ABOUT

Leading with Love

Jaime Kuhn founded The Empowered Companion® with a mission to support, celebrate, and build heart-led connections between human and non-human animals by bringing a calm, collaborative, compassionate Reiki presence to as many households and animal care businesses as possible.

Jaime Kuhn gently holding a Siamese senior cat - founder of The Empowered Companion, offering compassionate, mindful care rooted in Animal Reiki and deep connection.

“Love is the bridge between you and everything.” - Rumi

Rooted in Care:

Certified Level 3 Practitioner and Teacher in the Let Animals Lead™ Method of Reiki

Teacher/Practitioner of Excellence for Shelter Animal Reiki Association (SARA)
Fear Free Shelter Program Certified
Certified Companion Animal End of Life Doula
Certified Advanced Feline Training Professional
Member of International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants
National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) Certified Professional Pet Sitter
Pet First Aid Certified
Second Degree Practitioner - Usui Holy Fire III Ryoho Reiki
Mesa Carrier in the Andean Shamanic Tradition

I also have an Art History Degree, an MBA, and I'm a Virgo!

Growing The Empowered Companion~
TomTom & Me

TomTom, a senior diabetic cat and the heart behind The Empowered Companion, gazes with love and wisdom - his journey sparked Jaime Kuhn's path of mindful, compassionate senior and sensitive animal care. — TomTom

My journey to working full-time with animals and recognizing my desire to exist with mutual respect and compassion with all animals began in 2019 with a foster cat named Tom - TomTom for long. I can look back at my life and the animals I worked and lived with, and how they touched me, but Tom leaned into my heart and lit the fire of passion for this work.

Tom came into our home from an animal shelter, at least 10 years old, after being relinquished due to his guardian’s failing health. He lost his mom, his dog brother, and his home in one day, ending up in a kennel awaiting a foster home or an adopter. He was cage aggressive due to fear and too despondent to eat and drink to support his health.

We decided to foster Tom, and I was determined to “save” him. I smothered him around the clock and begged him to eat for the first two days and nights. He responded only with purrs and requests for pets – still unwilling to eat. I finally decided I would allow him to make the choice whether he wanted to eat and live. I told him I would respect whatever decision he made - I truly meant it.

After taking my focus and expectations off him for a full eight hours and attending to my work and home, TomTom ate a decent meal in my absence. He taught me a beautiful and poignant lesson about animal agency, the power of respect, and his lack of need to be saved by me.

Learn Tom Tom’s full story and The Empowered Companion at our blog, Being One.

TomTom, a senior diabetic cat in his final days - reaching out with love and presence. His sacred passing inspired The Empowered Companion's soul-led approach to end-of-life animal care. — TomTom

This lesson is the essence of The Empowered Companion.

We Are Family

Jaime Kuhn supporting a family through an Empowered Companions Reiki session and end-of-life planning - creating a compassionate care plan for their animals, both living and passed.

I am proud to bring together my skills as a Let Animals Lead Animal® Reiki Practitioner and Teacher, Certified Advanced Feline Training Professional, Compassionate Care Pet Sitter, and Companion Animal End of Life Doula to create and grow The Empowered Companion®.

We are honored to work with so many families who meet their companion animals where they are and connect from a heart space. My heart glows daily from beautiful interactions and conversations with animal guardians and precious pets. I am awed by the healing and teaching I am gifted by the animals I encounter each day! This innate connection and joy is there when we’re open to it.

One day, the TomTom Foundation will provide funding to support animal shelters and rescue organizations who provide whole animal care to senior cats with medical needs until they can find an adoptive home or a forever foster for palliative care and dignified end of life support.

100% Transformative

A couple cradles their senior cat during an Empowered Companions session - creating a loving care plan to support their beloved companion through illness and the family through anticipatory grief.

As we at The Empowered Companion® dream our world into being, we start where we’re at – bringing a Reiki presence into homes through Compassionate Care Pet Sitting.

As we grow our vision, training a generation of pet sitters, trainers, animal care providers, and companions to incorporate the precepts, ethics, and grounding techniques of Animal Reiki into all aspects of animals care and companionship is integral to our mission!

We look forward to advancing language and healing arts to elevate the conversation around animal agency, sentience, consciousness, and companionship.

To see animals as equal beings and respect the universal connection between all things – humans, animals, plants, and minerals included – we strive to empower the beautiful companions we encounter – human and non-human, alike.