Piedmont Death Collective

02/26/2026

Invitation to Create a Necessary Space Together

We will create a “necessary" space
Because there is no such thing as a "safe space."
We exist in the real world
We all carry scars and we have all caused wounds
In this space
We seek to turn down the volume of the outside world,
We amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere,
We call each other to more truth and love
We have the right to start somewhere and continue to grow
We have the responsibility to examine what we think we know.
We will not be perfect.
This space will not be perfect.
It will not always be what we wish it to be
But
It will be our necessary space together,
And
We will work on it side by side.

*Source: National Equity Project Fall 2022 training and adapted from Beth Strano and Micky Scott Bey

02/18/2026

Know the Nature of Your Illness

We often don’t realize there are different types of illnesses that will have a greater or lesser impact on us and our family. Is this an illness that will be cured or not cured? If not cured, will it be life changing?

What you hope for and what you need to prepare for depend on the nature of your illness.

Chronic illnesses cannot be cured and will never fully go away. Because of the advances in health care, many of these illnesses can remain stable and controlled for long periods of time.
Examples: Diabetes, HIV/AIDS, autoimmune conditions such as Crohn’s disease.

Progressive illnesses will worsen over time and lead to a decline in health and physical function. Medical treatment and therapy may stabilize the illness for some time, but eventually the illness worsens. Examples: Osteoarthritis, macular degeneration, spinal stenosis.

Life-limiting illnesses will shorten a person’s life. The person will eventually die from a life limiting diagnosis. Sometimes, there can be many, many years between diagnosis and death. Examples: Some types of heart disease, respiratory disease, non-curable cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, frailty.

Questions to ask: Is my illness curable or is it chronic and non-curable? How long should I expect to have this condition? Will it worsen over time? At some point should I expect it to worsen? Is this illness life-limiting or life threatening? Will it shorten my natural life expectancy?

02/13/2026

Transitions begin with an ending, the death of the old. It is in the dying that a new way is prepared.

We have been conditioned to see death as the end and often as failure. We view it from a negative lens, if we are willing to even view it at all.

We fight the aging process as the beauty industry thrives on an anti-aging platform. We have created a system that pushes our elders into institutions. Healthcare professionals focus on treatments and procedures trying to fix and cure, with minimal training, if any, on how to introduce the threshold at the end of life. When a person dies from a terminal illness we say they have “lost their battle.” After death, we quickly hand the body over to industries…to others. Then, we are expected to wrap it all up with a bow and be right as rain within three days. Time to get back to the grind.

We are trained to be so averse to death and dying, we make it into a medical condition instead of a living experience. We try to keep it neat, tidy, and sterile. When we do care for our dying, we often look upon them with pity or fear, projecting our feelings onto how the dying should die.

As a hospice nurse, I am often administering morphine and lorazepam because the living does not know how to be present with the dying. Not necessarily because the dying needs it.

Do not misunderstand. I am not minimizing the sadness and grief that comes with loss. Not at all. We can foster safety and softness for our dying while feeling all the emotions that come with it.

We are missing the mark. We need to step back, realign. Have conversation. Put our words into action.

It starts with looking at yourself. Where do you fit in with all of this? What is your definition of death? How is death and dying approached in your family? What was your first experience with death? What do you believe happens after we die? Where does this belief come from?

Dare to do some self-exploration. Get an understanding of your foundation, your personal constitution, about death and dying. And then be willing…willing to be open to what you do not know and allow space for others to do the same.

02/06/2026

First Coffee & Conversation is in the books! The next one will be March 6th. DM me if you would like to join or if you have a question or topic you would like for me to discuss.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

02/04/2026

Notice the Breakthroughs

P.S Please ignore the racket my kitten is making in the background. He was busy clawing the chair during this video. 🙃

01/31/2026

Join me, your community hospice nurse and death doula, Friday, February 6th at 10am in a virtual space promoting positive death curiosity and conversation.

If you can’t join live but have a question, you are welcome to submit it in the comments, via messenger, or email at [email protected]. Coffee & Convo will be recorded, and the recording will be shared with those who submitted questions.

A few of the questions submitted so far are on working as a hospice nurse, morphine at the end of life, and death bed visions.

This is not a grief support group. Conversation may lead to shared resources for your grief. I do provide one-on-one grief support and will be offering grief support groups soon!

This event is free. Comment below, send a DM, or email me for the link.

01/22/2026

“Only bodies died. Spirits wandered. They stayed with their descendants to guide them through life, to comfort them, sometimes to scare them into waking from their fog of unloving, unliving.”

Effia and Esi were half-sisters, born in different villages in eighteenth-century Ghana. Effia lived a life of luxury, married off to an Englishman and resided in the Cape Coast Castle. Meanwhile, unknown to Effie, Esi was imprisoned beneath her in the castle dungeon. The story threads follow each s

01/06/2026

This is the last week to join A Year to Live 12 week book club! Let me know by the end of the day Wednesday 1/7 if you would like to participate. Emails have been sent to those who’ve already expressed interest so be sure to check your inbox if that is you!

01/04/2026

First finished book of 2026 and it’s a gem!

12/30/2025

PDC Book Club kicks off Jan. 13 with A Year to Live by Stephen Levine!