Frequently Asked Questions

Definitely not. You’ll just be adding more stress on top of their sorrow in their bereavement as they try to figure out what you would have wanted. Plus, if you don’t spell out your wishes, there’s potential for family disputes over the decisions being made and the money being spent.

The key difference is whether the deceased’s body is present. A funeral includes the body, whereas memorials (and celebrations of life) do not, potentially affecting the timing, venue options, and tone of these ceremonies.

There are a number of personal wishes (e.g. alternative burials), practical considerations (e.g. creative options for cremation or human composting remains) and meaningful choices (e.g.legacy initiatives ) not fully covered by a traditional funeral and/or burial that you likely will want to include in your goodbye.

Funeral homes play an essential role in carrying out arrangements for your body after a death occurs, and in some states a funeral director’s involvement is legally required for this. My role is to help you think through your wishes and explore all your options, so you have clarity and the confidence to make informed decisions in advance.

Estate planning focuses on protecting your legal and financial interests with documents such as wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. Goodbye planning complements those efforts by focusing on the many personal and practical preparations and legacy projects that legal documents typically don’t address.

An EOL Doula serves as a compassionate, non-medical companion for a dying person and their loved ones, from the time of a terminal diagnosis through their final transition.  As a Death Educator/Planner, My Great Goodbye focuses on the bigger picture surrounding death and dying to help individuals reflect on their final wishes in a thoughtful plan and to get their life and affairs in order — ideally in advance of a terminal diagnosis or medical/cognitive crisis.

Yes. Especially the part regarding organ or body donation, your funeral and/or burial, because by the time your Will is read — usually not until after the funeral — it’ll be too late.

Tomorrow is promised for no one. Planning ahead usually is easier when you’re not in the middle of a health crisis or facing time pressures. It gives you the opportunity to reflect on what matters most, make thoughtful decisions, and revisit them over time as your life unfolds.

Most people expect these conversations to be uncomfortable, but many describe them as meaningful, empowering, and even uplifting. Looking at life through the lens of mortality sharpens your view of who and what is really important to you. Having a plan can bring peace of mind because it replaces uncertainty with clarity.

Though the best time to do this planning is NOW, there’s no rush and no one-size-fits-all timeline. We’ll move at a pace that’s comfortable for you, with the goal of making the process feel manageable.

No. Goodbye planning is a process, not a checklist to complete in one sitting. After clarifying your wishes, we will assess your readiness across many fronts, and then fill in what you need to enable you to move forward. You can revisit your plan whenever your preferences or circumstances change.

You certainly can plan on your own. But many people don’t know what questions to ask, what options are available, or they get overwhelmed searching online. My role is to streamline the information to make it manageable for you and then help you think through the decisions, so your plan reflects your values, priorities, and how you want to be remembered.

That’s one of the most common reasons people seek my help. You don’t need to do a lot of research on your own and have everything figured out before we meet. I will lead you through the process one conversation at a time, curating your options and helping you understand them and reflect on what matters most to create a plan that feels right and consistent with your idea of a good death and a great goodbye.