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In this episode we meet Rebecca Crichton, the executive director of Northwest Center for Creative Aging. We discuss her work in the field of creative aging and grief counseling. She shares personal experiences with death and highlights the importance of having conversations about death and end-of-life choices. Rebecca emphasizes the value of resilience and positive psychology in the grieving process. She also talks about the significance of legacy letters and the need for open discussions about death and dying. Rebecca encourages listeners to embrace the gift of each day and find purpose in their lives.

Rebecca is the Executive Director of Northwest Center for Creative Aging
(NWCCA) and brings wisdom and purpose to her work with the aging community. She retired from a 21 year career at Boeing as a writer, curriculum designer and
leadership development coach. Her Encore Career uses her knowledge and
experience to offer programs and resources related to Creative Aging in the Seattle area. NWCCA collaborates monthly with Seattle’s Town Hall.

Rebecca facilitates Wisdom Cafes for the King County Library System and writes a regular column for Third Act Magazine.

Trained as a Hospice Volunteer, Rebecca continues to teach and facilitate Grief and Resilience support groups for several organizations. Rebecca has master’s degrees in child development and organizational development and is a Certified Coach.

Resources we discussed:

Northwest Center for Creative Aging
Food and Finality
Death over Dinner
3 Secrets of Reslilient People - TedTalk by Lucy Hone
Resilient Grieving - Book by Lucy Hone
Martin Seligman - Positive Psychology Center

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Also, we would love your financial support and you can join us on Patreon. Anyone who supports us at any level will be invited to a special live, online conversation with Annalouiza and Wakil.

And we would love your feedback and want to hear your stories. You can email us at endoflifeconvo@gmail.com.

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Today we're very happy to be able to share a conversation with two friends, Diana & Luc

Diana O'Riordan Verschoor, who also goes by Dee, is an eco folk artist living in the Colorado on Cheyenne, Ute, and Arapaho ancestral land. Dee's small business, Thimble and Stone, supports collective liberation through functional folk arts, placing an emphasis on ritual and wellness. One of Dee's artistic focuses is on painting simple, nature-inspired designs onto eco-cremation urns using natural pigments.

Luc Nadeau is an entrepreneur, artist, and freelance ecologist living in Longmont, Colorado. He started Nature's Casket in 2008 to provide eco-friendly caskets and urns.

In this conversation, Luc and Dee discuss their work in the field of eco-friendly caskets and urns. Luc is the founder of Nature's Casket, which provides eco-friendly burial options, while Dee is an artist who paints nature-inspired designs on eco-cremation urns. They talk about their personal experiences with death, the beauty of using beetle-kill wood for their creations, the challenges they face, and the joy they find in their work. They also discuss the importance of green burial options and the need for more awareness and support in this field.

Here is a link to Diane’s art gallery where you will find photos of the painted caskets and urns.

For the coffin Luc and she were talking about, you have to click the plus sign to load more photos to see it.

The Green Burial Council

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Also, we would love your financial support and you can join us on Patreon. Anyone who supports us at any level will be invited to a special live, online conversation with Annalouiza and Wakil.

And we would love your feedback and want to hear your stories. You can email us at endoflifeconvo@gmail.com.

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Today we have an opportunity to share a conversation with Dr. Amelia Phillips, a black woman working in a variety of fields dominated by white men including Engineering Information technology and real estate.
Dr. Phillips is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a BS degree in Astronautical Engineering and a BS in Archaeology along with an MBA in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix. She completed her PhD at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Computer Security.
She has also managed rock bands, worked on an assembly line; has been a real estate broker, computer consultant, and hard money lender.
She was a Fulbright Scholar at the Polytechnic of Namibia and returned there over the course of more than a decade as they grew to become the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST).
Dr. Phillips, a black woman with a diverse background, shares her unique life experiences and perspectives on death and dying. She reflects on the impact of her mother's death at a young age and how it shaped her outlook on life.
Dr. Phillips discusses the African American view of death and the role of funerals in the community. She also talks about her current work, challenges she faces, and her desire to leave a lasting impact on the world.
Dr. Phillips discusses how she feels supported at the end of life. She talks about the importance of having good friends and accountability partners who provide emotional support and keep her motivated. She also emphasizes the significance of staying connected with spiritual practices and preparing for the next transition.
The conversation touches on the fear of leaving a messy living space after death and the importance of decluttering and simplifying one's belongings. The idea of gifting meaningful items to friends and community members is also discussed as a way to pass on cherished mementos.

https://www.sfltimes.com/news/black-news-news/origins-and-history-of-the-black-funeral-service

https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2021/02/african-american-funeral-homes/

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/01/black-funeral-homes-mourning/426807/

https://www.delawareonline.com/story/sponsor-story/evan-w-smith-funeral-services/2021/02/01/african-american-funeral-homes-essential-throughout-history-and-today/4211105001/

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-black-funeral-homes-closing-ron-alexander/

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Also, we would love your financial support and you can join us on Patreon. Anyone who supports us at any level will be invited to a special live, online conversation with Annalouiza and Wakil.

And we would love your feedback and want to hear your stories. You can email us at endoflifeconvo@gmail.com.