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, commitments, desires, and challenges, to name just a handful of your elements.

As a holistic coach, I bring together an array of my studies, interests, and practices under the developing ecosystem of Tend Your Self.

I have been a registered nurse since January 2021. I’ve primarily worked in medical-surgical and psychiatric 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 separate from my work as a registered nurse (read here for more details). Prior to nursing, I worked as a gardener (see below) and also spent several years teaching English to international students at Georgia State University.

Somatic Work

Somatic work has been integral to my own process of transformation. I have practiced a form of somatically-centered Taoist meditation for about 18 years that has been foundational to deepening my intuition and helping me stay anchored in my body. I am currently in the midst of a Somatic Experiencing training program (based on the work of Peter Levine), and it is this approach that I am beginning to incorporate into holistic coaching sessions with individuals who are open to it.

Nature

Ecological gardening and my connection to nature form another cornerstone of my practice. Coincidentally, I was drawn to gardening shortly after getting more grounded in my body through meditation. 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 dow and observe, I accumulated a wealth of lessons from nature that continue each day. I helped manage a couple of 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 studied 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, and they often came to the health food store as a result of this frustration. 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 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.