Meet Adrianna
Caregiver. Advocate. Behavioral Health Professional.
I created Cora because I know what it feels like to love someone deeply and still feel overwhelmed by what caregiving asks of you.
After helping care for my father through dementia and my mother through cancer, I saw firsthand how much caregivers carry—and how often they're expected to figure it out alone.
Today, I help caregivers find clarity, support, and a way forward through the challenges that don't fit neatly into a care plan.
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THE STORY BEHIND CORA
Holding On While Letting Go
Caregiving changed everything.
When my father was diagnosed with dementia, life shifted.
As the disease progressed, my mother became his primary caregiver. I watched her carry appointments, daily changes, and the quiet grief that comes with watching someone you love slowly change.
But I wasn't just watching.
I stepped in alongside her—coordinating appointments, navigating insurance, sorting through paperwork, and helping make decisions we never expected to face.
Then my mother was diagnosed with cancer.
Suddenly I was helping support both of my parents while balancing work, responsibilities, and my own life.
Like many caregivers, I became the organizer, advocate, decision-maker, problem-solver, and emotional anchor for everyone around me.
There was no roadmap.
Just love, exhaustion, uncertainty, and the determination to keep going.
Watching my father slowly change—and eventually lose the ability to be the father I knew—was one of the hardest parts.
Our relationship shifted.
I became the one keeping him safe, calm, and grounded.
I loved him deeply, but I also grieved the parts of him that were slipping away.
And I grieved the part of me that had to grow up quickly in ways others my age didn't.
The Guilt No One Talks About
There were moments of heartbreak.
Moments of frustration.
Moments when caregiving felt like it had seeped into every part of my life—my career, relationships, priorities, and future plans.
And then came the guilt.
Guilt for feeling overwhelmed.
Guilt for needing a break.
Guilt for wishing things were different.
The love was always there.
But so was the weight.
One of the most important things caregiving taught me is this:
You can love someone deeply and still struggle with what caregiving asks of you.
Both things can be true.
Why Cora exists
At the same time I was navigating caregiving personally, I was spending my professional life working inside healthcare, behavioral health, and public health systems.
I saw the incredible support these systems can provide.
I also saw the gaps.
Caregivers are often given information, referrals, resources, and advice.
But they're rarely given someone to help them make sense of all of it.
Someone to help organize next steps.
Someone to think through decisions.
Someone to prepare for difficult conversations.
Someone focused on the caregiver.
That's why I created Cora.
A place where caregivers can bring the questions that keep them awake at night.
The decisions they are struggling to make.
The conversations they don't know how to start.
The responsibilities they feel like they are carrying alone.
A place for practical support, honest conversation, and help figuring out what comes next.
Because caregivers deserve support too.
Why "Cora"?
Cora comes from corazón—the Spanish word for heart.
It was also the affectionate nickname my mother used for my father.
That word became a reminder of the love, resilience, and partnership that carried our family through difficult seasons.
Cora Collaborative is a tribute to my parents—and to every caregiver who continues showing up for someone they love.
But Cora isn't just a name.
It's a philosophy.
Because caregiving comes from the heart.
But it also requires strategy, clarity, support, and someone willing to walk alongside you through the difficult parts.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
My work combines lived caregiving experience with more than 15 years of experience in behavioral health, healthcare education, public health, and systems navigation.
Areas of Expertise
Caregiver support and advocacy
Behavioral health and counseling
Healthcare systems navigation
Public health and community care
Healthcare education and training
Education
Ed.M., Counseling Psychology — Teachers College, Columbia University
M.A., Psychology — Teachers College, Columbia University
B.A., Psychology — Johns Hopkins University
Selected Experience
Senior Director, Prevention Education — AFSP
Overdose Prevention Coordinator — NYC Department of Homeless Services
Family Therapist — Carlbrook School
Habilitation Counselor — Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care
If you're carrying more than most people realize, you're not alone.
Caregiving is hard enough without having to figure everything out by yourself.
Whether you're caring for a parent, partner, spouse, family member, or friend, you deserve support too.
Let's Talk →
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