What I DO . . .

"What do you mean you’re a death doach? Death Doula? I’ve heard of birth doula’s, but what does a death doula do?" 

I get this. It’s new and confusing.  Let me use this blog over the next couple of days to explain exactly what I do. 

I walk people home.

That’s the simplest way I can say what I do.

I companion people—both the dying and those who love them—through one of life’s most profound transitions. My work is rooted in compassion, clarity, and presence. I help people die well, and I help communities grieve and remember well. I do this through one-on-one coaching, bedside companionship, spiritual teaching, end-of-life planning, writing, and the sacred ritual of celebration-of-life services.

Over the course of 40+ years, I’ve had the privilege of walking with thousands of people as they prepare to say goodbye, either by facing their own mortality or sitting beside someone they love. I’ve stood at hospital bedsides. I’ve wept beside hospice chairs. I’ve led more than 1,000 funerals and celebrations of life—each one unique, sacred, and unforgettable.

And now, I offer this work more intentionally, as my calling.

I work with individuals and families who are facing terminal illness, end-of-life transitions, or anticipatory grief. I also support hospice professionals, clergy, chaplains, and medical teams who want help providing deeper spiritual care. I’ve been called in when people feel lost. When they don’t know what to say, how to plan, how to let go—or how to hang on. Sometimes I meet with someone a year before death. Sometimes it’s a week. Other times, I step in after death, when a family is aching to mark a life that mattered.

I’m here to say: There is no “right” way to die. But there are better ways to do it—with presence, honesty, tenderness, and, when possible, peace.

It’s pretty simple and easy to explain. Yet, it can be complicated and hard and require depth, understanding and insight. 

I walk people home. I help them find a peaceful easy death. 

I'm a Death Coach.