Building Confidence and Habits as an End-of-Life Doula
The journey of an end-of-life doula is a unique one, marked by profound emotional experiences, compassionate service, and the privilege of supporting individuals and their loved ones during life’s final chapter. Whether you’re just starting out or have been practicing for years, building confidence and developing sustainable habits is essential to providing the best care […]
Accomplishment Journal
The holiday season is here again, and for those who celebrate, it’s just about time for Thanksgiving. This is a good time for people to consider all the blessing in their lives, and what they are grateful for. Taking time to express gratitude on a regular basis, for example by keeping a gratitude journal, has […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Meet: The Hospice Care Plan & Linda McDowell
When people learn you work in end of life care, they say things like, “That’s so interesting,” or “I could never do that.” Sometimes the reaction is positive and sometimes it’s negative, but in both cases there is often an unspoken question—why on earth would you want to do THAT? There are lots of reasons. […]
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 […]
