Our Story
Journey Home for Empowered Living and Dying was founded by Renee Moor, a Buddhist psychotherapist, death doula and a woman who experienced the death of her father as well as the father to her children.
In Renee's professional and personal experience, she sees little guidance and services on navigating the end of life. With these services not being readily available, we rely heavily on medical professionals who are trained to keep us alive, not guide us to death.
We are not physically, mentally, emotionally and often spiritually equipped to deal with death. This creates confusion and chaos at end of life as the dying warrior and loved ones don't know what to do.
Renee sees that we are powerless over life and death, but we should have power over how we live and die.
Journey Home offers education, information and support, allowing us to become experts in death and dying while offering guidance for those grieving and caregiving.
We intend to offer beautiful deaths filled with love and create meaningful memories.
Deaths should reflect the person and their life lived with honour and respect.
Journey Home is a not-for-profit working towards charitable status. We operate under three Directors, numerous committee members, and volunteers who support and serve our community.
We are excited to begin this journey home with you -
Renee Moor
Founder and Executive Director
I have come to a place in life where I see everything as an opportunity to either surrender or suffer, and I know there is more to this life than suffering, so I choose to practice the art of surrendering, and I wish to guide others to do the same. Life is filled with challenges and pain. We don't need to make it harder by resisting or avoiding it; we can choose to be with the pain and transcend into love. In this, I created Journey Home, my passion and purpose, a space where people can learn how to surrender to the pains in life, to see peace and ease in the fear and heartache of change.
I grew up in the country and Dundas, and I currently reside in downtown Dundas with my daughter. I am passionate about life in all I do, to live and love fully!! I am a certified yoga and meditation teacher, a Buddhism psychotherapist and certified death doula.
When I am not at Journey Home creating, teaching and holding space for those dying and grieving, I enjoy training in Brazilian Jui-Jitsu, spending time in nature, hanging out with my daughter, and planning trips to see my son, who lives in Florida.
I wish everyone to find the gentle grace life offers when we choose to surrender.
I currently reside in Toronto with my husband in an old Victorian row house in Leslieville, which I renovated with my dad before he passed away. I'm an IT professional having worked for large technology companies, consulting firms, and in the public sector. At work, I enjoy leading teams and analyzing and solving challenging situations.
For pleasure, I garden, meet with my neighbourhood yoga group, and have recently taken up tennis. I also enjoy travelling and have been to many exciting and beautiful cities around the world. Most recently, I took our niece to Berlin and Prague, where she mastered the German rail system.
Working with Renee and Journey Home this past year has inspired me to evaluate my life intentions, which is what I'll be focusing on personally this year.
Chantel Boyd
Director
Amanda Larocque
Director
I live in Hamilton, ON and have two wonderful teenagers.
I hold a Certified Professional Accountant (CPA) designation and have many years of experience working in corporate accounting and leadership positions in accounting and operations. I love the challenge of deciphering the story that financial statements tell.
I’m a life-long learner, very passionate about learning, evolving and new adventures. Being in nature regularly is very important to me to reset, recharge & ground me, along with yoga and working out. I can be found trying out all kinds of random hobbies… from curling to line dancing to stand-up paddleboarding. No sky-diving yet but it’s definitely on the list!
I enjoy travelling, especially places with natural beauty to be explored and especially love the mountains. My curiosity and love of learning has been with me my whole life and I enjoy using these to bring clarity and understanding to myself & others.
Tina Burgess
Director
I'm excited to be part of this great organization. I come with a varied past from working with young children at the YMCA, radio broadcasting and now running a dedicated team of fraud and payments analysts for a tech company focused on the travel industry.
I have picked up the skills to be able to communicate with anyone about anything and at the same time take in their concerns and needs to come up with a plan of action.
I am first generation Canadian born to Danish parents who immigrated in the mid-60s. Speaking two languages from day one, I haven't stopped talking since day one.
Bre Pietracupa
Community Outreach Coordinator
With a background in paramedics, I have always had a passion for helping my community and serving with the intention of supporting others in a time of need.
I am working towards becoming a certified Death Doula and Reiki Practitioner, and I have found immense healing and connection in both these pursuits.
I share my life with my husband and have two amazing children whom I love spending time with and opening up to the full expansion of life through my work at Journey Home.
I am a lover of nature, gardening, tending to my chickens, and getting back to basics when it comes to lifestyle. I enjoy being in service to others, and being part of Journey Home's mission to create an empowered life and death is extremely rewarding.
I hope to help others embrace life fully so they can create beautiful memories at the end of life.
Aisha Blondeau
Special Event Coordinator
Bonjour!
I pride myself in being a “Jack of all trades, master of none,” dabbling in a variety of industries from entertainment to languages and marketing to education.
Bilingual and a firecracker, I love change and thrive in bustling, dynamic environments. An avid rom-com reader, runner and yoga enthusiast,
I am a very proud mother to a beautiful 9-year-old comedian of a boy. We are big fans of football and love attending live sporting events.
Learning about new topics and participating in pilot projects are both ventures I particularly enjoy; I am thrilled to be joining the Journey Home team. Au plaisir!
Lori Lawson
Committee Member
I am a social worker (MSW) with 34 years of experience in the social services, health, and academic fields.
Throughout my career, I have been passionate about working with seniors and their caregivers to help them with planning and care transitions.
I am a mother of three adult children and reside with my husband in West Hamilton. My interests include travelling and yoga. Some of my favourite places to travel to were Croatia, Italy, Scotland, and Denmark.
I am pleased to be involved with ’Journey Home’ because it offers a compassionate and supportive environment where individuals can talk openly about death, dying, and grief.
Brittney Doucet
Committee Member
I currently live and work in downtown Hamilton, but I'm originally from Toronto.
I've worked as an admin assistant for 12 years, starting in a steel warehouse in Brampton and currently as one of the administrative assistants in an accounting firm downtown.
Some of my hobbies include crocheting/knitting, reading, cooking, and taking care of my indoor plants and cats. I also really enjoy yoga.
I have just completed my breathwork teacher training as well as my first degree in Reiki. I'm excited to offer my services to the community.
I haven't had the opportunity to travel very much, however, my bucket list is huge.
