THE NATURAL TRANSITIONS INSTITUTE STORY

Our Beginning—the Best of Both

The Celebrant Foundation & Institute

In 2001, the founders of what would become the Celebrant Foundation & Institute (CF&I) traveled to Australia to discover the celebrancy tradition taking place there. After 9/11, it became clear how much individuals, survivors, and families needed the healing power of ceremony to process the tragedy. The first Celebrancy Certification Training was birthed to meet this need.

Through the years, CF&I took on the mission to certify Life-Cyle Celebrants™ in the art of ritual and in the craft of creating one-of-a-kind ceremonies. CF&I was predicated on the belief that affirming life's milestones through customized, thoughtful ceremony strengthens the bonds of families, partnerships and communities and deepens the human connection across generations.

Since 2001, over 2000 graduates have embarked on practices dedicated to serving both individuals and communities with empathy and sensitivity to all cultural and spiritual traditions and inclusivity of persons of all gender identifications.

Natural Transitions

In 2003, three women, Faith Davis, Shanti Green, and Karen van Vuuren, founded Natural Transitions (NT). They envisioned it as an organization dedicated to supporting families to care for their own dead, bringing ceremony and ritual into the home—reviving an age-old tradition practiced in many cultures.

Over more than twenty years, Natural Transitions expanded its work, forging the way for the evolution of the death doula movement, and the expansion of green funeral provisions in the US.

Its accomplishments include:

Publishing the Natural Transitions Magazine—the only magazine on conscious, holistic approaches to the end of life
Organizing workshops and national conferences on natural death care
Sponsoring two film festivals
Co-founding the National Home Funeral Alliance (homefuneralalliance.org)
Co-founding The Natural Funeral

Natural Transitions Institute—the best of both

Now as one unified platform, Natural Transitions Institute continues the legacy of:

Equipping celebrants with the necessary tools to craft and enact personalized rituals and ceremonies for life-cycle moments in people’s lives
Equipping families and deathcare professionals with green and holistic resources for End-Of-Life guidance

Under one umbrella, these two ground-breaking organizations begin a new chapter on how to bring meaning and story to life-changing events.

OUR MISSION

NTI’s mission is:

To promote transformative ceremony for life’s milestones through a gold standard celebrant training and certification program as well as through mentoring and support of the alumni community.
To support conscious and holistic approaches to end-of-life through leading-edge educational offerings and resources.

In addition, NTI seeks to:

Promote holistic death care in which traditional and non-traditional families and community play a key role, reconnecting them to the rite of passage that is death.
Promote celebrant-led ceremonies that acknowledge, support, and celebrate the joys and profound meaning of the human experience across the life cycle.
Build connection and meaning through supporting engagement in our vibrant Institute community.

Explore Upcoming Courses

Natural Transitions Institute certification for holistic life event ceremonies

OUR VALUES INCLUDE

Integrity

Inclusivity

Client-Centered Ceremony

Community-Centered Ceremony

Real World Relevance

Environmentally Responsible Choices

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The Celebrant Code of Ethics

The Celebrant agrees:

To support the goals and the mission of NTI by setting and maintaining a professional standard of service to the public that will bring credit and recognition to NTI, and its individual members.
To serve each client with respect, sensitivity, and professionalism, and to provide all services in a timely manner.
To offer every client a personalized ceremony that includes their story or information as revealed to the Celebrant through interview and questionnaires.
To ensure that clients have complete choice of and final say over their ceremonies, and that the Celebrant’s personal beliefs are immaterial to this process. To encourage clients in choosing and/or approving a ceremony that is satisfying to them.
To respectfully provide a ceremony that is as accurate as possible in all respects, including the pronunciation of the names of people, places, and things.
To conduct a rehearsal where necessary to the ceremony.
To perform the ceremony in a professional, prepared, and appropriate manner.
To gift the client/honoree a keepsake (hard copy or electronic) copy of their ceremony.
To provide a service that recognizes the unique personalities of the client, being sensitive to their needs, wishes, values, philosophical and spiritual beliefs, and cultural backgrounds.
Not to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination or harassment (including all forms of sexual harassment and sexual violence) under any program or activity.
To comply and keep current with all laws and regulation regarding the performance of marriage and any other ceremony in every country, state, province, or municipality in which the Celebrant practices, including personally obtaining the necessary legal authority to solemnize marriages and appropriately filing client marriage documentation as required by law.
To be aware of and work with your clients to avoid and discourage rituals, elements or language that trivialize or adopt aspects of other cultures outside of their own, without proper recognition, representation, and respect.
To be aware of and in compliance with all Copyright and Intellectual property regulations and uphold the highest standards of attribution and citations to all sources of origin for any works reference in ceremonies, marketing, or branding purposes.
To promote and educate the public about Celebrancy and Celebrant services by communicating the importance of marking the milestones in life in a personal and authentic way through ceremony and to be an advocate for the mission of Natural Transitions Institute.

OUR FACULTY

Our trainings are led by world-class facilitators and presenters recognized for their innovative approaches

Jen Boyes-Manseau

TEACHES: Fundamentals of Celebrancy, Funerals and Celebrancy Across the Life Cycle Certifications

Elisa Chase

TEACHES: Fundamentals of Celebrancy, Weddings, Funerals, Life Cycle Celebrancy Certifications and Biz360

Ben Martin

TEACHES: Fundamentals of Celebrancy, Funerals, Ceremonies Across the Lifecycle

Catherine McColl

TEACHES: Fundamentals of Celebrancy and Weddings

Lenny Scovel

TEACHES: Fundamentals of Celebrancy

Karen Van Vuuren

TEACHES: End-of-Life trainings

BECOME A CELEBRANT

Train with us to create memories that matter

Through customized, thoughtful ceremonies, you can positively impact lives.

become a celebrant

END-OF-LIFE COURSES

Deepen your wisdom about the End-of-Life transition

Find comfort and empowerment through greater understanding.

Explore End-Of-Life Courses

Meet Our Board

Natural Transitions Institute (NTI) i NTI is blessed with a wonderful confluence of amazing people who come with the skill, the compassion and experience to lead NTI into the future. With the integration of the Celebrant Foundation & Institute, NTI now offers a revitalized platform for life-cycle celebrancy training and education focused on consciously meeting transitions throughout the life span. Great days are ahead because of great leadership.

President – Karen van Vuuren
Founding visionary of NTI, co-founder of the National Home Funeral Alliance and The Natural Funeral, Karen is a respected thought leader and speaker in holistic approaches to end-of-life care and conscious dying.

Secretary – Kate Hastings
Owner & Principal of Kate Hastings Consulting, specializing in nonprofit governance, resource development, and organizational management. Kate brings strategic clarity and depth to NTI’s mission and operations; Life-Cycle Celebrant

Board Member – Jamie Ziegler
Former executive in customer experience and advocacy for leading corporations, Jamie focuses on enhancing business performance and fostering courageous, barrier-breaking dialogue.

Board Member – Linda Pedelty
A seasoned leadership consultant, public speaker, and emotional intelligence expert, Linda is known for creating emotionally resonant experiences that inspire trust and insight for her consulting clients. She brings a deep understanding of group dynamics, sacred transitions, and the human heart; Life-Cycle Celebrant.

Board Member – Elle Sojourner
Soul Guide, author, diviner, and founder of Spirit Fire Life Ceremonies. Elle’s ceremonial artistry and spiritual insight elevate community connection and metaphysical awareness; Life-Cycle Celebrant

Board Member – Dava Robichaud
Administrative and Event Coordinator, fleet manager, and life-cycle celebrant. Dava brings grounded logistical acumen paired with heartfelt celebrancy to the NTI team; Life-Cycle Celebrant

Board Member – Karla Cumbres
A multilingual connector and community builder, Karla brings expertise in ceremony, storytelling, and holding space—shaped by years of guiding individuals and leading inclusive, heart-centered initiatives that help people honor their lives and legacies; Life-Cycle Celebrant.

Meet Our Executive Director

Benjamin Martin

Benjamin holds an M.A. in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology from the University of Colorado. After decades of executive leadership in the software industry, Benjamin transitioned into full-time celebrancy in 2021. He is the author of Love Songs from the – Between –, a collection of daily poetic and contemplative reflections, and now facilitates the funerals celebrancy certification course.