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Death educator & international speaker

Turning the world's most avoided conversation
into its most accepted one.

Sam brings frank, practical, and surprisingly witty death literacy to workplaces, schools, healthcare settings, and communities across Australia and beyond.

Available across Australia and internationally

Samantha Waite
Samantha Waite
✓ PACFA-accredited psychotherapist
✓ Certified Practising Counsellor
✓ International speaker
Member & partner organisations
Palliative Care WA
NDAN
PACFA
UpTown Joondalup

Most people have never heard the phrase.
Almost everyone needs what it describes.

Death literacy is the knowledge and skills to interact and make decisions on topics regarding death and dying. It is not just about grief and end-of-life decisions, it is an acceptance of death as a natural part of life, and something that will impact our entire lifespan and wellbeing.

Most Australians have very little of it. Not because they haven't thought about death, but because nobody has ever given them the language, the tools, or the space to do so. That is exactly what Taboo Education exists to change.

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It is not just about grief and end-of-life decisions, it is an acceptance of death as a natural part of life, and something that will impact our entire lifespan and wellbeing.

Most Australians have very little of it. Not because they haven't thought about death, but because nobody has ever given them the language, the tools, or the space to do so. That is exactly what Taboo Education exists to change.

Death anxiety is the fear or apprehension around death and dying: your own, or that of people you love. It is extraordinarily common and largely unacknowledged. It shapes how people make medical decisions, how they communicate with dying loved ones, how they grieve, and how they live.

Low death literacy and high death anxiety tend to go together. Building one reduces the other. That is the work.

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It is extraordinarily common and largely unacknowledged. It shapes how people make medical decisions, how they communicate with dying loved ones, how they grieve, and how they live.

Low death literacy and high death anxiety tend to go together. Building one reduces the other. That is the work.

Death doesn't discriminate.
Neither does Taboo Education.

What a Taboo Education session actually looks like.

Not a grief counselling session. Not a lecture. Something people talk about on the way home - for all the right reasons.

01

Frank & direct

No euphemisms, no tip-toeing. Sam says what most people are thinking but haven't had the language for.

02

Witty, not grim

Death is serious. Talking about it doesn't have to be. Expect to laugh - possibly more than you expected.

03

Practically useful

People leave with tools, not just feelings. Real language, real prompts, real things to do differently.

04

Tailored to your group

Every session is shaped around your audience. A mining crew and a school staff room need very different approaches.

Wondering what Sam can cover with your group? Browse all topics →

Watch Sam speak

See Sam in action before you book.

The best way to know if Sam is the right fit for your event is to watch her speak. This reel was produced for event organisers and decision-makers.

Trusted, recognised, and featured.

Organisations, media platforms, awards, and national events connected to Sam’s work in death literacy.

Organisations Samantha has worked with
Curtin
UWA
National Seniors
Joondalup
Gosnells
Wanneroo
Bethanie Aged CareTrinity Village: Catholic HomesJoondalup City Probus ClubU3A PerthRed Union: NPAARed Union: TPAASchool Psychologists' Association WAGuildford Grammar SchoolAmana LivingUpTown Joondalup
WA Mental Health Awards
WA Mental Health Awards 2025 certificate
Events we support
RUOK Dying to Know Day
As featured in

Free and affordable downloads

Practical tools to start the conversation — for individuals and organisations.

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Every session. Every audience. Every time.

Ready to bring Taboo Education
to your people?

Start the conversation