Diane Button with Sarah Hill & Gabby Jimenez - What Matters Most: Lessons the Dying Teach Us About Living (Corte Madera Store & Online)

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Diane Button

In conversation with

Sarah Hill & Gabby Jimenez

What Matters Most

Lessons the Dying Teach Us About Living

RSVP REQUESTED

Corte Madera Store & Online

Sat., Oct. 4th, 2025 • 4:00pm

RSVP HERE TO JOIN US IN-PERSON CLICK HERE TO WATCH LIVE ONLINE 

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Join us at Book Passage for an author event in celebration of Diane Button's new book, What Matters Most: Lessons the Dying Teach Us About Living! Diane will be joined in conversation with Sarah Hill & Gabby Jimenez.

Please join us for a special reception following the talk. 

ABOUT THIS EVENT

• This event will be hosted by Book Passage at our Corte Madera store & live online.
• Free Admission / Open Seating / RSVP Requested
• Following the presentation, there will be a signing line or a meet-and-greet.
• If you are unable to attend the event, you can still get your copy by clicking the "BUY THE BOOK" button above and requesting a signed and/or personalized copy.
• For any questions regarding our events, please contact us at books@bookpassage.com.

A profound, heartfelt, and inspiring exploration into living a meaningful life, filled with passion, joy, gratitude, and peace.



AN OPEN FIELD PUBLICATION FROM MARIA SHRIVER



In her unique work as a death doula, Diane Button has had the privilege of guiding clients to a peaceful transition for almost two decades. Each client has imparted wisdom that has left an indelible mark, offering her profound reflections and clarity of what it means to both live well and die well. Now, Diane invites you to share in this journey, offering insights that illuminate the path to a fulfilling life.



This poignant collection of stories highlights the powerful lessons Diane has learned from her “wisdom keepers,” revealing the core elements that contribute to a deep, purposeful existence. Each chapter shares the emotional story of an individual—like Floyd, whose weekly doctor visits show us how small acts of kindness can have a lasting impact, or Rosie, the spirited six-year-old who turns every day into a celebration—illustrating the beauty and fragility of life. Through these heartfelt narratives, readers are encouraged to reassess their priorities, nurture their connections, and pursue their passions with renewed urgency and appreciation.



The book culminates with Diane’s six reflective questions, along with other practical tools designed to help readers apply these timeless insights to their own lives. What Matters Most is a heartwarming, honest exploration of how to make the most of the precious time we are given.

Diane Button is a founding partner of the Bay Area End-of-Life Doula Alliance in Northern California and an instructor for the University of Vermont’s End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate Program. Holding a master’s in counseling psychology, she has been an influential board member of the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance and a hospice volunteer. Diane is the author of several impactful books and has been featured on numerous programs and podcasts, inspiring others to leave a meaningful legacy. She lives in Northern California with her husband, Mark, and their beloved rescue dog, Maya.

Sarah Hill is an end-of-life doula based in the Bay Area, California. She founded her private practice, East Bay Doula for the Dying LLC (in 2019), and is a partner at the Bay Area End of Life Doula Alliance (ELDA).

Clients describe Sarah as both emotionally engaged and intuitively attuned, with the grounded ability to provide the practical support that’s essential at the end of life. While she embraces all facets of doula work, she especially cherishes the deep, often unexpected connections that arise during this tender yet possibility-filled stage of living.

Sarah’s path toward this work began in childhood with the death of her mother, though she resisted its pull for many years. At the height of a successful consulting career in designing and executing large-scale organizational change, the call to turn toward what she considers life’s greatest transition became impossible to ignore.

She holds an M.S. in Organization Development from the University of San Francisco and brings a nuanced understanding of systems change and human dynamics to her practice. Sarah is also the developer and instructor of the University of Vermont’s End-of-Life Doula Business Foundations course. She is passionate about coaching and guiding aspiring, new, and experienced doulas to lean with greater intention into their own doula journeys.

When she’s not working, you can find her hiking the Bay Area’s many hills, cuddling with her son and dog, writing poetry for herself (and on occasion, others), immersing herself in all kinds of films, plotting the next great travel adventure, and hanging out with her family and friends.

Gabrielle Jimenez, "Gabby," is a hospice and palliative care nurse, end-of-life doula, death, dying, and grief educator, and a published author. Her goal is to help improve the way people are cared for when they are dying and when they are grieving.

Gabby started her Facebook community, The Hospice Heart, in August of 2019, which has now grown to almost 162,000 followers. Her intention was to create a safe place for people to talk about death, dying, and grief and while that has happened, it has also offered her a platform to share her end-of-life tips and tools that help comfort and support those navigating a terminal illness, their caregivers, end-of-life workers, and grievers.

This is sacred, beautiful work, and should always be met with kindness and compassion.

You can find everything Gabby offers on her website: www.thehospiceheart.net

Diane Button - photo credit Jane Richey; Sarah Hill - photo courtesy of the author; Gabby Jimenez- photo courtesy of the author

Book Cover ISBN