Summer Summit Spotlight – Your Morbid Friends

One of the reasons talking to people about death can be so challenging is that it often means talking to them about what is most important to them in life. It can sometimes require a vulnerability that is difficult for people, as they worry about whether they will be valued for what makes them who […]
Spotlight on Summer Summit Guest, Dr. Cynthia Pan

This week on the blog we are highlighting an upcoming Summer Summit guest who puts the International in International Doula Life Movement. Dr. Cynthia Pan is a hospice and palliative care expert with decades of experience.
Library or Hospital?

In a former life I had a job as a library page. It was a wonderful job: the people were nice, the work was pleasant; I was allowed to wear whatever I wanted (within reason) and I had access to soooo many books. It was the first job I ever stayed at for more than […]
Music for End of Life

A couple weeks back, I was having a pretty rough day. One of those days where nothing seems to go right, and nothing seems to help, and the only thing you can do is give up, lie in a dark room, and listen to Simon and Garfunkel on repeat. You might have a different preference […]
The Words We Say

If you’re reading this, you already know how important it is to talk about death. One of the things you’ll hear over and over again in your IDLM classes, in workshops and CE classes, in Death Cafes and here on this blog, is how important it is to find ways to simply have conversations about […]
Being Great Doesn’t Happen By Accident

Think about the last time you saw somebody do something really amazing. Maybe it was an athletic event, maybe it was a magic trick, maybe it was someone absolutely cleaning up on Jeopardy! by answering questions you wouldn’t have thought anybody knew the answers to. These incredible moments are super impressive, and usually brief—maybe a […]
Death Book Round Up 2 – More Death Books!

A few weeks ago, we shared the titles of a few books that might be of interest to end of life doulas or anyone else interested in death culture. Well, it turns out we weren’t finished! If you’re looking for good books about death and dying, here are a few more titles to add to […]
IDLM Graduate Spotlight: Monica Kumar

This week our blog is honored to shine the spotlight on recent IDLM graduate, Monica Kumar!Having lived in the US and Canada but now residing and working in Tulum, Mexico, Monica putsthe “international” into International Doula Life Movement!With a background in nursing and a strong focus on grief, trauma, and bereavement work,Monica is passionate about […]
Let’s Talk About It

When it comes to working with people as an end of life doula, the first and most important thing to do issimply to start the conversation. Once people feel like they are safe to talk about death and dying, theyoften open up quickly to share stories about their loved ones who have died or their […]
That’s the Question, Isn’t It?

I have a question for you. You are more than welcome to answer it, for yourself—in fact, you probably should. But really, I’m giving you this question as a gift to use as a tool with your clients, because this is one of the most important questions you can ask when it comes to advance […]