I was born in Croatia, grew up in Germany, worked in Bangladesh and Switzerland, and have been on many inner and outer journeys. In 2010, I moved to Poland. My home is in connection. I identify as a member of the human family and part of the web of life on Earth.

After studying Scenic Arts and Cultural Sciences in Hildesheim/Germany, Bologna/Italy and Zagreb/Croatia, I worked for 10 years as a film producer in the field of animation. In 2015 a close encounter with death turned my life upside down: being pregnant and losing my child put life, love and loss into new perspectives.

In 2019, I participated in the 1-year training course “Spiritual Care and Grief Counselling”, at the Institute for Clinical Pastoral Care (Institut für Klinische Seelsorgeausbildung) in Heidelberg and became a professional grief counsellor certified by the Federal Association of Bereavement Counselling in Germany (Bundesverband Trauerbegleitung e.V.). Since then, I have participated in numerous additional workshops and training in the field of grief work, end-of-life care and ritual design.

In 2020 I founded the Institute of the Good Death, a non-profit social initiative dedicated to raising the level of education about dying, death and grief in Poland. In 2024 we received the PRZEWROTY Award by the Copernicus Science Center as the most innovative educational initiative in Poland.

Influences

Teachers and Mentors I’ve met on my path

Marianne Bevier, Claudia Cardinal, Hugh O’Doherty, Stephen Jenkinson, Roland Kachler, Jan S. Möllers, Luise Reddemann, Stefan von Rüden, John Scherer, Cezary Wójcik.

Colleagues working for a new culture of death and grief around the globe

Sarah Benz, Ewa Korczak-Bobuła, Minakshi Dewan, Georg Bollig, Emma Clare, Jo Dagless, Philipp Freund, Olaf Ihlefeld, Victoria Keen, Kacper Lemiesz, Peter Clement Lund, Holly Lyon-Hawk, Bec Lyons, Verena Ries, Parjanya Sen, Krittika Sharma, Manisha Sheth, Meike Wengler, Anemone Zeim.

Authors and/or Elders whose books and lectures influence me

Gian Domenico Borasio, Pema Chödrön, Megan Devine, Caitlin Doughty, Atul Gawande, Stanislav Grof, ks. Jan Kaczkowski, Daan van Kampenhout, Sarah Kerr, David Kessler, Dennis Klass, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Joanna Macy, Kathryn Mannix, Chris Paul, Martín Prechtel, Malidoma Patrice Somé, Francis Weller, William Worden, Irvin D. Yalom.

An ongoing source of learning and inspiration, exchange and support are my fellows at the Institute of the Good Death – our interdisciplinary Collective exploring the Mystery of Death from diverse perspectives.

The deepest lessons I have learned (and am still learning) from those who entrust their stories to me and allow me to accompany them on their journey – from life to death, embracing love and loss.

To all of them I express my gratitude.