SHOW NOTES –EPISODE 13, NICOLA FINCH, NATURAL BURIAL Nicola Finch is passionate about caring for our own dead. Through her lived experiences and how her family approached death, Nicola knows the value of being with her dead, caring for them, and participating in companioning them to their final resting spot makes a difference for the grievers; for …

Would you consider hiring an event planner for an end of life gathering? We all know about the traditional funeral service or celebration of life, and there is varying opinion about whether these gatherings are a necessary act of mourning and remembrance. No matter what you call it, funeral service, celebration of life, end of life gathering or a b…

As a Family Caregiver Consultant, End-of-Life Doula, and founder of Be Present Care, Stefanie Elkins has over 20 years of experience supporting and helping people navigate challenging life transitions such as caregiving, end-of-life, and grief. Her expertise includes being an educator and facilitator on advance care, caregiving and end-of-life conv…

Episode 10: The Many Faces of MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) - Sharing the Stories Cynthia guided her family through MAID, twice. First with her husband in 2019 and then again with her father in 2023. She discovered writing when her husband was sick as a way to process her experience and has since encouraged others to do the same. She is the cr…

Episode 09: Life in the ICU - Leslie Buller-Hayes, ICU Nurse, Death Doula, Stonehedge Transitions Leslie Buller-Hayes is an ICU Nurse and end of life doula who is fueled by a commitment to fostering open, authentic conversations, providing compassionate support, and guiding others towards embracing the natural cycle of life with dignity and peace. …

EPISODE 08: A “SOLO AGER” - WHO ARE THEY AND WHY DOES IT MATTER? Jennifer O’Brien, the Hospice Dr’s Widow, became a “solo ager” in 20?? when her last living family member, her father, died. Starting with the loss of her brother, David many decades ago, then her mother, her husband, Bob and now her father, she is “solo”. In her quest as a thought le…

Vanessa Callison-Burch - The Many Faces of Grief Support – How Help Texts makes a difference Help Texts is an online text messaging grief support tool created by its Founder, Emma Payne, after her spouse died by suicide and she saw how many around her simply didn’t know how to offer support. Though originally focused on supporting grief because of …

Michelle Tyliakos - Knowing What’s Probable, Inviting What’s Possible – a Story of Love, Connection and Vitality Michelle would say they had an average family life. A family of 6, kids going to school, struggling to make ends meet, running a business, and always wanting more time with her husband. Average, at least, until her husband Steve was diag…

Barbara Karnes RN, What She Didn't Know About the Grief of a Widow Barbara Karnes, RN, is an internationally respected speaker, educator, author, and thought leader on matters of end of life. She is a renowned authority on the dying process and a leading educator for families, and healthcare professionals, so we might think she would have known exa…

Patty Howe’s End of Life Story – A Story of Life and Living Greg Howe shares the experience of supporting his wife Patty through her end of life choices in rural Alaska, including her choice for VSED, a home vigil, a celebration and home burial. Sharing Patty's intention to live until she died, and the experience of Greg as her partner in life and …

Hospice Care: The Challenges for Families, Embracing Personal Agency, and How Death Doulas can help ease the Journey Helen Bauer of The Heart of Hospice Podcast shares her experiences as a Certified Hospice and Palliative Registered Nurse, exploring the many challenges patients and families may face when they enter Hospice. We uncover some of these…

Medical Aid in Dying and The Experience of a Hospice Nurse/Doula Gabrielle Jimenez (“Gabby”) is a hospice nurse, end-of-life doula, death and dying educator, author, and blogger. She also has a large FB community that embraces the conversation about death, dying, and grief. Her goal is to teach and inspire others to do this work, and to help change…

An Introduction to the Death Doula Network International DISHING DOULAS PODCAST - Seriously, Let's Talk! Jo-Anne Haun and Karen Hendrickson are co-founders of the Death Doula Network International and are now bringing a variety of topics, personal stories, and experts to their New DISHING DOULAS PODCAST, to help influence change in our approach to …