Death Designer Isabel Knight - Creating Human Centered, Accessible and Inclusive End of Life Experiences

End of Life Conversations

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On today’s episode we have a wonderful conversation with Isabel Knight. Isabel is the Founder of The Death Designer, a company that provides end-of-life planning services, including funeral and vigil planning, digital account password management, advance directives, and assistance with reconciling fears of mortality. She takes a human-centered design approach, with a focus on promoting individual autonomy, sustainability, and home deathcare options. Her goal is to create a more humane and equitable end-of-life experience for all.
She is also the President of the National Home Funeral Alliance, a board member of the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Pennsylvania, and the Program Director for the Jewish Association for Death Education. She helps doulas and death-positive businesses create a more inclusive and accessible experience for their clients through human-centered design workshops and also creates online courses and offers freelance graphic design work.
In this episode, Isabel discusses her work in end-of-life planning and the challenges she faces in the death care industry. She shares her personal experience with death and how it has influenced her approach to life. Isabel emphasizes the importance of human-centered design and creating a more inclusive and accessible end-of-life experience.
She also discusses the need to break the monopoly in the casket industry and the role of gatekeepers in the death care space. Isabel highlights the changing landscape of death care, with more young, progressive, and diverse individuals entering the field.
In this conversation, Isabel Knight discusses the importance of celebrating life and the need for community support during times of grief and loss. She emphasizes the value of co-creating and sharing the responsibility of planning and organizing end-of-life events. Isabel also highlights the need to redefine societal norms around death and dying, encouraging people to have open conversations and make plans in advance. She suggests hosting parties and gatherings to discuss and plan for end-of-life care and funeral arrangements. Isabel also touches on the broader societal implications of valuing emotional labor and the importance of community support.

You can find her on Instagram at @thedeathdesigner.
National Home Funeral Alliance
Green Burial Council
The Death Designer

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