“Having Annmarie at our Annual Faculty Affairs Retreat was fantastic. She is an engaging, insightful, and authentic presenter and facilitator, informed by her rich experience in various leadership roles. I asked her to provide both the opening remarks, titled ‘Building Positive Cultures: Liberating Strategies to Support Organizational Health,’ and the closing remarks, ‘Thriving as a Leader in the Midst of Change’ for the retreat. Feedback for both sessions was very positive. Participants reported that the messages about positive leadership and maintaining critical hope, as well as strategies to empower themselves and their faculty members were key takeaways.””
“Working with Annmarie over the past two years has profoundly enriched my growth and deepened my clarity about who I am, what I do, and why I do it. Through her kindness, empathy, and deep expertise, she has helped me hone my skills, lead more authentically from my values, and navigate challenging situations with greater clarity, courage, and care.”
TESTIMONIALS
“What impressed us most was Annmarie’s ability to create an open, inclusive environment where faculty felt comfortable sharing honest feedback. Her attention to detail, from designing the focus group questions to analyzing and synthesizing the data, was outstanding. The insights we gained have been invaluable in shaping our leadership development strategy moving forward. We are so grateful for such a collaborative and meaningful partnership!”
Understanding My Philosophy
If you look up “caño” in a Spanish language dictionary, you might find a definition like “spout” or “pipe.” Nothing special about that. But I developed a new appreciation for my name on a trip to visit my father’s seaside hometown in Spain where my family and I were able to see the village caño. Someone long ago affixed a pipe to direct the flow of the natural spring where it came out of the rockface. Villagers collected pure spring water for their families and livestock and women would gather with their children to wash clothing and talk. The caño offered refreshment and community building. I apply this metaphor to my work, as someone who helps direct the good within every person to offer refreshment, health, and community to others.
Another source of inspiration is my mother, with whom I was very close and who passed away 10 years ago. Her mother was a healer and midwife in a village in Puerto Rico and my mother was a healer of relationships, in part, because of the childhood trauma and separation she experienced. With her unconditional love and deep sense of empathy and compassion for others, it is no surprise that I developed a keen interest in promoting healing—mind, body, and spirit.
Spirituality is also an important connection for me. The ancestors I never met have formed who I am, what I value, and how I work with others. I am also Christian (Roman Catholic) but I recognize that there are many paths to God, the Divine, or Transcendence. As a spiritual director trained by the Jesuits (Society of Jesus), I respect that everyone is on a journey of their own.
Finally, my training as a health psychologist with expertise in empathy, relationships, and mindfulness has fueled my desire to support the development of leaders who can co-create healthy environments. I am further inspired by liberation psychologies, which recognize that accompaniment, solidarity, and systemic change are needed to support the health and well-being of everyone.
