“New trends in death & dying – simply amazing.”
— Session Attendee, California Assisting Living Association Conference
Unique End-of-Life Generalist
Our cultural perception of death is changing, and I love to talk about those changes to people of all ages and from all walks of life. My deep understanding of the topic and my unique perspective as an end-of-life generalist allow me to provide audiences with an engaging overview of how our attitudes towards death and dying are already changing and to give them a glimpse of what’s to come. Using rich imagery and moving real-life examples, I emotionally engage everyone in attendance, helping them to rethink their personal relationship with death. These moments are magic-for the audience and for me.
| have a deep understanding of the topic of end of life, and a wealth of experience presenting in venues of all kinds. For this reason, I am typically slated as the first presenter or keynote speaker to provide an overview of how our cultural perception of death is already changing and what’s to come. I promise your audience will thank you for inviting me to speak to them about what is one of the most profound and least understood parts of life.
Need an engaging speaker to transform your audience’s perception of end of life? I would love to be part of your next event.
“Suzette is helping to break down the barriers and taboos about death as a topic for discussion. She is leading a quiet revolution in death practices and choices.”
— Session Attendee, California Assisted Living Association Conference
Topics I Cover
- Cultural changes around end of life
- Terminal illness
- What to do at the time of death
- Grief and loss
- Home funerals
- Green burials
- Advance directives
- Preparing to die
- Bedside services
- Hospice care
- Aid in dying
- Heart will
- Organ & body donation
- Green burials
“Suzette’s delivery ‘moves the goalposts’ and holds the audience in their seats throughout the talk and into the question and answer period. I highly recommend her as a speaker.”
—John W. Milford, Former Chair, Grownups Forum, Commonwealth Club of California
Promote Your Event
When you hire me to speak, your event will automatically be promoted in our SevenPonds online magazine, end of life events calendar, monthly newsletter, and our Facebook & Instagram feeds.
Media Interviews
As a unique generalist on the topic of everything end-of-life, few have the breadth of knowledge I possess on all the cultural changes in motion.
“I almost did not attend Suzette’s talk, it was great!”
– Adam Max, M.A. Certified Master NLP Practitioner, Session Attendee, Association for Death Education and Counseling Conference
About Me
An entrepreneur with a background in design, I am the founder and CEO of SevenPonds.com, a website and online magazine that informs the public about every aspect of end of life. A sought-after speaker, I present to senior groups, end-of-life organizations and assisted and independent living facilities throughout the West Coast. I also serve as a consultant, providing guidance and advice to residents of independent living facilities on how to prepare for their own death and the deaths of those they love. A former board member of the Bay Area Funeral Consumers Organization, I have also served on the State of California California Cemetery & Funeral Bureau Advisory Committee. My ultimate goal is to change the way we see, think, and talk about death.
“Suzette is an engaging speaker who delivers intriguing information with genuine enthusiasm for her topic. She knows her audience and understands how to hold its interest with compelling dialogue and images that are truly memorable long after her talk is over.”
— Colleen Paretty, Former Executive Editor, WebMD Magazine
Contact me
I’d love to be a part of your next event.
Contact me at
suzette@sevenponds.com or directly by phone at (650) 862-7522 to discuss how I can best meet your needs.
“Suzette spoke directly to what the audience was there to hear: accurate, authentic, and caring information about families’ and individuals’ end-of-life and after-death needs in today’s world.”
– Lee Webster, President, National Home Funeral Alliance
Past Speaking Engagements
Natural Deathcare Initiative, “Let’s Talk About Death: Transforming the Last Taboo,” Santa Cruz, CA
Legacy Film Festival, Q&A, San Francisco, CA
Final Passages, Honoring Life’s Final Passage – Level 3 Workshop, Sonoma, CA
ADEC (Association for Death Education and Counseling) 39th Annual Conference,
“Let’s Talk About Death: Transforming the Last Taboo,” Portland, OR
KMUD Radio, “Heart of the Redwoods Community Hospice Talk Show: A Relevant and Inspiring Discussion on the Contemporary, Progressive Attitude Towards End of Life.”
California Assisted Living Association Conference, Special First Day Opening Session
“End of Life Preparation,” Sacramento, California
“How Does One Prepare for Death?” and “The Death Chicks Big Question Series” podcast
Funeral Radio – Green Burial Radio Program “A Review of the Leading Edge of Cremation Trends and Baby Boomers and How Our Attitudes on Dying Are in the Middle of an Important Shift.” Podcast
National Home Funeral Alliance Conference, Los Gatos, California
Facing Death Salon, Oakland, California
Commonwealth Club of California, San Francisco, California
Funeral Consumers Alliance Conference, Aptos, California
Life Planning Network, Emeryville, California
AgeSong Community, San Francisco, California
San Francisco Senior Round Table, San Francisco, California
“Suzette creates a fascinating, thought-provoking and innovative presentation on a topic that is often difficult to discuss, yet it’s something we will all have to face. Our public sensibility about death and dying is changing, and Suzette has collected a variety of new and traditional ideas into a creative, stimulating and interactive talk.”
– Karl E. Steinberg Palliative Care M.D.; past chair of the Coalition for Compassionate Care of CA; editor-in-chief of “Caring for the Ages;” and past president of the California Association of Long-Term Care Medicine (CALTCM)