Hello!

I am Jo Anne, the founder of Space Between.

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Funeral service found me. If you had told me in my twenties that I would work with families to plan their funeral or assist in settling their affairs, I probably would have said, “you are crazy!” My focus at that time was pursuing a career in the arts. For many years I sold my contemporary art jewellery in galleries across Canada while I raised my two children. 

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Many personal losses throughout my life have shaped me into the person I am today and provided me with a deeper understanding of grief. I never felt like my grief was properly heard; I was encouraged to hide my pain and move on. Until I began my studies in funeral service, I never gave my grief the respect it deserved. It was the privilege of serving so many families over the last eleven years that jumpstarted my own grief journey. Through my work, I learned from each family I sat with, began to heal, and rediscovered my purpose.

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I recently navigated the loss of all three of my parents over the course of just one year, becoming my mother’s primary caregiver for the five months preceding her passing. Through it all I continued to train as a yoga teacher, became a reiki practitioner and discovered the healing potential of dance. These diverse modalities have supported me to hold sacred space for people to grieve in their own unique way, while finding a sense of gratitude in the process. 

In 2018, my greatest loss occurred: my marriage. During this difficult time I found that yoga offered me a release I never expected. I decided to complete my yoga teacher training so I could further support the families I served. This led me to other healing modalities and certifications, allowing me to create my “Holistic Healing for Loss” philosophy.

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I am passionate about my work and spend much of my time sitting with loss and grief.

I love to offer families the opportunity to share and be witnessed by a compassionate listener.