Koren was born in Maryland and grew up in the forests of Northwestern Washington State. She was home-schooled and began learning meditation from her mother, her first spiritual teacher, when she was 12. After growing up, Koren followed a self-guided spiritual path until 2009 when she began Zen practice with Sean Tetsudo Murphy, Sensei in Taos, New Mexico. She became a formal student of Shishin Roshi and Roshi Shinko in 2012 and ordained as a novice priest in 2018. Koren is an Associate Member of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association (SZBA). Koren works as a tax accountant in Boulder, Colorado.