Elle Payne

I thought I knew who I was. I had studied ballet for years and had a BFA in Fine Arts. I owned a yoga studio, I taught ballet classes, I choreographed and directed ballets, I wrote original ballets and plays for the stage. It was a lot of work and I was often exhausted but I knew I had made my own way...often without any money...but I was satisfied to always be creating something magical. After a member of my family died, I lost all the magic. Everything went dark and I couldn't find a way out. In my struggle to work through my grief, I found an unlikely place for anyone who is in grief to end up. I enrolled in Mortuary Science School and proceeded to get a degree in Mortuary Science. I learned from the bottom up. Being a body removal technician, working as an intern at a Funeral Home and being with the coroner at crime scenes gave me superb training for becoming a dual licensed Embalmer/ Funeral Director. Through helping others with their grief, I found my self again. I am now am a Funeral Director by day and a ballet teacher at night.