This week we sit down with Ian McCartor—visual artist, hospice nurse, Certified Grief Counselor, and President & Executive Director of The Ash Rose Foundation. With over a decade of end-of-life care experience, Ian brings a rare combination of clinical compassion and creative vision to his work with grieving individuals and families.

At the center of this conversation is the compassion that Ian has for his clients as he walks with them through their grief journey. The Ash Rose Project is a 30-Day guided grief processing program that pairs daily journaling prompts with weekly counseling check-ins. At the end of this journey, the individual is presented with an incredible personalized ash portrait—a custom artwork made using a loved one’s cremation ashes and composed with the participant’s reflections in mind. This unique process honors both memory and meaning, helping individuals celebrate their loved one in a beautiful way. The artwork becomes a physical representation of the love and life they shared together.

Ian’s work is a powerful reminder that even in the ashes, beauty remains. Grief, when given time and space, can become an act of love and transformation.

🕊️ Learn more at www.theashrose.org. You are welcomed to attend annual Gallery Gatherings to meet individuals who have been part of the Ash Rose Project and see their loved ones represented through the works of art. 

Donations in any amount help keep The Ash Rose Foundation and its community thriving. Thank you!

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Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next week!

If you'd like to support my journey to see a world without pancreatic cancer, please consider donating to my NYC Marathon Project Purple fundraising page.

Special thanks to:

Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music

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