About Me
Photo: Shawnna Schmidt
I am a certified death midwife, minister, international story consultant, author and educator and am available for end-of-life planning and transitions. I serve as a liaison for individuals facing end-of-life decisions, working with their families and medical teams in providing a whole person-centered approach. Being truly passionate about advocating for individuals facing some of the most important decisions in their lives is an important piece of my work. I encourage and support those who want to take an active role in their own dying process, and believe the environment in which we enter our final days may very well orchestrate the entire experience.
My education, research and family experiences have brought me to the forefront of death. The dying are the ones who have taught me what’s most important, that it is possible to bring again a sacredness to our final act which has now become a lost art practiced in the past. Imagine living fully into your dying, leave-taking with an absence of burden or fear.
“Be bold. Embrace your mortality. Don’t wait! This will
be one of the greatest gifts you will ever give yourself.”
— Kate Riley
Praise
“End of life championing requires training, yes, but also special gifts and a strong and compassioned calling. Discernment for each individual’s life experience and story and helping each individual with the realization of a meaningful, peaceful, transition with a sense of completion, requires deep skills, love, beauty, and grounded emotions and experience. Advocacy, sometimes family reconciliation, and situational awareness all serve to help families work through the pain and fear of loss. Helping the family make decisions with clarity, and helping all concerned deal with uncertainty provides a strong framework for all the process. As a personal witness of this process with two close friends, Kate Riley exemplifies all of these. Kate is a gifted and caring human.”
“After my mother died, there was only one person I wanted to call. Kate Riley. Without judgment, Kate listened as I told of how I sat by my mom’s bedside, held her hand, expressed my love for her, asked for forgiveness, extended forgiveness to her, and watched as tears ran down her face. The dying process is intimate, personal and real. It asks for truth telling. And let’s face it; death is one of the few things we can count on. We will all die. “What are we doing? Life is short!” Kate recently said to me. Kate lives her life consciously, with a deep spiritual understanding of what it means to be alive. In a similar fashion, she understands the courage it takes to face death and offers herself as a place of refuge to anyone embarking on the last journey of their life.”
“When working with Kate Riley on end of life issues, I can say she brought me comfort and clarity. Any stress I was feeling was erased in having a solid plan, and knowing how to proceed.”
“Kate Riley’s presentation on Reimagining End-of-Life Care made me more aware of the unending number of options for our last days of this earthly life. Those days can be experienced on our own terms. Thank you Kate!”
“Kate is a very caring and engaged caregiver. She will go the extra everything on behalf of her client. Competent in every aspect. I highly recommend her.”
“When my father was dying, Kate always knew just what to say and how to say it to help me find the next steps forward.”
“There are no words to describe the peace I’d felt knowing that Kate was there the night my mom passed away. I’d just left my mom’s side after visiting her and I’d received a call from Kate inquiring about my mom. Although it was late in the evening, Kate canceled her plans and insisted on visiting her that night. It was a true blessing that Kate was there to hold my mom’s hand as she took her last breath. There is no doubt in my mind that my mom had selected Kate to be there in the time of her death to help me through my time of need.”