kristyn manemeit
she/her
...his boots were the only thing they found right next to the quicksand. His family knew they were his. They took the boots home and had a funeral for him and buried them in the yard.
- kristyn Weitz age 8
why me ?
who am I ?
Hello and welcome! First and foremost, what matters most to me is that I am grateful for my life - even the traumatic parts because every experience has shaped who I am today. Thank you for your interest in me, my philosophy, and for your desire to explore life, loss, and legacy for yourself, others, and especially the kiddos in your life!
My curiosity about dying, death, and grief began as a young child. I vividly remember writing obituaries for my imaginary companions. I shared their life story, their connections to family and friends, and in some cases the way they left this life - one tragically died in quicksand, all that was found was his boots... In hindsight, his boots probably would have gone down first but, maybe he took them off?!
My fascination with death and my own grief, peaked as a 10-year-old when my beloved grandfather died. The loss was devastating, and I had more questions than answers. The greatest of these was, "where did the rest of him go?" I knew what happened to his body - but where is what made him, him? His thoughts and feelings, the essence of who he is must be somewhere... It was these questions - so many questions, I have been seeking answers to ever since.
how I will support you ?
As your life, loss, legacy, and grief guide I will support you as we explore who you are at a soul level and what you want! We will honor your lived experience through building, documenting, and sharing your precious legacy. We will compassionately seek out ways to increase confidence in your ability to express your deepest feelings about life and your final wishes to others, and you will learn how to establish and maintain healthy attachments to loved ones when death arrives... You have the power within you - let's seek it out together!
When designing homes no longer fueled my spirit, I began seeking out ways to design better "exit strategies". As an "interior designer" I lean into learning about my clients, what wholehearted living means to them, and focusing on cultivating eternal connections within all ages and stages of life. I believe all people and creatures have the right to die with dignity...
I hold an MA in Transformative Leadership & Spirituality emphasizing my commitment to leading diverse peoples through life's transitions.
End of Life Doula/Death Midwife Professional, through University of Vermont - Larner College of Medicine.
More than a decade of experience within an interdisciplinary team as a hospice nursing assistant providing death planning, end of embodied life, post mortem, and bereavement care, for all ages, genders, races, beliefs, the LGBTQIA➕ community - with a specialty in pediatrics.
In 2017 I joined the Medical Mission Sisters & Associates - an international community of men and women committed to activism - living as a healing presence in a wounded world through service, compassion, and love.
As a nationally certified fitness trainer my focus is on building mind, body, and spirit through mindfulness, movement, and play at all stages of life and through the dying process.
I am an intuitive psychic healer, designer, author, and artist - utilizing each of these attributes to create resources to help others seek out and build confidence in their own choices and abilities as designers of their own lives.
As a nature enthusiast - I do my best to tread lightly in this world, honoring all life that calls Mother Earth home, and engaging with the healing aspects of nature in my work as often as I can.
A lifelong Storyteller I collaborate with people in various stages of life to create meaningful rituals and spaces that bring to life their innermost needs for remembrance.
AND my most treasured roles - partner and best friend to my belov'Ed', mom to amazingly wonderful kiddos, Nena to exceptional grands, soul friend to all our furry companions, as well as cohabiter on this Earth and beyond with so many spirit connections who make chasing death worthwhile - all because I want to remain in relationships with them for all time!
and why
what is
kristynity is a philosophy of cyclical interconnectivity...
I believe I was born with and have everything I need to embrace my life, loss, and mortality wholeheartedly. Everyone has the power to honor their state and quality of “being” – what I call “•ity” or, what makes you, uniquely you – here, now, and beyond. I trust that when we die, our spirit – the energetic – or the essence of that "being" lives on within the relationships we have cultivated along the way. Relational legacies are the meaningful connections that begin at birth. Deepening these connections throughout life make navigating loss and grief easier. With guidance and practice, learning to normalize loss and death create opportunities to venture more confidently into challenging times. My lifelong curiosity about dying, death, and the pain of my own losses, caused me to seek out ways to maintain eternal relationships. Although I do not have all the answers, I continue to be excitedly curious about how to build bonds that extend beyond loss and death. kristynity is a way forward, a philosophy of cyclical interconnectivity. I am optimistically hopeful that exploration and implementation of creative resources designed to expand connection, beginning in childhood, can and do reduce suffering when separation occurs. Here's how… By discovering what makes you, uniquely you – your “•ity”. How did you come to be? What is meaningful to you? What is your unique legacy now, how would you like to be remembered when you leave a room, or leave this life? The first experiences and explorations of legacy and loss are often the hardest, but they can be the foundation for beautiful and meaningful engagement with loved ones… Why now? Designing ways to honor and share who you are at the soul level with those closest to you throughout life, generates multiple opportunities to deepen connections and fuel a sense of belonging. The bonds between you and those privileged to journey with you can and do live on once the physical life has been transformed into a new way of being. After loss, grieving becomes the ongoing practice of learning to live with and love yourself and these new relationships in ways that offers healing, comfort, and joy. Thank you for taking the time to share this space with me and your interest in finding out how your “•ity” can transform loss, death, and grief into something that can be experienced as a continuation of life – renewed.