Held with Grace — End-of-Life Support & Guidance

You are not alone in feeling this

When facing the end of life, most people are left to piece everything together themselves.

Trying to understand medical options and decisions
Navigating palliative care or Voluntary Assisted Dying
Managing family emotions, conflict, or uncertainty
Overwhelmed by practical responsibilities and paperwork
Unsure what to say, what to do, or what comes next

And all of this is happening while you're trying to process grief. There is often no single person holding the whole picture.

1 in 4

Australians say they felt unprepared for the death of a loved one — not because they didn't care, but because no one helped them know what to expect.

70%

of Australians would prefer to die at home, yet most die in hospital without the guidance and support to make that possible.

You deserve someone in your corner — not just a system to navigate, but a person who holds the whole picture with you.

This is where I come in

Steady, compassionate guidance through the entire end-of-life journey.

I support both the person who is dying and the people who love them. I am not a medical provider. I work alongside doctors, nurses, and care teams — helping you make sense of everything, while ensuring nothing important is overlooked.

Two words guide everything I do: options and choices. Even in the most difficult circumstances, there is almost always more control available than people realise. My role is to help you find it.

A guide with lived experience

Someone who has walked this path — personally and professionally — and knows the terrain.

Your advocate for options & choices

Helping you find and use the control you still have, even now.

A steady, practical presence

Plain-speaking, unhurried, and there for the whole journey — not just a session.

Someone who holds the whole picture

So you can focus on being present with the person you love.

What support looks like

Support across every dimension of the journey

Guidance & Navigation

Understanding end-of-life options
Navigating palliative care and VAD pathways
Helping you make informed, aligned decisions
Coordinating communication between services

Human Support & Presence

Practical guidance and compassionate presence
Supporting difficult conversations
Helping families navigate conflict and uncertainty
Creating space for what matters most

Practical Support

Assistance with planning and documentation
Advance care directives and end-of-life wishes
Guidance around funeral planning
Reducing overwhelm so you can be present

About Lisa

A life changed by loss — and shaped by purpose

I spent twenty years in Hong Kong. I came home to Melbourne in December 2019, leaving behind a city in the middle of political unrest, telling my daughters we were moving to a country where freedom is everything.

Two weeks after we arrived, Tim's mother died. Three months later, on the first day of COVID lockdown, Tim's father had a stroke. The borders closed. I couldn't get to Western Australia to say goodbye to my own father. Both our fathers had solemn, stripped-back funerals that nobody deserved.

I had already lost my closest friend to cancer — the loss that first drew me toward this work. In the years that followed, I supported multiple friends and their parents through illness and death. Each time, I found myself doing the same things: slowing everything down, helping people find their options and choices, holding the practical and the emotional at the same time.

One thing that never stops shocking me is the mistruths people are told by funeral companies at the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Families in grief, making decisions under pressure, deserve honesty — not upselling. It is one of the reasons I only work with authentic, honest funeral partners who put the family first, not the invoice.

I also walk alongside adult children navigating a parent's decline — the aged care system, the conversations that need to happen before crisis hits, and the options and choices that families don't know they have.

Two words guide everything I do: options and choices. Even in the most difficult circumstances, there is almost always more control available than people realise.

Book a conversation →

"I've said goodbye to too many libraries — stories untold, books that would have been bestsellers. That is why I do this work."

Training & affiliations

Diploma of Counselling — AIPC (in progress)

Counselling Skills — ACAP

Death Doula Certification — Doula Australia, Denise Love (2024)

Advance Care Directive Facilitator — Advance Care Australia (2024)

Community Volunteer — Eastern Palliative Care

Consumer Advisory Board — Eastern Palliative Care

Community Volunteer — Griefline Australia (2023–2025)

Working Committee — Tender Funerals Greater Eastern

Affiliated — Dying with Dignity Victoria

Who I support

Wherever you are in the journey

Whether you are early in the journey or nearing the end, support can make all the difference.

I work with individuals, couples, and families across Melbourne — in person and online.

Individuals facing illness

Those with a life-limiting diagnosis who want to plan ahead and be supported through what's coming.

Receiving a serious diagnosis can feel like the ground shifts beneath you. I help you slow down, understand your options and choices, and feel less alone in what lies ahead.

I can help with advance care planning, understanding palliative care, exploring VAD, difficult family conversations, and being a steady presence through every stage of the journey.

Families navigating dying

Families watching someone they love move toward death and needing help holding it all together.

When someone you love is dying, you are asked to hold grief, logistics, family dynamics, and medical decisions all at once. Most people have never done this before.

I help families understand what is happening, navigate the care system, manage difficult conversations, and create space to be present with the person they love.

Those exploring VAD

People considering Voluntary Assisted Dying in Victoria who need clear, compassionate guidance.

Voluntary Assisted Dying is available in Victoria, but the process is complex and the emotional landscape is unlike anything most families have navigated before.

I provide clear, non-judgmental information about the VAD pathway and hold space for all the feelings that come with it — including relief, guilt, love, and grief.

Those feeling overwhelmed

Anyone carrying too much who needs a steady, experienced presence to help make sense of it all.

Sometimes people come to me not with a specific diagnosis or crisis, but simply carrying more than they can hold. An ageing parent whose needs are changing. A family that cannot agree. A person who wants to get their affairs in order before something happens.

Wherever you are in the journey — early, mid, or at the end — there is no wrong time to reach out. I will meet you exactly where you are.

What families say

Words from the people I've walked alongside

Lisa cared for my mother through terminal cancer for over 18 months — and was still there after she died. She communicated with kindness and without judgment, even when we had very specific and difficult requests. When we needed someone to officiate Mum's funeral, Lisa stepped into that role with grace and confidence. She made sure the service honoured Mum's memory in a way that was completely personal to her. I cannot speak highly enough of the care Lisa gave our entire family.

Stacey Wissell

Daughter of Sheryl Taylor

I came to Lisa not knowing how to advocate for my mother's dignity within the aged care system. After one or two conversations, I had a whole new language, a toolkit of options, and the confidence to have difficult conversations with empathy and respect for everyone involved. Lisa made complicated things seem less complicated. A year later, I'm still using what she taught me as Mum's needs continue to change. She made a massive difference to our family — and made an incredibly challenging time so much more manageable.

Jules Davies

Daughter, aged care navigation

Three years ago, as my wife Sara passed away, I was messaging Lisa. She had been in constant contact — heartfelt advice and kind support over the months and years leading up, even across time zones. Lisa is a beautiful person with the biggest heart. I am so grateful to know her, and I fully support her work helping others through the traumatic and painful times that life inevitably gives us.

Paul

Husband — Hong Kong

When my husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness in Hong Kong, Lisa stepped up immediately. For almost a year she organised our household, managed communications with family in Wales, made sure the children were where they needed to be, and guided us through the complexities of care in Hong Kong — all so I could be by David's side. She even helped us navigate the logistics of relocating back to the UK for his final weeks. Lisa just got on with what needed to be done. I couldn't have done it without her.

Linda

Wife and mother — Hong Kong & London