The Dying to Live Workshop Series
Dying to Live is a series of 1-3-hour workshops intended to improve death literacy, and help you breathe life into your life by facing your death. The series can be delivered as stand-alone topic-based workshops, or in sequence for groups of 2 to 20 or more, both in-person and virtually.
We can have good — even great — deaths.
And by having better deaths, we have better lives. Lives of connection, meaning, fulfillment and passion.
I believe good deaths come from being real. No one gets out of here alive, so let’s not pretend we will. Most of us tend to avoid talking (or even thinking) about death, and yet it is one of the only things we know will happen to each and every one of us!
We get to a good death by talking openly, truthfully and plainly about death, dying and our mortality. About fear, longing, regret, hope, and the unknown. By normalizing conversations about death and dying, we can embrace our reality (and the mystery of our lives!), which in turn empowers us to live lives of choice, inspiration and clarity. We become more connected, more purposeful, more vibrant, more fulfilled.
My mission is to help you explore you own mortality and eventual death so that you can live more meaningfully, passionately and clearly NOW. (Death is my favourite motivator!)
Because I’ve been there.
In late 2016, I went for a regular check-up, which revealed a weird growth. After sending some tissue off for testing, I was told I had cancer. In the time between “Something doesn’t look right” and “You have cancer” and “Here’s the game plan,” there were lots of unknowns.
And a whole lotta fear, worry and regret.
Within just a few weeks, I had to prepare for my potential death, in case the surgery didn’t go well, and in case the cancer had spread. I learned a lot during those intense, emotional weeks; the two most important things being:
Don’t wait to think about death; it can happen at any time. Make sure your ducks are in a row — legally, financially, healthcare-wise, funeral-wise, etc. no matter how old or young you are.
Don’t waste time living a life you don’t want. Which means, figure out what you do want to live for, and how, and why, and go do that!
After I came out of that experience, I was inspired to be of service in new ways, and shifted both my mindset and my coaching and facilitating practice to focus more fully on these topics. Living through a scary diagnosis helped me figure out what matters most in my life, including my relationships, my vocation and my home, and put a lot of “distractions” into perspective. It led to me leaving my corporate career to move across the country to a location and climate that better suited our family’s love of nature, to focus on parenting, and to serve my ideal clients.
I want you to think about these things before you’re in a moment or season of crisis, like I was. We make better decisions when our emotions aren’t flooding our brains and bodies. And we lead better lives, and experience better deaths, when we’ve given ourselves the gift of living authentically, purposefully and gratefully.
“Jilly created a safe and welcoming space to be with the idea of our deaths. I came away less fearful and more inspired to follow my heart.”
Workshop 1: Visioning a Life of Few Regrets
Through personal reflection and guided visualization, create a vivid picture of your most meaningful life and a simple action plan to bring it alive...before you die.
Workshop 2: Talking with Kids about Death & Dying
Build comfort and confidence and gain practical tools and tips for engaging children in challenging conversations about the cycles of living and dying.
Workshop 3: Love Letters from Beyond
In this supportive and reflective guided experience, craft enduring messages for those you love, to be delivered before or after your death.
Workshop 4: Gifting Your Legacy
Through guided visualization and reflective writing prompts, mine your life experiences for the gems you wish to share with others so that your wisdom and experience may live on.
Workshop 5: Your Last Hurrah!
Party planning for your death! In this playful take on a usually sombre and serious undertaking, design the party-of-all-parties to celebrate your unique life…and uncover some personal insights and meaning-making in the process.
Get in touch to bring the Dying to Live Series to your family, friends or workplace.
“I absolutely loved the guided visualization you led us through. It was a lovely journey to imagine all the people who care about me and think about the impact I’ve had on the world. I’m deeply moved by the experience.”
“The session helped me to move from feeling a need to change things in order to be more satisfied with my life to focusing on the critical needs and starting to create an action plan.”