Laurel L. Lewis: Death Professional Par Excellence
On November 20th, 2013, we had the pleasure of welcoming Laurel L. Lewis back to RN.FM Radio for her second appearance on the show. This post is a quick roundup of how to connect with Laurel and follow the amazing things that this superlative nurse and death professional brings to the world.
First, let’s introduce Laurel:
Originally from the Southern state of Mississippi, Laurel received a BS degree in nursing in 1994. She was married and widowed all by the age of 27, which radically shifted her path and her perspective on life and death. Since then she has been on a spiritual quest learning how to integrate complicated end of life issues into daily grace and full living. Along the way she is being of deep service to others whether through her RN training, private coaching, yoga, or creating workshops and wellness retreats around the world.
Although still in her early 40’s, she has become an expert in her field. The deathbed, and all of the complicated issues that can come up around the dying process, are things which she fully embraces and helps others to navigate with wisdom, compassion and dignity. She has worked with thousands of people and had the privilege of witnessing hundreds of deaths.
She exhibits mastery in the skill of communicating about the topics of death and dying to patients, families, and professionals. Her passion and expertise is on death and dying which also means she is a huge fan of life and living. She currently hosts monthly death and dying dinner parties, is a hospice RN and spiritual counselor, co-hosts retreats to Bali, and spends time mentoring private clients using her master’s degree in spiritual psychology. She has traveled the world extensively, allowing those adventures to influence the day-to-day practices that support her in this work. She endeavors to live an inspiring present moment life and encourages others to do the same.
Laurel is a poet, dancer, lover of all things involving consciousness, and smiles more easily than most.
To hear Laurel’s inspiring interview with Keith and Kevin, click here. Our conversation was intimate and revealing, with Kevin sharing deeply about the loss of his mother and Laurel waxing poetic about her work in the fields of hospice, death and dying.
Laurel’s main website is the central place to learn all about this amazing woman. Here you can explore her work as a coach, hospice professional, and watch inspiring videos.
Death and Dying Dinner Parties
If you haven’t heard about Laurel’s “Death and Dying Dinner Parties“, it’s time you did! She has been guiding groups of 10 to 12 individuals through a facilitated process of talking openly and authentically about death and dying over a sumptuous potluck dinner for several years. While most of the dinners happen in the Los Angeles area, Laurel has brought the dinners to Santa Fe, New York City and other locations, and she’s always happy to entertain the notion of bringing them elsewhere. (Kevin has offered to host Laurel in Boulder in 2014, so keep your ears open for the announcement of that anticipated event!)
Deepak Chopra actually highlighted Laurel’s dinner parties on his “Chopra Well” website, and he attended one of the dinners in 2012. Watch this video from that magical evening!
If you’d like to find out more, click here to join her “Death and Dying Dinner Party” Facebook community.
Time of Death on the Showtime Network
Most recently, Laurel has served as the hospice/registered nurse consultant for “Time of Death“, Showtime Network’s new reality/documentary series focusing on real people dealing with illness, death and dying.
While Laurel consulted for the filmmakers on technical nursing and hospice isses, she also counseled and coached the camera crew and producers as they faced the daunting process of filming some of the most intimate moments of their subjects’ lives–including the active dying process and death itself.
We’re very proud of Laurel’s work with Showtime and we applaud the network for airing such a cutting-edge, authentic and straightforward look at death in America.
She’ll Be Back, Folks!
We have no doubt that Laurel will continue to do amazing and groundbreaking work in the world, and we also have no doubt that she’ll be back on RN.FM Radio in 2014. Please visit her website, check out her videos and Facebook page, and follow her on Twitter. We’re so grateful that Laurel is part of the RN.FM community!