What is Mortals?

Being mortal, and being aware of it, is one of the key differentiators that humans have over other animals. It is not easy being human because of this.

Knowing we will one day die can cause many negative or difficult emotions, and so it’s no surprise in a way that people find it difficult to engage with.

Over the last 100 years, talking about and engaging with one’s mortality has become harder and harder as the systems of care have become more industrialised and as people we have become more atomised and disconnected from communities and settings where this could be historically explored in meaningful ways.

I want to change the way we engage with mortality and create a space for people to come together and not just engage with their mortality in community, but use it as a powerful force to become more ‘fully alive’ and make the most of our life.

What you can expect

You can expect to get regular-ish newsletters (a few a month) that explore mortality. Sometimes this will be through light musings that touch upon universal experiences. Sometimes in more comprehensively researched deep dives.

No matter the topic, the goal is for you to feel more alive as a result.

Mortals is written by me, Ivor Williams.

I searched my camera roll for a self-portrait that felt suitable ‘mortal’, and this quick dip in a hot spring in Idaho seemed the most pertinent.

I spent 8 years working in end-of-life and palliative care as a designer and researcher at Imperial College London. I worked alongside frontline healthcare professionals, conducted research around all things death and dying, helped shape health policy around palliative care and combined my experience running a mental health start-up, to integrate psychological disciplines around the dying experience. I’m currently training as an end-of-life doula.

Subscribe to Mortals

A newsletter bringing gentle awareness of mortality to enrich your life.