23 years old • Laporte
Owner and founder of Fiona Rose Photography, event host at Windsor Dairy Next Gen, death doula
What’s your occupation? Explain your career, accomplishments and professional highlights.
I am grateful to walk a full and diverse path with my passions at the core of it all. Fiona Rose Creations is the colorful tapestry woven together from all of my soul’s offerings. My mission is to create containers where all feel seen, held and loved. From capturing your essence through the lens to guiding you through ritual movement or supporting you in ceremony, I’m committed to creating an environment that embraces inherent wholeness and embodies personal truth. My offerings include portrait and retreat photography, women’s gatherings, accessible community dance, death doula services and farm dinners.
Tell us about yourself, your history and how you came to be where you are now.
As a child, when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I’d respond with an ever-growing list of dreams: ballerina, baby doctor, mountain climber, airplane pilot and more. As I savor the variety this life has to offer, I’m grateful to say that little girl’s vision is being fulfilled. I grew up on an organic raw milk dairy farm that nourished me with healthy whole foods and immersed me in life-death-life cycles. As a lifelong artist and mover, I’ve explored many countries and lived on islands, and I am now returning to Colorado to plant roots on my family’s homestead.
Tell us something unique about you.
One of my deepest callings is community death care. I believe wholeheartedly in the magic of bringing this sacred act back into the hands of loved ones. I also believe in the importance of lifting the veil of our death-phobic culture and having authentic dialog around death and dying. I, alongside two wonderful human beings with potent death and dying knowledge, am starting a nonprofit death coalition to host death cafes and dinners where guests have guided and open dialog about death, dying, grief and any other topics our death-phobic culture urges us to push aside. Currently, this work looks like supporting my neighbors and elders as they come in closer proximity with their own deaths. I am passionate about educating our community and beyond on alternative, more sustainable death care and am excited to see where this work takes me.
What do you consider your biggest accomplishment or challenge you’ve overcome, either professionally or personally?
Last year, my dad died suddenly. While profound grief washed over my family, we navigated tending to the land and animals he had nurtured for decades. With the support of our community, we not only continued his work but breathed life into it. We began hosting events and workshops in honor of Arden Nelson’s legacy. Just like my parents used to say, “We made this food for our family, and we saved some for you.”
Where do you see yourself in five years? In 10 years?
In five years, I picture myself facilitating impactful community events, continuing to curate offerings for women and supporting entrepreneurs and artists with authentic brand photography. I see myself living in Colorado part-time while traveling and expanding my perspectives. In 10, I see hands carefully stewarding land, cultivating nutritious crops and educating children on healthy food systems. I see many beautiful things on the horizon for not just me but for my community as a whole.
What piece(s) of advice would you give to your younger self?
Slow down, take a deep breath and allow spaciousness. Honor the silence. Everything is working out just as it is meant to, so follow the feeling of ease and flow, and don’t lose sight of your dreams and callings. There is a delicate balance between working hard and allowing things to come to you, so trust yourself. You can’t mess up what’s meant for you.
What do you get out of hosting women’s gatherings, farm dinners, workshops and other events?
The beautiful thing about hosting events that align with my values is that I, too, get support and connection out of them. I am eager to cultivate spaces where people can shed the masks, rules and societal conditionings that are forced upon us daily. The magic in the work I do is that I also get to show up in my full authenticity. This allows room for my own personal growth, healing and expression and serves as a permission slip for others to do the same.
Tell us about your experience as a death doula.
Although I am new to doula work with humans, I have been there for countless births and deaths of animal friends. Growing up on a farm allowed me to encounter these portals of life up close and personal from a very young age. My grandmother’s and father’s close and sudden deaths lit the fire even more. I had applied to the Going with Grace End of Life Training program a day before my dad’s death. The application didn’t go through, and although I was eager to embark, I knew there was more to learn before stepping into this journey. And then there it was. My father’s death shocked us all the very next morning. A few months later, I started and completed the death doula training with more passion and drive than I could have ever imagined.
Tell us about your gatherings.
Alongside many beloved friends and family members, I host a variety of events and gatherings in Laporte, including bi-weekly women’s gatherings, monthly farm dinners, frequent community dance/movement workshops and a few multi-day gatherings every year. I am currently seeking more artists, business owners and women to give warm, artistic and empowering photography experiences. You can check out all of this and more at fionarosephotography.com or on Instagram @fionelson, @fionarosephotography, @windsordairy_nextgen and @subliminal.motion.
