Catherine Schaffer is a Physician Assistant, trauma survivor, and the author of Letters of Forgiveness.

After more than 30 years in medicine, Catherine now speaks and writes about healing in the second half of life and healthcare workers’ stress and burnout.

Her work explores emotional resilience, creative expression, and the fierce beauty of starting over at any age. Catherine is reclaiming her voice through memoir, art, and dance—and helping others do the same. Go to her Speakers Page Here

About Catherine

As a child, Catherine learned early how to read a room, stay quiet, and survive.

She grew up in an unstable home, where love was inconsistent and safety was never guaranteed.

But even then, she carried a deep awareness—of people, of unspoken truths, of the ways pain leaves shadows.

Those early years taught her how to listen closely, how to comfort others, and how to find light in unlikely places.

It’s from that foundation that Cathy built a life of service, healing, and compassion. Her story isn’t just one of survival—it’s one of rising, again and again, into purpose.