Speakers

A humanist celebrant and grief educator. She is a co-founder and President of the Polish Association of Humanist Celebrants. She co-authored the first publication in Poland devoted to humanist funerals and is a member of the collective of the Institute of Good Death.

She holds a PhD in Psychology and is a certified psychotherapist with 16 years of professional experience. As a humanist celebrant, she draws on her clinical expertise to bring therapeutic sensitivity and compassionate grief support to funeral ceremonies. She is a member of the Polish Association of Humanist Celebrants.

A celebrant with Tender Farewells (Czułe Pożegnania). Co-founder and Board Member of the Polish Association of Humanist Celebrants (celebranci.org). A coach certified in the From Grief to Gratitude method. She is also the author and performer of the spoken word and music monodrama Much Better in Heaven (O niebo lepiej), in which she helps audiences engage with themes of death and mortality in an open and approachable way.

A journalist, author, and humanist celebrant whose work focuses on the social and cultural dimensions of death, dying, and grief. She designs bespoke farewell ceremonies and promotes knowledge of contemporary rituals, remembrance, and the evolving ways people experience and navigate loss.

A humanist funeral celebrant, teacher of Polish and German, and educator in the fields of death and grief. She is a co-creator of the recurring Coffee and Death discussion series. She is a member of the Polish Association of Humanist Celebrants and the collective of the Institute of Good Death.

A cultural anthropologist and celebrant of secular funeral ceremonies. She leads the Na Progu Foundation, where she is developing a guide to home farewells that brings together traditional meanings and contemporary contexts. She is a Board Member of the Polish Association of Humanist Celebrants and a member of the collective of the Institute of Good Death.

A celebrant of humanist and secular funeral ceremonies, as well as humanist rites of passage. A philologist and yoga instructor. She is a member of the Polish Association of Humanist Celebrants and the collective of the Institute of Good Death.

A humanist funeral celebrant and member of the Polish Association of Humanist Celebrants. She holds a degree in Religious Studies. She is a co-organiser of the Death Café in Gdańsk. Her main areas of interest include green burials and sustainable approaches to funeral practices.

A lawyer and tax advisor specializing in comprehensive support for entrepreneurs, including matters related to PIT, CIT, and VAT. In professional practice, she combines expertise in tax law and accounting, enabling her to assess the consequences of business decisions from both a tax perspective and the standpoint of practical financial reporting. She supports companies, including entities operating in the funeral industry, in making secure business decisions, minimizing risks, and resolving complex challenges related to running a business.

www.klepacka.pl

Legal counsel and tax advisor with over ten years of experience in providing legal and tax advice to entrepreneurs. Specializes in litigation, commercial and business disputes, representing clients at all stages of proceedings. Provides daily support to corporate clients in disputes with administrative and tax authorities, as well as in conflicts between businesses. Advises on complex matters requiring a combination of legal, tax, and litigation strategy expertise.

Singer, humanist celebrant, and vocal coach. For the past 16 years, she has been providing musical accompaniment for farewell ceremonies, and for the last two years she has been designing and officiating compassionate, supportive memorial and remembrance ceremonies. She is the President of the SOPRANO Foundation for the Promotion and Development of the Arts and a member of the Polish Association of Humanist Celebrants.

Psychotherapist, writer, interviewer, and editor. A graduate of Clinical Psychology at the University of Warsaw, she is a certified psychotherapist of the Polish Psychological Association and the European Association for Psychotherapy. She works within the psychodynamic and existential approaches. She trained in psychotherapy at the Laboratory of Psychoeducation in Warsaw and at the Anna Freud Centre in London.She is particularly interested in the beginning and the end of life: she runs the School of Perinatal Psychological Support and publishes books exploring what people think and feel when they are approaching the final stage of their lives.Her publications include collections of conversations such as There Is Nothing to Be Afraid Of, Love Is Worth the Effort, and There Is Always More to Come: Conversations with Psychotherapists. Her latest book, In Her Own Way…, is a conversation with Professor Bogdan de Barbaro, focusing among other topics on trauma, grief, and loss.

The world is changing, and so is the funeral industry. In recent years, we have witnessed a dynamic diversification of burial methods around the world – from the growing popularity of woodland cemeteries to the increasing legalization of innovative solutions such as water cremation (aquamation) and Natural Organic Reduction. Is it only a matter of time before these solutions also appear in Poland? How are social expectations regarding farewell rituals changing, and what role do ecology, technology, and tradition play in these transformations? During the lecture, Dr. Katarzyna Krzykawska-Apolinarski (Poland/USA) will present emerging burial methods, analyzing global trends and their potential impact on the future of the Polish funeral industry. It will be a story about the search for balance between closeness to nature, technological innovation, and the changing approach to death and the remembrance of the deceased.