Kinward was created to help individuals and loved ones approach end-of-life planning with clarity and care, because no two lives, or families, are the same.
Many people assume end-of-life planning is simply about completing legal documents. In reality, the hardest parts are often the conversations, the decisions, and the emotional weight loved ones carry when wishes have never been clearly expressed.
This work is designed to meet you where you are, balancing the practical details with the deeply personal ones.
About Kinward
A Letter from
the Founder
I experienced loss earlier and more often than most people. Between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, I lost more than nine family members and friends. In the years that followed, loss and illness continued to be part of my life in ways that most people don't encounter until much later. Those experiences changed how I understand grief, family, and the way death shapes the living.
That closeness to loss also meant I witnessed something else, what happens when families are left unprepared. I saw loved ones navigate terminal diagnoses, difficult medical decisions, and the weight that settles in when wishes have never been clearly discussed.
When preparation is missing, families are often left carrying more than grief. They carry responsibility and decisions no one feels ready to make.
Kinward grew out of that understanding - and out of a belief that it doesn't have to be that way.
– Kelsey
Background
Kelsey Coney holds a Master's degree in Conflict Management and Resolution and certifications in mediation, trauma awareness and resilience, and end-of-life support as a Death Doula and Grief Educator.
For more than a decade she has facilitated difficult conversations, with individuals, families, and groups navigating some of life's hardest moments. What she’s learned is that most people have the desire to have these conversations, they just don't know how to begin.
In addition to supporting individuals and families, she is currently partnering with Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) to integrate death doula practices into their hospice and palliative care teams. Her work includes developing the training curriculum for clinical staff, designing the program structure, and providing direct doula support to patients.
About Kelsey
Approach to this work
End-of-life planning is not only a legal or medical process. It is also a human one.
Kelsey’s role is not to remove the reality of death, but to help people approach it with honesty, care, and preparation. When loved ones have space to talk openly and organize important decisions ahead of time, they are better able to support one another when the time comes.
“Before working with Kelsey, I kept avoiding the conversation because it felt too overwhelming and emotionally loaded. She created a space where I could actually talk honestly without spiraling or shutting down. By the end, I not only completed essential documents but I also had a completely different relationship to the process itself."
—PDJ
Let’s Talk
If you're thinking about end-of-life planning, for yourself or someone you love, the best place to begin is a conversation. No preparation needed, just reach out.