Valerie Young was born in Louisville, KY on January 27, 1952 to Morris and Dot (Dorothy Fanelli) Young. She graduated from Wagner High School and studied at Vanderbilt University and at the University of Pennsylvania, where she received her Ph.D. in anthropology.
Valerie was a certified Shadow Work Facilitator and Coach and pursued intensive training in advanced shamanism and shamanic healing as well as being a Family Constellations facilitator.
She was one of the founders of Woman to Woman, Kentuckiana, a community of Woman Within graduates in the Kentucky/Southern Indiana area.
She was known for her remarkable intuition and compassion, and her ability to bring help and love from those on the other side.
Valerie Young
1/27/52 – 7/9/14
One of the great loves of her life was her music. She loved to sing, play Celtic harp, and play piano and percussion in her beloved band, Keltricity. As well, for over twenty years, Valerie played her harp for those individuals transitioning from this world under the care of Hospice. Valerie believed the last sense to leave the body was auditory and that music supported the transition.
Another great love was Nature. Valerie frequently explored her 100 acre farm and enjoyed the abundance of visible mineral, plant and animal manifestations as well as the invisible world of energy.
Valerie believed we deserved to be who we are and to respect the same in each other, seeing the strength in others whether we liked it or not. She was real and she encouraged that in others. She was human and encouraged that in others. She believed living was about looking within and challenging ourselves everyday to be more than we expected. She was always intrigued by the resilience of the human spirit and how we could be of service in the world.
Valerie taught that hiding is not living.
Valerie died, July 9, 2014, at the age of 62, following a two-year battle with cancer. She faced her illness and her transition as she lived her life – with grace and courage.
Before she left us, Valerie created a foundation to carry on her work. Her legacy is “The Living Sanctuary”, a gift of her house and land to be used as a place for healing retreats and workshops.