A Return to What’s Natural: Why End-of-Life Doula Support Matters More Than Ever

I didn’t set out to become an end-of-life doula.

Pre-motherhood, I had a career in oncology clinical research. Like many of us in this work though, I arrived here through personal experience - through grief, through love, through loss. After my mom died eight years ago, my world shifted. Not just emotionally, but spiritually. Practically. Existentially. Something inside me opened, and I began to notice the quiet spaces around death that too often go unsupported.

At the time, I had no idea what an end-of-life doula was. We didn’t have one. But in the years after her passing, I found myself drawn to volunteer with hospice. It was through that doorway - offering presence, listening without fixing, honoring each person’s sacred threshold - that I discovered this path. And as soon as I learned what a doula could be, I knew: this is what I’m meant to do.

What We’ve Lost - And What We Can Reclaim

In the modern Western world, many of us have never sat at a deathbed. We’ve never seen someone die. Dying has been outsourced to hospitals and hidden behind closed doors. The natural ending of life - once held by families, faith communities, and neighborhoods - has become medicalized, sterilized, and deeply feared.

It’s no wonder people feel overwhelmed at the end of life. We haven’t been taught how to talk about it, how to prepare for it, or how to show up for one another when it happens. We’re a culture that celebrates beginnings (births, weddings, new jobs) but often ignores the sacredness of endings.

But we can change that. And many of us are. There is a quiet, growing movement - a return to community-centered care, a remembrance of what it means to be with one another in life’s final chapter.

What End-of-Life Doula Support Looks Like

People often ask me, “What exactly do you do?”

I’m not a hospice nurse. I’m not a therapist. I’m a non-medical guide who walks alongside individuals and families through serious illness, dying, and grief. I offer emotional, spiritual, and practical support - tailored to the unique needs of each person and situation.

That might look like:

• Supporting family meetings around care decisions

• Helping someone prepare an advance directive

• Sitting vigil in the final hours

• Creating legacy projects or rituals

• Guiding loved ones through what to expect physically and emotionally

• Simply being there—to listen, to witness, to hold space

  
  

I often describe myself as a kind of project manager for the end of life. There are so many moving pieces - medical, emotional, relational. I help make sense of the chaos so families can focus on what matters most.

And I don’t just serve the dying. I support spouses. Adult children. Caregivers. Friends. The people carrying the weight, often quietly, often alone.

You Don’t Have to Be Dying to Reach Out

One of the most common misconceptions about doula work is that you should wait until the final days to call. But truthfully - the earlier, the better.

I work with people who are navigating early diagnoses, those preparing for VSED, and individuals who are simply curious about planning ahead. If you’re over 18, it’s not too early to talk about your wishes. If your parent has a new diagnosis, it’s not too soon to seek guidance.

And if you’re already in the thick of it - overwhelmed, uncertain, running on fumes - I see you. You don’t have to figure it all out alone.

Want to Hear More?

I recently joined Jill McClennen, End of Life Clarity, on her podcast, Seeing Death Clearly to talk about my path to doula work, the difference between hospice and end-of-life doulas, and how we can better support one another through death and dying. It’s a tender, real conversation - and I’d be honored if you gave it a listen: A Death Doula’s Journey: From Grief to Community Care

A Gentle Invitation

If you’ve found your way here, there’s likely something stirring inside you - a question, a concern, a longing for more support or clarity.

You are not alone.

Whether you’re caring for a parent, facing your own mortality, or simply curious about what this work is, I invite you to reach out. Let’s talk about what matters most. Let’s bring death out of the shadows - and back into the circle of community, love, and care where it belongs.

I work in person in Central Florida, and virtually everywhere. We’re not meant to do this alone. And the good news is—we don’t have to.