Grief is a storyteller.
I’m here to help you find the plot.
I’m a creative grief guide, death doula, and your friend at the end.
Hi, I’m Jess.
For years, my life had two separate tracks.
On one track, I was just... surviving. A series of losses: my best friend, her mother, my grandmother, and a partner, hit my life like a wrecking ball.
Meanwhile, I was desperately trying to find meaning and solace in creativity: stand-up comedy, writing, creative direction. In those pursuits, I was able to connect to something in my chaotic, slightly self-destructive grief.
My grief became a brutal, brilliant teacher. It yanked me out of my shell and carved me into a kinder, bolder, more creative creature.
As I shared my story, I realized how many people out there were like me: hurting, trying to make meaning from a senseless loss, and aching to be transformed and live more fully.
HOW THE HELL DID I GET HERE?
I believe that how we navigate the end of life is the most important story we will ever tell. But most of us are forced to read from a script we didn't write.
My approach is different. I bring three parts of myself to every person I work with:
The Grief Guide: I sit with you in the messy middle. The anger, the absurdity, the dark humour, the bone-deep exhaustion. There are no judgments here, no timelines, and no toxic positivity. All of you is welcome.
The Creative Director: I help you see the bigger picture. We’ll look at the narrative you’re living, find the parts that aren't true anymore, and design rituals, legacies, and plans that are an authentic reflection of you.
The Rebel Heart: I’m here to give you permission. Permission to grieve outside the lines, to plan a funeral with pink glitter, to live a zesty life right up to the end, and to tell the truth, especially when it's hard.
Wherever you are, at the beginning, the end, or somewhere in the messy middle,
I’m here to walk with you.
As a guide
As a companion
As a student
As a Friend at the End.
Let’s live zesty + die well.
K, BUT WHAT DO I ACTUALLY DO?
Friend at the End is based in Winnipeg, located within Treaty No. 1 Territory, the homeland of the Métis Nation, and the traditional territories of many Indigenous nations, including the Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe), Anishininiwak (Oji-Cree), Dakota Oyate (Dakota), Denesuline (Dene), and Nehethowuk/Ininewak (Cree). I eat, drink, play, create, grieve, and work on land that was stolen from its rightful caretakers.