LISA POTTER
End of Life Guide, Funeral Celebrant and Death Doula
Specialising in end of life care, advocacy, support and rituals
Lisa Potter
Qualified, compassionate & personalised care
~End of life mastery~
DipCouns
BATheatre
GradCertPalliativeCare
Funeral Celebrant - Member of Funeral
Celebrants Association Australia
Former Funeral Director
I understand that it can be a tough decision to reach out to others and ask for help and support at challenging times in life. This can be due to financial reasons, because you feel reluctant to share your personal 'stuff' with a virtual stranger, or because you simply don't understand what an End of Life Guide or Celebrant can support you to overcome, achieve or navigate.
In a broad sense, a Guide acts in a similar capacity as a personal coach - supporting you to evaluate your current situation, identify any challenges or work towards achieving personal goals or outcomes.
In the past I have actively served as a Life Coach, but my purpose and passion has now directed me fully in to service as a Death Guide. In this capacity, I act as a guide, a coach, a companion, even a friend, collaborating with you, evaluating each stage together, working on focused outcomes related to specific end of life challenges that you or your caregivers require support with. There are many names for this role currently circulating in the end of life community, I can be referred to as a death doula, a death midwife, an End of Life Consultant. I primarily identify with being your guide, working together to navigate your individual path.
A Celebrant is someone who takes part in or facilitates ceremonies, celebrations or rituals, for purposes of revelry or reverence. As a Life Transition Celebrant my approach is to work co-operatively with families to create personalised, reverent and meaningful funeral and memorial services; or design individualised and unique rituals to acknowledge significant life markers. Any transitional event with deep emotional connection can be personalised, honoured, and memorialised. Today, the lack of ritual and connection evident in our lives makes these conscious ceremonies even more powerful and meaningful.
So - who am I as an End of Life Guide and Celebrant? What is my personal style and approach?
Every single person is an unique combination of individual traits, characteristics and skills which influence how we relate to the people that cross our path and the people we choose to serve.
Those I have supported feed back to me that my presence and approach is warm, relatable, and engaging, thus creating a sense of ease and openness in the relationship. Whilst at times, the conversations and content may be emotive, I hold the space with sensitivity, compassion and warm humour.
I personally do not rely upon a set toolkit of questionnaires, templates, activities and forms. I utilise a wealth of life experience, coupled with strong intuitive guidance, to work alongside you in determining authentic priorities and realistic, achievable outcomes. My knowledge does not rely upon theory alone, it is a platform based upon real, challenging lived experiences.
In a nutshell, what I am really good at, is being genuinely on your team.
Let’s face it, when we find ourselves in a place where we actively seek support, guidance and direction, usually there is a deficit in our current fulfillment, uneven equilibrium or an urgent and persistent issue that is causing us discomfort. The last thing I believe we need is someone exerting additional pressure and potentially causing overwhelm in the bid to do more and achieve more.
My role is to be literally and figuratively on your team, in your corner and there to support your current and evolving needs.
I will take the time and space to work through questioning - 'where are you' - where are you truly, right now in your life? The shared process of navigating your path starts with evaluation. This is largely your evaluation of where you are at in your life. Not what I think. Not where you 'should' be; not where you ‘expected’ to be, not where others want or expect you to be. Where are you honestly and where do you want/desire to be?
You are entitled to want, desire and strive for a different outcome or experience to the one you are currently immersed in - whether it be in regards to the impact on your significant relationships, finding or integrating purpose, focusing on 'quality' in the remaining time, assimilating the diagnosis of a life limiting illness and all that entails, navigating through your grief and loss, completing 'finishing up tasks' and relationship healing, or the myriad of other end of life challenges.
My 'toolkit' draws upon a diverse blend of formal qualifications, applied life skills and diverse life experiences. This includes being hands on in the role as a care-giver to a loved one with a terminal illness; facilitating personal development workshops; working creatively as a drama teacher and dramatherapist; specialising in grief and loss support; working in early childhood, primary school and university education; working alongside diverse cultural and religious communities; working as a Life Coach; volunteering with Hospice and chronic illness support; and the skills obtained as a former Funeral Director in a family business and a branded franchise.
Please feel free to reach out to me at any time, or ask for further information about my services, my methods, my approach or my service fees. It costs nothing to chat. I am always open to shared conversations.
I pose the question – how is it that I can be of service to you?