An End of Life Doula is a person who assists in the dying process, similar to how a Birth Doula assists in the birthing process.

I am trained to provide holistic, non-medical care, support, education, and advocacy, honoring your desires, beliefs, and values throughout your end of life journey.

Just as every single grain of sand is different and unique, each one of us eight billion human beings is different and unique. Each person’s temperament, disease process, family dynamic, psychosocial influence, and demographic are different - no two people are identical. That being the case, I don’t offer one-size-fits-all solutions because you don’t have one-size-fits-all needs. We’ll begin with a blank slate and co-create an action plan tailored to meet your specific needs.

While this action plan will provide a framework that identifies your goals, priorities, and the scope of our work together in reality it’s as flexible as it needs to be in order to flow with “what is” and we’ll adapt the action plan accordingly.

I bring dignity, compassion, expertise, and heart to you and your family.

I work alongside, not in place of, your family, caregivers, medical teams, palliative/hospice, etc.

I support you in navigating the maze of choices and decisions you may need to make.

I assist with planning, coordinating, and hands-on facilitation to lighten the load that you, your family, and your caregivers are carrying.

I meet you where you are, respect your process, and follow your lead.

My top priority is that your needs and desires are heard, anticipated, communicated, and honored.

Navigating the realm of terminal illness, death, and after-death care is profoundly daunting. 

It requires that you’re able to look beyond what you know and consider that “you don’t know what you don’t know”, nor should you since it’s unlikely that you’ve ever had to deal with this magnitude of change, uncertainty, and surrender.

During these times you may have to make really difficult decisions but you may not always have the bandwidth to ask the most pertinent questions or fully absorb the answers.

I can support you in having these difficult conversations and help you process the information in the most compassionate and supportive way possible.

As an end of life educator, I help you confront your fears, dance with uncertainty, and demystify the death and dying process because it’s critically important for you to be able to distinguish between fact and fiction in order to embrace the former and reject the latter.

I am committed to amplifying constructive dialogues about death and dying to counteract the pervasive negativity that exists in our death-denying culture.

Fact: we are all dying every minute of every day without exception and death is the only event we can’t opt out of, so let’s get real!

I believe that as a society, both individually and collectively, we can and must work towards normalizing the death narrative because the longer we ignore the elephant in the room, the harder it will be for us to come to terms with the reality of our mortality when death comes knocking at our door.

I support and facilitate end of life preparedness which entails designing and implementing an exit strategy that prioritizes the things you want to get done, sorts out the relationships that are the most important to you, and ties up some of the loose ends that keep you up at night.

We live in a death-denying culture and we’re wired to fear death and ignore the reality of our mortality. I can clear a room in five minutes or less just by mentioning the topic because it is taboo to think the unthinkable and speak the unspoken. But talking about death does not cause death any more than talking about sex causes pregnancy.

However, what contemplating death does provide is an opportunity to plan for the inevitable. It gives you the time and headspace to design a roadmap so that in the event you’re not able to speak for yourself, your family will know what you would have wanted, and equally as important, what you would not have wanted. They will know how and where you want to be cared for before, during, and after death, how you want to be honored, and how you want to be remembered.

Does talking about your wishes guarantee you’ll get what you want? Of course not. There is no guarantee that circumstances will align with your stated desires when the time comes, or that your family will wholeheartedly carry out your wishes. As Robert Burns said, “the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” But like any decent roadmap, at least it will point them in the right direction and notwithstanding a roadblock or a snowstorm, they’re much more likely to reach the desired destination than if you leave it to chance.

Conversely, not discussing the “what if’s” does prevent them from fulfilling what you would have wanted.

Question: What is the price you’re willing to pay to remain blissfully ignorant of what the future holds for you and your family?

Answer: Be kind to those you love and who love you. Devote a few hours and a few dollars to designing a roadmap for the good of all. They deserve it, and so do you!