Whendoesnowbegin

At the thresholds of dying and grief, there is rarely a clear map. Death doula Darnell Lamont Walker and grief therapist Claire Bidwell Smith bring perspectives from two sides of that threshold to an intimate, interactive workshop on where we lose trust in ourselves and how we find our way back. Through conversation, guided reflection and shared experience, they ask what might become possible if now begins when we start listening to what we already know.

Panelists

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  Claire Bidwell Smith

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  Darnell Lamont Walker

Laurel Braitman and Adjoa Boateng Evans have spent years helping healthcare workers, executives and community leaders use writing to make sense of difficult experiences, reconnect with purpose and communicate with greater humanity. In this welcoming, interactive session, they will offer prompts to help you put words to what you are carrying and consider how personal stories can create meaning, connection and advocacy. Write, share if you choose and receive practical guidance for strengthening your voice. No writing experience is needed.

Panelists

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  Laurel Braitman

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  Adjoa Boateng Evans, MD

You may spend much of your life providing, designing or advocating for care. This participatory workshop asks what happens when you step inside it yourself. Through hands-on explorations, Mettle brings together four dimensions of whole-person care: the practical, relational, existential and sensory. Notice what sustains you, what you carry and what changes when care becomes something you practice. You’ll also create a square for a collective quilt, joining individual expressions into something larger. Come as you are. Leave more connected.

Panelists

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  Deb Bubb

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  Bridget Sumser, MSW, LCSW

Unpredictable situations require more than saying the first thing that comes to mind. Join several of LA’s funniest improv comics for a demonstration and workshop translating the principles of scene work into skills for care. Through practices including “top of intelligence,” “choosing to care” and “highlighting the unusual thing,” participants will learn to listen closely, respond to what is actually happening and help create environments that feel more connected, empathetic and human—for patients, loved ones and everyone in the room.

Panelists

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  Patrick McDonald

How do we keep the people we’ve lost present in our lives? In this interactive writing and movement workshop, participants will explore memory, legacy, grief and the ways our bodies can carry and share the stories of people we love. Together, we’ll transform personal memories into movement and create an original collaborative work honoring those who are no longer with us. No dance or movement experience is necessary—only a willingness to participate, reflect and create.

Panelists

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  Hilary Thomas

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  Austin Roy

Care has been moving from institutions into homes, but the work has not disappeared. Families, friends and whoever is able to show up have absorbed it. In this participatory session, panelists and attendees will examine a working hypothesis: that some “caregiving burdens” are actually political, economic, geographic and business-design problems made visible inside private relationships. Together, we will consider what belongs to love, what has been left for love to solve and what our current language still fails to count.