Recreating Your Relationship With Death
Hello & Welcome
At some point, death will become a part of your life.
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Whether through a diagnosis, caring for someone who is dying, grieving someone who has died, or you're reminded that one day you're going to.
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And yet even though it is the one transition we are all going to experience, it tends to be the one we are the least prepared for.
I'm here to help you find
RELIEF. RESILIENCE. RENEWAL.
Comfort in the discomfort of navigating your mortality &
the possibilities in preparing for death ~ especially before you have to.
How you ask?
By meeting you exactly where you are.
And by reminding you of the natural tools you already have for navigating dying & living while helping you prepare for death mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually and practically.
We spend so much of life pretending death is something to prepare for "later"... until there isn't one.
What if facing your death is the greatest act of care?
For yourself, your loved ones and the world?
I'm here to help people who are ready to explore mortality as a landscape to navigate, rather than a sudden cliff to fall from.
Think of my offerings as unique invitations for navigating the map for making mortality your mentor.
I'm here to help death pull focus on what really matters to you so you can live in alignment with it.
Not so we can obsess about death and worry about the future, but so that we become present and feel less concern with the life we have left & how we leave it.
We can ease our inevitable passing for ourselves and our loved ones by living more fully with death... while we're here.
Wherever you are with death...
You don't need to have it all figured out.
(spoiler alert ~ no one does)
That's where I can help.
Your Guide On The Side
My name is
& I'm so glad you're here
Professionally?
I am a trauma-informed transition coach bringing together my training and certifications as a death doula, meditation teacher & recreation therapy provider to help you navigate your relationship with death.
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I'm not going to help you "get over" or "move on" or "be fearless".
Whether it's around your own death or the death of someone else.
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I am here to help you contemplate & prepare for death.
And to discover what's possible when you do.
Perhaps you find relief, build resilience and discover renewal.
Maybe one day you can even gently let your death become a guide.
To witness it's invitations for recreating the rest of your life.
I offer invitations that create space to see death differently and help you prepare ~ mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually & practically. ​
Death changes everything ~ what happens when we let it?
This is not about turning grieving or dying into productivity.
It is about finding your own unique way to integrate your death,
so it can inspire what's left of your time and how you both live & leave it.
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Personally? ​
Death has shaped and reshaped my life... I've learned to let it.​
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I've spent over three decades navigating death and related transitions of all different kinds ~ by change and choice, by myself and alongside others.
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My professional approach is deeply connected with my personal experience.​​
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Because of my unique combination of certifications & lived experience ~ I bring my own blend of support, understanding and a solid sense of respectful humour to anyone navigating the weird, wild, wonder-filled landscape of life and death.
You might be thinking...
"How is she just talking about death so easily, I can't even look at it"​
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I've been there.​
I may be a professional death worker now...
But I'm also a grieving person too.
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I've grieved to the point of having night terrors & being unable to work.
I've lost people I couldn't imagine living without & sometimes almost didn't.
I've lost loved ones suddenly ~ to suicide, accidents & hidden health issues.
I've lost loved ones slowly ~ to disease, dementia & natural deterioration.
I've almost lost loved ones ~ through diagnosis & near-death experience.
I've been a personal primary & palliative caregiver while trying to work & live.
I've been present for the last breath of others & faced my own mortality too.
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I'm not going to promise it gets easier, but it can become different.​
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Every time I've experienced death ~ I've seen it as an invitation to recreate my life.
That's how, through death, this business was born.
Want to get to know me more?
Explore how I am a living and dying example of my approach...​​​
I've experienced a lot & so have you.
You can't shock, scare or surprise me.
But you can find safety with me. Here's how...
MY APPROACH
Let Mortality Be Your Mentor
Whatever external or internal circumstances brought you here...
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Death is present in your life in some way.
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Maybe it's staring right at you through a diagnosis, giving you some serious side-eye through your grief, or it really hit home on that latest episode of your favourite TV show that one day you will die.
What happens when you stop looking away?
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The next logical step most people take is to treat it 'practically'.
We prepare by doing the paperwork, writing out our passwords and parting with some of our belongings.
Don't misunderstand me, we will do that together too.
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But I believe we can find greater ease in life & at end-of-life not by only planning for it with well-organised folders & a step-by-step checklist...
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But by recreating life around it.
By seeing, being with & grieving it.
By being moved & shaped by it.
Even being guided & inspired by it.
Because this isn't just about paperwork, policies or passwords...
​This is about agency, intentionality & being human.
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When we approach death as a part of life to create a relationship with, we honour it for the mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and natural experience that it is ~ all while preparing practically for it.
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This approach allows our death to become the invitation for care that it can be ~ for ourselves, our loved ones and for the world we are part of.
This is about finding an approach that can transform death from a chaotic mystery into a transition that honours your life, love & legacy.​​​​​​​​​
I've spent almost two decades developing this approach to
end-of-life & recreating a life guided by it.
It is directly inspired by those that I've witnessed & walked alongside.
Welcome to...
The Death
Compass
What if life is the perfect training ground for death
and death can actually help us learn how to live?​​​​​​​​​
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Change is a natural part of life ~ and so is death.
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Change in all its forms throughout life forces us to face the unknown.
To learn how to adapt, to grieve and to grow ~ over & over again.
Death is the ultimate unknown but also the ultimate invitation.
To begin living a life that only grief can grow and
one that helps us befriend, design & live with our death
rather than only pretending, denying or fearing it.
All the 'deaths' and endings we experience along the way in life...
~ jobs, relationships, identities, people, communities, pets, homes ~
are the perfect training ground to learn how to live with loss.
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But what if they become invitations to live with our own loss too?
To consider our death as a guide for how we live what's left.
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Death isn't just a surface level experience. It's a deeply human one.
Mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually and materially.
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One of the superpowers of being human is that we have the capacity to feel many different things... all at once & moment to moment.
Fearful, excited, grateful, resentful, inspired, worried, prepared, confused, angry, relaxed, insecure, sad, resigned... the list goes on.
Death has a unique ability to bring it all to the surface.
And we have natural tools for navigating this experience.
My invitations are designed to explore how you can uniquely navigate through, and to, what feels better to you... no matter the circumstances.
Yes ~ even death.
My unique compass for navigating your relationship with death is built on the natural tools that remain, and can bring ease, at end-of-life.
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By using them as our foundational directions now...
We can learn to live like we're dying. Because we are.
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These natural tools of honest conversation, exploring recreation, practicing mindfulness and cultivating care while introducing a healthy dose of nervous-system friendly practices, perspectives, invitations & rituals create the foundation of living and dying well .
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Let my framework help you recreate your life and your death
by rebuilding everything around it.
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Conversation
As a certified doula & coach, I'm here to remind you of the natural human practice for well-being that is intentional conversation ~ with yourself, with me and trusted people in your circle of care.
Meditation
As a certified mindfulness teacher, I'm here to help you discover the life & death changing practice of meditation ~ let me help you myth-bust this practice to support your transition.
Recreation
As a certified nature-based therapy provider, recreation facilitator & expedition leader ~ I'm here to help you remember our fundamental need for fun & exploration through life & at end-of-life.
Donation
As a long term volunteer, family caregiver and
co-founder of a not-for-profit ~ I'm here to help you rediscover the power of purpose around what we care about and give to, in life & at death.
The Death Compass
Directions
MY OFFERINGS
Let's work & play together
Each of our life experiences are unique.
That means so are the ways we navigate death.​
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Recognising that one day I will die, I have designed offerings that support you both while I'm here and others that I hope will last far beyond my lifetime. Explore offerings for...
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I believe in offering diverse support so that you can
choose your own adventure...
While You're Here
Due Death: A Map For Making Mortality Your Mentor
Book, Audiobook & Workbook
Live Like You're Dying Guidebooks
Different Deaths ~ Mindful Mortality
Restful Recreation ~ Living Legacy
Retreats, Workshops & Presentations
Online & Pre-Recorded
While We're Here
Coaching Sessions & Mentorship Program
Online & In-Person
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Retreats, Workshops & Presentations
Online & In-Person
Co-Designed
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While We're Here... Recorded Interviews
Online
Due Death
BOOK, AUDIOBOOK & WORKBOOK
Coming Soon
Transform death from the monster under the bed to the mentor lying in it.
It's not just about remembering we will die, but letting our death inspire & guide our life while we're here.​
COACHING & CONVERSATION
In-person or online
Need some time to sift through the muck with someone neutral & non-judgemental?
This can be a great place to start. Whether a one-time session, series or alongside your self-paced journey we can meet online from the comfort of your home. If you live in my area, we can also meet in my home or outdoors while we walk, paddle, snowshoe... it doesn't get more personalised than meeting one-to-one.
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I also offer uniquely recorded life reviews & living legacy interviews with you or your loved ones called "While We're Here..."
SELF-PACED PACKAGES & PROGRAMS
Online
If you prefer to take your time, dip in-and-out, dive in or it just feels too scary to say anything out loud yet... this is just as powerful a place to start.
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Access my programs, practices & products to support your self-paced navigation of whatever
you may be experiencing right now. Whether it's death and dying or life leading up to it.
Available online whenever you are.
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Your pace.
Your presence.
Your possibilities.
RECREATION & TRAVEL
In-person
​Want to rediscover fun & recreation in grief?
Looking to stay active even at end-of-life?
Looking to find joy when it feels there is none?
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Have a bucket list trip but no one to go with? Grieving & need to get away with support?
Have a terminal illness & want to say goodbye to people or places but need a companion?
Have a dream you want to make happen?
I'm here.
RETREATS & PRESENTATIONS
In-person or online
I offer solo, couple and group retreats both in-person & online (in real-time or recorded too).
Pretty neat huh?
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I can deliver half day, full day and multi-day experiences tailored to your specific interests, needs & desires. Or you can start with my two-day retreat.
I can also deliver presentations and workshops to your unique audience ~ whether charity, community or corporate. Because no matter who is there, life and death will always be relevant.
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Let's get creative together.
THE DEATH COMPASS
Letting Mortality Be Your Mentor
This is my signature program designed to help you recreate your life around death.
12 weeks or 12 months.
​This is a 1:1 private mentorship.
No group. No mass container. Just us.​​
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Whether you are diagnosed or dying, supporting someone who is, grieving someone who has
died or you're done pretending you're not going to...
Still not sure I'm for you?
Totally fair! Start here...
Sometimes we just need somewhere to start that's
free & easy
When circumstances are changing quickly, everything is a bit much or you're overwhelmed with taking your first step toward death ~ it can be hard to choose how to move toward doing something (or anything) about it.
And finding the right person to work with is like choosing underwear ~ they need to fit just right because they are going to be privy to all you usually keep private.
Below you'll find offerings designed to make that initial 'something' a bit easier. These invitations to interact with me will not only help you to get to know me better but they are also representative of how I am a living and dying example of The Death Compass in practice.
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I've recreated my life around my death ~ living the legacy of what I want to leave.
Whether it's conversation, meditation, recreation or donation...
there's something here for you to try & see if I'm your cup of tea.
BECAUSE WHO DOESN'T LIKE FREE STUFF?
Get to know me better online or in-person
Meditation
PRACTICE
I'm a big believer that ancient wellness practices like meditation should be free & accessible to all. Head over to my YouTube or click below to listen to any of the practices that I design to help myth-bust meditation & make it an easy choice to turn to no matter the circumstances you're in.
Donation
PARTICIPATE
Join a day of meaningful adventure at my home in the heart of the Great Lakes! Each year I co-lead Love Your Greats Day, with teams on the beach, marina, roads, trails, river & underwater to cleanup our shared backyard. Also, discover new purpose & causes chosen by my podcast guests.
Follow me for updates, invites & your daily dose of nature
TESTIMONIALS
Reflections from clients...
There is nothing better than word of mouth from real people who I have supported through transitions of living & dying, as well as to whatever came next.
It's a big deal to trust someone enough to support you through life's crunchiest moments.
I encourage you to explore all your options, experience my free offerings & if it seems like I'm someone you want to expand with...
Let's work & play together in a way that is best for you. ​​
“I wasn't sure if working long distance with a coach (especially about death) was going to be as effective, but if anything, Jen made me realise that true support can come in many forms and from any distance"
Samantha, UK
CONNECT & SUBSCRIBE
Working With Me
I take a different approach ~ leaning in to nurturing our natural tools for well~being.
Navigating transitions throughout life and at end-of-life can be complicated, heavy and messy while also being exciting, educating and liberating ~ whatever & however you are experiencing change is valid (and unique to you).
The superpower of being human?
We can be & feel so many different things in the same moment.
That is the internal experience of change.
We just aren't taught how to do this without overwhelm.
I'm here to help you find some new ways of being & doing that don't soak up your precious energy but instead care for your brain, breath, body & beyond in sustainable ways that bring comfort in the discomfort of endings, beginnings & in-betweens ~ helping you recreate a life worth dying for.
Let's get to know each other...
Contact Jen by email and/or subscribe to receive gentle reminders for re~creation...