2025 brought a lot of firsts for me. I started my own business, I launched a podcast, and my husband and I moved our family to a new place we now call home.

Death Readiness Dispatch
January 5, 2026

Image item

 
Hi there,
 
2025 brought a lot of firsts for me. I started my own business, I launched a podcast, and my husband and I moved our family to a new place we now call home.
 
If you’ve ever relocated or had to re-create yourself, you know it’s not all roses and sunshine. I’m still finding my footing. But through the change, I grew in ways I hadn’t expected and gained a perspective that was missing during my 12 years practicing law.
 
Fifty-five episodes of The Death Readiness Podcast, countless listener questions, and deeply personal conversations with clients led me to create The Death Readiness Playbook. It’s my collective answer to the gaps I kept seeing—the space between legal documents and real life, between what the law assumes and what families actually have.
 
Here’s the pattern I see over and over again: People tell themselves they’ll “get to” estate planning later. After the kids are older, after things slow down, after they find the right lawyer, after they can afford it, after they finally understand it.
 
But “later” keeps moving. Estate planning feels too expensive before you even know what you need, too complicated to tackle without help, too overwhelming to start without a clear entry point.
 
So people don’t start at all. And then — families are left making decisions in crisis, guessing at answers, and trying to piece together information that was never written down.
 
This new year can be a new start, even if you don’t feel ready…especially if you don’t feel ready. I created The Death Readiness Playbook for you, for this exact moment.
Image item

The Playbook is a practical, human system that bridges the gap between legal planning and real life so you can start before everything feels urgent or expensive or overwhelming.
 
The Playbook brings together:
  • Plain-English explanations of wills, trusts, and fiduciary roles
  • Guidance on decisions families routinely get wrong
  • Context for why certain choices matter
  • And a clear way to organize the information legal documents assume already exists
It's designed to be used in small, manageable steps. Perfect conditions are not required.

As for me, I’m making a few commitments of my own this year. Tonight, I’m finally joining the local running club in my Michigan town. Monday nights, no more excuses. It’s time to make new friendships in my new home.
Image item
Scary and hard didn’t stop me in 2025. And they’re not stopping me, or you, in 2026.
Image item
 
Thanks for being here.
Jill
 

 
PS: Reply and tell me what you're committing to in 2026!
 

 
Visit our Facebook
Visit our Instagram
Visit our LinkedIn
Visit our Podcast
Visit our Youtube
1938 Burdette Street #3029
Ferndale, MI 48220, United States