About Me

My name is Amy and I live in Northeastern Massachusetts with my family which includes our Australian shepherd and French bulldog.

Cultivate Cleaner has evolved from something to do during the pandemic into a hobby-business of jewelry-making, where I source vintage, upcycled, and other materials. I also make magnets, ornaments, and coasters, and the occasional surprise. Upcycling fits in with lessoning chemical exposure and educating others about the risks that chemicals pose, something I learned more about when undergoing cancer treatment. Making things solves my lifelong need to be creative and make pretty things.

Cultivate Cleaner has been an evolution. This site feeds interests in healthy living and public health, jewelry making, design, cooking, gardening, and various causes. 

I am a management consultant working in the government, non-profit, and health and human services space. I graduated from Mount Holyoke College and have a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. I have a certificate in Nutrition and Healthy Living from Cornell University and a certificate in DEI.

I completed the online Anti-Cancer Lifestyle program developed by the nonprofit Anticancer Lifestyle Foundation, and the Payson Center for Cancer Care, at Concord Hospital in Concord, New Hampshire. The program is based on Anticancer: A New Way of Life, by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber and includes a module on environmental risk factors including chemicals. I also completed a month-long master class entitled "Talking Toxins" with Lara Adler. 

On weekends you will find me, and often family members and friends, new and old, at farmers markets and craft fairs. Spending time at our local farmers market has brought unexpected joy and appreciation of the good in people and community. 

It all comes together in a nice, not so neat way. But it is my story.