About Dr. Marcia J. Derby-Davis, Ph.D., RN
“Living with gratitude. Leading with intention.”
Welcome, and thank you for taking a moment to learn more about my work.
I am Dr. Marcia J. Derby-Davis, a nurse educator, wellness facilitator, and mindfulness practitioner dedicated to supporting the well-being of healthcare professionals. My work centers on healing the healer—helping caregivers restore mind, body, and spirit so they can remain authentically present in caring for others.
Throughout my career in nursing and education, I have witnessed the profound emotional and physical demands placed on those who care for others. Caregivers often give so much of themselves to their patients, families, and communities that they rarely have the space to pause and care for themselves.
My work creates that space.
My Journey
My journey as a healer began long before I fully understood what that meant. Even in my early twenties, friends would often come to me for guidance and support as they navigated difficult life experiences. I found myself naturally holding space for others with compassion, listening, and care.
My formal training as a nurse and educator deepened that calling. In my work with patients and students, I learned the power of presence—the simple but profound act of being fully present with another person through compassion, empathy, and loving-kindness.
But it was a deeply personal experience that transformed my understanding of healing.
On December 25, 2016, my life changed in ways I could never have imagined. My 26-year-old daughter, Lucy Pink, and her stepsister Jasmine were tragically killed in an automobile accident. Our family was left grieving an unimaginable loss, while also stepping into the responsibility of caring for three young granddaughters who would grow up without their mothers.
I was devastated. My world felt shattered, and I entered a period of profound grief and depression.
Yet even in the depths of that pain, healing began to find its way back to me.
Through the guidance of mentors, healers, and teachers who entered my life at the right moments, I slowly began the journey of restoring my own mind, body, and spirit. That journey was not easy, but it taught me something profound:
Healing is possible, even after the deepest loss.
And when we are supported in caring for ourselves, we rediscover the strength to continue caring for others.
My Work Today
Today, my work is dedicated to supporting healthcare professionals who devote their lives to caring for others.
Through The Sacred Pause Model, I create spaces where caregivers can pause, reconnect with themselves, and restore balance in mind, body, and spirit.
My signature program, Returning to Wholeness, invites healthcare professionals to step away from the constant demands of caregiving and explore practices that cultivate presence, resilience, and renewal.
Because when caregivers are supported in caring for themselves, their capacity to care for others expands naturally.
My Intention
My intention is simple:
To help those who care for others remember that their own well-being matters too.
Through reflection, mindfulness, and compassionate space, caregivers can return to themselves—and to their work—from a place of presence, renewal, and wholeness.
Blessings
Dr. Derby-Davis
In loving memory of my daughter, Lucy Pink, and her stepsister Jasmine Davis.
August 11, 1990 – December 25, 2016
March 5, 1993 – December 25, 2016
Their lives continue to inspire my commitment to living with gratitude and leading with intention.