Hi! I'm Dara Suchke

Dara rhymes with "Sara"

Suchke like "such" a nice day, "key" in the door (as my dad likes to say)

I want to support you as you tend your self - across the spectrum of how one's self might be tended. I like to imagine you as a gardener of your self. In the same way a garden contains its own ecosystem, so do you. Your ecology is comprised of a multitude of identities, energies, emotions, memories, commitments, desires, and challenges, to name just a handful of your elements.

As a holistic coach and somatic facilitator, I bring together an array of my studies, interests, and practices within Tend Your Self.

I have been a registered nurse since January 2021. I’ve primarily worked in medical-surgical and behavioral health nursing settings. In 2025, I completed a training program to become a board-certified nurse coach (BC-NC). To keep things simple, I have decided to keep my work as a holistic coach and facilitator separate from my work as a registered nurse (read here for more details). Prior to nursing, I worked as a gardener and also taught English to international students at Georgia State University for several years.

Somatic Work

Somatic/body-based work has been integral to my own process of transformation. I have practiced a form of somatically-centered Taoist meditation for over 18 years. This practice has helped me cultivate my intuition and learn how to experience the multitude of sensations and energies that are present in my body. It underpins my approach to somatic facilitation.

I am currently in the midst of training to become a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner (based on the work of Peter Levine), and I also teach the Community Resiliency Model (CRM)® in community settings.

Nature

Ecological gardening and my connection to nature form another cornerstone of my practice. Coincidentally, I was drawn to gardening shortly after beginning to meditate. As I learned to handle tiny seeds, patiently wait for them to germinate, train my eye to notice the defining details of different plants, and generally slow down and observe, I accumulated a wealth of lessons from nature that continue to this day. I managed community gardens, worked in landscaping, and studied permaculture and biodynamics. Right now, I am in the beginning stages of cultivating a new backyard garden. These experiences and practices regularly teach me about the gentle art of tending.

Becoming a nurse

My transition from gardening to nursing occurred gradually - I began studying herbalism and then spent a few years working in a health food store, which I loved. Connecting with customers about their health journeys and offering education about herbs really lit me up. Customers also shared their frustrations about the healthcare system. As I contemplated how to grow professionally, I chose to pursue nursing so that I could better understand the healthcare system and help people navigate it.

Bringing it all together

Tend Your Self and my work as a holistic coach and somatic facilitator is the container that holds all these parts together.

I want to meet you right where you are on your journey and support you as your tend your extraordinary, multifaceted self.

I am so glad you’re here.