefront the transformative importance of presence and accompanying people through transitions before, during, and after the threshold - no matter how overwhelming and emotionally raw.
As my sense of purpose grew stronger and distractions fell away, I realized that every threshold deserves a witness…Thoughtful Encounters was born.
What I Can Bring to Your Process
Emotional & Spiritual Support.
Regardless of one’s religious beliefs or views around death, I will act as a source of support and an advocate for your choices around your transitional journey.
Our time together will allow us to dive deep into how you envision your remaining time here and how I can help you achieve that experientally and ritualistically.
Creative Collaboration.
As a visual artist, writer, and creative, I am innately aware of the transformative impact of leaving your mark on this world.
Your legacy is uniquely yours.
Whether you are looking to leave a lasting footprint for loved ones or would simply like it to live on in the world, we can work together to bring your vision to fruition.
Energy-Based Comfort.
The process of death and the inevitable grief that accompanies it can be emotionally and physically draining. Energy work can bring solace before, during, and after a loved one has crossed the threshold.
I offer support that facilitates emotional release, comfort, and remembrance.
How I’m Equipped to Show Up for You
Beyond experience, I believe that dying can be approached with dignity and even moments of unexpected grace.
My work is rooted in the understanding that each person’s death is as unique as their life. I’m here to help you and your loved ones navigate through this process in a way that feels true to who you are.
You do not have to go through this alone.
Whether you are navigating the end of a life, preserving stories that should never be lost, or moving through quieter moments with grief, the work is the same at its heart.
To be present. To hold space. To be with what is, without flinching or rushing. And to meet you where you are, so you can move through what is asking to be moved through, with care.
As a certified end-of-life/death doula, I prioritize advocating for individuals so they can live out their remaining moments in a way that feels aligned with their needs.
As a certified energy practitioner, I offer optional energetic modalities to create and hold space for honest and tender moments that allow for authentic being and releasing.
As a creative for over 35 years, I am fluent in visual and written language, which allows me to inspire creativity and capture it from a documentary perspective.
As a licensed esthetician for over 15 years, I’ve worked with people energetically to help shift them from chaos to calm through intentional presence and mindful touch.
