In a world where conversations about the end-of-life are often avoided or postponed, Willow enriches, energizes, and engages people around this typically avoided topic.
Willow is dedicated to transforming end-of-life planning into a rich opportunity for personal growth and community connections.
Willow's heart-centered and inquiry-based approach empowers individuals, families, and professionals to explore the reality of their mortality so the can live their remaining days with intention and purpose.
Questions are at the heart of what we do.
Willow material probes you to think about, and do things, you may have never done or thought about before.
While you get your affairs in order, Willow invites you to reflect on the meaning of your life (and death). This includes examining who you are, what you stand for, and how you wish to be remembered.
All that matters in the end, matters now.
What We Believe and How We got Started
At Willow, we joyously shout from the rooftops that your mortality is an opportunity in disguise.
By consciously contemplating the precious nature of life as you prepare for your inevitable death, you'll awaken to appreciate who and what matters most. Willow's mission is to help you wake up before your time's up and use your mortality to define what it means to be truly alive.
After a 20-year friendship, Willow co-founders, Reena Lazar and Michelle Pante came together around their common passion to use end-of-life education as a pathway to growth and healing for individuals, communities, and the planet. They began by creating tools and workshops to change perceptions and experiences regarding living and dying, and they discovered that:
Alone our reach is limited. Together we can transform more lives.
In 2019, the Willow EOL Educator® Program was born.
Designed to ease the way for others who are passionate about transformative end-of-life education, planning, and care, the program enables educators to use Willow materials in their own practices and communities.
Today, Willow’s tools and workshops are used throughout the world by people of all ages, including employee learning and development, and to enhance the work of end-of-life practitioners and professionals.
Meet Our Team
Where Passion Meets Purpose
Reena Lazar
Debra White
Jacqui Williams
Why we’re called Willow
Willow trees are diverse and ubiquitous at the same time; there are hundreds of willow-tree species found throughout the world. They are flexible, resilient, vigorous, regenerative, adaptive, useful, and beautiful. Willows have healing properties. The tree bark is the source of salicylic acid, used in natural remedies and the active ingredient in the painkiller, Aspirin.
The classic graceful weeping willow is, in many cultures, a symbol of sorrow, mourning and even immortality. Willows evoke protection, movement and surrender.
Willows are soft and strong, able to thrive pretty much anywhere.
What We Offer
Willow empowers individuals, families, and professionals in three key ways:
For Individuals and Families:
Explore your end-of-life options, make informed choices that reflect your values, and even find joy in the process. Here's how you can take action:
Register for Willow Workshops® led by experienced and licensed Willow EOL Educators®.
Enroll in Willow's "7 Tools for Making Sense of Life & Death" Online program.
Contact us to find a Willow Educator to work with you or your family.
Download free tools on a variety of end-of-life planning topics.
For End-of-Life Practitioners:
Become an End-of-Life Educator or enhance your existing practice.
Whether you're already working to help people with end-of-life planning or care or you want to begin working in this field, Willow offers amazing resources to enrich your expertise and provide heart-centered tools for your clients.
Licensed Willow EOL Educators® can use Willow’s expanding end-of-life education and planning tools and products, including detailed scripts for virtual and in-person workshops, advance-care-planning,
and coaching tools.
For Organizations and Companies:
Use Willow materials for transformational staff and volunteer development or community engagement.
Whether you're a hospital, hospice, elder-care facilities, funeral home, cemetery, or any company devoted to employee development you can:
Learn how you can support one or more of your staff to become a Willow EOL Educator®.
Contact us to learn how one or more of your staff can become a Willow EOL Educator®.
Ask us about hiring a Willow EOL Educator® to work with your company or organization.
Join the Willow Community
Start your journey towards heart-centered end-of-life education and planning with Willow.
Explore the reality of your mortality, get as prepared as possible for your end-of-days and live your life with purpose intention.
By subscribing here, your receive 2-3 newsletters/month with:
- Blog posts with inspiration and insights about life and death
- Free resources and tools for you and yours
- News of upcoming events and offerings
- A welcome gift just for subscribing
Subscribe Now!
Speaking Engagements
Book a thought-provoking and informative speaking engagement with Reena regarding end-of-life matters. Her topics include:
- Why end-of-life planning is more than just paperwork and checking off your to-do lists
- The importance of foundational and holistic planning
- Anecdotes that have shaped Willlow's approach and mission
- Why current planning efforts are missing the mark
You Have Questions - These Tools Can Help
Have you ever considered…
How would contemplating the reality of your mortality impact the way you live, now?
What kind of ceremony can best support your grieving family and friends?
How can your death positively affect the planet?
Find your answers today!
9 Things to Include in Your Departure Directions
Create a meaningful legacy with Departure Directions®! Crafted from your values and beliefs, these guidelines for your after-death care ensure that every aspect is carefully considered. These nine essential headings, include expenses, logistics, and more!
5-Minute Legacy Love Letter
Leave a lasting impact with the 5-Minute Legacy Love Letter®! These six thoughtful prompts offer you a chance to express your heartfelt message to a specific person or group. Strengthen your relationships and create lasting memories, all in just a few minutes.
A Brief on Grief and Mourning
Discover wisdom and insight on grief and mourning with this free resource. Learn from thought leaders in the field as Reena and Michelle share their years of experience, helping you understand the importance and normalcy of the grieving process.
How to Write Your Heart Will
Unlock the power of love and reflection with How to Write Your Heart Will®.' This free guide assists you in crafting lasting messages for your loved ones, while also guiding you on a transformative journey to live and love fully in the present moment.
Reality of Our Mortality Checklist
Elevate your end-of-life planning with Willow's Reality of Our Mortality Planning® Checklist. This heart-centered and holistic guide goes beyond the practical aspects, inviting self-reflection and highlighting the interconnectedness of life and death. Prepare for the inevitable with grace and mindfulness.
Connect with Willow
Keep up with us on social media for updates, inspiration, and valuable insights:
Our Collaborations
We've had the privilege to collaborate with inspiring organizations, including:
Land Acknowledgement
Willow respectfully acknowledges the land we work on does not belong to us. While this place where Willow was founded, and where Reena continues to work and create is known as Vancouver, British Columbia, the truth is this land is the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish People, including the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.
Unceded means this land was never given, sold, or agreed upon to be shared—this land is unsurrendered. This is stolen land.
We acknowledge our traditional hosts and honour that they graciously welcome those of us who seek to learn, connect, rest and have right livelihood in this place. Why do we acknowledge “unceded territory”? Here’s a powerful answer from Verna McGregor, an Algonquin elder:
“It’s acknowledging that we’re still here, the acknowledgement is important—that we’re worthy of being on our own lands… there is a greater issue than what is going on today. It helps remind people that we are going back centuries in terms of what we’ve done to the Indigenous people—from the reserve system, the residential schools, to today with Indigenous children still being removed from their families at a greater rate than the rest of the population… The acknowledgment puts what’s happening today into a greater perspective to understand historical wrongs and how that’s manifested today. Part of reconciliation is truth and honesty.”
