“Diana Cheifetz is one of those rare people who has spent her life doing the hard work of looking beneath the surface of things… I have worked alongside Diana in numerous retreat settings and have watched as her empathy, attentiveness and humor have emboldened people to awaken to the Spirit of God within their midst. In a culture increasingly frantic and lonely, Diana brings patience, wisdom, and a holy curiousity that can uncover God’s peace.”

— Mark Yaconelli, Founder and Executive Director of The Hearth, and author of Wonder, Fear, and Longing: A Book of Prayer

“Diana has been without peer. She is perceptive, intuitive, and empathetic. I feel completely heard. She listens very carefully and then cuts through layers with wonderful insight.”

— Marilyn Karr, Music Facilitator, Suquamish United Church of Christ, Suquamish, WA

“To sit with Diana as your spiritual director is to encounter a centered, wise, and delightfully unassuming presence of God’s love. She has a spirit of gentle welcome and acceptance, of compassionate and intelligent listening, of quiet encouragement and prayerful warmth, of playfulness and laughter when appropriate, and of graceful insights and discernment. How grateful I am that Diana, as my spiritual director, has accompanied my own soul and helped to keep it safe when I have faced [difficult] transitions – as well as times of joy and wonder.”
— Rev. Marcia Smith-Wood, Spiritual Director, HR, Wabash Valley Presbytery

“I have known Diana well for almost thirty years, and having spent forty years as a counselor and spiritual director myself, I recognize in her the qualities of a true and gifted spiritual director and pastor, one who is well-trained and widely experienced. Her openness to God, love of Christ and of people, and faithfulness to her own spiritual journey make her someone that I know I can totally trust. Her sense of humor, keen intelligence, and fresh way of seeing things make spending time with her a delight. As the wife of a pastor and as a pastor herself, she is well aware of the unique challenges pastors face.”

— Karen Williamson, pastoral counselor and spiritual director, Sequim, WA

I thank God for Diana Nishita Cheifetz and the ministry of spiritual direction to which she is committed… I have been blessed to have her with me on my journey to becoming the person God created me to be. Through sharing with her I learned to understand the effect on my spirit that the challenges and disappointments of my life had produced. I finally was able to realize that despite it all, God has been with me all the time to see me through. In my sessions with Diana, I have felt safe and able to shed the hesitancy to expose the wounds that I carried for so long. I cannot express adequately the joy I am now experiencing as a result of finally being able to live life with integrity, joy and humility.

— Margaretta (Marcie) Byrde, Conference Lay Pastor, Jones Memorial United Methodist Church, San Francisco, CA

Diana Cheifetz is so wonderfully attuned to the music of the Spirit—she is such a gifted listener, and she offers her listening as a gift and grace to others. Diana has helped me and many other women and men hear what we might otherwise have missed: the whisper and wind of God’s movement in our lives and communities. She is a blessing to anyone who seeks a deeper communion with the holy.

— Rev. Samuel Hamilton-Poore, Pastor, Montevallo Presbyterian Church, Montevallo, AL, and former Director of the Program in Christian Spirituality, San Francisco Theological Seminary, San Anselmo, CA

“Diana Cheifetz is a genuine gift to pastors. Her ability to listen with such wisdom and insight that allows church leaders to hear what God may intend in their lives is profound. She provides spiritual direction in a safe environment and is not afraid to be strong and vulnerable as she leads with a keen mind, beautiful heart and years of experience. From the moment you meet Diana, you know that you will be heard, that she has your best interest in mind, and that you are with one whose own well-being reflects wholeness, compassion and deep love. In my [many] years of ordained ministry, I have found Diana Cheifetz to be one of the finest spiritual directors around.”

— Rev. Angela Ying, Senior Pastor, Bethany United Church of Christ, Seattle, WA