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I am now booking live in person events and Zoom events through the end of 2023. I am available for one program events, half-day or full-day seminars. Primary topics are family patterns, ancestral healing, military research (WWI - WWII), and genealogy. Explore some of the programs I offer below or let's create a custom program for your organization. I am available for full-day military research seminars.

Email me at [email protected] to discuss possibilities, fees, and availability.

Explore 2023 Speaking Engagements

Introduction to Ancestral Lineage Healing

Explore topics related to Ancestral Lineage Healing which include: grief, loss, trauma, family secrets, family patterns, family parallels, caregiving, spirituality and religion, PTSD, racism, LGBTQI, genealogical topics, inherited trauma, and the effects of the war on families in addition to the veteran.

During the exploration you may become aware of how your personal story and life choices have been affected by the past and your family.

Why Was Grandma So Mean?

There are always more than two sides to every family story. Do you ever wonder what influenced the behaviors, patterns, & emotions of our ancestors? Explore your genealogy & military documents with new tools & questions to understand who your ancestors were & what shaped their behaviors.

I will share new tools & questions to help you better understand who your ancestors were & what shaped their behaviors. We will also explore how their unhealed trauma, family patterns and behaviors were passed down through the generations. Being aware of how their unhealed past may be affecting how you live your life or show you possibilities for why your family is or was the way they were with beliefs, patterns, behaviors, energies, and emotions.

Surveying Family Systems

We are born into complex family, cultural, religious, and educational systems that seem "normal". We all have patterns and strengths that are passed down through the generations that no one ever questions. However, when we take inventory of our families and experiences we have had, we may gain more clarity about why we are who we are. Clarity requires perspective. Perspective requires distance. This may be why so many of us, as family healers, leave the family (whatever that looks like for each of us), or why it takes so many years before we can face the past to heal.

This program teaches you how to use timelines, questions, memories, and example scenarios to create written snapshots of your life and your ancestors’ lives. You are invited to move layer by layer through what helped shape your life, beliefs, behaviors, and patterns. You may gain a new perspective and perhaps clarity about the repeating patterns in your family.

No matter where you go, your family resides within you. We all have the choice to face the past and heal or let it continue to move through the generations.

Introduction to Genograms

Are you interested in better understanding why you are who you are? Why your family and ancestors held certain beliefs, behaviors, and patterns? Using a genogram, you can learn a lot more about your family. A genogram is a tool that resembles a family tree through which we use symbols to identify family beliefs, behaviors, and patterns. There are many themes that can be explored using this tool.

In this interactive workshop, I will help you create a basic genogram, learn some basic symbols, and start to identify patterns in our families.

Wise Female Ancestors

Women are the creators of life. We are powerful beyond belief and for centuries have been feared for our knowledge, intuition, power, and healing abilities. Because of this fear, women have been silenced, shoved aside, shamed, abused, tortured, persecuted, and killed. Many went to their graves with their stories and wisdom inside them. We carry their unhealed, unprocessed traumas, unfulfilled dreams, and their wounds often run our lives on an unconscious level. It is time we break the silence on the powerful women in our families, tell their stories, and heal.

Using tools and numerous questions to dive deeper into the layers of our ancestors’ stories and records, you may discover some women were not who you thought they were. You may also discover you have more in common with them than you thought.

Ancestral Time Travels: Timelines

Every genealogist and military researcher uses timelines in their research. They are automatically created on family trees as we add facts about our ancestor. Did you know this generic timeline is only one way to use this powerful tool? Are you ready to step out of the generic timeline box and travel through the life of an ancestor from a completely different perspective?

This new perspective on timelines may open new research paths. You might also identify some family beliefs, behaviors, and patterns that will allow you to remove old blocks, end negative cycles, and help you create a new reality.

This program has an 18-page workbook and covers timelines which cover health, energy, traumas, resilience & faith, military service, and what was left out of the family narrative.

Trauma's Hidden Web

Identifying Ancestral Trauma in Our Lives & Families

What is trauma and why should we be concerned about the trauma our ancestors experienced and never processed? Trauma is the effect of what has happened to us, an event, that freezes in our bodies and energy fields.

As you explore genealogical and military records and add facts to your family tree, how often do you look at the hidden trauma within the events that created those records? The unprocessed trauma our ancestors carried passes down through the generations. That unprocessed trauma affects us in ways that sometimes creates chaos in our lives.

In this program we will explore relational (developmental) trauma, shock trauma, inherited trauma, and collective trauma using genealogical records, family stories, timelines and genograms. Understanding what those terms mean may help us locate additional records, help family members find closure to the past, better understand the history of an event, group, and ourselves. When we are willing to identify the traumas we hold for our ancestors and do the healing work, our lives can change dramatically.

Healing the Roots

Words, Wounds, Wisdom

Our ancestors impacted us in large and small and positive and negative ways. We carry their words, wounds, and wisdom within us. These things can impact us in unimaginable ways. Have you explored the ways in which these three things have shaped who you are and how you live your life?

As you explore your history, ask yourself the following questions. Where do we find the words that affect us in positive and negative ways? What are the primary wounds you experienced since birth and those experienced by your parents, grandparents, and ancestors. What wisdom do you discover as you explore the lives of your ancestors, through the research and family stories?

This program takes you on a self-evaluation journey through genealogical records, questions, writing, and timelines, as you dive into your personal and ancestral history. You will walk away knowing more about what makes you uniquely you and the impact your ancestors had on shaping your life.

What's Wrong With Daddy?

The World Wars changed everyone who served, especially those that saw combat. When the veterans returned home, their families, communities, and the world was changed. Many things were kept secret and silence reigned. Most people that I have spoken to about military research or clients I have worked with all tell me, He never talked about it. My grandma would never tell me what it was like after he came home. My dad grew up without a father and no one mentioned his name.

In this webinar we are going to look at my family's story, which may shock you when you hear details. I am going to teach you some basic tools to start looking at your research in a new way. We will look at the hard things around military service, what happened on the home front before, during, and after the war, both in the U.S. and Europe. What was the propaganda in the U.S. and Europe around veterans, rebuilding after the war, how to welcome a veteran home, and how to readjust when he or she came home? No one was unaffected by this war.

You will walk away from this webinar with tools and worksheets to help you explore your genealogy & military documents. Tools to help you find events & deeper reasons that your veteran and family was changed.

This is part 1. Part 2 is The Family's War Secrets.

Family's War Secrets

This is part 2 of a series. Program 1 is What's Wrong with Daddy?

The advanced look at how the World Wars changed everyone who served, especially those that saw combat. When the veterans returned home, their families, communities, and the world was changed. Many things were kept secret and silence reigned.

We are going to look at my family's story again, in a different way, to help you understand how these new tools work. Some of the details you learn may shock you. We will look at the hard things around military service, what happened on the home front before, during, and after the war, both in the U.S. and Europe. What was the propaganda in the U.S. and Europe around veterans, rebuilding after the war, how to welcome a veteran home, and how to readjust when he or she came home? No one was unaffected by this war.

Writing to the Ancestors

Connecting with our ancestors and guides is easier than you might think. All it takes is a little practice, focus, and willingness to receive their messages.

This program explores basic ways to tap into what your ancestors have to say through journaling/guided writing and meditation. We will also explore the other ways our ancestors and guides leave us messages.

Breakdown! Unspoken Effects of Genealogy & Military Research

Have you heard of Compassion Fatigue? Anticipated grief? Have you experienced anger, grief, loss, shame, guilt, etc., as a result of your research? Have you become depressed or anxious? Join me in an exploration of the ways our research & professional work can impact our mental health.

This program dives into the ways our research, especially the military work and stress of combat and death, can change us if we are not taking care of ourselves and our energy.

Research a Veteran

Exploring the Basics of Military Research

Please note this is part 1 of 2 in military research.

World War II research is surrounded by stories and myths which often give people the perception they cannot obtain any information about military service. What most people do not realize is military research should be done in two parts. Starting at the end with a discharge unit will usually lead you down the wrong path where you will waste time and money.

This program will focus on what is available first at home and then within the archives and online repositories. You will learn how to put a timeline of service together, how to properly reconstruct military history, what can be found within service files and company-level types of records, and where else to look. At the end of this webinar you will have the tools to proceed to the next step in military research - contextual history.

Everything I teach, while WWII focused, also applies to WWI, Korea, and Vietnam.

Exploring the Greatest Generation

Adding Context to the Veteran's Story

Please note this is the 2nd part of my research strategy. Research A Veteran is Part 1.

The next step after creating a timeline of military service and understanding through military records, what units your service member was in and where they were, is obtaining contextual documents. Providing context through records, maps, and photographs will bring to life the story of your family member and help you better understand who they were.

Prisoners, Missing & Dead Webinar

Explore the history & jobs of the men who worked in the American Graves Registration Service. We explore the Individual Deceased Personnel File & why you need this vital record. Finally, take a journey with me in the footsteps of my cousin James through his records and path through Europe to his death and burial.

Everything I teach, while WWII focused, applies to WWI, Korea, and Vietnam also.

Finishing the Story

Tracing the life of a World War I or II soldier can be challenging. Researchers have been conditioned to believe “All the Records Burned!” Some did, but an abundance of other resources exist to reconstruct service history. Many researchers are unaware of the numerous military records and resources available.

In this program, explore the lives, service, and deaths of Michael Kokoska, Frank Winkler, and Robert Brouk. Genealogical, historical, and military records will be shown and discussed. Jennifer will demonstrate how to write the stories of your soldier through a brief reading from her books Stories of the Lost and The Tiger’s Widow.

Researching WWII Online

One place many people begin research for their World War II service member is online. While most of the records you need to reconstruct service history are not available online, you can find clues and unit or contextual information to add to your soldier’s story. Tools and strategies taught in this course will apply to WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam military research.

In this program, Jennifer will:

Explain some myths and common questions about online research.
Explain how to research using the collections on Ancestry.com and Fold3.com.
Discuss other places you can find information online and how that can lead to offline resources.
Explain where and how to connect with other researchers or European grave adopters.
Discuss using social media to locate information.

The tips you learn in this program will help you with any digitized record set.