Judith Johnson

Judith Johnson, PhD is a dynamic visionary and social change agent committed to transforming the fear-based culture of death in America. She has an interdisciplinary background in strategic planning, education, and practical spirituality and holds doctoral degrees in Social Psychology and Spiritual Science, a Masters Degree in Business and over twenty years working with corporate and entrepreneurial ventures. As a non-denominational minister Judith provides grief counseling, and officiates at memorial services. Her passion for facilitating change in the culture of death was fueled by a nine year journey as primary caregiver to her mother. Judith, a published author, writes regularly about death, bereavement and human consciousness on the Huffington Post. She is currently writing a book on breaking free of our social taboo around death. Along with Laurie Schwartz, an early leader of the Hospice movement in the United States, Judith co-founded Having It Your Way, a creative collaboration designed to educate and motivate individuals and organizations to live from a place of profound authenticity. As consultants, she and Laurie assist organizations in evolving their response to the needs of the dying and grieving among their employees and the community they serve. As coaches, they empower individuals to achieve greater peace of mind by clarifying personal values and preferences regarding the end of life; communicating wishes to loved ones and doctors; and making plans in advance of need as a gift to themselves and to those they will one day leave behind. Through media projects, consulting services, public speaking, seminars, and writing they educate, inspire, and facilitate the process of transforming the paradigm of death in our culture. Their mission is to shift the public’s perspective on dying, death , and bereavement from anxiety to equanimity, thus creating a more compassionate society.

Articles:

Facing the Holidays When You’ve Lost a Loved One

If you have recently lost a loved one with whom you would otherwise be sharing this holiday season, you might be finding yourself wanting to burrow under your covers with a box of tissues until the holidays have passed. If this sounds like you, it’s time for some T.L.C. I don’t believe we should ever push down our emotions, though social conventions might make it advisable to develop strategies for dealing with these challenges privately or having a dear and trusted friend bear witness to what we are feeling. Remember that even at their best, holidays can be stressful. So, […]

Keys to Making Peace With Death

There are those among us who are leading the way in demonstrating how to break free of society’s taboo around death. While most of us might be likely to awkwardly say “your color looks good today” to a dying loved one, someone who has made peace with death would be more likely to take his or her hand and say, “I love you and am going to miss you so much.” For most of us, being around dying and death evokes a visceral response of fear and avoidance. We basically view life as good and death as bad. Our fear […]

Educate Yourself About Grief in Workplace

“For most of human history, people died fast. Now suddenly, we have the opportunity to grow old, to have an illness for a long period of time, and to know what’s coming. We could make this an important phase of life.” — Joanne Lynn, M.D., “Americans for Better Care of the Dying” It may sound peculiar, but there are some very exciting things happening where death is concerned in America. The momentum of change in how we view and respond to death is building in many sectors of society as we transform our culture of death. For example, consider the […]

Dealing With Grief in the Workplace

Can you imagine “getting over” the death of someone you love deeply in four days? That’s the average paid leave given by American businesses according to “Grief Index: The ‘Hidden’ Annual Costs of Grief in America’s Workplace.” The truth is there is no “getting over” the death of a loved one in either our business or private life. Rather, it takes time for us to find a new normalcy and to restore our ability to function effectively. Grief can take its toll in all areas of our lives. In terms of the workplace, “Grief Index” provides an eye-opening perspective on […]

How Do You Relate to Death?

We don’t do death well in this country, which results in a lot of unnecessary suffering. Most of us do not talk about death and are terribly uncomfortable being in death’s presence. Yet, death is normal. By treating death like an invisible elephant sitting in the room, we deprive ourselves of making peace with our mortality, of deeply communicating with and comforting each other in the face of death and of taking the opportunity to make meaningful plans for the end of our life’s journey. Talking about and dealing with death is our last great social taboo. We all know […]

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