About Us

About Us

Philosophy & Mission

Sage Harbor is a sanctuary for life’s tender crossings—grief, caregiving, and becoming. Rooted in interfaith wisdom and trauma-informed practice, our work centers presence over performance, dignity over urgency, and healing that unfolds at the pace of trust.

We honor each person’s story and spirituality—Christian, yogic, ancestral, agnostic, and beyond. Our mission is to witness without fixing, to create sacred safety, and to companion you toward steadiness and meaning.

A Note on Interfaith & Inclusivity

We honor all paths toward the sacred, and encourage both the experience of the individual and the collective – whether that is a couple, a family or a group growing together. This space is committed to equity, responsible communication and conscious healing. We welcome LGBTQ+ and people who are neurodiverse. We practice care grounded in justice, tenderness, and respect.

Kristen with Sunflowers

My Experience

  • Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) — Working towards board certification eligibility, currently serving in a leading North Carolina hospital
  • Interfaith Formation & Advanced Spiritual Studies — Residency (multi-year)
  • Yoga & Embodiment — Faculty/Instructor experience; trauma-sensitive approach
  • Community & Crisis Service — Disaster response support; nonprofit and justice work
  • End of Life Planning — Advance care documents: Health Care POA, Living Will

About Kristen

I’m Kristen—a chaplain-in-training, mother of four, yoga instructor, anthropologist and spiritual companion, with roots in North Carolina and Tennessee. My journey has spanned continents, classrooms, and contemplative traditions. My path has woven crisis response, cross-cultural communication, interfaith study, and embodied practices into a single calling: holding steady, sacred space.

I’ve served in hospital chaplaincy training, taught yoga to incarcerated women, supported community care efforts, and studied advanced spiritual disciplines for years. Across each setting, I’ve learned that tenderness is a form of truth.

I offer what I’ve lived: holding space for transformation with reverence and truth. Sage Harbor is my prayer in practice: a place where your story is honored, your boundaries are respected, and your spirit is met with reverence—without hurry.

Training & Credentials

With more than two decades of study, service, and lived experience, I bring a grounded and compassionate presence to those I serve.

  • Clinical Spiritual Care: 900+ hours of direct practice providing spiritual and emotional support in hospital and community settings
  • Education: 10,100+ hours of master’s-equivalent study in theology, chaplaincy, and spiritual care
  • Clinical Pastoral Education: 3 accredited CPE units completed; final unit in progress at Duke University Hospital
  • Disaster Response Service:
    • Charlotte, NC (2003) – Recovery of personal effects for families after Air Midwest Flight 5481 crash
    • New York City (2003) – Mortuary team member in post-9/11 recovery, assisting with dignified care of victim remains
  • Yoga & Mind-Body Training: I have years of advanced yoga teaching and practice.
  • Global Perspective: Travel to 15 countries, cultivating intercultural understanding and interfaith sensitivity
  • Specialized Focus: Grief support, spiritual direction, interfaith ministry, and trauma-informed care

Where Grief, Grace, and Grounding Meet

Sage Harbor was founded by Kristen Donaldson as a place for those navigating life’s thresholds—death, transformation, caregiving, and becoming.

After decades of service—chaplaincy training at Duke Hospital, trauma response after 9/11, yoga teaching in prisons, and years in advanced spiritual study—Kristen heard a call to create something sacred and safe.

Sage Harbor offers care that is rooted in interfaith wisdom, trauma-informed presence, and the deep knowing that healing often begins with being witnessed—not fixed.

What We Hold Sacred

Guiding values that shape every interaction, session, and collaboration.


Compassion

We meet each person with warmth, patience, and non-judgment.


Dignity

Every story is worthy of respect, privacy, and careful holding.


Interfaith Humility

We honor diverse traditions and the wisdom you already carry.


Justice & Inclusion

We cultivate safety, accessibility, and belonging across differences.


Consent

You lead the pace; we check in, name options, and gain consent.


Collaboration

We partner with your providers and community when it’s helpful.

Who We Serve

  • 🌿 Those who are dying or grieving — for people who need a companion and witness, not a fixer.
  • 🕊 Caregivers and helpers — support for those who give care, to rest, reset, and be protected.
  • 🌙 Women in all stages of becoming — from the unraveling to the re-rooting, honoring your pace and path.

“Healing is not fixing. It is presence, reverence, and trust in what unfolds.”
— Sage Harbor