Being a mom is the best gift ever!

Hi there!  I’m Natalie Friedman, Director of Community Development here at The Beryl Institute. I am grateful to be part of such a great team with an amazing organization that has a true heart filled mission. When I’m not meeting with hospitals and health systems inviting them to join our community, I am enjoying the beauty of the low country here in Charleston, SC with my 8-year-old daughter and 3-year-old mini golden doodle!  I absolutely love being a mom, the most incredible gift and job ever!

I grew up in rural VA on our family farm and started my venture into healthcare as a junior volunteer at the local hospital where my mom worked, not realizing it would generate a lifelong passion for working in the healthcare space.  My learned experiences professionally helped me tremendously when facing my own patient and caregiver experiences, especially when my daughter was born prematurely at 32 weeks and also enduring the loss of both of my sweet parents from pancreatic cancer and Covid pneumonia.  These experiences and life events taught me more than ever how to truly be a patient advocate and also the value and gift of time with those we love. 

My daughter and I enjoy cooking, bike rides, dance parties, and going on adventures together, especially to see any waterfall!  We love the beach, and we often will go early to catch the sunrise. This has become one of my most favorite things to do with her!  We both love the water, and a hobby I’ve started a couple of years ago is stand-up paddle boarding. It is such a peaceful way to immerse yourself in nature while also getting some exercise.

I also enjoy restoring old furniture and bringing life back into pieces most would throw out.  I love doing yardwork and find it to be therapeutic. I’m working on developing my green thumb and it must be working based on the blueberries produced this year😊.