Revolutionizing Deathcare
REIMAGINING YOUR LIFE
Ceremony, workshops, trainings and events for all of life's transitions.
REVOLUTION
Transformation
Learn how to live through transformative 1:1 and group experiences that teach you how to live, die, and endure chronic pain, change, and all of life’s transitions well.
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COACHING
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BREATHWORK
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FIREWALKING
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GLASS WALKING
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ARROW BREAKING
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RETREATS
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MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKING
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TRAINING
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CONSULTING
Ritual
REVOLUTION
Humans have used ceremony for thousands of years to better understand themselves and the world around them. I facilitate rituals that guide you on a path toward healing the deep hurts and suffering that are holding you back from truly living.
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CIRCLES
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DRUMMING
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RITES OF PASSAGE
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CUSTOM RITUAL
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RITUAL PLANNING
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Deathcare
REVOLUTION
Redefine your relationship with grief, death and dying through my end-of-life services for humans and animal companions.
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ALTERNATIVE FUNERALS AND MEMORIALS
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WISH PLANNING
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BODY DISPOSITION & MODERN POST-LIFE PLANNING
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FAMILY CONFLICT MANAGEMENT & COMMUNICATION SURROUNDING DEATH, DYING AND GRIEF
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LEGACY PROJECTS
With three degrees in Communication Studies, including a Ph.D., and numerous certifications, I am highly trained to support your growth, initiations, and rites of passage.
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Learn more about me here.
Warrior Goddess
I want to tell you a story...
Here's the thing... someday you're going to die.
WAIT–don’t freak out!
Let’s work through any discomfort you may be feeling.
Because the truth is, almost no one likes talking about death.
Imagine you’re with friends when someone says their sister died last year. Suddenly we’re all looking at our feet and shuffling awkwardly.
“Um, I’m sorry for your loss,” someone says. A chorus of mumbles follows, “Yes, me too.” “Wow, uh, that’s so hard.”
“It’s fine! It was a year ago!” they rush to deflect–anything to make the conversation stop.
The griever feels awful for bringing it up – “I’m such a downer…”
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The group feels awful for not knowing how to handle it – “I wish I knew what to say.”
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And everyone feels awful because death has a way of shoving our mortality in our faces–
“Aw sh*t… I’m going to die too…”
Take a deep breath.
I want you to imagine a world...
Imagine a world where...
We’re born, celebrated, and as we grow up we understand and talk about the cycle of life and death.
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Our ancestors and loved ones who have passed walk with us, not just in memory, but in daily conversation–because we’ve never stopped talking about (or to!) them.
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Grief and death are accepted and destigmatized – no matter the loss, no matter the timeline.
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You feel equipped to handle change and are resilient to the increasing difficulties of life. (“It gets worse before it gets worse.”-- sticker on a water bottle)
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It is actually okay (and an expected reality) for you to be sad when you’re grieving (what a thought!)
You know exactly what is going to happen after you die (and I don’t mean Valhalla). I’m talking about the color of the frills on your casket, having a silk or cotton shroud, being eaten by mushrooms, or having Christmas music played for your body for three months while you spin in a human compost vessel (seriously–it’s a thing).
What if you weren’t afraid to talk about death?
What if we planned for death the way we plan for birth?
What if instead of feeling crippled by fear of the unknown, you only have to deal with the sadness of saying goodbye?
What if you could handle any transition–any change–because you’ve acknowledged, accepted, and planned for the greatest transition of all: your end of life.
It is possible.
What you’re imagining right now is revolutionary.
A revolution that is…
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Shaking up the funeral industry.
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Overcoming limiting beliefs.
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About knowing what matters most for your alignment.
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Having courageous conversations every day with those that matter.
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Breaking existing paradigms.
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Exploring transformative ceremonies.
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Trusting your body.
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Trusting yourself.
Thinking about death is part of living, at any age.
Being open about grief, death, and dying with ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities is a RADICAL ACT OF LOVE.
Through destigmatizing and normalizing one of the most powerful and meaningful events of the human experience we gain perspective on what’s important, our priorities, and learn to live a rich life now.
Because guess what?
If you're reading this... you're not dead. YET.😉
And neither am I.
My name is Madrone Kalil (she/they), Ph.D. I’m a Professor of Communication Studies, trained End of Life Doula, motivational speaker, consultant, teacher, and facilitator of transformative ceremonies including breathwork, drummings, arrow breaking, glass walking, and firewalking.
And I started my journey with death almost 30 years ago, studying life.
My path has always been one of deep exploration and advocacy. With a career that began in gender studies, eco-feminism, and environmental studies, I have always felt driven by a passion for interconnectedness and the well-being of all living things.
I’ve championed life for three decades as an advocate, activist, teacher, and public speaker to inspire and educate others.
Beneath my commitment to life, I have always been a seeker–a searcher for alternative ways of healing and understanding the world.
Ten years ago, two days before Christmas, I was far from home, on what was supposed to be a family vacation, sitting in the ER with a rupturing appendix.
That night started a month-long medical journey with multiple near-death experiences, surgeries, endless complications, and hospitalizations.
It was a time of great transition and change. I was working through the challenges of embracing new love after a recent divorce, accepting the worsening condition of the degenerative disc disease that I’d had since I was 16, grappling with environmental grief, and mourning the loss of beloved pets…
In short, things had gotten a little… dark.
As a facilitator and practitioner of transformative Celtic ceremony, I’ve never shied away from darkness. Ceremony has a way of bringing you to the edge of personal shadows in your fall and winter seasons.
Which is how, sitting in the muck of life, I found myself diving deeper into ritual, the elements, and the seasons. I lovingly embraced death and my own mortality.
And what I discovered was nothing short of transformative.
Rather than a void, I found deep meaning and gifts in the concept of death. It’s not an end, but rather a profound part of the cycle of life–a place where shadows can illuminate truth.
This revelation reshaped my understanding of the world and myself and brought me full circle. My past work with the living was suddenly supporting my newfound calling to serve those facing their mortality.
I've walked a spiral path on my journey from living to embracing dying well—a path that has wound through both shadow and light and connected them in a warm hug.
Now, as a coach and end-of-life doula, I bring this unique perspective to my work, helping others navigate and find deeper meaning in their own grief, sorrow, pain, and death.
Living by societal norms is not for me. And if you’re still reading, I have a feeling it’s not for you either.
If you’re ready for alternative ways to live and die–Taproot Journeys has you covered.
Working with the elements and seasons, my mission is to revolutionize the way we live and die through transformative ceremony and revolutionary death care.
