Reena Lazar

Background

About Reena Lazar

There is nothing I love more than turning my curiosity into creativity and expanding consciousness. I have done this throughout my career as a peace builder, and now as a life and death educator. We all know we're going to die yet most of us would do anything to avoid thinking about it, talking about it, let alone preparing for it. But if you never truly contemplate the reality of your mortality, you may never truly live! I can help you use death as a portal for personal growth and transformation, and if you're called to do this work, I can help you launch or enhance your practice. Through my company Willow, I have helped thousands of people discover that all that matters in the end, matters now. I have licensed more than 70 people from 5 countries to use Willow's publications, tools, and curricula to guide others in heart-centered, inquiry-based end-of-life education and planning. I am on a mission to license one thousand Willow EOL Educators. If you might be one of them, please message me! My background and education is very eclectic. I completed the BEyond Yonder Virtual School of Community Deathcaring in Canada, taught by ten experts on grief, disposition, rituals, body care, advance planning, being with the dying, and funeral alternatives. Besides my work at Willow, I'm also a member of my local Jewish Burial Society and help in a purification ritual to prepare deceased women for burial. Prior to co-founding Willow, I co-created and led Peace it Together, which brought Palestinian, Israeli and Canadian youth together for dialogue, filmmaking and community engagement. For 11 years I created and led emotionally-charged processes about the world’s most intractable conflict. My work was published in the New York Times, Globe and Mail, and Readers Digest. I also taught conflict resolution for four years at Langara College. I have a bachelor of architecture from McGill University and a masters in international affairs from Columbia University. I completed many communication training courses throughout North America. For fun I love to move my body and get into nature. I'm a chronic intermediate Lindyhop dancer (the original swing dance), can follow leads of most kinds of dance on the dance floor, love to swim, hike, cross country ski, and be in any king of small boat on the water.