BACKGROUND

In the upheaval of his mother's death at 26, Ned Buskirk quit a promising career in business and moved to San Francisco, where he founded You’re Going to Die, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to bringing diverse communities into the conversation of death and dying in a creative way.

Through that organization, Ned hosts a podcast, live open mics, concerts, and workshops that all facilitate a unique space for people who are experiencing grief and loss. People come back to these spaces again and again because they feel, possibly for the first time in their lives, held by community in their most difficult moments. Ned also leads creative workshops in prisons and hospitals, all of which prioritize the present moment witnessing of people’s darkest truths.

ABOUT ONE-ON-ONE COACHING

Ned is interested in supporting community by sourcing the hardest parts of our mortality to inspire more joy and fulfillment in life, especially by sitting with—and finding clarity through—grief. This is not a place to "fix," but rather a space of deep listening and sincere, heartfelt attention. This is a space of truth telling. That might at times look like either warm witnessing or healthy confrontation, but it is always done with the intention of allowing you to be fully seen, heard, and held.

This process is distinct from therapy in that there are no defined goals or outcomes. There is nothing to be fixed or resolved. Ned will offer you the place to return from what's hard, with whatever you bring from there, to excavate your own innate wisdom, knowing, and understanding. What remains is a deepening of attention to recognize what has been there all along, often unseen, obscured by the intensity of modern living. 

  • "I found YG2D at a time when I could only see darkness around me, and my soul cried out, not to find the light, but to be joined, to be seen in my experience of devastation and aloneness. Ned has the exceptionally rare capacity to be present, and not look away from, the hardest of things. In these conversations, I have been witnessed, challenged, and held, all with a gentle inquisitiveness that has helped me to cherish the fullness of my human experience of loss and grief and to re-engage in my life with more clarity and self-compassion. If you decide to embark on this deep journey, you will surely emerge with a more courageous heart."

    M.J.-K [Ontario, Canada]

  • “Ned is instantly able to be vulnerable and present with whatever situation he’s in, no matter how complex. What is first laid down is any armour or protective shells. The tears come next, and that is an invitation to the participant that anything they say in this space is okay. All will be held in trust and love, and that is truly the only place from which we can start to heal.”

    N.J. [Charlotte, NC]

  • "I spoke to Ned every week for over a year after my mom died. I was paralyzed by the immensity of losing the person I loved and who loved me more than anyone in the world. I don’t think Ned or I really knew what would happen when we began that process, but I can describe it as a deep alchemical kind of holding that was integral to my life. I always knew I was talking to someone who would hold my grief with so much tenderness and reverence too."

    - Anonymous

  • "Ned never tried to fix what was happening for me - he just supported me so deeply in my process of being with the grief and every chaotic emotion that came with it. Some weeks that was only tears and silence, other weeks that was movement and creativity, some weeks he offered beautiful insights and advice, some weeks he just listened. But He gave me an immense amount of space - and that presence was something I can only relate to the nature of what my mom had done for me, just loved me so unconditionally and magically that it gave me the strength and belief in myself that I needed to move through the world again in a new way - having been transformed by this loss."

    - Anonymous

  • " I changed my life in the course of those phone calls with Ned, walking hand and hand with grief into a life I am so proud to be living, in honor of the woman who made me. I’ll forever be grateful for the space and time with him and I know that if I was moving through deep grief again, and needing support, there’s no one else I’d rather turn to to be with me on the path then Ned."

    - Anonymous

  • "Ned was there for me during a time when things were dark. I was a new parent, newly moved to a different city, and it was also the height of Covid. I had gone from celebrating so many accomplishments, an MFA, an emerging practice, and the birth of my beautiful first child to feeling desperately alone and isolated, cut off from the world, but also myself. During our weekly calls, I felt listened to and seen. I felt it was okay to grieve for all the unexpected changes to my identity, career, and creative practice. He helped me feel accepted in my complex feelings about the loss and absence of family and friends. His reflections and insights gave me a chance to see that this painful transition was something I didn't have to go through alone and put me on a path to seeking community not just in grief but also in creativity. "

    - Carmina Eliason [Portland, Oregon]

HOW TO START

Ned has been doing this one-on-one coaching work for over five years. Sessions last 50 minutes and, depending on need, can be scheduled once a week or one to two times a month. Recommendations for integrating these sessions might be given to assist in drawing meaning from our time together.

Mentoring sessions can be held over phone or Zoom. Coaching fees are available on a sliding scale, with some flexibility based on financial need.

Email connect@yg2d.com to schedule a consult today.

For more info or to book a free consultation.

Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly!