Heidi Alden

Offerings

• Illness and Death Companionship

• Death Cafe - 1st Sunday of every month

I accompany people through serious illness, helping them tend to what matters most—whether that’s practical organisation, emotional wellbeing, or the deeper work of living and loving fully in uncertain times.

How I came to this work

This path began when my partner was diagnosed with cancer. Our experience was dominated by the medical system, with no space to honour the emotional or human heart of what was happening. We were led by treatments, procedures and appointments, as though the entirety of our wellbeing depended on medical results. In this way, we put our hearts and spirits on hold, believing we could tend to those when we were out of survival mode. But that time never came. 

In the decade since, I’ve explored illness, death and dying through lenses beyond the Western medical model. I discovered a whole ecosystem of practices, guides and teachings—both ancient and contemporary—that recognise illness and death as sacred rites of passage. These are deeply human experiences, not just clinical events, and when we tend to the human, not just the illness, possibilities for love and connection exist that are otherwise missed.

This exploration led me to study with Felicity Warner, founder of the Soul Midwife School, where I gained a Diploma in Soul Midwifery. I’ve also completed the Foundations in Contemplative Care programme with the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. I volunteer with Marie Curie and Macmillan, supporting people through both telephone and in-person companionship, and I hold a 200-hour yoga teacher training with the Sivananda Centre.

Why this work matters

Over time, I’ve come to see serious illness and dying as deeply human experiences—far beyond just medical events. They touch identity, relationships, time, memory, meaning, and love. They can ask everything of us. And sometimes, they reveal something essential too.

This is tender ground. For many, it’s a time of stripping away—old roles, unspoken words, ways of being that no longer serve. It can also be a time of drawing close: to self, to loved ones, to what matters most.

Being accompanied through this territory doesn’t make it easier—but it can make it more held. It can bring steadiness in the midst of uncertainty, and support in places that might otherwise feel lonely, frightening, or hard to name.

There is no map for how to do this. But there can be companionship. And sometimes, that changes everything.

Heidi’s Website

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