If there’s one certainty in life, it’s that we are all going to die. Few other experiences unify us as human beings in the way that death does. But how are we supposed to deal with one of the most monumental moments of our lives when even saying the word can be so hard?

After experiencing my father’s death in 2013 and going through an intensive period of grief, I realised society is conditioned to sweep those who are dying, grieving or experiencing loss under the rug. His death led me to have an awakening to my own mortality, which took me into the depths of reflecting on existential truths and my own impermanence. In this period of deep reflection, death, dying, grief, loss and impermanence became living truths. It wasn’t until this experience that death became more than something that was going to “someday” happen to me; I faced the reality that life is never promised and each moment is a gift.

I believe every person has a right to a conscious death and to have their wishes heard. And, the most likely way to have a “good death” is to start by having open, honest conversations about it. However, it has become clear that western culture is disempowered about death, despite its universality. After all, how are you (or someone you love) supposed to know what you want when you die if you’ve never reflected on it or expressed it, and if most of society reinforces that it’s an off-limits, taboo topic?

Having devoted over two decades to teaching movement and meditation, I had an epiphany: a profound desire to authentically support individuals in embracing death as an integral part of life's intricate cycle. I yearned to engage with the profound depths and authenticity that only the realm of death and dying could offer. Following formal training and mentorship under the esteemed guidance of Denise Love, Barb Ferguson, and Jennifer Olerhead—highly respected figures in the field of deathcare with decades of expertise—I am deeply honoured to embrace my role as a death doula.

Since stepping into this role, I have supported many people in times of grief and dealing with challenging life transitions, delivered death-positive workshops to community organisations and partnered with local councils to evolve the public conversation about death.