Cultivating Gratitude: A Reflection on Growth
As we approach the close of another year, we are reminded of the profound power of gratitude—not just as a fleeting feeling, but as a grounding force that shapes our journey. This year has been transformative, not only for us as individuals but also for our organization as we continue to grow and expand our […]
Graduate Spotlight – Lee Malecki
For this week’s blog entry, we turn the spotlight over to IDLM graduate Lee Malecki. She shares in her own words about the journey that led her to end of life work and to IDLM. We are so proud to have Lee as a member of our community and feel honored to be able to […]
Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice Partners With IDLM
On the night of April 15, 1975, 21-year-old Karen Ann Quinlan told her roommates she wasn’t feeling well and went to lie down. A few minutes later, someone who went to check on her found her passed out, not breathing. They performed CPR and rushed her to the hospital, but she did not wake up […]
Tree of Life Conference – It’s Here!
When we ask our students and graduates what they value most about being a part of International Doula Life Movement, one of the answers we get most often is, “the community.” We love to hear it! Our primary mission at IDLM is to provide end of life doulas and anyone else who might be curious […]
Graduate Spotlight – Denise Johnson
This week we would like to spotlight one of our lovely International Doula Life Movement graduates, Denise Johnson. If you would like to participate in our Student Spotlight, please reach out to Aurora Nibley through direct message on the Movement. What first brought you to end of life work? On the surface, my journey into […]
Finding Purpose in Life’s Final Moments: The Journey of an End-of-Life Doulaof an End-of-Life Doula
At the age of 15, I began volunteering at a local hospital. A simple act of service helped me find my true calling in hospice. This early experience laid the foundation for what would become my life’s work, caring for individuals in their final stages of life, a journey that led me into hospice care […]
Heather Harman
International Doula Life Movement’s Tree of Life Conference is getting closer and closer! We have spent a great deal of time these past few weeks introducing the many experts and speakers who will be joining us for our Tree of Life Conference, but we still have one person left. She is a long-time member of […]
Tree of Life Spotlight
Fall is in the air, and the International Doula Life Movement Tree of Life Conference is getting closer and closer! Over the past several weeks we have taken time to spotlight many of the speakers we are looking forward to having with us at the conference, all with their own unique specialties and points of […]
Five Stages of Grief
In the 1960s, psychologist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross began a controversial project that would become her life’s work: she conducted a series of interviews with people who had been diagnosed with terminal illnesses, to ask them about their thoughts and feelings regarding their impending death. Many people—including doctors—were unsupportive, and even resistant to the work Kubler-Ross wanted […]
Death in Pop Culture
This past week I was speaking to an acquaintance, someone I have known for a while but don’t know well. Somehow it came up that I work in end of life care and death planning. The woman’s eyes lit up. “Like Swedish Death Cleaning?” she asked. To be honest, I don’t know much about Swedish […]
