Caitlin's Radical Sabbatical

Hello deathlings,

I am excited– yes, excited– to announce that I will be taking a sabbatical. I use the word excited because I mean it. I'm genuinely filled with hope for what the coming months will bring.

To be honest, the suggestion that I should take a break– a REAL break– used to fill me with a full body eye-roll-y "yeah right" response. Sure, I could take a break from making Ask a Mortician, but there was still the funeral home to manage. Sure, I could take a break from writing, but there was still the non-profit to run. Sure, I could take a break from recording the podcast, but there were still interviews to do and talks to give.

And the worst part was– I didn't sign up for any of this!  (OK fine, that's not true, I created each and every one of these jobs for myself from the ground up and it's 100% my fault. 😐)

But in my defense, I love this work! My entire adult life, from age 23, has been devoted to funeral industry reform and changing how we talk about death. I still love this work. But now I need to step away, read books, calm my mind, and rediscover my skills as a thinker and cultural critic- not just a full-time advocate.

I love the short video I made, linked above. Please watch it if you can, I think it explains my position honestly and well.

I'm not worried that any of you will be mad at me. I think most of you appreciate my work because of the depth and research and distinct point of view that it has. And you understand that all those things have to be cultivated and nourished like a little corpse garden in my brain.

BUT- not all of you will want to continue supporting the Patreon. And I understand! What are we all, fauncy heiresses in top hats? No! You may feel like your money is better allocated right now to people more actively making content. I support this, and myself, Louise, and Ericka will be around to help if you have any questions or need any help to pull your monthly or yearly pledge.

If you do decide to stay a Patron, you will be supporting my continued journey and what emerges from this sabbatical. You will also have access to all the Patron only content and videos. And we plan a monthly check in newsletter with what I'm doing, reading, pondering, creating, etc. I appreciate you all so much.

Thank you my dear friends. I will return– hopefully re-activated, re-juvenated, and re-inspired. xx

Caitlin