Facilitators
The facilitators whose pictures and bios are on this website can provide:
- Presentations and film screenings for groups or families.
- One-on-one consultations for individuals or families regarding end-of-life issues.
- Workshops with current information and resources
- Grief and loss support
We welcome you to read through their bios, and call or email the one that sounds right for you.
Dying in America is complicated, and we have to be equipped to advocate for a good death for ourselves. The film Speaking of Dying grew out of Heartwork End-of-Life Planning Groups, which were called “A Gift for Yourself and Your Loved Ones.” Trudy James initiated these four-part workshops in congregations, senior centers, work groups, family groups, homes, book groups, and open groups of individuals.
Advanced Healthcare Directive
Facilitated workshops support the process of completing an Advance Healthcare Directive, and provide the opportunity to learn about current resources, reflect on the meaning of the dying process, share stories, and take control of one’s own end-of-life choices. Participants receive an Advance Directive document and a curated selection of articles, handouts and other resources. The average group size is 10 people.
Workshop participants have commented:
- “It is comforting and enlightening to do this work in a group.”
- “My life is so much better now that I am more comfortable with my own choices.”
- “After the group, I could talk more easily to my doctor about my wishes.”
Facilitators
Brenda Charles-Edwards.
I’m excited to be a Certified Heartwork Facilitator for End-of-Life Planning. I offer individual and group workshops on Zoom and in-person. The goals of the workshops are to help you deepen your understanding and perspective on death and dying. My goal is to help you determine exactly what your wishes are for your care at the end and to help you designate a person that will carry out your wishes. This is a gift you can give to yourself and your loved ones.
I host the Seniors Matter! Show which is live Fridays at 12:30 pm PT on Rainer Avenue Radio featuring interviews with people that provide services or have valuable information for seniors and the community. Ways to Watch/Listen (Public Links to Share):
https://youtu.be/dK5W-kXUlSc
https://facebook.com/5068754269910310 (RAR)
https://facebook.com/1492232384525990 (Seniors Matter!)
https://twitch.tv/rainieravenueradio
https://twitter.com/rainieraveradio
Rainier Avenue Radio App (free both iPhone & Android users)
https://rainieravenueradio.world
Contact info: 206-683-2636; email brenda@blackorchidenterprises.com
Dori Gillam
Dori is a speaker and writer, inspiring older adults to age positively and creatively. She took care of her parents for the last seven years of their lives as they traveled through grave medical conditions and dementia. She became a hospice volunteer and Speaking of Dying group facilitator, bringing unique empathy and expertise to her groups.
Dori has worked for Sound Generations, The Bayview Retirement Community and AARP. She writes for 3rd Act Magazine and is Board Chair for the NW Center for Creative Aging.
Contact info: www.dorigillam.com
Trudy James
Trudy James is the founder of Heartwork/Speaking of Dying and the producer of the Speaking of Dying film. A retired interfaith hospital chaplain, she graduated from the University of Kansas and Union Theological Seminary in New York City. She learned hands-on lessons about death, dying and grief while creating congregation-based volunteer AIDS CareTeams in the early days of the AIDS epidemic in Arkansas; her ground-breaking work with AIDS was honored at the Clinton White House. Later, she created an AIDS Care Team program in Seattle and served as a chaplain at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.
After retiring, she spent four years pioneering community-based end-of-life planning workshops and two years producing the 30-minute film, Speaking of Dying. The movie depicts end-of-life options and resources and the value of speaking openly about dying before there is a crisis. Trudy trained fifteen facilitators who lead end-of-life workshops and screen the film. Trudy retired in 2021 but continues to consult with individuals and groups regarding issues of aging, living deeply, and dying well. She is on the Advisory Board for End of Life, Washington.
Contact info: 206-985-0400; email tjheartwork3@gmail.com
Jennifer Jones
Jennifer Writes:
“I’m very connected to Heartwork in several ways. The first is that I’ve been working with Trudy James for the past three years as the director and videographer of the film “Speaking of Dying.” While collaborating on this project I became intimately involved in the issues around death and dying, and the difficulties we face if we are unprepared for it.
Through the course of our filmmaking project, I had the opportunity to meet many courageous people who made decisions about their end-of-life care, and were able to tell us why and how they did that. I witnessed first hand the benefit it brought to them in their final weeks and months of life, and how it made their deaths less burdensome for their loved ones. This experience gave me great insight into the powerful benefit of doing this Heartwork.
I also do geriatric care management and work directly with seniors and their families, helping many to manage care for chronic conditions. In doing this work I’ve witnessed both good and bad endings, and I’ve seen personally the great need for these kinds of discussions.
I’m passionate about this topic because I know how important it is to have the ability to die on our own terms, and not be at the mercy of chance, or God, or the medical system. My wish is that this work will inspire and enlighten, and enable us all to have a more gentle and peaceful passing.”
Contact info: 425-220-4091; or jwjwjones@gmail.com
Jennifer Kropack
Jennifer was born in Seattle, and her career began on a fishing boat in Alaska. She developed an interest in PNW history, economics, and politics that took her back to Evergreen State College to finish her degree in Environmental Studies. Today her passion is in bringing an abundance of wisdom, information, and humor to one of life’s most difficult questions: How do you plan for a peaceful and meaningful death? She brings to this important process, seven years of experience as a Certified Heartwork facilitator for End-of-Life Planning, and more than twenty years as an educator and trainer for the Washington State Department of Health.
Her End-of-Life Planning groups and individual sessions are guided by a deep appreciation for cultural and spiritual diversity and the power of sharing personal stories and truths. Her experience during her father’s end of life instilled in her a calling to share with others the ability to face their own and loved ones’ deaths with intention and tools. Jennifer is honored to help others live more joyfully in the present, by planning for a meaningful end to life. She shares everything needed for end-of-life planning – from curated stories and poetry, to current healthcare documents and death with dignity knowledge – in private, personal, and uplifting settings.
She’s available for presentations, workshops, and individual mentoring. She also facilitates an hour-long grief workshop.
Contact info: 206-713-8973; email jwakropack@comcast.net
Maureen Kures
After 30 years as a Registered Nurse, Maureen Kures is no stranger to end-of-life issues. As an oncology, hospice, and ICU nurse, she was privileged to provide end-of-life care for many individuals. She has seen first-hand the devastation that can occur when families don’t have potentially difficult discussions with family members – the same discussions that could have helped everyone weather the loss of a loved one in a more productive and positive manner.
No doubt about it – end-of-life conversations are the elephant in your family room and can be challenging for many reasons. And it doesn’t have to be that way! Maureen’s strength lies in her ability to help families calmly approach topics that are difficult to discuss. Her expertise in reducing drama, trauma, and chaos has helped individuals get their affairs in order while getting their families in alignment. Maureen created Radiant Mourning to be an advocate for end-of-life planning and family discussion. She is honored to be a facilitator with Speaking of Dying.
When not advocating for her clients, you can find Maureen walking her much-loved canine companions, devouring wonderful books, and tending her garden.
Contact info: radiantmourning.com
Patti Kwok
Patti Kwok, PhD, ARNP has cared for individuals diagnosed with cancer for almost forty years in the greater Seattle community as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner. She has worked in a variety of medical settings including major academic centers and health maintenance organizations that are recognized nationally and internationally. In Feb of 2016 she was recruited to the Swedish Tumor Institute to run the cancer survivorship clinic.
At this stage of her career she thoroughly enjoys helping patients during this important transition from active therapy to long-term surveillance and also facilitating Speaking of Dying Workshops and other end-of-life planning groups. A PhD in depth psychology and mythology has prepared her to empower patients to explore existential beliefs regarding illness and mortality, and to take action.
Contact info: seattlekwok@comcast.net
Terry Peterson
My studies around death and dying began with looking at my own death and what I would want as the best-case scenario. I realized that I had choices to make and that there was preparation, learning, and planning to do in order for my dying to be as I want it to be.
I continued my education with training to work as an end of life doula, home funeral guide, and facilitator for the Speaking of Dying film and End of Life Planning workshops.
The intentions for my work are to provide information, develop better communication between individuals, and to create a sacred environment around dying.
Contact info: 218-553-0522; email mayallbepeaceful@gmail.com
Laurel Riedel (Minnesota Facilitator)
For 30 years, Laurel Riedel guided women and families through the miracle and mystery of birth as a nurse midwife at Hennepin Medical Center. She also cared for both of her parents through the challenges of aging and dementia and was their Health Care Agent. She was at each of their bed sides during their final days.
Being deeply invested in the transitions into and out of life, her passion now is to help people write thoughtful Health Care Directives and more importantly to befriend the conversations about end of life.
Contact info: 612-868-4116; email laurel@speakingofdyingMN.com, or see her website at speakingofdyingMN.com
Rees Robinson
Rees is passionate about facilitating processes supporting fully engaged, meaningful living right up until death – a death aligned with each individual’s personal values and beliefs. She enjoys facilitating workshops and working with individuals and is committed to creating an environment where each person can access their gifts and inner wisdom. In addition to facilitating Speaking-of-Dying End-of- Life Planning Workshops, Rees is a Certified Sage-ing Leader with Sage-ing International and a spiritual director. Rees lives in Rhode Island and is available to facilitate in-person workshops throughout the state or virtually through Zoom.
Contact info: 206-718-7813; email reesr@comcast.net
Danna Schmidt
Ram Dass says we’re all just walking each other home. As an ADEC-certified thanatologist (CT®), funeral celebrant, death doula/end of life navigator, grief advocate, trained hospice volunteer, and ambassador/volunteer client adviser (VCA) with End of Life Washington, I consider it the honor of a lifetime to be able to companion others on this walk.
My work in the world as a soulsmith and ceremonialist is about helping people navigate life transitions and participate in discussions aimed at claiming death and loss as our birthright. I bring a bounty of creative rituals and resources to my death-preparedness workshops in the community. I look forward to hosting this conversation with you and your people!
Contact info: 425-577-0328; email danna@waypointceremonies.com, or see her website at WaypointCeremonies.com
Pamela Steele
Pamela Steele, PhD, is an educational psychologist, certified mediator and conflict resolution trainer who helps people communicate effectively and define practical, realistic ways to meet challenges head on.
Pamela lost both of her parents (congenital heart failure and Alzheimer’s) and her only sibling (prostate cancer) within a two-and-a-half-year period. With no discussions around death and dying and no advance directives, she was left with the responsibility of making all the health care decisions for each of them. Out of this experience and its aftermath, Pamela became committed to learning everything she could about the importance of identifying and defining ways to ensure that end-of-life needs and wishes are recorded and communicated to family members, health care advocates and health care providers.
In 2020, on their 39th anniversary, Pamela lost her husband to a sudden, unexpected cardiac arrest. Through this experience, she has learned about the differences between traumatic loss and loss over time due to the decline in someone’s health. No question, both are painful but they are different.
Through her work as a facilitator, she is honored to help people define their idea of a meaningful death and how they hope to be remembered. Thinking about these issues early, before a crisis, ultimately frees up more energy and zest for everyday life. It’s all about “Living Deeply, Dying Well.”
Pamela conducts workshops and works with individual families in Seattle, WA.
Contact info: email pamela@healthease.guru or visit website at www.healthease.guru
Caroline Stevens
My interest in death started years ago with the untimely and tragic deaths of 2 younger siblings.
I am trained in Social Work, Hospice Nursing (RN)and am a Doula for Dying ( a trained person who supports another who is terminally ill, depending on their needs and what their hopes are.
I am trained in the Speaking of Dying Curriculum (developed by Trudy James, CPE,) to lead individuals, small groups, families, or couples in becoming more comfortable talking about dying, their wishes and hopes for the near or far away future. Most who attend will create a Healthcare Advance Planning Document if they choose to.
My Doula for Dying training was with Zenith Virago. Originally from England, Zenith now lives in New Zealand and travels worldwide many months of the of the year. Although Zenith Calls herself a “Death Walker”, I think of myself as a person who knows a lot about peaceful dying and death and am willing, even eager to share what I know. I work to enhance empowerment, choice, and comfort. I also believe that talking about death with loved ones brings the fear and pain of loss out of the shadows into the light.
I live on Bainbridge Island. I lead workshops and provide individual and family consults. This can be done in person or remotely using technology depending on preferences and public health advisories. I can work with you to create your own workshop with family or friends.
Be Well.
Contact info: 360-990-8718; email cfstevens47@gmail.com
Martha VanDeMark
As a nurse with over a decade of hospice experience, Martha feels privileged to have been present with hundreds of people during the end of their lives. She is passionate about any subject regarding end-of-life experiences and personal stories. Through certification as a Heartwork Facilitator, she has broadened her commitment, interest, and dedication to community-based planning for better endings.
Martha brings a wealth of wisdom, humor, integrity, and balance to end-of-life planning work. She’s been through her own health challenges with help from mindfulness, alternative medicine, meditation, and massage. In her spare time, she can be found with her four grandchildren, enjoying nature, or participating in meaningful community activities.
Contact info: 206-795-7667