My name is Shona, and my work is rooted in compassionate presence, deep listening, and creating spaces where people feel safe to be fully themselves.
The losses I have had in my family have been almost unmentioned and ungrieved, which naturally led me to my work as an End of Life Doula and Grief Tender, knowing there is another way to be with death and grief. I believe passionately in the need for staying present with what is true, and creating connection with people where hearts can be shared and we can honour the unique landscape within each person’s life experience.
As an End of Life Doula, I support people who are dying, alongside their families and loved ones, with care, openness, and respect for the many ways that end of life can unfold. I work in a person-centred and heart-centred way, offering calm companionship through uncertainty, challenge, grief, and change. I believe every person deserves to feel seen, heard, valued, and supported in having their wishes understood and respected.
I can support with gentle and honest conversations around death, dying, and future wishes — whether between individuals, families, carers, or medical professionals. I also offer practical support with advance care planning, paperwork, navigating services, and helping people express what matters most to them. My role is not to take over, but to walk alongside people with presence, care, and steadiness.
I have completed my Foundation Training with Living Well Dying Well and I am currently studying my diploma. Alongside this, I hold a degree in Psychology and have trained in Community Grief Tending and as a Funeral Celebrant. My experience includes supporting people with anticipatory grief, bereavement, and the emotional, practical, relational, and spiritual aspects of dying and loss.
Creativity, spirituality, and connection with the natural world are central to how I work and live. Trees, flowers, rivers, and the changing seasons are continual sources of grounding and meaning for me, and I often bring this gentle awareness of nature into my work with others.
Alongside my end of life work, I am the Founder and Director of Buzzards and Worms, a nature-based community interest company supporting people of all ages to deepen their connection with themselves, each other, and the natural world. My wider community roles include being an Ecotherapist, Forest School Facilitator, community food grower, Way of Council facilitator, and a Funeral Celebrant.
At the heart of all my work is a belief that care begins with presence, and that by listening deeply, meeting people where they are, and creating spaces where honesty, dignity, connection, and humanity can flourish, I get to give the biggest gift to those I support. For me my role as a Doula feels like a great privilege; to compassionately companion someone at their final threshold of life.
I offer End of Life Doula services in Norwich and around Norfolk, and would be honoured to support you and your loved one at this tender time.