A woman with curly dark hair wearing a black turtleneck and leopard print pants holds a wooden spoon and gestures with her hand, smiling at the camera against a plain white background.

Hi, I’m Elena.

MINISTER | HEALER | Comedic CEREMONIALIST |virgo

I believe grief is sacred, laughter is medicine, and your healing deserves a spotlight.

I’m a minister, ceremonialist, grief guide, yoga teacher, and one-woman performance artist dedicated to helping women find beauty in the mess, ritual in the chaos, and joy in the ache of becoming.

Whether you come to me in tears, in transition, or simply in search of something more, know this: you’re not broken. You’re being invited deeper.

A woman in a flowing red dress standing on a mossy log in a forest with leafless trees, holding a drum and a drumstick, during autumn.

Okay, Here’s How I Became That Person with the Drum and the Oils

My journey into this work began at the intersection of personal loss and spiritual awakening. After years of training in yoga, shamanic energy medicine, ancestral healing, and spiritual caregiving, I came to understand that healing doesn’t look like perfection. It looks like a woman lying on the floor during a sound bath, laughing and crying at the same time. It looks like ceremony, breath, rhythm, and remembrance.

I created Grieve Outside the Box, my book, as a love letter to women navigating grief in a world that expects them to move on too quickly. I created The Ode to Joy Podcast to make space for conversations that matter. I created Enter the Box to show that even the wildest pain can become punchlines. And I created this space—my digital sanctuary—to hold you through it all.

A woman practicing yoga on a rock at the beach, balancing on one leg with the other leg lifted behind her, and her hands holding her raised foot.

CREDENTIALS & LINEAGE

My path has been shaped by decades of formal training, deep initiations, and sacred mentorship. I hold the following certifications and have studied with teachers from around the world:

  • Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting, SUNY Fredonia (with a year of study at Middlesex University in London)

  • Performed stand-up comedy and produced my own sketch comedy pilot, Enter the Box, in 2014

  • Trained in Linklater-based voice and movement, which now informs my yoga and healing work

  • Completed a summer intensive at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City

  • Certified Yoga Teacher (Om Sweet Om, 2011), trained by Gail Grossman, author of Restorative Yoga for Life

  • Apprenticed in Shamanic Energy Medicine with Jan Lucier of Windhorse Holistic Strategies, who studied under Sandra Ingerman

  • Completed additional training with Itzhak Beery and studied with the Shipibo tribe in Peru

  • Initiated into Reiki by Devi Ma in Bali and received a three-day full moon transmission from Balinese healer Agus Sihman

  • Certified Death Doula through Olivia Bareham’s Sacred Crossings

  • Ordained Minister through the Universal Life Church

  • Mentored in Taoist philosophy and herbalism through my work with Superfeast (AU), led by Mason and Tahnee Taylor

Before all of this, I worked in politics — including time in Washington, D.C., supporting a U.S. Senator. That foundation in advocacy, language, and leadership continues to shape how I hold space today: with both fire and tenderness.

You don’t need to be spiritually fluent or emotionally polished to be here. You just need to be willing to show up.

  • Women in transition: postpartum, divorce, relocation, death, rebirth

  • Grieving mothers and daughters

  • Curious newcomers and seasoned seekers

  • Those who are ready to walk through the fire—and laugh a little along the way

I work with:

I believe in:

  • The body as a sacred oracle

  • Humor as a holy act

  • Grief as a doorway

  • Ritual as everyday practice

A family lying on a dark gray couch in a living room, with a man with a beard and bun, a woman in a pink shirt, and a baby. The man is resting his arm on the wall, and all are relaxed and looking at each other.
Black circle outline on a white background.

The People I Come Home To

I recently moved back to my hometown of Port Washington, New York—on the quiet north shore of the Long Island Sound. After years of travel, ceremony, and healing work across the globe, this is where I chose to plant new roots.

It’s where I gave birth to my daughter, Talulah Rain, with my husband Patrick at my side. Together, we’re building a life of ritual, rhythm, and deep community—raising our family by the water and living in alignment with the same values I bring into every session, class, and ceremony. This work is woven into the way we live, love, and show up for one another.

Private Healing Sessions

HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER

01

For when you’re ready to go deep.

Shamanic energy medicine sessions are intuitive, ceremonial, and completely custom to you. These are immersive experiences for women navigating grief, identity shifts, life transitions, or spiritual openings.

02

THE ODE TO JOY PODCAST

Start here and feel the vibe.

Not ready to dive all the way in? The podcast is a perfect place to get to know me, hear stories, and drop into bite-sized rituals and wisdom—equal parts heart and humor.

Your Mini Griefcation Guide

03

A ritual to meet yourself.

Start with a gentle, guided offering—my free ritual guide invites you to create sacred space in your everyday life. Make tea, light a candle, and reconnect with your heart.

Elena Box, a woman with curly dark hair and a pink fuzzy jacket, sitting on a wooden stool, reading a book called Grieve Outside the Box, in a bright room near a window with white framing.

P.S. If you’d like a deeper look into my journey—and a practical guide to navigating loss with humor, ritual, and beauty—read my book Grieve Outside the Box.