Grace was born in the Philippines and came to America as a young adult. In her youth, she was immersed in her native culture, which prizes the healthy use of natural resources and promotes indigenous ways to maintain health and wellness. She grew up eating local organic foods, and using medicinal herbs and hilot (Filipino indigenous massage) for healing.

Healing work comes easy for her as she honors her ancestral lineage. Her lola (grandmother) Julia, her mama Josefina and her auntie Peling were the first go-to hilot and parabulong (healing) practitioners in her family. She remembers all the hilot and bentusa (cupping) that she had whenever she was sick. She also had treatments from other parabulong in the community. She does not remember going to the doctor until she was much older.

Her journey as a registered nurse started in 1978 in the Philippines. Since then, she has had over thirty years of nursing experience, from community based health programs, ambulatory care, home health care, and clinical hospital care. Grace has twenty years of experience in critical care nursing, where she has integrated holistic nursing into her responsibilities.

Confident and passionate in her desire for health and wellness through active partnership with clients, Grace created an effective program as a hilot- parabulong (healer) by integrating Philippine healing arts with the health care practices of other cultures – Western, Ayurvedic, Chinese, and others.

Grace received her training to practice Health Coaching at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Founded in 1992, it is the only nutrition school in the country which integrates all the different dietary theories, combining the knowledge of traditional philosophies with modern concepts like the USDA Pyramid, the glycemic index, the Zone, and raw foods. Such well-known experts as Doctors Andrew Weil, Arthur Agatson and Mark Hyman, as well as Barry Sears, PhD and Deepak Chopra are regular lecturers at the Institute.

Grace keeps abreast with scientific researches, energy medicine, ancient medicine and bridge it to indigenous medicine inherent to client’s DNA as an invitation to explore infinite healing experiences. For the things that she may not know or be familiar of, in humility she wholeheartedly embraces not knowing so co-partnership in learning with clients become meaningful, significant and resonating compassionate openness and practice.

As a Filipino hilot, Grace offers thanks to diwatas (spirits-energies) who have taught us to live in harmony with all our body-mind-emotions-spirit in our relationships with ourselves, in nature and with all beings seen and unseen. It is her joy to continue the work that was bestowed upon her early in life as she invites all of you who are willing to embrace hilot in their life’s journey.

I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I  now a butterfly dreaming I am a man.
– Chuang Tzu (368-286 BC)