Meet Our Founder
For decades, Dr. Briana Woods-Jaeger’s life has been shaped by healing—both as a practice and as a necessity. Long before she became a psychologist, public health scholar, and community leader, she was a child walking hospital hallways alongside her father, a hematologist-oncologist. There, she witnessed something that would stay with her: the quiet but profound power of hope, connection, and compassionate care in the lives of children and families navigating unimaginable diagnoses.
That early exposure planted a seed—but it was life itself that deepened the calling.
“Healing is not about doing it alone or doing it perfectly. It’s about being held—by community, by care, and by the belief that hope and meaning still exist, even in the hardest seasons.”
- Dr. Briana Woods- Jaeger
Dr. Briana supported her husband, Jeff, through his cancer journey—walking alongside him as a caregiver, partner, and witness to both love and loss. After his death, grief became a constant companion, reshaping her understanding of healing not as something that replaces loss, but something that learns to live alongside it. Now, as she navigates her own diagnosis of brain cancer, that understanding has deepened further—bringing clarity, urgency, and resolve.
Healing Journeys Foundation exists because of this lived truth: no one should walk a healing journey alone.
Grounded in a lineage of healers, community builders, and strong women, and guided by ancestral wisdom, the foundation reflects Dr. Woods-Jaeger’s belief in changing the story—from fear to hope, from isolation to connection, from surviving to living fully. It is a continuation of Jeff’s legacy, her family’s values, and a lifetime commitment to care that is relational, holistic, and deeply human.
At its heart, Healing Journeys is not about fighting illness—it is about creating spaces where people are held, supported, informed, and empowered to pursue healing in ways that are right for them.
As a clinician, researcher, and educator, Dr. Woods-Jaeger dedicated her career to understanding trauma, resilience, and healing across communities. As a community support worker, she partnered with children and families carrying invisible wounds—many without access to the resources they deserved—while witnessing extraordinary strength and creativity in the face of adversity. These experiences clarified a truth that would guide her work: healing does not happen in isolation, and access to care should never be a privilege.
Then, life brought the work home.
