I started training as an end-of-life doula after helping to support both of my parents as they died at home – my mother in 2022 and my father in 2024. I was strongly inspired by the people who came together at that time to bring my parents compassionate comfort and care in their final months.
I expect to receive my End-of-Life Doula diploma in the spring of 2026.
For the past 35 or so years, I’ve worked in English language teaching – first as a classroom teacher, then as a textbook editor and publishing project manager, and for the past 20 years or so as a writer. I’m now bringing that era to a close and moving into end-of-life work.
As I move into the role of end-of-life doula, I’m working as a wellbeing volunteer at St Leonard’s Hospice, York and with two other local doulas, running a Death Café in my village – Acomb. I also play the double bass and sing in a three-piece folk band, take long walks in the hills, run, meditate, and enjoy bouldering at the local gym.
It’s a privilege to be able to walk beside anyone facing the end of life and to offer companionship, practical support, advocacy and continuity.