In this special birthday episode, Suzanne reflects on turning 59 and shares some of the greatest lessons she has learned from caring for more than 1,000 people at the end of life and training over 400,000 people to care for the dying.

What do those nearing the end of life teach us about how to live?

Again and again, they remind us that time is our most precious resource. They remind us not to wait to become who we came here to be. They remind us that purpose matters. Love matters. Presence matters.

Suzanne shares why she has come to view each day as its own lifetime—an opportunity to show up fully, love deeply, serve meaningfully, and not miss the gift of being alive.

She also shares her birthday wish for the coming year: to help train another 100,000 people through the free Doulagivers Level 1 Family Caregiver Training so that more families around the world feel prepared, empowered, and supported through caregiving, end-of-life, and grief.

This episode also celebrates the return of the Good Death Seminar Series—a transformational 12-month educational series designed to bring death literacy, empowerment, and sacred understanding back into our communities.

Because when we bring back the sacredness of death, we bring back the sacredness of life.

How Did We Get Here?

What Is Hospice Care and How Does It Work?

Advance Directives and POLST Forms

Choosing a Healthcare Proxy

Quality of Life

The 9 Essential End-of-Life Questions

Having the Family Conversation

When Families Don't Agree

The Three Most Common End-of-Life Phenomena

Home Wakes, Home Funerals, and FUNerals

Green End-of-Life Options

Grief and Bereavement

All seminars are held live on Zoom. Space is limited and registration is required for each individual session.

If this message resonates with you, please help make Suzanne's birthday wish come true.

Share the free Doulagivers Level 1 Family Caregiver Training with your family, friends, healthcare professionals, faith communities, and social networks.

Education changes fear into understanding.

Together, we can create a world where no family faces end-of-life alone.

The award-winning training that has helped hundreds of thousands of people around the world feel more prepared for caregiving, end-of-life, and grief.

Save your seat here: https://www.doulagivers.com/monthly-free-class-register

Join us for this transformational 12-month journey into death literacy, end-of-life planning, and sacred living.

https://thegooddeathbook.com/the-good-death-seminar-series/

Website: https://www.suzannebobrien.com

Doulagivers Institute: https://www.doulagivers.com

Get the Book: The Good Death Here

"Bringing back the sacredness of death brings back the sacredness of life."- and THIS is how we change the world! Xo Suzanne 

In this deeply important and heartfelt episode, hospice and oncology nurse, death doula educator, and founder of the Doulagivers Institute https://doulagivers.com, Suzanne B. O’Brien RN, shares the truth about why so many end-of-life experiences today are filled with fear, overwhelm, and unnecessary suffering.

After supporting over a thousand people at the end of life, Suzanne explains that the problem is not a lack of love — it is a lack of education, understanding, and support.

The good news? A peaceful and meaningful end of life is absolutely possible.

In this episode, Suzanne breaks down the top three reasons end of life is not going well for most families today — and what we can do to change it.

Suzanne shares how compassionate education, preparation, and support can transform the end-of-life experience for both the dying person and their loved ones.

For the past 16 years, the Doulagivers Institute https://doulagivers.com has been offering free family caregiver education to help empower people with the skills, understanding, and confidence needed to care for loved ones at the end of life.

The free Level 1 Family Caregiver Training is now available in 15 languages and includes:

This training is offered live and interactively — there are no replays.

Suzanne invites everyone to take this training before they need it, because one day, someone we love will need us.

“A peaceful end of life should not be a privilege. It is a human right.”

Learn more and register here: https://www.doulagivers.com/monthly-free-class-register

“Most end-of-life experiences are not going well today — not because families don’t care, but because they were never taught how to care.”

“Hospice is incredibly valuable, but most people misunderstand what hospice actually is.”

“Families are doing approximately 98% of the hands-on end-of-life care, even with hospice services involved.”

“Death is not a medical experience. It is a human one.”

“When we teach people how to care for one another at the end of life, we don’t just change death — we change humanity.”

If this episode touched your heart, please share it with caregivers, healthcare professionals, and loved ones who may benefit from this important conversation.

Together, we can help bring compassion, education, and dignity back to end-of-life care.

In this deeply emotional Mother’s Day episode, Suzanne B. O’Brien RN shares one of the most sacred callings many of us will ever experience: walking our mothers home at the end of life.

As daughters, mothers, caregivers, nurses, and women in community, we are so often the ones called forward to care for those we love through aging, illness, and the final transition. Yet most families today are trying to navigate end-of-life care without the knowledge, preparation, or support that once was naturally handed down from grandmother to grandchild.

And the result is heartbreaking.

Families are overwhelmed. Terrified. Exhausted. Grieving while caregiving. Trying to do the most important work of their lives without the skills or understanding to feel grounded and empowered.

In this episode, Suzanne speaks openly about:

Suzanne also shares a heartfelt call for women everywhere to rise into a new era of compassionate caregiving and conscious community support — bringing back the sacred human wisdom that once guided families through life, death, grief, and love.

Because this moment is asking us to remember:

And when we learn how to show up for one another with presence, compassion, and practical skills, everything changes.

This is the heart of Doulagivers Institute:

The free Doulagivers Level 1 End-of-Life Doula Family Caregiver Training is now available globally in 15 languages and has helped transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

This free 90-minute live training includes:

And the impact has been profound.

“My sweet sister passed away last night after fighting Multiple Myeloma for almost five years. Because of your EOLD training I was able to be fully present with no fear. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“I am a retired nurse with an extensive background in oncology, critical and palliative care. That was the BEST 90 minutes of clear comprehensive education on end-of-life care I have ever heard. Excellent!”

“The Doulagivers Level 1 Training was life changing for me! Had the BEST night of sleep in over 30 years!”

“I was drawn to the Doulagivers Level 1 Training in search of help with grief. I had tried grief counseling, therapists, and workshops, but nothing helped. This training changed everything for me. I can now see how deeply connected end-of-life education is to healing grief and loss. I feel very connected here.”

“When my son died, I felt broken when he kept saying he wanted to go home. I replied that he was home. I get it now. He was telling his momma he was ready to go. Thank you.”

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I feel healed from my parents’ death issues that I have carried for over 40 years. Your compassion comes through every word.”

This training is more than education.

One training can truly change your life.

Grab your seat for the next free Doulagivers Level 1 End-of-Life Doula Family Caregiver Training and share it with those you love. https://www.doulagivers.com/monthly-free-class-register

Because this is how we change the world:

Suzanne B. O’Brien RN is an oncology and hospice nurse, founder of Doulagivers Institute, international bestselling author of The Good Death, and a global leader in end-of-life education and conscious living. She has trained over 400,000 people worldwide in compassionate end-of-life care and believes that death is not a medical experience — it is a human one.

#EndOfLifeCare #MothersDay #Caregiving #Hospice #DeathDoula #Doulagivers #TheGoodDeath #FamilyCaregiver #ConsciousLiving #GriefSupport #AgingWell #CommunityCare #LifeAndDeath #SacredCaregiving

This is a moment in time that marks a profound shift in how we care for one another.

In this powerful episode, Suzanne B. O’Brien, RN—founder of the Doulagivers Institute—announces a historic expansion of the Doulagivers Death Doula World Training, now available in 15 different languages.

For the first time in modern history, people around the world can access free, life-changing education that teaches them how to care for a loved one at the end of life—bringing these essential human skills back into the hands of families and communities.

This is more than a training.

Every single one of us will face end-of-life—either personally or with someone we love.

And yet, most people enter this sacred time feeling:

The Doulagivers mission is simple and profound:

“Death is not a medical experience—it’s a human one.

With this training now available in 15 languages, Doulagivers is:

You can join the Doulagivers Level 1 End-of-Life Doula Family Caregiver Training for free and learn how to:

👉 Register for the NEXT LIVE DEATH DOULA TRAINING here: https://www.doulagivers.com/monthly-f... 

This is about more than education.

If you’ve ever felt called to:

This is your invitation.

If this episode touched you, please:

Because together…

In this powerful and necessary episode of Ask a Death Doula, Suzanne B. O’Brien, RN, shares the essential questions every aspiring death doula must ask before choosing a training program.

With the rapid growth of the death doula profession, not all trainings are created equal. This episode is a call to discernment, integrity, and responsibility—because the work of supporting individuals and families at the end of life is sacred, deeply human, and requires the highest level of preparation.

Suzanne breaks down the three non-negotiables that define a legitimate, ethical, and high-quality death doula training—so you can confidently choose a path that truly prepares you to serve.

A true training goes far beyond theory. It must include:

👉 If it doesn’t prepare you for real-life situations, it’s not enough.

This work cannot be learned in isolation.

A high-quality program includes:

👉 This ensures you don’t just learn—you become confident and capable.

A legitimate training doesn’t just certify you—it prepares you to serve.

Look for:

👉 Because this is not just education—it’s a calling into service.

End-of-life care is not just another profession—it is a sacred human experience.

Families deserve:

And doulas deserve:

When we raise the standard of training, we raise the standard of care.

“This work is of the highest service. We must hold the highest standards—not only for ourselves, but for the families who will trust us during the most vulnerable time of life.”

Register for the LIVE Death Doula Discovery Webinar on Wednesday, April 29th at 7pm EST HERE: https://event.webinarjam.com/4kv5v/re...

In this deeply moving and expansive episode, Suzanne shares her personal experience traveling to Thailand to train Buddhist monks in end-of-life care through the Doulagivers program. What unfolds is a powerful reminder that while cultures, traditions, and languages may differ, the heart of caring for someone at the end of life is universal.

Through moments of connection, humility, and shared wisdom, Suzanne reflects on what it was like to teach those who have long held sacred space for the dying—and what they, in turn, taught her. The experience revealed a profound truth: this global death doula movement is not about creating something new, but remembering something ancient—compassionate, present, human care at the end of life.

This episode is a beautiful bridge between East and West, science and spirituality, and tradition and modern practice—showing us that no matter who we are or where we live, we are all connected through this sacred human experience.

No matter where you are in the world, the essence of a “good death” is the same: presence, compassion, dignity, and love. This episode reminds us that what we are building through the death doula movement is not new—it is a return to what humanity has always known.

“This experience showed me that we are not teaching something different—we are remembering something together. Across the world, across cultures, there is one shared truth: how we care for each other at the end of life matters deeply. And it always has.”

If this episode resonates with you, you are being called into this work—whether for your own life, your family, or your community.

Join the global movement and learn how to care for someone at the end of life with presence, confidence, and love through the Doulagivers Level 1 Family Caregiver Training.

In this special episode, Suzanne B. O’Brien, RN—founder of the Doulagivers Institute—announces the 8th Annual Death Doula World Training Day, taking place on April 22nd at 7 PM ET.

This global event is more than a training—it’s a movement.

With over 400,000 people trained in 39+ countries, Death Doula World Training Day continues to bring together individuals, caregivers, and professionals from around the world to learn how to support others through the end of life with presence, compassion, and confidence.

This year’s theme is Global Unity, and the event is dedicated to the 100th birthday of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, whose groundbreaking work helped bring awareness, dignity, and humanity back to the end-of-life experience.

We are living in a time where many people feel disconnected, overwhelmed, and unprepared for life’s most sacred transition.

Death Doula World Training Day is here to change that.

This free training teaches individuals how to:

As Suzanne shares, “We are not here to fix death—we are here to bring love back into it.”

🗓 Date: April 22

SPACE is Limited- Save your seat now! https://doulagivers.com 

This is your invitation to join a global community choosing:

Together, we are creating a world where no one has to face the end of life alone or unprepared.

👉 Register now and share with your community

Because when we change the way we approach death…

If this message resonates, please share it with someone who needs it.

Death reminds us of what matters most:

Let’s bring that back—together.

In this deeply meaningful episode, we invite you into a global movement rooted in compassion, presence, and love.

Join Suzanne B. O’Brien, RN, founder of Doulagivers Institute, as she announces the 8th Annual Death Doula World Training Day, happening on April 22nd—a day dedicated to unity, education, and the sacred honor of supporting one another at the end of life.

This year’s event is especially powerful as we celebrate the 100th birthday of Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, the pioneer who transformed how the world understands death, dying, and the human experience. Her groundbreaking work opened the door for conversations that were once feared—and today, we continue that legacy together.

This episode is both an invitation and a remembrance:

Whether you are a family caregiver, healthcare professional, aspiring Death Doula, or simply someone seeking peace and understanding, this episode—and this global training—are for you.

Death Doula World Training Day is a global event created to bring education, awareness, and empowerment to people everywhere—so no one has to face death alone, unsupported, or unprepared.

With over 400,000 people trained in 15+ languages, this movement is helping to restore dignity, peace, and humanity to the end-of-life experience.

🗓️ Date: April 22

SAVE YOUR SEAT HERE

At the end of life, people don’t speak about what they achieved—they speak about how they loved, how they lived, and what truly mattered.

This work is not about death.

Be part of something bigger.

👉 Join us for Death Doula World Training Day

JOIN Death Doula World Training Day Click Here

Learn More About the EKR Foundation Click Here

JOIN DEATH DOULA WORLD TRAINING DAY ONLINE LIVE APRIL 22nd at 7pm EST. Save your seat HERE:CLICK HERE NOW!!!

After sitting with over a thousand people at the end of life, one truth becomes clear: we suffer not because of what happens to us, but because of what we continue to carry.

In this powerful episode, Suzanne shares one of the most life-changing lessons from those nearing death: you are not here to carry everything.

You’ll learn how to release emotional burdens, stop absorbing the weight of the world, and return to a more peaceful, grounded, and empowered way of living.

✨ In this episode:

At the end of life, people don’t wish they carried more pain—they show us how to let go.

Ask yourself:

This episode is a reminder that you are allowed to release what was never yours.

One of the most distressing moments for families at the end of life is when a loved one stops eating and drinking. It can feel like they are starving, like something is wrong, or like we should be doing more.

But what if this is actually one of the most natural and peaceful parts of the dying process?

In this episode, Suzanne B. O’Brien, RN—who has cared for over 1,000 patients at the end of life—explains the true physiology behind why eating and drinking stop, what your loved one is actually experiencing, and how to provide the right kind of comfort in those final days.

You’ll learn why the body no longer needs food or water, what happens when the swallowing reflex turns off, and why your loved one is not feeling hunger the way you might think. We also explore what the dying process typically looks like in the final days, the most common comfort issue patients experience, and what families should—and should not—do during this phase.

This episode will help you shift from fear and confusion to understanding, allowing you to show up with more presence, peace, and confidence when it matters most.