workshops & faq
Embracing Deeper Connections LIVE Workshop
Moving Through Anticipatory Grief With Presence
Compassionate Support for You in You Pet’s Senior Years, Illness and the Before and During the Goodbye
Enrollment opens September 1st at 9:00 am MDT.
Wednesdays and Saturdays, September 30th to October 24th. Limited to 24 participants.
You Don’t Have to Walk This Path Alone…
Living alongside an aging animal, a senior companion, a pet facing illness, or one moving toward the end of their life is one of the most tender chapters you experience. The weight of decisions, the not-knowing of what comes next, and the depth of love you hold can make this time both beautiful and heavy.
Most people wait until they're in crisis before they reach for support. I want to invite you to start sooner. Whether your animal is simply getting older, adjusting to new limitations, facing a diagnosis, or you can already feel the road ahead and you want to be ready for it, this is where you begin to build the inner steadiness to meet what's coming.
Embracing Deeper Connections is a live, intimate workshop for people who want to walk this season differently and find more presence, more understanding, and an even deeper connection with their animal. Not by avoiding the hard parts, but by learning how to be with them.
This workshop is about honouring your relationship and each other, and walking together, side by side.
Who This Workshop Is For
This workshop is for people with aging or senior animals who want to stay present and connected as their companion moves through this stage of life.
It’s for those adjusting to changing needs, new limitations, or a recent diagnosis, and finding themselves wondering what comes next.
It’s for those experiencing anticipatory grief: the grief that can arrive before a loss, sometimes long before, and who want to understand what is happening rather than feeling overtaken by it.
It’s for anyone who wants to begin the senior years differently, and approach their animal’s later years and eventual end-of-life journey with greater awareness and preparation, rather than waiting until a crisis forces the conversation or decision.
And it’s for those open to exploring somatic and nervous-system-based practices that can help them find more steadiness when fear, uncertainty, or emotion becomes overwhelming.
This workshop is not for those looking for a quick fix, and it may not be the right fit if your animal is young, healthy, and there are no changes on the horizon.
It’s for those who are ready to slow down, deepen the relationship they already have, and be more fully present for the time that is here.
The Struggles Many People Carry
You may find yourself afraid of making the wrong decision or missing something your animal is trying to show you.
You may notice emotions rising that make it difficult to stay present: grief, sadness, anxiety, fear, or a constant sense of what if?
You may worry about your animal’s experience and desperately want them to feel safe, loved, and not alone.
Or perhaps you simply don’t know how to prepare yourself for what may be ahead, while still being there for your animal.
You wonder how you will cope with the changes later, if you are already struggling now.
These responses are understandable when the animal you love is aging or becoming unwell. The depth of what you feel is connected to the depth of the relationship you share. And rather than trying to avoid or push away those feelings, this workshop helps you begin to understand them and learn how to be with yourself so you may be more present with your pet.
How do I prepare for this part of my relationship with my pet without spending our remaining time consumed by fear?
This workshop was created for that, too.
What You’ll Learn
How to recognise and move through anticipatory grief
So you can understand what is happening within you without allowing fear of what’s coming to pull you out of the present.Somatic and nervous-system-based tools for overwhelming moments
Practices to help you notice what is happening in your body and find ways to return to greater steadiness through uncertainty, change, and health challenges.How to deepen your connection with your animal
Learning to slow down, listen differently, and become more aware of the subtle ways you already communicate and connect.Ways of communicating beyond words
Exploring energy, body language, felt sense, and presence as part of the relationship you share with your animal.How to begin exploring surrender and acceptance
Not as giving up or letting go before you’re ready, but as learning to meet what is happening honestly, including the possibility of end of life, rather than living entirely in fear of what may come.
Ultimately, this workshop is about learning how to be with your animal through this season. Not perfectly. Not without fear or sadness. But with more awareness, connection, and presence for the time you have together.
This relationship is its own relationship.
Anticipatory grief is a different kind of grief. Embracing Deeper Connections gives you a compassionate place to understand what you're experiencing and practical ways to support yourself through it.
Not by ignoring.
Not by forcing yourself to carry on.
And not by pretending the pain isn't there.
But by learning how to make room for both anticipatory grief and love.
Why This Matters
When you allow yourself to acknowledge anticipatory grief instead of pushing it away, you can find more clarity, steadiness, and capacity to be present for this time you have with your animal.
Because this time matters.
The fear of what may come can so easily pull you out of the moments that are actually here now. You can become so focused on what you might miss that you miss the living, loving, ordinary moments happening right in front of you.
This workshop won’t take away the sadness, the uncertainty, or the fear. It isn’t meant to.
Wherever you are in the journey, your relationship matters. And so does your anticipatory grief.
What it can offer is:
A way to connect with your own resilience and build your capacity to stay present.
Support in moving through difficult emotions, rather than becoming overwhelmed or stuck in them.
Moments of greater steadiness, so you can be more available for the time you still have together.
A deeper awareness of your animal and the relationship you share.
Space to explore the end-of-life journey honestly, while still honouring the love and connection that are here now.
At the heart of this work, it isn’t about trying to make this easier than it is. It’s about love. It’s about honouring the bond you share with your animal and learning how to stay connected to that love, even when fear and grief are part of the picture.
And it’s about being able to look back and know that, while you couldn’t control what was happening, you were able to be with your animal through it as present, connected, and grounded as you could be.
The goal isn't to make the anticipatory grief disappear. Instead, you learn how to be with your grief differently.
We create space for what hurts.
We learn what happens in our bodies when grief becomes overwhelming.
We begin loosening the grip of guilt, fear, or the feeling that we should be doing grief "better."
And little by little, we make more room for something alongside the pain:
The love.
The memories.
The relationship.
The ways this animal changed us.
Anticipatory Grief isn't something you get over.
It's something you learn to grow from and with.
Workshop Details:
Main Teaching Sessions: Wednesdays, September 30, October 7, 14, 21
Duration: 2-hour live classes
Integration Lab Sessions: Saturdays, October 3,10,17, 24
Duration: 90-minute live lab sessions for practice, integration and support. These sessions are designed to help you integrate the tools and techniques from the main teaching sessions, ask questions, share experiences, and receive additional support.
Time: 9am PT / 10am MT / 12pm ET / 17:00 UK / 18:00 CET / 4:00am AEDT
Fee: $595 in USD or $595 CAD for Canadians. ( single payment or 2-payment plan available)
*To ensure a deeply personal and supportive experience, 24 number of spots are available. Sessions are held via Zoom, and replays are available for those who can’t attend live.
Your workshop includes:
Four live 2-hour teaching sessions
Four live 90 min integration and practice sessions
A thoughtfully designed workbook
Practical anticipatory grief and nervous-system tools
Guided journaling reflection and embodied exercises
Access to teaching replays
A small group with opportunities for questions and support
What This Workshop Is Not
This is not formal animal communication training.
The workshop draws on the foundations of animal communication, but not as a structured technique or something you need to learn how to do “right.” Instead, we explore animal communication as a way to listen, become more aware, and deepen the connection you already share with your animal.
It’s also not a quick fix.
This work isn’t about removing pain, getting rid of fear, rushing grief, or bypassing what you feel. Some things about loving an aging or unwell animal are simply hard.
This is a space to slow down, reflect, understand what may be happening within you, and explore ways of meeting this time with greater awareness, steadiness, and connection.
Why This Workshop Is Different
This isn’t another pet loss or grief support group.
It’s about how you live this chapter while you’re in it, how you stay connected to your animal, to yourself, and to the relationship you share when fear and uncertainty are also present.
You’ll explore the foundations of animal communication as a way to slow down, listen differently, and become more aware of the bond you share with your pet.
You’ll learn about anticipatory grief and why grief can begin long before a loss occurs. We’ll explore how it can show up in your body, your emotions, and your nervous system and how you can begin to meet those responses with greater awareness and self-compassion.
You’ll also learn somatic tools you can use in real time, so that when a difficult moment comes, you have something to return to rather than feeling completely swept away by it.
And there is space for something else, too.
For noticing how the depth of the bond you share continues to grow.
For seeing your animal not simply as someone you are caring for, but as an active participant in this relationship and in this chapter of your life.
For discovering that even in the midst of anticipatory grief, there can still be connection, tenderness, humour, ordinary moments, and love.
You'll learn about anticipatory grief and explore ways to acknowledge what may be coming while continuing to notice what is here today: the ordinary things now become extraordinary because you know they won't last forever.
Instead of thinking, "Why can't I handle this?" you can begin responding to yourself with understanding and care and notice you are handling it.
In a small group, you’ll have the opportunity to learn, reflect, ask questions, and share in a warm, supportive setting. Over four weeks, we’ll meet for live teaching and exploration, supported by a thoughtfully designed workbook, practical practices you can use between sessions, and replays you can return to.
You don’t have to absorb everything at once.
You can come back to the teachings and practices as you move through your own journey, because what you need in the beginning may not be what you need a few weeks or months from now.
By the end of our time together, you may have a deeper understanding of your own responses to anticipatory grief, a greater awareness of your animal and the relationship you share, and more tools to help you find your way back to presence when fear or overwhelm takes hold.
Because ultimately, this work isn’t about finding the perfect way through. It’s about learning how to be here with yourself, with your animal, and with the love that exists between you while the time is here.
What People Have Shared
"This workshop gave me strength I didn't know I had. I went from feeling lost and scared to being able to sit with my dog, feel the depth of our love, and not be afraid of it."
"I finally feel like I can move through my emotions instead of being consumed by them. Thank you for teaching me how to be present with my cat during this time."
"I was afraid I wouldn't know when it was time. Now I feel more in tune with my dog and more able to be there for him, without fixating on the end."
What to Expect
This is a four-week live workshop, offered twice a year.
The Fall 2026 workshop runs from September 30 to October 24, with sessions on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Wednesdays are our teaching days. We’ll explore the core teachings around animal communication, anticipatory grief, presence, connection, and the nervous system.
Saturdays are for integration. We’ll practise somatic tools together, have space for questions, and explore how you can bring what you’re learning into your own experience with your animal.
The combination of teaching and practice gives you time to absorb what we explore on Wednesdays and then come back together to experience, practise, and ask questions on Saturdays.
Each session is live, interactive, and intentionally intimate, with space to participate, reflect, ask questions, and be supported as you move through the material. Best attended live, especially Saturdays.
Class size is limited to 24 participants.
How to Join
Enrollment opens September 1 at 9:00 am MDT through September 28, or until the workshop is full.
If you're not sure whether this workshop is right for you, email me so we can talk about where you are.
Feel seen, supported, and accompanied through one of life's most tender chapters with your animal.
What can change when you feel supported in your journey?
This workshop cannot take away the loss.
It cannot promise that you won't hurt.
And it isn't designed to rush you toward being "okay."
What it can give you is a different way to meet what you're going through.
You may begin to:
Understand why you have anticipatory grief and how it shows up for you.
Feel less alone in walking this part differently.
Recognize what happens in your body during difficult emotional moments.
Have practical tools to use when anticipatory grief or fear becomes overwhelming.
Feel more able to be present with your pet and understand how they support you in this journey.
Approach difficult decisions with greater steadiness.
Create more room for memories and love alongside the pain.
Feel more connected to the meaning of your relationship.
There is no perfect way to walk this journey.
There is only how you choose to walk your way.
And you don't have to find it alone.
What participants have shared…
"I felt safe, seen, and heard. So nice to not feel alone!"
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"Such compassionate delivery of information that I could use with my pet right away."
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" This workshop is for anyone, no matter the difficultly of their current situation"
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"I didn't think I could lessen my fear, but I did! I now have a sense of peace and am able to be more present with my cat."
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" This program will help you understand the grief you feel when you know your pet's end is near and provide you with many tools to manage and grow from this grief. It's well worthwhile!""
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"I felt safe, seen, and heard. So nice to not feel alone!" • "Such compassionate delivery of information that I could use with my pet right away." • " This workshop is for anyone, no matter the difficultly of their current situation" • "I didn't think I could lessen my fear, but I did! I now have a sense of peace and am able to be more present with my cat." • " This program will help you understand the grief you feel when you know your pet's end is near and provide you with many tools to manage and grow from this grief. It's well worthwhile!"" •
Meet Hana Mäkinen
Pet Loss & Grief Support Grounded in Professional Training and Personal Experience
I'm Hana Mäkinen, a Professional Animal Communicator and End-of-Life & After-Life Grief Specialist.
Animals have been a source of companionship, safety, comfort, and joy throughout my life.
I grew up with dogs, cats, and horses, and every relationship has left its own unique imprint on my heart.
My work today sits at the meeting place of animal communication, grief support, trauma-informed care, and somatic healing.
But this work isn't only professional for me.
It's personal. I've experienced traumatic animal deaths, significant human losses, and spent more than a decade walking beside both of my parents through Alzheimer's and dementia before their deaths.
I've also experienced again and again what it means to love an animal deeply and eventually have to live without their physical presence.
These experiences have taught me that grief isn't neat and tidy. It isn't linear.
And the depth of anticipatory grief with a pet can be profoundly connected to our history and the role our animal plays in our life.
Our animals are our companions.
Our source of comfort.
Our routine.
Our connection to safety.
Our witnesses through difficult chapters.
Our family.
I believe animals are family. That's also why you'll sometimes hear me use the words "pet guardian" rather than "pet owner."
I understand that most of us naturally search for phrases like "pet owner" when we're looking for help. But personally, I don't feel that we truly "own" the animals who share our lives. I think of us as their guardians and companions. We walk beside one another for however long we're fortunate enough to share the journey. And when that physical journey ends, the relationship leaves an imprint.
My role isn't to tell you how you should walk in relationship with your pet. It's to help you know there is a different way to walk and, from it, find what becomes your way. It is also to help you feel seen in it, understand what you're experiencing, and find your way to move with your anticipatory grief while honouring the love beneath it.
This workshop offers a compassionate way of moving through this experience as a whole person with your pet.
Because anticipatory grief isn't only happening in your thoughts.
It's happening in your body, your routines, your home, your memories, your relationships, and in all the places your animal occupies.
Enrollment closes September 28 or when all 24 spaces are filled.
Learn more about my story. I talk about my upbringing and the pivot point in my life that led me to approach aging and the end of life differently.
FAQ
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Recordings of the class portion will be available to watch later, so you won’t miss the teachings. However, breakout room discussions will not be recorded, so some of the sharing and experiential aspects will only be available in the live sessions.
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Absolutely. Some participants joined the class even if their pet had passed away. The workshop provides valuable insights and techniques to help you navigate the complex emotions of grief and loss. Many participants have found solace, healing, and an even deeper understanding of their bond with their pets, even after they have passed. This helped them in their grieving journey after their pet’s loss.
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While you wait for the next workshop, I offer a variety of free resources, including videos, blog posts, and interviews on topics like animal communication, grief, and the pet-human bond. These materials can provide insights and support as you prepare for the workshop.
Click here for the resources.
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All of the downloadable support materials are yours to keep. The video content will be available for six months after the course ends.
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Embracing Deeper Connections is offered in spring and fall to support pet guardians facing illness, aging, diagnoses, and end-of-life journeys with their beloved companions. You can sign up for notifications on my website or subscribe to my newsletter to be among the first to know when new sessions open. To receive the special pricing, you must be on the waitlist.
If your group or organization would like to offer this workshop to its members, please get in touch with us to discuss options.
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Yes! Any available seats in the Live workshop will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis to past participants who would like to resit and deepen their experience. If you're interested, please email me directly.
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Life can be unpredictable, especially when caring for a beloved pet. Because this workshop has limited spots, last-minute cancellations can be difficult to accommodate.
To balance fairness and flexibility, our cancellation policy is as follows:
Cancellations for Full Payment Registrations (Early Bird/Regular Price)
If you cancel before the specified cancellation deadline:
You may receive a 50% refund of your total payment.
You may also transfer your spot to another participant (arranged by the date specified in your confirmation email).
If you cancel on or after the specified cancellation deadline:
No refunds are available.
However, you may still transfer your spot to another participant before the specified date.
Cancellations for Two-Payment Plan Registrations (Early Bird/Regular Price)
The initial deposit is non-refundable as it secures your spot.
The second payment will be billed on the date specified in your confirmation email.
If you cancel before the specified cancellation deadline:
You are not responsible for the second payment.
If you cancel after the specified cancellation deadline:
You are responsible for the remaining balance, as your spot has been reserved.
You may still transfer your spot to another participant before the specified date.
Transferring Your Spot
If you can no longer attend, you may transfer your registration to someone else before the date listed in your confirmation email. Please contact us directly to arrange this.
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Heart Scholarships- Limited Spots Available
We understand that financial challenges can feel overwhelming, especially during difficult times with your pet. To ensure that support is accessible, we offer two partial scholarships per workshop at 70% off the full fee. These spots are for those experiencing financial hardship who are deeply committed to their personal growth and their bond with their pet during this time.
To apply, please email us with:
A brief description of your current situation.
Why is this workshop meaningful to you, and how do you believe it will support you?
Your commitment to attending all live sessions.
Willingness to schedule a short interview with Hana.
Applications are open until two weeks before the workshop begins. Recipients will be notified one week before the start date.
Since only two spots are available, selections are made based on need and commitment rather than on a first-come, first-served basis. Those awarded a scholarship are expected to fully participate in the live sessions and provide feedback at the end.
Can't Join Live, or Need to Begin Now?
The live workshop runs on set dates, and sometimes the timing or the price isn't a fit. If your animal needs support now, or you'd rather move at your own pace,
EDC Online is here for you.
EDC Online is the self-paced version of this work, available anytime. You move through it on your own timeline, returning to whatever you need, whenever you need it. It covers the same heart of the work: presence, anticipatory grief, connection with your animal, somatic tools for the overwhelming moments, and meeting the road ahead with more steadiness.
It doesn't include the live teaching, the group, or the real-time interaction of the live workshop. Instead, it offers the freedom to begin today and go at your own pace for $295.
If you're not sure which is right for you, email me, and we'll find the fit.