Meet our staff

In A Heartbeat owners Monica Hamilton McCarthy and Patrick McCarthy with IAHB founder Gretchen Nahkala.

Gretchen Nahkala, Founder

FullSizeRender (9) Gretchen founded In A Heartbeat in 1997. She worked in the health field as a dental hygienist for over 25 years. She became a certified CPR instructor so that she could train her coworkers, but her outgoing personality and knowledge soon put her classes in demand. As a result, she created In A Heartbeat to meet the CPR and First Aid needs of the medical field and other vocations that require safety training. In 2006, she returned to school to become a certified EMT, and served as the Oakham Ambulance Director with an on-call fire department. Gretchen left the business to her brother, Patrick, and his wife, Monica, when she passed away in 2021.

Monica Hamilton McCarthy, Owner, Marketing Director, Instructor, CFO

FullSizeRender (8) Monica joined the In A Heartbeat team in 2015 as the Marketing Director and social media manager. She became a Heartsaver instructor in 2016 and a BLS Healthcare Provider instructor in 2017. Monica has a degree in English with a Humanities minor from Providence College in Rhode Island, and is also a freelance writer and editor, with clients in the healthcare industry. Monica also plays traditional Irish and Celtic music with her husband Patrick in the duo Dublin Down.

Patrick McCarthy, Owner, Instructor, President

patrick headshot

Patrick has been an American Heart Association instructor for over 20 years. A graduate of The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Patrick specializes in industrial health and safety. He is also an avid outdoorsman and musician.

View our onsite schedule on our Classes page

We have moved to Auburn, MA. Classes are offered at 68 Central Street, Auburn, MA, 01501.Check out our class offerings on our Classes page and email inaheartbeatoffice@gmail.com to schedule your next class.

Helpful hints to booking your class:

Would you like a class at your own location? Email inaheartbeatoffice@gmail.com to select your date and reserve your class with a deposit, and we’ll bring everything you need to have your class at your site! Your deposit is then deducted from your balance the day you complete your class. Reserved your date but need to reschedule? Don’t worry: Your deposit will be carried over to your rescheduled date.* Visit our Classes page for more information about our offerings, and ask about large group discounts. We accept cash, credit or debit cards.

*We appreciate your business and value yours and our instructors’ schedules. Please note that in the event of a cancelation, your non-refundable deposit will be applied toward your next scheduled class in the same calendar year.