I have worked in the public and charity sectors for over twenty years with roles in communication, training and volunteer and service management. Like many people, my paid work combined with unpaid work – caring for children and for an older family member.
Through my own experience and those of colleagues and friends, I became increasingly aware of the stress of juggling these competing priorities and how undervalued care is. This growing awareness intersected with an innovative project that promoted opportunities to talk about planning for end of life and challenged the taboo of talking about death, dying and grief.
This led me to train as a Funeral Celebrant which further enhanced my awareness of how much need there is for safe spaces to talk openly and safely about our experience and feelings around death, dying and grief.
I combine my role as Director of Creating Conversations CIC with a role as Head of Services for a local charity that works with and for older people. I also provide funeral and memorial celebrancy and celebration life writing.
When people ask me what I do, I say ‘Death and Sex’. They look at me inquisitively and I explain.
For part of the week I am raising awareness of death, dying and grief and the other part of the week I am working with young people supporting them around relationships and sexual health. But isn’t that a strange combination? Not at all.
Many people feel uncomfortable talking openly about both death and sex. However, the skills we need to have these conversations, and the way we approach these discussions, are the same.
I originally trained as a Nurse but quickly realised that my passion and interest lay in Public Health. After completing a Msc in Health Promotion and Health Education I spent the next 10 years working in the NHS and Civil Service in a range of strategic and management positions mainly focusing on teenage pregnancy and young people’s sexual health.
In 2004, I left the public sector to set up my own business. The initial focus of my business was on sexual & reproductive health. However, in 2011, my work began to include end of life care and end of life care planning and so my passion for talking openly about death, dying and grief began.
For the last 15 years I have worked on a range of innovative projects that promote open conversations about death, dying, end of life care planning and grief. I also design and deliver training and workshops for both practitioners and the public.
I am a drummer, musician and writer of all kinds (songwriter, poet and writer of articles) and was lucky enough to find the Grief Cafes and Creating Conversations at a very difficult time after losses of my own. A space for people to meet others also going through bereavement is so valuable and I am thrilled to be helping by contributing my writing, information and in any way that I can to support those going through grief. I am also using my skills to run music and creative sessions for those going through loss and I'm working on an album, own too many books, love sports, traveling, films and a good boxset 🙂
I started coming to the Creating Conversations Death Cafes initially out of simple interest. As time progressed, I have come to see how important these opportunities are. They enable people in grief, fear, wonder or any combination of emotions, to express their feelings, ask their questions, listen to others - all in a trusting and caring environment.
I was a college lecturer for many years, teaching a range of students, from sixteen to adult, so apart from my own personal experience, I saw how life events affected a great many people around me, and observed how difficult it was sometimes for them to express themselves adequately without attracting judgement or sentimentality from others. I have seen how Creating Conversations provides that safe space, to allow people to let their guard down without threat, and talk openly about death, dying, their grief, or similar subjects; and how refreshing it can be to have those conversations.
Hi, I'm Ash! I'm a filmmaker, potter, and aspiring death doula new to London via Chicago. I'm so happy to have found Creating Conversations and love being a part of the table host team. Holding space for others to engage and reflect on these challenging but fruitful topics is incredibly valuable to my journey as a grieving person. I believe it's imperative to talk about death and grief and will ultimately help us live fuller, brighter lives. I hope attendees walk away feeling uplifted and seen, I know I often do.
Hi, my name’s Jon and I have been a table host for Creating Conversations since it began in-person Death Cafes in early 2021.
I started attending various Death Cafes in early 2020 as I had a need to gain a deeper understanding and acceptance of death.
As a table host, it’s a privilege to speak and listen to a wide range of people with differing experiences, feelings and approaches towards death.
Every meeting throws up new and invigorating conversations along with keen insight and, perhaps surprisingly, great humour.
I hope everyone will gain as much benefit as I have done from attending Creating Conversations events!
I was drawn to The Creating Conversations Grief & Death Cafes following my own personal bereavement. After a year into my grief journey I found it to be comforting and helpful being around other bereaved people, sharing different experiences & insights in a safe space.
Death as a subject also became a curious subject for me and one I wanted to explore further as I recognise that as a society we are mostly rubbish at having these open conversations about death.
After attending various sessions as a participant I have now embarked on the role as table host. I feel like I learn something new every time I attend. I expand my horizons & meet a lot of interesting people so overall a very valuable experience and I feel privileged to be a part of it.
The first death cafe I ever attended was over a decade ago. It was incredible to be in a space with other people where we shared insights, experiences, and ideas about death and dying without judgement or stigma. I’ve since gone on to host and participate in many other death cafes and have recently completed a death doula program. One of the things I most appreciate about death cafes is that each one is unique, every conversation is different. There is so much to explore. I am grateful to be a part of helping to hold space for such exploration with Creating Conversations.
I greatly enjoy my work with Creating Conversations, helping to host the Death and Grief Cafes, and other events. It’s a genuine privilege to hear the stories of people who attend our events, and a humbling and educational experience to exchange views with such a diverse range of people. I’m very proud of the welcoming, inclusive and non-judgemental space we provide.
I would describe myself as ‘death-positive’ and someone who actively seeks out conversations about these topics, rather than shying away from them as so many do. People often seem uncomfortable when I tell them about the Death Café, and assume it must be very heavy and intense. Sometimes it can be, but more often than not, I find that in talking about death, what we are really talking about is life. In this way, I always feel invigorated and inspired after attending one of the Death Cafes!
I am a psychotherapist and specialise in grief counselling. I have also previously worked as a Bereavement Volunteer with Cruse, the bereavement support charity.
Hi, my name is Sophie and I feel privileged to be a table host for Creating Conversations around death and grief.
The topic of death is such a taboo, and sadly many of us decide to ignore it – often because we are unsure how to address it, hold the space for ourselves and for others.
My aim is to contribute to foster understanding and compassion, feel gratitude for what today has to offer, build resilience, empathy and open a judgment-free conversation for those navigating the complexities of loss and bereavement in order to live happier lives together.
I had heard of the concept of the ‘death cafe’ but, like many people, wasn’t too keen to attend one – before my father’s death towards the end of 2024 made me re-evaluate the need to discuss death further, and more deeply, than is generally normalised in the society in which we live.
Having attended as a participant for a year, I now volunteer as a table host. Meeting people from all different backgrounds and walks of life and sharing meaningful, challenging, enlarging, uplifting, surprising, comforting, memorable – and, ultimately, extremely human – conversations with them is a huge privilege.
We don’t collectively speak nearly enough about the aspects of the human condition that most define it: our love, our losses, and how to keep embracing the uncertainty around life and death which being human is shaped by. Sharing connection is, to me, one of the most significant ways we can navigate our sometimes overwhelming individual journeys.
We need more spaces like death and grief cafes which allow us to connect as humans: bringing to the table all the complexities and universalities that make us who we are; where we can sit together and be ourselves.
I have been attending the Creating Conversations Death and Grief Cafes since 2023 and enjoy being in a supportive space where one can openly and honestly talk about death, dying and grief. There is never any expectation or judgement, and I always leave feeling calm and grounded afterwards. Every meeting is so different, and the varied range of experiences, perspectives and approaches to contemplating life and death are insightful, inspiring and sometimes surprisingly funny too.
Working on education interventions for vulnerable young people and adults, I see the importance of having such death-positive spaces that enable people to process very complex thoughts and feelings.
It is a privilege to support Creating Conversations in this work.
