Leonor is a Registered Nurse who trained in Portugal. She worked as a nurse in the inpatient unit at St Christopher’s for many years, including as a Deputy Ward Manager. During that time, Leonor collaborated with St Christopher’s CARE on Professional Learning and Community Action projects and is currently a freelance educator in end-of-life care. She has a Postgraduate degree in Management in Healthcare (ISCTE, Lisbon, Portugal) and is pursuing a MSc in Business Administration with a focus on compassionate employers.

Her experience as a hospice nurse inspires her to influence practice and support nurses as they navigate their own mortality while caring for others. Passionate about public education on death and dying, Leonor believes it is essential for fostering a more prepared society.

She has a special interest in the spiritual and existential component of dying as she is a trained Death Doula – trained in the USA with Going with Grace and in the UK with Living Well Dying Well. Leonor is a member of End of Life Doula UK. In this capacity she has taken part in conferences in Portugal and has supported the Palliative Care MSc in Lisbon, Portugal.

You can find more of Leonor’s work on social media ‘We Only Die Once’ (@weonlydieonce_ on Instagram) and you can also read her article in the Nursing Times (‘It takes courage but showing softness and vulnerability can deepen relationships’ | Nursing Times).