Legacy Letters

You may have heard of an ethical will, the ancient tradition of documenting the wisdom, values, life-lessons and personal messages you wish to leave your loved ones as a form of guidance and lasting presence. A legacy letter takes the spirit of an ethical will and composes it as a letter to the people who matter most in your life. When written from a place of deep connection and truth these letters become a form of sacred conversation and a powerful expression of  love.

Why coaching?

Though most individuals would agree that creating a legacy letter is extremely important to them, it can be hard to shift from the business of daily life and get started. We may be unsure of what we want to convey or fearful that we could say the wrong thing or be misunderstood. It takes courage to share ourselves, our lives and our feelings that openly. I provide ways for you connect to your heart’s deepest intention and find the courage that will enable you to follow through. Using powerful, clarifying questions I guide you to connect to the place inside you that knows the right answers.

What is in a legacy letter?

Only you know what you really want to express to your loved ones. I support you in discovering what that is.

Some questions to consider as you think about your loved ones are:

• What values and philosophies do you want to share with them?
• How have they enriched your life?
• What joys and difficulties have you experienced in your life and what have you learned from them.
• Who and what has inspired you?
• What are you grateful for?
• What are your hopes and wishes for them?
• What would you like to forgive and be forgiven for?
• What thoughts and beliefs about death would you like to share with them?
• How do you wish to be remembered?
• What do you hope your memory inspires in them?

Why create a legacy letter?

Most individuals in mid life and beyond become increasingly aware of the impermanence of life. Looking through the lens of our inevitable death puts life into focus. We see what really matters and for most us, our relationships are on the top of that list. Knowing that we don’t have forever creates a sense of urgency to make the most of our time and to have a lasting impact. Legacy letters are a gift that benefit both the giver and receiver.

Some of the benefits include:

• A sense of continuity – By writing to those who outlive us, our words become a bridge between the past and the future
• A deep sense of peace and completion making it easier for everyone to let go at the end of life.
• Empowering the recipients – words of affirmation can have a major impact on our loved ones.
• Awakening both giver and receiver and connecting them to their deepest heart and highest self
• Create compassion and connection as we accept that we are all on this brief journey together
• Increased gratitude and celebration for the gift of a life
• An open door to a lifetime of courageous sacred conversations

What I offer

There are several formats for working together:

• One on one coaching sessions
• Small group classes
• Introductory workshops

About Donna Krone, CFP^®, CPCC

Ms. Krone is a Certified Professional Coach and a Certified Financial Planner™.

Along with individual coaching Donna is known for creating and presenting an assortment of unique experiential workshops and group classes focused on life leadership and legacy. Donna guides her clients with a combination of warmth and boldness through a process of self discovery leading to purposeful action and change.

Donna is certified from The Coaches Training Institute (CTI), holds a license from the Center for Third Age Leadership and is a graduate of CTI’s Leadership Intensive. Donna’s unique journey from Nursing to Financial Planning to Personal and Professional Coaching gives her a wide perspective when working with her clients.

Why I do this work

Through my experiences as a wife, mother, friend, nurse, financial planner, and professional coach, I have felt and witnessed the deep joy of authentic connections that come from sacred conversations and I have also felt the loneliness and pain of their absence in my own life and in the lives of my friends, family, patients and clients. It became clear to me that this gap isn’t necessary, but that most of us need help creating sacred conversations. I am deeply moved by this need and have felt called to support people in this process.

What others say

Donna, Sacred Conversations is profoundly meaningful work that you deliver with grace, ease and a sensitivity that is rare. I was stunned at how exquisitely you moved us into thinking and talking about the legacy we’d like to leave our loved ones (and perhaps the world) when our time here is over. From my own work, I know how much we try to avoid the “D” word, and how important it is to embrace that we have a finite about of time, and discover how we want to best connect with those that mean the most to us. Thank you for your ability to move me deeply and open me to this sacred conversation!

~Lin Schreiber, PCC

“Donna Krone has not put together a workshop as much as she has created a moving, meaningful and profound experience. Her personal sensitivity and guiding presence allowed us to engage in life affirming conversations at the soul level, yet to identify practical steps we can take to engage in similar conversations with those we care about. I recommend it to anyone who seeks authenticity and renewed commitment to living a full and vibrant life.”

~Fred Mandell, Ph.D

Thank you for opening a moment in time when I could focus on my notion of legacy and how I want to take advantage of the opportunity to pass along my family's story. The session was deeply moving and empowering. It transformed death from and ending to an opportunity.

~Kit Harrington Hayes M.Ed

Participating in the Sacred Conversations workshop under Donna's leadership was a deeply meaningful and moving experience. I literally experienced the concept of legacy, "generation to generation", connecting with those who've come (and gone) before me and those with whom I am connected "in and by love" today. It simplified and validated the meaning of life for me. I plan to use the tool of Legacy Letters as a way of synthesizing and documenting what matters to me and sharing it with loved ones. The Sacred Conversations workshop is a powerful gift to give yourself or a loved one.

~Sharon Sokoloff , Ph.D

How you can learn more

I am happy to offer a complimentary discovery session. Send me an e-mail and we can set up a time to explore if this process is right for you.

You may also check out some of the resources that we have found extremely valuable.