about me
Hello! I’m Nicola Dela-Croix and I’m very happy to be sharing with you all things mortal and meaningful.
I’ve always been fascinated by life stories. As a youngster they ignited my passion for books and history, and they weaved through my work as a journalist, where I had a really enjoyable career as a features writer and magazine editor during the 1990’s and 2000’s. And we all have a unique story – we don’t have to grace the cover of a magazine, be on TV or call ourselves an ‘influencer’ to show how extraordinary we are in our own special way. We all have value. We all mean something. We touch the lives of others, contribute to the world, and, when we’re gone, it’s just not the same here without us.
That’s why I changed my career path and become a Funeral Celebrant. I truly believed a unique life deserved a unique send off. We are all wonderfully different – why have the same funeral? I wanted my tailor-made ceremonies to be an accurate, meaningful reflection of an individual life lived – a reflection that would be authentic and recognisable to their loved ones. With that mission in mind, I went on to create close to 2,000 Celebration of Life ceremonies for mums and dads, grannies and grandads, husbands and wives, sons, daughters, friends... I supported grieving families during a 15-year period, covering all ages and circumstances, including the Covid Pandemic. I also supported terminally ill patients as they expressed their final wishes. And as a Grief Support Worker for the UK’s leading bereavement charity Cruse, I helped individuals make sense of their feelings and come to terms with their loss.
A unique ceremony for a unique life
For more information on what a ‘Funeral Celebrant’ does, what it means to have a ‘Celebration of Life’ Funeral, and the type of ceremonies I created, click the button below…
I put my heart into my work, gaining a first-rate reputation with local families, funeral directors and crematoriums for delivering meaningful, memorable ceremonies. It was the most incredible, emotional, demanding, but ultimately fulfilling role I’ve ever had. And it changed not only my outlook on life, but also life itself.
Because alongside this purposeful role of supporting people during the saddest time of their lives, and creating farewells that mattered, something else happened too. I realised the more I worked with death, the more I began to appreciate my own mortality. Not as something to be frightened of, but rather to be comfortable with and grateful for. I actually began to value my invisible ‘sell-by date’. I made friends with it. I realised that mortality was the biggest, most significant incentive I would ever have to make the most of my days, live my best life, and appreciate the lives of those around me.
That’s because mortality gives life meaning. It’s our super power! And we can each harness our mortality; not just to appreciate our time is precious, but to understand how uniquely valuable each one of us is and how significant our lives are. Mortality can enhance our relationships with others, help us make a positive difference in the world and to be remembered in a meaningful way. Mortality awareness can help us be better prepared to face what’s to come – for us and for those we love – and say our farewells with authenticity and dignity. Emracing our mortality makes us more grateful, more open, more present… more alive.
Making friends with The End can be a powerful force for good in the world.
Having daily reminders of your mortality provides the biggest incentive you could ever need to make the most of your life. That precious knowledge, and the experiences I had during those 15 years, changed my life in so many incredibly positive ways. Not least the fact that it made me braver. So brave that my husband and I sold our house in September 2022 and moved into our self-converted camper van. During the next two years we lived on the road full-time and visited 22 different countries, from the Arctic Circle in Norway to the Turkish border with Syria. A real, life-changing adventure! One which I would not have been brave enough to undertake if I hadn’t been a Funeral Celebrant and all it taught me about life and loss.
When my darling Dad died in January 2024, the learnings and experiences I had as a Celebrant came to the fore once again. Helping me to come to terms with his loss, to put together the perfect send of for him, and understand the grief that has followed.
Now settled in Kirkcudbright, in the beautiful Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland, the adventures aren’t over. There are still lots of places to explore and memories to make. But just as important to me is being able to share the experiences and learnings from my career, as well as my own life, to help others.
I’m passionate about sharing the power of our mortality to help you appreciate your unique place in the world, and your value to others, while you are still here. To help you share your story, leave a positive mark on the world and uncover your full potential for a more meaningful, memorable life. I want to help you be better prepared to deal with loss when it comes and to have all the knowledge and practical advice you need to put together uniquely special farewells and celebrations of life for the people you love.. including your own!
I want to take away the fear of talking about death. Because if we don’t openly acknowledge our mortality, we’re denying ourselves the comfort and support we all need in the face of endings, as well as the chance to live the full, authentic, all-embracing, wide-screen, technicolour life that only exists when you know it’s not forever.
Everything I have to offer is positive, uplifting, life-affirming, and everyone is welcome. Especially you…
Nicola x
TESTIMONIALS
If you want to learn more about the impact my work has had on the lives of others, please click the link below…
Talks and events
Hear more from me in person…
Unique lives, meaningful farewells and mortality awareness are all subjects I love to talk about! Far from being morbid or depressing, any talks I do are intended to be life-affirming, up-lifting, informative and inspirational – both in terms of how we live our lives now and how we want to be remembered when our time comes. It’s all about celebrating life!
If you are part of a group, organisation or run an event that you think would benefit from hearing about my work, experiences and ideas, then please do get in touch. Click the link below for more details, and for information on my forthcoming events.