Is Death No Longer A Taboo Topic?

When I tell people that I work in end-of-life education and planning, most people are intrigued.

That wasn't always the case.

When I started doing this work nine years ago, more people were surprised, confused, and even horrified.

Changing Attitudes Towards End-of-Life Planning

These days, however, people are curious.

They want to know what end-of-life education and planning really means. “Do you work with folks who are dying?” they often ask, unable to imagine what else the job could involve.

I explain that while I do sometimes work with people who are dying, the bulk of my work is about helping people explore the reality of their mortality.

In other words, I help people prepare for the inevitable day when they’ll die, whether they currently have a clean bill of health or anticipate death sooner rather than later.

The Growing Interest in Mortality

The good news is that this topic is receiving much more attention than it did when I first began this work.

A quick search in the New York Times, for example, revealed five articles in August alone on topics ranging from near-death experiences, getting through grief, having fun funerals and even how people want to end their lives.

It seems that more people are finally interested in learning about the one thing we know will happen to all of us. There’s also a growing understanding that learning about death and dying long before our final days can actually have a positive impact on how we live our lives.

Demystifying Death to Embrace Life

Julie McFadden, also known as “Hospice Nurse Julie”, has nearly half a million followers on YouTube. In her videos and in her new book, Nothing to Fear, she describes the dying process so that folks can learn how death is a natural process, and therefore be less afraid of it.

She also says that when people are willing to discuss the end of their lives and accept that they’re going to die, their fear decreases, they feel freer, and ironically, they actually seem more full of life, even in their dying days!

I wholeheartedly agree with Julie when she adds, “I think this change in perspective can apply to all people because, technically, we’re all dying. If we can face that fact and allow in a bit of that freedom, I believe we all can live better lives here and now.”

Check out Julie’s book or YouTube videos because what you’ll learn is such a great compliment to the work of Willow.

Willow’s Mission to Demystify Death

At Willow, we’ve been demystifying death for almost a decade by creating opportunities for people like you to engage in heart-centered, end-of-life education and planning.

When my co-founder and I started Willow only nine years ago, we were ironically considered pioneers in the death-education arena.

Michelle and I began by creating — and giving away — the Reality of Our Mortality® Planning Checklist and then developed workshops to help people work through the list.

Authentic Living Through Preparation

Willow Workshops® and tools, led by a diverse group of Willow End-of-Life Educators®, focus on universal topics that help you prepare for your eventual death. The often unexpected, additional outcome is that by engaging in this work people live more authentically and with greater intention.

Are You Ready to Explore This Journey?

As more people discover this area of service, more are called to it.

Are you one of those?

If yes, learn more about becoming a Willow End-of-Life Educator™.

If you’re simply interested in exploring the reality of your own mortality, check out a Willow Workshop® or our self-paced program, The 7 Tools for Making Sense of Life & Death.