DO YOU NEED TO GET YOUR AFFAIRS IN ORDER ONCE AND FOR ALL?

why not join me for

PREP SCHOOL

Join me on zoom so you can finally tick this off your to-do list. Prep School will take you from “I don’t even know where to start with this stuff” to “I’m ready for anything!“

Recorded sessions available NOW:

Live classes will return in 2025…if you want a deep discount or just can’t wait to get started, snag the recorded Prep School Classic program today, and you’ll have the whole program delivered to your inbox. The recordings won’t expire, and you can work through the program on your own timeline.

Courses
Prep School Classic recording, workbook, & access to office hours ♥️
sale
Prep School Classic recording, workbook, & access to office hours ♥️
CA$175.00 CA$199.00

Want to join a live cohort?

New LIVE programs will return in 2025. Purchase a gift certificate today to take advantage of 2024 pricing!

(gift certificates are valid throughout 2025)

WELCOME TO PREP SCHOOL

IT’S ABOUT PREPARING FOR EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE.

Prep School is a comprehensive, holistic, and modern take on personal planning tasks. Working with a thoughtfully designed curriculum in an intimate & supportive online class setting, you’ll get your affairs in order with confidence and clarity.

Death is a part of life and Prep School will certainly help you get prepared for that. But we also tackle aging, illness and incapacity. We’ll make sure that you are ready for anything!

YOU KNOW THERE IS STUFF YOU NEED TO ORGANIZE SO YOU DON’T LEAVE A MESS FOR THE FOLKS YOU LOVE MOST IN THIS WORLD …

BUT YOU HAVE A SNEAKING SUSPICION THERE’S MORE TO IT THAN JUST SOME LEGAL DOCUMENTS

THEN PREP SCHOOL IS FOR YOU!

▶ YOU ARE FEELING LIKE YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START

Do you find yourself saying “I don’t know where to start” or “I don’t really like the idea of thinking about this stuff because it’s frankly not that fun to think about illness, incapacity, aging and death” or even “well, my parents have a Will and I know my mom wants to be cremated when she dies, so I’m all good”

▶ YOU DON’T HAVE ANYONE YOU CAN ASK TO HELP YOU

Maybe you feel like you don’t really have anyone you can ask to help you with things like medical advocacy, being an executor, or naming your Power of Attorney. Trust me, you’re NOT alone. There are solutions to this very common problem, and Prep School will help you find them.

▶ YOU HAVE SEEN THE IMPACT OF BEING UNPREPARED

Could it be that you recently stood by and watched a friend lose a parent or loved one, and NOTHING was prepared in advance? Were you witness to the chaos that ensued, chaos that was only compounded by grief and loss?

Does the thought of going through that yourself or inadvertently leaving someone YOU love with a mess make you break out in hives? Believe me: the loss will occur. Deep and difficult feelings will follow. But chaos doesn’t have to be part of this equation at all: Prep School can help.

If you want to be calm, confident, and in-control as you age, join one of the upcoming sessions!

“I thought my husband and I had done a good job getting our estate in order, but I realized during the course that there was still a lot of work to do, especially because our goal is to not be a burden on our kids when we pass. “

T. Underwood, Prep School Graduate

THIS ISN’T TYPICAL ESTATE PLANNING

Do you know that if you commit to either a little over an hour a week for 5 weeks or buckling down for a bootcamp style weekend you could get your holistic personal planning DONE (and done right)?

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a big inheritance to leave someone. Or if you have more money than that fella from Amazon! It doesn’t matter if you think you don’t have anyone to appoint as your executor or if you have so many people willing to help you worry you might offend someone by NOT signing them up. It doesn’t even matter if you think you are really organized already.

After all, this isn’t typical estate planning. Typical estate planning takes an often overwhelming and not very intimate “checklist” style approach. By contrast, Prep School’s Holistic Personal Planning program takes an integrated, connected approach designed to get you from overwhelmed to done (and hold you accountable during that time, too!) Prep School will help you connect to your most deeply held beliefs and values, so that you can clearly articulate your wishes in a future that is truly unknowable: but absolutely certain to come.

Our time together will help you connect to what matters most, now and in the end.

Prep School is the key to ensuring you are ready for ANYTHING, at every stage of life.

WHAT HAPPENS IN PREP SCHOOL?

LET’S BREAK IT DOWN

YOU WILL COMPLETE

THE FOUR PILLARS OF HOLISTIC PERSONAL PLANNING

Prep School is a specially designed program that will guide you through four critically important pillars of holistic personal planning:

  • Legal, administrative, & financial documentation

  • Medical & philosophical decision-making (for both sudden illness/incapacitation and end-of-life)

  • Cremation/burial & ceremony choices

  • Lasting legacy messages

YOU WILL BE ABLE TO

CLEARLY ARTICULATE YOUR WISHES

Prep School will help you understand how to clearly articulate your beliefs, values & wishes so you can empower people to speak on your behalf if you are ever unable to do so. It will empower you, and allow you to be sure you’ll get the care that’s right for you at all stages of your life (and end-of-life).

YOUR CHOICE OF SCHEDULES AND LEARNING STYLES

CLASSIC OR BOOTCAMP PROGRAMS

Depending on your timeline & learning style, you’ll either join a CLASSIC once-a-week class for 4 weeks or sign up for the weekend BOOTCAMP and be done in 2 days!.

“Christa is a wonderful person who makes the overwhelming process of getting your affairs in order, as it were, into a meaningful and deep reflexive moment. “

A. Garcia, Prep School Graduate (From Brazil!)

PREP SCHOOL: SIGN UP FOR 2024 NOW!

The time, space, support and community you need to get your personal planning done, and done right.

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT WHEN YOU SIGN UP FOR PREP SCHOOL

A CAREFULLY CRAFTED CURRICULUM

I am a licensed funeral director, a practicing end-of-life doula, and I have been an educator for many years. I spent 15 years working in higher education and hold a graduate degree in Adult & Higher Education. Curriculum design matters to me, and this carefully designed program will matter to you too.

You’ll have access to a fillable PDF that will guide you through every aspect of the holistic planning process (and if you’re like me and prefer pen-to-paper, you can always print it up, too!)

The live sessions will reflect and reinforce the learnings in the workbook. Your time with each other will also help strengthen your connection to the material. This isn’t a class designed to get you started: it’s designed to get you finished, too!

A SCHEDULE THAT WORKS WITH YOURS

Whether you choose Bootcamp (over a weekend) or Classic Prep School, (over 5 weeks, one evening a week), you’ll find the workload manageable and the “homework” do-able.

Classes are live on zoom, but they are recorded too, in case “life happens” and you need to miss a session.

There’s also an opportunity to attend weekly drop-in “office hours” to get your specific questions answered if you’re ever feeling overwhelmed or need some extra hand-holding (or maybe, you’re just like me and can’t get enough of this stuff!)

A SMALL CLASS SIZE SO YOU CAN CONNECT DEEPLY

I keep this program small for a reason. And I do it live (on zoom) for a reason too.

The weekly/accelerated sessions are designed to help you understand the material before you have to attend to it. None of this work is useful if you don’t actually complete it.

By keeping the class sizes small and fostering a caring container for you to get your planning work completed in, you’ll know you’re safe to ask questions and connect with what matters most to you…and to each other.

THE CHANCE TO TICK SOMETHING OFF YOUR TO-DO LIST

Listen: I get it. You’ve been meaning to do this forEVER. You might have even picked up a free booklet from the health authority or made an appointment with a lawyer at some point.

But then you stalled out.

Trust me: you’ll feel amazing when you finish this work. You’ll be connected to your own beliefs and values, and you’ll know how to clearly articulate them to others, in case you can’t speak for yourself one day. That kind of certainty feels very powerful indeed.

“This is, without a doubt, the MOST VALUABLE course I have ever taken.“

A. Henderson, Prep School Graduate

ARE YOU READY TO JOIN PREP SCHOOL?

Invest in your future

Invest in the people you love and who love you

Invest in your connection to what matters

Invest in your true legacy

Invest in not leaving (or creating) a mess

$350 + GST

Your tuition includes all virtual sessions, the comprehensive workbook, email follow-up and ongoing access to “office hours” until your holistic personal planning project is complete!

  • “This is without doubt the most valuable course I have EVER taken. (I have a Ph.D. so I have taken a LOT of courses!). The course is skillfully designed with a fine balance between the pure information content with the more emotional pieces, paced in weekly sessions with time to zero in on homework (not onerous) between classes. ”

    — A. Henderson, Prep School Graduate

  • “The 5 part course exceeded all my expectations. I have often shelved the idea of thinking of my own death or disability, but Christa’s simplified approach to writing Wills, Representation Agreements, Power of Attorney, and thinking of my own funeral/memorial based on a value driven reflection helped to demystify this often overwhelming paperwork. Rather than being paralyzed by this decision making, Prep School provided opportunities for learning and reflection and then focussed my attention on a step-by-step methodology that had me finishing the course with a much clearer vision of how all of the end of life pieces fit together”

    — N. Ninnow, Prep School Graduate

  • “Being asked to consider circumstances that may arise, such as an unexpected death or an event that would make one unable to make their own medical decision, created an opportunity to ponder what being “alive” means to each of us and in turn to hone in on personal hopes, values and wishes. Taking care of my end of life ‘story’, (although framed in mystery and unknowing), offers me an opportunity to give a gift of enduring love to my family and friends- the people I cherish the most in this lifetime. Thank you, Christa”

    — B. Hornby, Prep School Graduate

  • I feel such relief after taking Prep School!

    I thought my husband and I had done a good job getting our estate in order, but I realized during the course that there was still a lot of work to do, especially because our goal is to not be a burden on our kids when we pass.

    Completing some of this paperwork was both harder and easier than I had imagined. Harder because there were a number of questions that I had never considered, especially around the topic of medical incapacitation. Easier because we were given lots of different tools to help us complete the tasks.

    Anyone who is serious about making the role of an appointed medical representative or executor easier needs to take this course!

    T. Underwood, , Prep School Graduate

  • I did the Prep School Bootcamp and it was a fantastic experience! Christa is a wonderful person who makes the overwhelming process of getting your affairs in order, as it were, into a meaningful and deep reflexive moment. She fosters a positive environment that allows participants to feel comfortable to share things and ask questions. She takes checklists and works with them as prompts that will lead to meaningful reflection that is essential when working through your advance care planning holistically.

    —A. Garcia, , Prep School Graduate

  • The Prep School program provided a personalized and guided step-by-step process for addressing the important details related to putting my affairs in order. The combination of work-book, resources, course participants, and, in particular, an incredibly supportive and experienced educator - Christa Ovenell - meant that I was able to accomplish what would normally be an extremely difficult task, within a short period of time and in an engaging and affirming manner. I highly recommend Prep School and Christa Ovenell (the Death's Apprentice)!

    —S. Barclay, Prep School Graduate

IF YOU ARE STILL NOT SURE WHY YOU NEED TO DO THIS, READ ON …

LEARN HOW TO EXPLAIN YOUR WISHES IN A WAY THAT WILL ENSURE THEY ARE HONOURED

I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating: most folks think this course is about planning for your death. It’s NOT. We’ll cover that, you bet. But this course will help you gain clarity about your own beliefs and values, and allow you to share them in such a way that you can feel confident your wishes for ALL parts of your life will be honoured, even if you can’t speak for yourself at some point (even just temporarily!)

GET EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS WITH AFFILIATED PARTNERS + A DISCOUNT FOR MULTIPLE ATTENDEES

Use the code “MOREISBETTERSOMETIMES” to activate a 10% discount on any program when you register 2 or more people.

I have also curated very special relationships with folks doing good work in this space, and am happy to be able to offer some unique discounts for participants and alumni!

STRENGTHEN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOURSELF AND THE FOLKS YOU LOVE MOST

AND WITH ME AND YOUR OTHER CLASSMATES!

Our time together is really special. There’s really no other way to put it! The words I hear most frequently at the end of our sessions is “relieved” “certain” & “clear”. I would love to have you join me and experience this yourself: I keep this program purposefully intimate—seats are VERY limited.

Please take the leap and join me in Prep School. You’ll be so glad you did.

I’M CHRISTA

I’m not what you might picture when you think of a funeral director.

I believe that connection, compassion, and creativity are key to living well. I KNOW that for some of us, aging, illness, and incapacity will be part of our future. And, likely because of my work as a funeral director, I am more connected than many folks to the fact that every single one of us will die one day. It’s for that reason that I want everyone to be able to live in the knowledge that they have everything they need in place to be ready for anything and everything life might throw at them.

My practical curriculum design background coupled with my experience as a funeral director and end-of-life doula ensures that your planning project will be something you can start AND finish.

And besides all that? I can’t wait to meet you, to hear your story, and to become a tiny part of ensuring your real legacy leaves the mark that it should in this world. The folks who come to Prep School are some of the kindest, most caring and connected folks I’ve ever had the chance to meet. I sure hope I’ll get to meet you soon!

PREP SCHOOL: SIGN UP FOR 2024 NOW!

The time, space, support and community you need to get your personal planning done, and done right.

HOW DID PREP SCHOOL COME ABOUT?

I developed Prep School in early 2022 as a natural evolution of my 1-1 holistic advance care planning work. My clients had ranged in age from early 30s to late 70s by that point (it’s mid-20s to mid 80s now by the way!!), and I’ve worked with folks who’s net worth rivals Bill Gates’ and people who have been receiving some form of social assistance for many years. But somehow, EVERY person I worked with had remarkably similar needs, questions, and concerns.

As an educator for many years, I knew that bringing people together to do this deeply personal work would enrich everyone’s experience of it. I knew that learning in community strengthens comprehension and completion rates. And as a funeral director for many years, I knew first hand that far too many people entered emotionally difficult periods with no preparation in place. Nothing feels worse than watching someone go through what is often the very hardest thing they will ever experience and then watch their grief be compounded by chaos.

That’s why I created Prep School. I wanted people to be supported and feel connected from the moment they were ready to commit to this journey. I wanted people to be ready for anything life could through at them. I wanted them to feel calm, confident, and in control.

PREP SCHOOL HELPED ME!

Creating this program helped me “take my own medicine”. Like so many others who teach, in any subject matter, I hadn’t necessarily been as attentive to my OWN holistic planning as I could have been. I worked—and reworked—this curriculum many times and during that time I came to embrace the fact that even someone like me (who literally does this for a living) might be cutting corners or not willing to look at certain elements of advance care planning with fearlessness and a willingness to “get er done”.

Creating Prep School helped me feel confident about my (rather unique) subject matter expertise. It helped me realize that we ALL need to do this work, regardless of who we are, what stage of life we are in, how much money/how many kids we have (or don’t have). Every single one of us NEED to do this. For ourselves. And for the people we love most in the world.

Most of all though? Creating Prep School helped me realize that every single one of us has the opportunity to be in charge of what matters to us. To document our desires. To share out beliefs, and to prepare for both the known and unknown futures we are so lucky to be hurtling towards. It made me realize that even in the face of uncertainty, we can have clarity, connection, and calm.

And I think Prep School will help you with all this, too!

ASK ME ANYTHING

  • Short answer: it’s better if you do, but the sessions are recorded so if you miss something, you won’t truly miss it. But you should approach this like any other class you want to get something out of. What you put in will vastly influence what you get out!

  • We often have parent-child participants in Prep School, and spouses tell me they feel closer because of doing this work together. Friends doing the program together keep each other accountable. It’s a GREAT idea to do this work with someone, but it’s not mandatory. Sometimes, one spouse does the course and then several months later the other one is finally ready to join up. If you have someone you’d like to join you in this program, invite them! Need one more practical reason to ask someone along? As a small bonus, you’ll get a 10% discount when you purchase two (or more) seats in the class!

  • Classic sessions are held for 5 weeks in the evenings, one night a week. They are best for folks in BC, Alberta, Washington, Oregon & California (unless you’re a night owl!)

    Bootcamp sessions are designed for folks who like to move through projects quickly and the timing works for anyone in all of North America.

  • If ANYONE is reading this but needs a payment plan: reach out. Send me an email to hello@deathsapprentice.ca and we will build a payment plan that works just for you.

  • The reality is EVERYONE needs to do holistic personal planning. You MAY get sick or become incapacitated one day. But it is 100% certain that you WILL die one day. And without clear instructions for the folks who will be helping you when you can’t help yourself, you are likely to leave a path of frustration at best and total destruction at worst. No matter who you are, and no matter what you “have”, you have voice and autonomy at all stages of life: even end of life!

  • This is a really common sentiment. Trust me, you DO have someone you can ask to help you if you ever became ill or injured or incapacitated. And by being willing to “do the work” to provide a clear roadmap of your closest beliefs and values, you’ll actually reduce the burden on folks who will be there to help you when you need it.

  • That’s why I made bootcamp! You can get everything you need to complete your holistic personal planning project in ONE weekend. You’ll have some work to do outside of that time, but I will keep you on track and accountable to your deadlines!

  • Ok seriously my friend: this is one of the biggest misconceptions around. First of all, if something happens to you, we should assume your spouse will be wrecked. And if they are dealing with that AND also have to deal with answering a bunch of questions they don’t know the answer to, how do you think that is going to go? Finally, unless every single account you have (EVERY one) is a joint account, your spouse has NO access to them if you become incapacitated or when you die, unless you give them that right. This course will help you understand all this, in simple terms and bite-sized pieces.

  • Yes, yes, YES. I am a strong ally and have significant experience helping folks in this community. You DO have special concerns and attending to your holistic personal planning is an act of radical self-care.

  • I feel you, my friend. Why not check out my 1-1 guidance options? I also do family programs (family is totally self-defined) and seriously, this is some enriching and connecting work. You’ll love the chance to do this on your own or with people YOU select to be in class with you!

  • During our time together you will reflect on what works for YOU when it comes to getting your legal decisions documented. For some folks, this means seeing a lawyer. For others, an online Will platform suits perfectly well. In some jurisdictions, like BC, Notary Publics can also draft documents. All of these options come in at varying price points, and there ARE free options too. So yes, there are likely to be some extra costs for the legal documentation pillar of the holistic personal planning process. You can expect to pay between $120-$1200 for this pillar, depending on what works for YOU.

STILL ON THE FENCE?

I completely understand. This decision is about life and death after all.

LET’S BEGIN A CONVERSATION TO TALK ABOUT YOUR SPECIFIC NEEDS.