Our Mission
We envision a Western culture that has replaced fear of death with a healthy respect for it, where death is treated with the same care as birth, and where everyone, regardless of race, class, gender, or geography has access to resources ensuring a dignified death process.
How we are enacting change: DMDT aims to spread awareness about positive death practices, while at the same time providing a brave space to mourn and then celebrate as a collective. We work towards repairing our broken relationship to death by learning in community and replacing the notion of death as an “end” with the freeing concept of death as a part of the life cycle. We tailor make our live events to reflect the needs & strengths of each community we work in. The project is a constantly evolving resource with three cornerstones, which include:
- Free live, participatory events to help communities release fear of death & celebrate life with: live music, death meditation, breath & life invocation, movement, & information about supportive living & dying practices,
- A free online platform providing practical, eco-friendly resources, and virtual events all available to the public via a Creative Commons license, &
- A future documentary showcasing these events.
When we as a society are able to view death in a more healthy and positive light, it makes dealing with our own death, our loved ones’ death, & the mass destruction in our world easier.
The DMDT Team
Lana Smithner Greenleaf is the director and artistic facilitator of death, me, dying tree. As a certified death doula by Rev. Olivia Bareham of Sacred Crossings, hospice volunteer, grief and meditation guide, ritualist drummer, performing artist, and filmmaker she believes that melding healing modalities with art and storytelling is the way forward. Her desire to change the way we deal with death is at the heart of this project.
Abigail Vega, Creative Producer Abigail Vega is an organizer, theatremaker, and the Director of Programming at The Jar. She was the first Producer of the Latinx Theatre Commons (LTC), a network of Latinx and allied theatre practitioners working to grow the field by forging new connections, from 2014-2019. Her writing can be found in Monologues for Latino Actors, and her directing has been seen in Chicago, Atlanta, and Houston. She is an avid consumer of culture (except Breaking Bad, ew, David), a voracious reader, and a new tricycle rider.
Nicole Richwalsky, Producer/ Production Manager
Kasey O’Brien, Producer/ Director of Photography
Avery Ferguson, Production Designer
Brittany Bares Licensed Social Worker and Advisor
We are here for the uncomfortable conversations:
We are collaborating with artists and professionals throughout the world to bring as many perspectives as possible to this work. This experimental project is always fluctuation and flowing, thus all the artists, speakers, and death professionals who have enriched DMDT are featured below, we do recommend reaching out to them as well:
Lashanna Williams death doula educator, human tender
Oceana Sawyer End of Life Doula, grief guide, home funeral celebrant, Living Funeral Ceremony facilitator, Conscious Dying Educator
*participate in her online grief community on Patreon
Amber Jeffrey founder of the grief gang podcast, grief advocate
Podcast- https://anchor.fm/amber-jeffrey
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/thegriefgang/
Stefanie Lyn Kaufman Mthimkhulu Founding Director of Project LETS, Disability Justice educator & cultural worker, writer, care & grief worker, facilitator, non-clinical healer
www.stefaniekaufman.comwww.projectlets.org @stefkaufman / @projectlets
Thabiso Mthimkhulu (Gogo Ndlondlo) Sangoma, Indigenous ancestral healer, spiritual teacher, ritual ceremony holder, maker of medicine
@thabisoheals
Jessica Headley Ternes ancestral lineage practitioner, animal death doula
Darling “Shear” Squire mixed media artist, dancer, choreographer, movement therapist, fashion stylist
Kasey O’Brien director, producer, filmmaker, actor, teaching artist
Marlee Weinberg dancer, multimedia artist
Cassy Schillo visual artist, set and prop designer
Founder of Campfires & Sass
Joy Brandsma visual anthropologist, filmmaker, writer
Instagram @joybrand
Caroline Kingsley actor, writer, comedian
Abuela M’api Rainflowa Calmecac Tonantzin Yolilitzyotl elder, founder of Calmecac Indigenous Arts organization in Houston, teaching artist, performing artist, rapper
Ladybinx@gmail.com
Eve Rydberg director, producer, performer
Nathanael Card freelance wizard of the arts: design – directing – production
@ncardcreative
@p.s.plantsrule
Kristen Houser founder of fauna speak, animal communicator
Emily Joan Smith, devotional singer/musician
FayePatrick Kennedy founder of Grateful Guardian, healing sound innovator, energy worker, animal communicator
We know that talking to loved ones about end of life plans is difficult. We know that these are turbulent times we’re living in. If you aren’t able to attend one of our virtual or in person events, don’t hesitate to reach out by emailing: deathmedyingtree@gmail.com. You can also check out our resources page to learn about many helpful platforms and professionals in the death field who can help you through this beautiful but intense process.