Caitlin Frauton (she/her) grew up in the Catholic Church, which instilled her with a reverence for God, the universe, and the mysterious energy that connects us all. She left the Catholic Church during her young adult years, which were then characterized by a search for meaning and purpose in a lot of different places (many of which led to dead ends). That changed in 2010 when her father gifted her the book A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle. It rekindled in her a reverence for life that she remembered from when she was a young girl, and she began the process of discovering what spirituality meant to her outside of the religion she grew up with.

Now, over fourteen years later, she has discovered the many benefits of having spirituality as a pole star in life: greater emotional well-being, inner resilience, presence, optimism as well as a deeper connection to self, others, nature and the world. She has explored a variety of spiritual paths, traditions, and teachers, and is particularly interested in Hinduism, Buddhism, mindfulness, and nondualism.

She has a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Colorado Boulder and a M.A. in Anglo-Irish Literature from University College Dublin. Professionally, she began her career teaching high school English Literature exploring the big, important questions of life with her students. After teaching high school, she worked as a development editor for K12 curriculums and then as an event planner for community-focused weddings and events. More recently, she worked on personal growth content (books, podcast, courses, etc.) and spiritual retreats for business leaders and executives.

The single most transformative experience that deepened her passion for spiritual growth, however, was becoming a parent. She believes spirituality provides a vitally-important connection to the divine that adults can help cultivate in children for life-long thriving, resilience, and inner growth. (For more on this topic see The Spiritual Child: The New Science on Parenting for Health and Lifelong Thriving by Lisa Miller, Ph.D.).

When not with her two young daughters and husband, you can find her reading parenting and spirituality books, taking spiritual education courses, and exploring the intersection of parenting and spirituality through writing. She also believes spirituality is incredibly relevant in the lives of families, now more than ever, and is passionate about integrating spirituality into modern family life in practical and sustainable ways. She’s grateful and honored to be in the “classroom” once again and exploring spirituality together with UCM children, youth, and families.

Caitlin and her family live in Moretown, and they enjoy exploring nature, visiting swimming holes, camping, snowshoeing, going on mystery rides, and attending her husband Rick’s local music gigs.