February 28th 2024 was the 31-year anniversary of my birth mother’s passing (2/28/93); and since then I have been confronted with death more times than I can count - including four gut-wrenching losses in 2023 alone.

Dealing with death forces the roots of the tree of our lives to deepen, allowing us to open up to greater height and breadth than possible prior, but that requires support and community care.

When my mom died (when I was 7), my dad didn’t have the tools to support me. And when my dad died (when I was 11), though his sister adopted us, she didn’t have the tools to support me either. And when her mom/my grandma died (when I was 18), my mommy II lost the ability to cope in more ways than I can recount.

But her passing in December was different (I’m now 38). I finally have a chosen family/community to lean on and the tools and ability to truly support myself.

I learned through trial and error and therapy and coaching a bajillion trainings and certifications and modalities over the last 31 years how to show up for myself in the face of so much grief.

My experience with death is absolutely the reason that I have been a student of intentional living since I was a child.

I have ALWAYS been intent on sucking all of the marrow out of life and expressing and becoming the best version of myself by my own definition.

While there have been many hiccups along my journey, embodied joy and vitality have been a natural byproduct of tussling with loss.

Reframing death, deconstructing harmful ideas about afterlife and embracing the exquisite pain of grief has been cathartic in this season and many many times over.

Death doesn’t have to be heavy forever.

There is light after death. And life has trained me to share that light to others grappling with grief.

If you are ready to have a new relationship with death coupled with multi-dimensional support as you heal from loss, I look forward to supporting you.