You’re watching the person you love slip away and you DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO...
You’re overwhelmed by the thousands of things you’re already responsible for — at work, at home, or in your personal life.
You feel intense guilt and shame around not knowing the right way to show your loved one support during their decline.
You struggle to emotionally connect with your loved one, because you were never taught or shown how to hold space for these feelings of sadness, loss and grief.
You’re confused by the sudden anger and regret you’re experiencing about painful memories and unresolved issues from your past.
You feel pressured, burned out and under qualified as a caregiver because you’ve never had to do this before...
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And maybe quietly resent the strain – emotional, mental, financial – this is placing on you and your family.
You feel scared because you know everything is about to change. A person once filled with so much vibrant life is slowly fading away....
You’re dreading the tough conversations you must have with the other members of your family about what happens once they're gone – funeral arrangements, estate planning, hospital bills and insurance policies...
And you find it extremely difficult to understand what it is that your loved one really needs and wants, or how to best advocate for them in their final weeks.
You feel helpless, because you simply don’t know what to do.
If you are currently experiencing, one, some or even all of the above, please know this: YOU ARE NOT ALONE...
Across America, it is estimated that caregivers spend 30 billion hours each year providing care for their elderly or declining loved ones. Caregiving can be one of the most stressful and overwhelming experiences you will ever go through in your lifetime. The immense amount of guilt, pressure and frustration that comes with it is further amplified by limited time, resources, and available options for on-going support.
Despite the fact that every single family on the planet will – at some point – be faced with the decline and loss of a loved one, the medical community has failed to teach us how to properly navigate this inevitable experience on an emotional or practical level.
Yes, there are appointments, assessments, prognoses and prescriptions, but what do you do at home and in-between? How do you show up for your loved ones in the moments that matter most?
"There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers."
— Rosalynn Carter
No one taught you what to do when this time inevitably comes. LET'S CHANGE THAT ...
People are generally aware of the challenges and expectations involved with being a caregiver for an aging or ill loved one...
But we are rarely prepared to navigate the journey outside a hospital room — where family conflict, painful emotions and difficult decisions come into play.
My first experience of this was over 20 years ago, when my Mother was diagnosed with multi-infarct dementia…
As a family, we felt overwhelmed and disconnected, never having had the difficult conversations about what should happen if one of them needed on-going care...
Or what decisions would be made.
As her condition worsened and communication became more and more difficult, we struggled to understand and provide what my mother needed — or more importantly, what she wanted...
But we had to face the truth. We had to accept the inevitable: she didn’t have much time left.
And it was up to us to unite as a family and create a plan for our mother’s goodbye.
Several years after my mother passed away, my brother-in-law David was diagnosed with third-stage esophageal cancer.
During this difficult time, I witnessed his family struggle to give him the kind of support he truly wanted. Albeit a familiar experience, this gave me a different perspective of decline and death... Unlike my mother who was battling age-related decline, David was younger and deeply struggled to come to terms with his illness, terrified he would never have the chance to live a full life...
And then it was too late.
A few years after David passed away, I again found myself assuming the role of caregiver when my father moved in with me after he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, that would later make him wheelchair-bound...
This time, I was determined to do things differently.
And while I was prepared mentally and emotionally to give my father the care and support he needed — I experienced yet another all too real side effect of caregiving that no one seems to talk about...
Caregiver burnout.
On top of the stress, pressure, and grief that comes with this incredibly taxing role, I realized I was also sacrificing my own well-being in the process. I had put my own dreams and goals on the backburner… and even stopped seeing friends or anyone outside my family.
I found myself exhausted, suffering from chronic back pain, and emotionally tapped out.
I had nothing left to give. It was only then that I realized just how much was missing in terms of support for caregivers.
While caregiving had been such an overwhelming and isolating experience, I knew there were people all over the world who had been through – were going through – the same frustrations, pressure, and exhaustion that I was experiencing...
But why wasn’t anyone talking about it?
There are estate planners that help families prepare an end-of-life plan for property, assets and finances but what about emotional estate planning?
Why was there no one I could turn to for emotional guidance throughout my experiences as a caregiver…
A guiding light through many of the darkest moments of my life?
It was then that I decided to make this my life’s work – providing practical and emotional counsel for family caregivers that are dealing with a declining loved one.
While still caring for my father, I wrote Transitional Wisdom, which shares the greatest lessons I learned from a lifetime of experience with caregiving and loss.
From my Mother, I learned the importance of communication and co-collaboration so you can prepare your loved one for a peaceful, empowered, and supported transition.
From David, I learned the power of compassion, acknowledgment, and validation so your loved one’s end-of-life journey can play out the way they want.
And from my Father, I learned that you must prioritize your own mental, physical and emotional wellbeing, so you can positively and powerfully show up for your loved one…
Before my father died, I was able to bring my family together in love and support instead of fear and resistance...
We managed to give him the care, acknowledgement and resolve that he needed. When he passed at nearly 99 years old, it was at home, peacefully, with us by his side.
Today, I’ve partnered with my daughter, Michaela, to provide insightful, powerful and practical support to individuals and their families as they care for loved ones experiencing age-related decline or a life-threatening disease.
Together, it’s our mission to normalize the natural and sacred process of aging and leaving the physical world.
Over the last 18 years, we’ve helped families around the world enrich their relationships and release fear, guilt and pressure around caregiving through compassionate conversations, emotional validation and collaborative end-of-life planning...
Until now, this support was only available through our one-on-one coaching and family consulting…
But, to make this information and guidance accessible to as many families as possible, we’ve compiled our ENTIRE Transitional Wisdom protocol into a private, practical, and affordable online program.
Introducing Transitional Wisdom: A Journey to Collaborative Caregiving
This 10-part online program is designed to help you and your family come together in love and support as you provide care for an aging or ill loved one.
Taught over video lessons, exercises, and optional group or private coaching sessions — Morning Star and Michaela Holmes will guide you along your journey based on the three pillars of Transitional Wisdom:
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Self Care & Self Help
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Compassion & Validation
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Co-Creation and Collaboration
No matter what your loved one's condition or diagnosis, it’s never too late (or too early!) to prepare for a peaceful and supported transition... so they can live the rest of their life in the most fulfilling, and empowering way possible.
SELF-CARE
& SELF-HELP
We know the last years of life is a precious time to spend with loved ones, but it can also be stressful and trigger unresolved family issues. In order for complete healing and peaceful transition to take place, you as a caregiver also need to prioritize your own mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.
We help by facilitating and guiding you to prioritize your own self-care and self-work to positively and powerfully show up for your loved one and yourself.
COMPASSION
& VALIDATION
We believe that your loved one’s aging and end-of-life journey can play out in an emotionally dignified and empowered way. Your love, support, and validation will help them release any negative events from their past, feel understood, and end their life joyously and peacefully the way they wanted.
We help you, as the caregiver, prepare for your role, express deeper compassion and acceptance and uncover what your loved one needs and wants in their care and end-of-life transition.
CO-CREATION
& COLLABORATION
We help families come together to identify the best way they can support a loved one throughout their declining years. No matter where they are on their aging journey, it’s never too late (or too early) to prepare for a peaceful and supported transition.
We give families the tools they need to have respectful conversations with one another and navigate a complex medical system so everyone can feel empowered in the decision-making process — including, and most importantly, the one who is aging or ill. Co-creating an end-of-life transition plan as a family will make the experience collaborative, intentional, and dignified.
Who This Course Is For
The 3 Pillars of Transitional Wisdom
You are a family who wants to coordinate care or caregiving for your loved one.
You have an aging parent, an elder relative or a loved one that is ill or experiencing end-of-life decline. You want to show up for them and support their wellbeing in the best way, without sacrificing your own. This creates a beautiful gateway for you to deepen your relationship, nourish empathy and compassion, and advocate for your loved one’s wishes.
You’re a professional caregiver or someone who provides support in end-of-life planning.
You want to support your clients further by giving them a unique opportunity to have empowered conversations, make unified decisions and release any unresolved family issues so they can complete their life peacefullly.
You want to age intentionally and complete the rest of your life with clarity and dignity. This is an opportunity for you to reflect on your own journey, what you value most and the people that matter to you, so that you can live fully and feel empowered throughout your transition.
Just as there is no “right” way to navigate a life-threatening illness, age-related decline, or death — there is no “right” way to care for an aging or ill loved one. These processes are as individual as the people experiencing them.
Whether you’re a family member, professional caregiver or the one navigating aging or critical illness yourself — the knowledge, exercises and guidance in this course offer an opportunity for growth and transformation for everyone in your family, across multiple generations.
How This Course Can Help
Above all else, Transitional Wisdom: A Journey to Collaborative Caregiving will help you receive the peace of mind and confidence to care for your loved one in an organized, supportive, and dignified way so that you can show up powerfully as your loved one navigates aging or a serious illness.
You will learn how to:
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Move through feelings of fear, guilt, and resentment around family caregiving… and into feelings of love, compassion and understanding for your loved one.
Prepare for your role as a caregiver so you can embody a deeper understanding and express acceptance of what your loved one is going through.
Deepen your connection to your loved one, and enrich and strengthen your familial relationships as you care for them together.
Recognize the positive differences they've made to the lives of others so they can acknowledge their accomplishments, feel dignified and be at peace.
Communicate effectively and make unified family decisions so you can co-create the best care and transition plan possible with your loved one.
Remove the fears around aging and natural decline by empowering your loved one to make purposeful decisions and live the rest of their life fully.
Meet Your Coaches
Morning Star Holmes
Morning Star Holmes is a professional transitional life coach, family consultant, and author of Transitional Wisdom: A Guide to Healthy Aging & Completing Life with Dignity. With more than 25 years’ experience of working with individuals and families facing age-related decline, life-threatening disease and life transitions — her soul purpose is to work with families and their loved ones who are facing the challenges of decline and loss.
She holds a B.S.in Human Services and an M.A. in Applied Behavioral Science, with an emphasis on Consulting and Coaching. She is also a certified Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) trainer and consultant.
Through Transitional Wisdom, she has developed a successful model that promotes compassionate support for the family team, increasing the quality of life for the loved one who is declining in health and assisting them in completing life with dignity.
Michaela Holmes
Michaela is passionate about helping families leverage the aging process to grow closer, share intergenerational wisdom, and come together in love and service to one another. The mental, physical, and emotional work of planning for healthy aging and completing life is fertile ground for transformational personal and collective growth.
She holds a B.S. in Political Science from the University of Oregon and an M.S. in Organizational Change Management, with a certificate in Leadership and Change, from the New School for Public Engagement in 2013. She is a certified Master Practitioner in NLP and End of Life Doula.
Her first experience with intentional aging and caregiving was with her grandmother and then her grandfather. She looks back on those years with fond memories and as one of the best times of her life — and is now beginning the same journey with her own mother, Morning Star.
What People Say
“Prior to going through the Family Care Planning process, I felt stuck and anxious about the situation my father was in. There was a pervading sense of "What are we going to do about dad?" Now, my family is working on our plan and we continue to meet regularly.”
- Melia, past client
“What an invaluable service you provide families who are struggling with how to help their senior loved-ones in their later years. With your guidance and genuine care, our family has a cohesive plan, and action steps- a very well laid out road-map if you will, to help navigate the next stage of my father-in-law's life. The sense of relief and empowerment you've instilled is immeasurable.”
- Julie, past client
“While everyone clearly cared about one another, nobody seemed to have the tools available to clearly communicate - and the wishes of the person being cared for kept getting missed due to the focus on logistics. This process was incredibly helpful - having outside facilitation got the entire family on track, talking about the things that mattered, and decisions that had been deferred for years were made within hours with buy-in from everyone involved."
- Michael, past client
“Transitional Wisdom gracefully delivers reassurance and guidance through the journey of aging and dying. Morning Star has a gift for delivering practical tips and insights- with such compassion, easing any anxiety or confusion in a time of transition.”
- Jack Canfield, Best selling author of The Success Principle and Chicken Soup for the Soul
“Transitional Wisdom is rich with sound counsel drawn from hard-earned life experience. Holmes’s guidance is at once insightful, powerful, practical and soulful. Transitional Wisdom and the companion Action Journal have the potential of touching countless peoples’ lives.”
- Ira Byock, Author of Dying Well and Chief Medical Officer of Providence St. Joseph Health Institute for Human Caring
After working with Transitional Wisdom, we've all gotten more appreciation and love for each other. We were able to figure out the practicalities, and sort through the difficulties I was up against. I no longer feel guilty because I feel like there is a place for me. Whatever conflicts were inherent, we will be able to communicate about them honestly and with love and get beyond them. Morning Star and Michaela have used their own life experience, their ability to navigate difficult situations, and their training to provide a very wonderful service. It cuts through a lot of the difficulties. My recommendation is that others would find this very useful in navigating the difficulties of aging and planning for the future."
- Peter, past client
Your Journey To Collaborative Caregiving
Milestone 1: Guiding Principles
We kick off your journey with our six Guiding Principles. These six principles are simple, and when practiced will provide a path for how you can positively and powerfully show up for yourself and your loved one. These skills are foundational for all family caregivers and their loved ones. You will find yourself returning to them time and time again.
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Milestone 2: Caring for Self and Others
It’s easy to set out with the best intentions of being in service to your loved one and end up tired, resentful, and isolated. Your personal well-being is at the heart of being a successful caregiver. We are going to teach you the skills to balance your needs and care responsibilities. Self-care is not an indulgence. Self-care is a discipline. Learn how to prioritize your own self-care and reclaim your mental and physical health.
Milestone 3: Giving and Receiving: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Many people in the caregiving role give more than they have to give, leading to caregiver burnout. This can show up in exhaustion, irritability, blaming, and judgment as you feel increasingly overwhelmed. When caring for your loved one it is important to be honest about what you can sustainably do. Or what you can give… as well as receive.
Milestone 4: Acknowledging Your Contribution
For most people, acknowledging the positive ways we’ve impacted others can be really challenging to do. We even downplay or overlook the small, everyday things we do for ourselves and for others that have made a difference. Learn how to help your loved one reflect and reclaim the positive impact they’ve had in your family and their communities.
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Milestone 5: Completing What Matters
We move through life with so many to-do’s and our daily agendas are often dictated by the agenda of others, while the things that truly matter to us are left untouched. In this module, you’ll work together to free up vital energy by letting go of or resolving issues from your past. Identify what you and your loved one needs to complete, and take action on the things that truly matter to them.
Milestone 6: Revisiting Your Beliefs (or Lack Of)
Our beliefs are programmed into our subconscious mind at a very young age and they have a much bigger impact on how we live our lives than we realize. Explore your (as well as your loved one’s) underlying thoughts, beliefs and values… so you can discover the deeper meaning life has for you and identify your purpose.
Milestone 7: Addressing Fears and Concerns
It might not sound like a bundle of fun, but we wouldn’t have included it in this program if it wasn’t an important piece of your journey! Together, you can liberate your loved one (and even the entire family) by helping them to explore their concerns around aging, illness, finances and more. This will help them move through their hidden fears and let go of the worry they’ve been carrying.
Milestone 8: Communicate With Courage
Courage is an important piece of the communication recipe and is a practiced skill. In this course, you’ll learn how to communicate and guide your loved one so that they can express what’s important to your family, their friends and medical team. In this milestone, you’ll learn how to best approach these conversations in a collaborative way where all parties are respected and heard.
Milestone 9: Prepare Your Legal Business
Believe it or not, there’s a certain level of organization that comes with preparing for the aging and dying process. In this module, you’ll learn how to work through the logistical side of getting your affairs in order.
Milestone 10: Celebrating Life
It’s time to reflect on your journey and celebrate your successes! Some people go on to plan a Living Celebration of Life while others quietly bask in the accomplishment of completing their journey.
MAKE TIME, before it's too LATE.
This program is self-guided.
Once you sign up, you’ll be given instant access to the course materials. You can start preparing for your journey by watching the Welcome video and learning the Transitional Wisdom guiding principles that will help you get the most out of your learning experience.
You can watch the videos alone or with your family members, but make sure that you take time to discuss what you’re learning together.
It takes people between 10-15 hours total to complete this course. The journey looks different for each person — some power through it within a single weekend, while others set aside 1-2 hours per week of sacred time for learning, reflection, and completing the exercises in order to get the full benefit it’s designed to provide.
We strongly recommend that you create and commit to a schedule for how you are going to move through the modules. To get an idea of how much time you should allocate, please refer to our recommended schedule for completion.
If you’re serious about this course but concerned about the kind of commitment required, you can sign up for a short phone call with us.
This course is valued at $6000.
We know that families and individuals can easily spend tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours seeking traditional therapy and support after the loss of a loved one…
But where is the emotional support you need throughout the process? Where is the support they need?
There is so much fear, guilt and pressure put on caregivers…
And that unbearable stress is amplified by the severe lack of support, education and guidance readily available for those whose parent or loved one is in need of full time care.
You may have managed up to this point because you have had no other choice than to suffer silently.
That ends now.
While we do provide private and family consulting for our clients, we don’t want price to be the factor that prevents you from providing your family with the support you need now.
We don’t want you to waste a moment of precious time or feel regret because you couldn’t afford to spend thousands of dollars on private coaching.
That’s why we’ve decided to make our entire Transitional Wisdom protocol available to you into a private, practical and affordable self-guided program.
While it’s valued at $6,500, we won’t charge you even close to that. Not $5,000, $3000 or even $1500.
Save Up To $4500 When You Begin Your Journey Today!
What You Get With Transitional Wisdom
Sign up! The next cohort meets weekly on Sundays 10am PST/1pm EST starting November 7th-January 2nd.
BONUS: Navigating Family Conversations Guide
& The Family Care Plan Toolkit
Sign up now and you’ll receive a guide on how to talk to your family about this program and navigate conversations during the course.
You’ll also get a copy of our Creating a Gradual Family Care Plan Toolkit, which walks you through the foundations of creating a collaborative care plan for your loved one — now and in the future. This toolkit will provide you with a structure to manage family meetings, the right questions to ask, and tips on creating a plan with the support of your entire family.
After you complete your order, you’ll receive a welcome email with everything you need to get started on your journey!
We will provide a link to our learning platform, where you can create your account and include a username and password. Be sure to follow the link to join the Transitional Wisdom private Facebook Group.
Once inside, you can explore your materials or begin your course by watching the first video lesson.
You will meet up with the TW team and a small group of your co-journeyers for weekly 90-minute group coaching sessions over Zoom. Sessions build your knowledge and community giving you support with your biggest challenges.
Your progress will be saved automatically, and we’ll send emails to help guide you through the course.
Celebrate your progress in the Transitional Wisdom Facebook Group! The act of sharing deepens your knowledge and is a place to connect with others experiencing the joys and trials of caregiving, aging, and illness.
Upon completion celebrate your accomplishment and successes! You have lifetime access to the Program so re-visit time and again as needed.
What Happens After You Order
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Is this course for me?Whether you’re a family member, professional caregiver or the one navigating agingage or serious illness yourself — the knowledge, exercises and guidance in this course offer an opportunity for growth and transformation for everyone in your family, across multiple generations.
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How much time do I need to commit to the course?This course is self-guided. When we teach it in person, it’s spread over a 2.5 day seminar. Expect to invest between 10-15 hours into completing this program. This is why we call it a journey! Some people do one module a week and complete the course in 5-8 weeks. Others power through the exercises over a weekend. The pacing is for you and your loved one to decide — there is no right or wrong. The important part is that you commit and immerse yourself in the exercises.
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What if I have questions as I am going through the content?We are here to help. Just email us at michaela@transitionalwisdom.com
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Can I get continuing education credits for my participation?Unfortunately not at this time. Because this is a course intended for families, and not specifically for clinicians, we do not offer CEs. However, we are working with a few universities to develop a version of this course for clinicians. Please email us if you are interested in enrolling and we can add you to the mailing list and update you!
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What if I want to start the course but my loved one or family is not on board?We encourage you to take responsibility for your contributions to the relationship dynamic. Even if your family member is not interested in watching the videos and doing the exercises with you — you will still experience the benefits and take away new knowledge and emotional healing that will ripple through the entire family unit. Additionally, the exercises in this course can be done conversationally with your loved one and there are supplemental videos that will walk you through how to do it.
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I want to do this for myself and by myself. Is this okay?Absolutely. While we do believe that you get the most out of doing this course together with your loved ones, it was originally designed for individuals as a guide to healthy aging and completing life with dignity. The results are meaningful for anyone — independently or with family members.
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Will I get 1-on-1 advice from Morning Star and Michaela?This is a pre-recorded course that allows you to engage at your own pace and integrate the exercises, tools, and practices provided. You will have access to our Private Facebook Group, where we welcome you to share your thoughts and questions and do our best to respond to them. We also encourage you to tap into the wisdom of the community and support each other through sharing your experiences. You will have access to 8 highly-participatory group coaching sessions.
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I want to enroll but I cannot afford it. What are my options?During Covid-19, and continued economic hardship it is causing, this course can be offered on a “pay what you can” basis. We understand these are difficult times financially for many families and we want to make this course accessible to as many as possible. Really, truly, we will work with you, and it will be pay what you can. Even if you can only pay a small amount, it will support our efforts to continue offering this series to a broader audience. We aim to make our program accessible to people who need it. If you are experiencing financial hardship please contact us at michaela@transitionalwisdom.com. We have limited scholarships.
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I love this course so much and want to pay it forward! How do I do it?You can contribute to our scholarship fund. We aim to make our program accessible to people who need it. If you would like to provide a full or partial scholarship to a caregiver or family experiencing financial hardship please contact us at michaela@transitionalwisdom.com. We will walk you through the process. Thank you!
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Is there a refund policy?Yes, of course! All levels come with a 30-day money back guarantee. Should you have any reason not to continue with the course, you can email us to request a full refund within 30 days of purchase.
Enroll In Transitional Wisdom:
A Journey to Collaborative Caregiving
100% Money Back Guarantee
All levels of Transitional Wisdom: A Journey to Collaborative Caregiving come with a 30-day money back guarantee. Should you have any reason not to continue with the course, you can email us to request for a full refund within 30 days of purchase.