EDUCATION-EVENTS

events@mndeathcollaborative.org

Janet is a trained End of Life Doula through the International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA), Zen Buddhist practitioner, and founder of Good Death Doula. While some define a “good death” as one that is free from avoidable distress and suffering. Janet views a good death as one where people feel comfortable talking about death in a way that creates agency, intention, and closure while incorporating wellness and peace on life's ending. Janet works with individuals and their families through hospice, vigil, and the grieving process with compassion, love, support, and understanding that this time is sacred, precious, and beautiful.

SECRETARY

admin@mndeathcollaborative.org

Michelle is an INELDA trained end of life doula, grief coach, and founder of HELD. While serving as a caregiver to her husband during the end of his life, she came to understand the transformational possibilities that exist when being deeply present to the dying experience. Michelle is a member of both INELDA and NEDA, is a Certified Grief Educator through David Kessler, is a Certified NLP Practitioner, Hypnotherapist and Life Coach through IntraAwareness. To learn more about how Michelle practices the art of death midwifery go to heldoula.com.

MEMBER AT LARGE

amanda@mndeathcollaborative.org

Amanda is the Community Programs Manager at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis. She is incredibly passionate about cemeteries as community spaces and is actively involved in connecting cemetery educators and advocates across the country with resources to increase programming and community engagement. In addition to her love of cemeteries, she enjoys finding new ways to encourage community conversations around death and dying, whether through community memorialization opportunities, or small workshops and informational classes.

MEMBERSHIP

members@mndeathcollaborative.org

Becca is a Going With Grace trained & NEDA proficient End of Life Doula, volunteer with Sholom Hospice, and founder of Partners in Passing. As a former management consultant, Becca is passionate about using her organizational, project management, and communication skills to build community and support for the dying and their circles of support. Becca is committed to facilitating uncomfortable conversations with the aim of making death less weird.

MEMBER AT LARGE

corey@mndeathcollaborative.org

Corey is a trained End of Life Doula through the International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA), and serves as a volunteer with North Memorial Hospice. As the caregiver during his mother’s death, he found a clarity of purpose, helping individuals and families navigate their end-of-life journey. He believes death should be talked about and planned for. As a lifelong planner his mantra is, “none of us are making it out of here alive, so let’s make sure we plan for it and have a good death.” He feels everyone should leave this world for the next unburdened from the stresses of life, surrounded by laughter, compassion and love.

COMMUNICATIONS

communications@mndeathcollaborative.org

Emily is a trained End-of Life / Death Doula, and gained her certification through Going With Grace. Emily serves as a Hospice Volunteer for Sholom Hospice, and also provides grief support and resources for organ donor families at LifeSource. She attended United Theological Seminary and received a Masters of Arts in Leadership. Her capstone project, the Radical Death Series, prioritized issues of racial equity, collective grief, and what it means to embrace death as inseparable from life.

OUTREACH

outreach@mndeathcollaborative.org

Kate is a trained End of Life Doula (INELDA & ILDM), a Certified Life Planning Specialist, a volunteer with Kindred Hospice, and owner of Whispers of Life Doula. As an event planner who sees nature as her sanctuary, she is dedicated to creating opportunities for self care—as a personal practice and for the community around her. Death has been a close companion of Kate’s life, and as one dear friend described this threshold, “Those who have seen the darkness know best how to seize the moment and find the light.” It is a mantra Kate holds close within her heart.

FINANCE

finance@mndeathcollaborative.org

Liz is a graduate of the Going With Grace Death Doula Program, and is certified through NEDA. She volunteers at Providence Place in Minneapolis, and has provided Tarot divination to clients for 40 years. Her interest in end of life work was born when her mother died in 2012. Liz was part of the home birth movement in the 70s and 80s, participating in evolving how we are born in this country. The role of midwife is strong in her life work, and she now works to support the evolution of how we die. She sees the importance of normalizing conversations about death, educates people in end of life planning and supports people in thinking about what they want when their time comes. The most profound knowing that has come from this work has been to deeply internalize the reality that she will die. When facilitating groups, her goal is to bring an awareness of our mortality, and often feels a palpable sigh of relief in gratitude that these conversations can be had with courage, humor and love.

DEVELOPMENT

development@mndeathcollaborative.org

Cindy McCreary is an End of Life Doula, Grief Specialist and Certified Life Planning Specialist trained through International Doula Life Movement (IDLM). She currently volunteers her services as an End-of-Life Doula at Sholom Hospice in St. Paul, MN and as a volunteer with other hospice organizations in the Twin Cities area. She has recently ended a long career in Organization Development which included leadership and team development, change management and executive coaching. She enjoys using her skills in new ways through her work with the MN Death Collaborative and her volunteer work. She is passionate about making a difference in death work and is grateful to have compassion, kindness and caring at the core of how she spends her time.