When a family hears the words “hospice care,” they often believe hospice will come into the home and provide all the daily, hands-on care their loved one needs.

Sadly, that is not how home hospice usually works.

The word care means providing what someone needs for their health, comfort, safety, and well-being. It sounds like someone will be there doing the caregiving.

The word consulting means giving expert advice, teaching, guidance, and support.

That is much closer to how routine home hospice works.

The hospice team checks on the patient, manages symptoms, orders equipment and medications, answers questions, and teaches the family what to do. But in most cases, the family provides the daily care between hospice visits.

In this episode of Ask a Death Doula, Suzanne B. O’Brien, RN, shares what she learned while caring for more than 1,000 patients at the end of life.

As a former hospice nurse, Suzanne often had about one hour in a patient’s home. During that visit, she had to assess the patient, review medications, manage symptoms, teach the family, answer questions, calm fears, and explain what might happen next.

Then she had to leave.

The family stayed—and they were often frightened, overwhelmed, and unprepared for the care they were expected to provide.

This is not a criticism of the caring nurses, aides, social workers, chaplains, and other professionals working in hospice. They are doing important and sacred work. This is about a healthcare model that families often do not understand until they are already in a crisis.

A person can qualify for Medicare hospice when a doctor believes they may have six months or less to live if the illness follows its normal path.

Yet the median hospice stay was only 19 days in 2024. This means half of hospice patients received hospice services for 19 days or fewer.

In 2024, hospice patients received an average of 3.9 in-person visits per week. Those visits totaled about 3½ hours of hospice staff time each week.

There are 168 hours in a week.

Who is present during the remaining hours?

Usually, it is the family caregiver.

Hospice is a vital part of the care team—but hospice alone is not a complete caregiving plan.

One hundred years ago, caring for someone at the end of life was a skill passed down from grandmother to grandchild.

Families understood how the body changed. They knew how to provide comfort, gather support, sit with someone who was dying, and create meaningful rituals.

Death was not carried by one person. It was held by the family and the community.

We have not lost our ability to care. We have lost the education and community support that once showed us how.

Doulagivers Institute was created to fill this education gap.

The free Level 1 Family Caregiver Training teaches the three phases of end of life in clear, simple language. It helps families understand:

This education can reduce fear, build confidence, support healthier grief, and help families understand that the natural dying process is not a medical failure.

The training is free and available in 15 languages because every family deserves access to this knowledge.

Do not wait until someone you love is actively dying. Learn these skills now—and share them with your family and community.

Every one of us will someday be called to show up for someone we love. Knowing what to do changes everything.

Take the Free Level 1 Family Caregiver Training:

Register for the Next Live Training:

October 23, 2026

7:00 PM ET

https://www.doulagivers.com/monthly-free-class-register

Get The Doulagivers Institute Support System Scheduler 

Learn More About Doulagivers Institute:

Get The Good Death by Suzanne B. O’Brien:

MedPAC: March 2026 Report to Congress—Hospice Services

Medicare: Hospice Care Coverage

There is a better way. We can learn before a crisis, support one another, and return the end of life to the sacred.

What if creating a better future isn’t about continuing to build more—but about regenerating what we have lost?

In this inspiring episode of Ask a Death Doula, Suzanne B. O’Brien welcomes visionary community builder, regenerative placemaker, and author Tony Cho for a powerful conversation about the growing movement to restore balance between people, community, and the planet.

Tony’s book, Generation Regeneration: Codesigning the Future of Cities Through Regenerative Placemaking, invites us to rethink how we live, build, and belong. Regeneration asks us to move beyond simply sustaining systems that are no longer working and begin creating communities that actively restore life, deepen human connection, honor nature, and help both people and the planet flourish.

Suzanne and Tony explore the profound connection between regeneration and what Suzanne calls the Great Remembering: our return to the timeless understanding that we belong to one another, that community is essential to our well-being, and that caring for people and caring for the Earth cannot be separated.

For generations, communities knew how to care for their elders, support their caregivers, honor the dying, protect the land, and gather around those experiencing life’s greatest transitions. Much of that wisdom has been forgotten—but it has not been lost.

This conversation is an invitation to remember.

It is also a hopeful reminder that regeneration does not begin somewhere far away or require us to wait for someone else to lead it. It begins locally—with the places we create, the choices we make, the relationships we nurture, and our willingness to become active participants in the healing of our communities.

Tony Cho is a purpose-driven entrepreneur, author, visionary community builder, and leading voice in regenerative placemaking. He is the founder of Future of Cities and the author of Generation Regeneration: Codesigning the Future of Cities Through Regenerative Placemaking. Through his work, Tony is helping communities reimagine the built environment so that people, culture, nature, and purpose can flourish together.

Part manifesto and part field guide, Generation Regeneration presents a hopeful new vision for our cities and communities—one rooted in balance, belonging, ecological restoration, and shared well-being.

The book invites policymakers, developers, cultural leaders, and everyday citizens to become co-creators of communities that do more than survive. It asks us to create places that actively heal, nourish, connect, and regenerate life for generations to come.

We do not have to invent an entirely new way forward.

In many ways, we are being asked to remember what humanity has always known: that we need one another, that nature is not separate from us, and that healthy communities are built through relationship, reciprocity, service, and care.

Regeneration begins when we stop asking, “What can I take from this place?” and begin asking, “What can I restore, contribute, and leave better for those who come after me?”

This is the Great Remembering.

This is community taking care of community again.

And every one of us has a role to play.

If this conversation inspires you, please share the episode with someone who believes it is possible to create a more compassionate, connected, and regenerative world.

☀️Join Me For The DEATH DOULA BOOTCAMP August 27th-29th

https://www.deathdoulabootcamp.com

What if the greatest solution to our aging and end-of-life crisis isn't building another system—but remembering what we've forgotten?

For generations, communities naturally cared for one another through illness, caregiving, dying, and grief. Today, many families face these experiences feeling isolated, overwhelmed, and unprepared. But it doesn't have to be this way.

In this episode of Ask a Death Doula, Suzanne B. O'Brien shares a simple yet powerful framework for rebuilding compassionate communities—one neighborhood, one conversation, and one person at a time.

Together, we'll explore the three pillars that can help transform fear into confidence, isolation into connection, and communities into places where people once again know how to care for one another.

This is how movements begin.

Not with thousands of people.

With one person deciding to care.

Doulagivers offers free education, caregiver resources, checklists, conversation guides, and community tools designed to help individuals and communities feel confident supporting one another through aging and end of life.

Together, we can return community to community again.

If today's episode inspired you and you've ever felt called to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others, I invite you to join us for our live Death Doula Business Bootcamp, happening August 27–29. Claim your space here

Over three transformational days, you'll discover what it truly takes to become a successful death doula—how to serve with confidence, build trust in your community, create a sustainable and fulfilling career, and become part of the growing movement to bring compassionate end-of-life care back where it belongs.

Not quite ready yet?

Join my free Death Doula Secrets Webinar LIVE on August 13th at 7pm EST,  where I'll share the three secrets to becoming a successful death doula with both impact and income. It's the perfect place to explore whether this calling is right for you and learn how this work can transform not only the lives of others—but your own. https://event.webinarjam.com/4kv5v/register/18n4napz?webinar_id=38

Thank you for being part of this movement to return the sacredness to aging, dying, grieving, and living.

Together, we are creating compassionate communities—one conversation, one family, and one community at a time.

☀️Join Me For The DEATH DOULA BOOTCAMP August 27th-29th

https://www.deathdoulabootcamp.com

What if the work you're meant to do has been quietly calling you all along?

Across the world, families are caring for loved ones through aging, serious illness, and the end of life with very little preparation or support. Most people don't realize that family caregivers provide the vast majority of end-of-life care, yet few have ever been taught the practical skills or emotional support needed for one of life's most sacred experiences.

This isn't just a healthcare issue.

It's an education issue.

In this episode, Suzanne O'Brien, RN, Founder and CEO of Doulagivers Institute, shares why the Death Doula Business Bootcamp was created—and why this moment in history is calling for a new generation of compassionate community leaders.

This isn't another certification program or a weekend filled with information.

It's a three-day live implementation experience where you'll learn exactly how to build a meaningful, sustainable death doula practice rooted in service, education, and community impact.

Whether you're simply exploring this path or ready to begin building your practice, this episode will help you discover if this work is calling you.

You've been researching, reading books, watching videos, or exploring different training programs and wondering:

"Could I really do this?"

In this Bootcamp, you'll receive a realistic roadmap for what it takes to build a meaningful and sustainable practice so you can confidently decide whether this calling is right for you.

You have the heart.

You have the education.

But no one taught you how to build a successful practice.

Suzanne shares the exact community education model that has helped Doulagivers grow into a global institute—without expensive marketing, complicated funnels, or high-pressure sales tactics.

Perhaps you've cared for a parent, spouse, sibling, child, or close friend and experienced firsthand the enormous gaps in caregiving support.

That experience changed you.

Now you're wondering how to transform your own journey into meaningful service for others.

This work offers a pathway to turn pain into purpose while ensuring other families feel more prepared, supported, and empowered.

You've built the career.

You've achieved the success.

You've checked all the boxes.

Yet something inside keeps asking,

"Is this really what I'm here to do?"

If you're longing for work filled with purpose, connection, and lasting impact, this episode may be exactly the invitation you've been waiting for.

Perhaps you're a nurse, social worker, therapist, physician, chaplain, or another healthcare professional who entered healthcare to make a difference.

Instead, you've found yourself working within a system that often feels fragmented, rushed, and disconnected from the very reason you entered the profession.

This work offers the opportunity to return to what matters most: spending meaningful time with patients and families, providing holistic support, and rediscovering the fulfillment that first inspired you to serve.

During this live three-day experience, you'll learn how to:

You'll leave with far more than inspiration.

You'll leave with clarity.

A roadmap.

A completed outreach plan.

The confidence to begin serving your community immediately.

Suzanne's vision extends far beyond training death doulas.

Her mission is to help create compassionate communities for aging and end-of-life care by empowering local educators who bring practical skills, confidence, and hope back into neighborhoods around the world.

Imagine every family caregiver having access to the education they need before they ever need it.

Imagine every community having a trusted guide to help families navigate aging, caregiving, grief, and the end of life with compassion instead of fear.

That's the movement.

And perhaps it's your invitation to become part of it.

🎓 Join the Death Doula Business Bootcamp and spend three transformational days building your roadmap for impact, purpose, and a sustainable practice.

☀️Join Me For The DEATH DOULA BOOTCAMP August 27th-29th

https://www.deathdoulabootcamp.com

Or...

💻 Attend Suzanne's next Death Doula Secrets Webinar on August 5 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time, where she'll share the three biggest secrets to building a meaningful, service-based death doula practice and help you determine whether this calling is the right next step for you.

https://event.webinarjam.com/4kv5v/register/q0y3ya6y?webinar_id=37

If this episode inspired you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who feels called to make a difference in the lives of others.

Together, we can return the sacredness to aging, caregiving, dying, grieving—and ultimately, to living.

For years, people have come to me asking one question:

"How do I become a death doula?"

At the very beginning,  my answer was straightforward: become certified.

Today, my answer is different.

In this episode, I share why the future of this movement is no longer about earning another certificate—it's about becoming a full spectrum educator who brings compassionate community care back where it belongs.

After serving more than 1,000 people at the bedside, training hundreds of thousands of caregivers around the world, and witnessing the enormous gaps in our healthcare system, one thing has become crystal clear:

The healing in the world isn’t going to happen with just more certified death doulas.

It needs compassionate educators.

It needs community leaders.

It needs people who know how to teach families, support caregivers, normalize conversations about aging, grief, and end-of-life, and create compassionate communities where no one has to face these experiences alone.

In this conversation, I explain why I've evolved beyond selling a traditional death doula certification and why Doulagivers Institute is leading the next evolution in support of this movement.

This isn't about abandoning the work of the death doula.

It's about expanding it.

The bedside will always matter.

But if we truly want to change the experience of aging, caregiving, dying, and grief, we must reach people long before a medical crisis occurs.

Education changes everything.

When communities understand how to care for one another, fear decreases, confidence grows, and people experience greater peace throughout life's most important transitions.

That is the future.

That is a return to the sacred.

And that's the movement we're building together.

If you've ever felt called to this work—or if you've wondered whether you're meant to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others—I'd love to invite you to take the next step.

Join my free Death Doula Secrets Webinar, where I'll share the three biggest secrets behind creating meaningful impact while building a sustainable path in this work. https://event.webinarjam.com/4kv5v/register/o3ynytw7?webinar_id=35

And if you're ready to move from inspiration to implementation, join us for the Death Doula Bootcamp—a transformational three-day experience where you'll leave with your first community education event planned and ready to launch, along with the complete Community Educator Playbook. https://www.deathdoulabootcamp.com/

The world doesn't just need more certified doulas.

It needs compassionate educators

Maybe you're one of them.

As Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) legislation continues to expand across the United States and around the world, one important question deserves deeper exploration:

Are people choosing Medical Aid in Dying because they truly want to die—or because they're afraid of how they believe they will die?

In this thought-provoking episode of Ask a Death Doula, Suzanne B. O'Brien, RN, Founder of Doulagivers Institute and former hospice nurse with more than two decades of end-of-life experience, explores one of the most important conversations of our time.

Drawing from caring for more than 1,000 people at the end of life, Suzanne shares what she has witnessed firsthand: that the greatest suffering is often not physical pain—but fear, isolation, lack of education, and the absence of compassionate support.

In this episode, you'll discover:

This episode is not about taking sides in the MAID debate.

It is about asking whether people are being given every opportunity to understand their options, receive compassionate support, and experience a death that is informed, supported, and free from unnecessary fear.

When we replace fear with education, isolation with community, and uncertainty with understanding, people are empowered to make decisions from a place of peace rather than panic.

If we truly want choice at the end of life, we must first ensure people have knowledge.

If this conversation resonates with you and you've ever felt called to make a greater difference in the lives of others, join Suzanne for her free Death Doula Secrets Webinar.

In this special training, you'll discover the three biggest secrets successful death doulas understand—how they create profound impact in their communities while building meaningful, purpose-driven work.

Whether you're simply curious, considering becoming a death doula, or know you're being called to serve during one of life's most sacred transitions, this webinar will show you what's possible.

Your calling may be greater than you ever imagined.

Reserve your free seat today and take the first step toward becoming part of the movement to bring compassionate community care back to the world.

https://event.webinarjam.com/4kv5v/register/o3ynytw7?webinar_id=35

What if everything we've been taught about success is incomplete?

From the time we're young, we're taught that success looks like achievement, titles, promotions, money, recognition, and checking all the boxes. But what happens when you finally arrive... and something still feels missing?

In this powerful episode of Ask a Death Doula, Suzanne B. O'Brien sits down with Kerrie Lee Brown, award-winning journalist, Chief Content Officer and Editor-in-Chief of SUCCESS® Magazine, to explore a conversation that is transforming millions of lives:

What is the true definition of success?

After interviewing thousands of the world's most accomplished leaders, entrepreneurs, celebrities, and changemakers, Kerrie has witnessed a remarkable pattern. The people who appear the most successful on paper are often asking the same deeper question:

"Is this really why I'm here?"

As a heart attack survivor at just 39 years old, Kerrie shares how a life-changing experience shifted her own understanding of success—from achievement to alignment, from external validation to inner fulfillment, and from chasing more to becoming more.

Suzanne brings the wisdom of more than two decades as a hospice nurse, sharing what thousands of people at the end of life have taught her about the difference between accomplishment and a life truly lived.

Together they explore why service, purpose, connection, and authenticity may be the missing pieces in the conversation about success.

Success isn't about becoming someone else. It's about remembering who you truly are.

When we stop measuring our lives by titles, income, or accomplishments alone and begin measuring them by love, contribution, growth, and authenticity, everything changes.

Perhaps the question isn't:

"How successful am I?"

Perhaps the better question is:

"Am I living the life I came here to live?"

Kerrie Lee Brown is an award-winning media executive, international journalist, speaker, and transformational leader with more than 30 years of experience shaping some of the world's most influential media brands.

As former Chief Content Officer and Editor-in-Chief of SUCCESS® Magazine, she interviewed thousands of thought leaders, entrepreneurs, celebrities, and innovators, gaining extraordinary insight into leadership, resilience, reinvention, and what creates a truly meaningful life.

Following a heart attack at age 39, Kerrie experienced a profound personal transformation that inspired her to redefine success through the lens of wellbeing, purpose, and authentic leadership.

Today she is the founder of RedLily® Media and co-founder of Lioness Global Initiatives™, helping amplify meaningful stories and empowering women around the world to embrace courageous reinvention.

Learn more at: https://kerrieleebrown.com/

Learn More About Lioness Global here: https://www.thelionessglobal.com

If this conversation resonated with you, you'll love Suzanne's mission to help people live fully by understanding what matters most before the end of life.

Through the Doulagivers Institute, Suzanne is leading a global movement to restore the sacred understanding of aging, dying, grief, and living—empowering communities to care for one another with knowledge, compassion, and confidence.

Subscribe, share this episode with someone who may be redefining success in their own life, and join the movement toward a more meaningful future.

Because in the end...

The greatest success isn't what you accumulated.

It's who you became, how deeply you loved, and how fully you lived.

SAVE YOUR SEAT: Death Doula Secrets Webinar here: July 18th https://event.webinarjam.com/4kv5v/register/0ov7va8z?webinar_id=34

What if the future of end-of-life care isn't found inside the healthcare system—but within our communities?

In this powerful episode of Ask a Death Doula, Suzanne B. O'Brien, RN, shares why the global death doula movement has reached a pivotal moment—and why it's time for its next evolution.

Drawing from more than 20 years as a hospice and oncology nurse and over 1,000 bedside experiences, Suzanne reveals the critical gaps she sees in today's end-of-life landscape, why so many aspiring death doulas struggle to build meaningful, sustainable practices, and what it will truly take to create a cultural shift around aging, caregiving, grief, and end-of-life.

This episode also marks the exciting announcement of the very first Death Doula Bootcamp—a transformational three-day live virtual experience designed to help compassionate people become confident community educators and leaders.

This isn't about collecting another certification.

It's about becoming part of a movement.

Changing the culture around death will not happen one family at a time.

It happens when compassionate people step forward as educators, leaders, and advocates—bringing knowledge, confidence, and sacred support back into their communities.

The future of end-of-life care isn't simply about serving people who are dying.

It's about helping people live well, prepare well, care well, and love well—long before the final chapter arrives.

If you've ever felt called to this work...

If you're already a death doula but aren't sure how to build a thriving practice...

If you're a caregiver, nurse, social worker, therapist, chaplain, or simply someone who knows there has to be a better way...

This Bootcamp was created for you.

During this live three-day experience (August 27–29), you'll learn Suzanne's proven community educator model—the same framework that helped grow Doulagivers into a global movement serving hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.

By the end of the Bootcamp, you'll leave with:

This is not just information.

It's implementation.

It's transformation.

And it's an invitation to become part of one of the most important cultural movements of our time.

Join us for the first-ever Death Doula Bootcamp and become part of the movement to create Compassionate Communities for Aging and End of Life.

Learn more and register at:

Please subscribe to Ask a Death Doula, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who feels called to bring more compassion, education, and sacred care into the world.

Together, we can return end-of-life care to where it has always belonged—in the hearts, hands, and communities of everyday people.

What happens when you listen to the quiet voice in your heart and trust where it leads?

In this inspiring episode, Suzanne B. O'Brien sits down with Doulagivers graduate Killy Sanchez from Guatemala to explore a remarkable journey that began with caring for her mother and grew into a calling that is now touching lives around the world.

Like so many people, Killy first entered the world of caregiving through personal experience. What she discovered along the way was something much bigger than she ever imagined—a deeper understanding of life, love, service, and the sacred nature of the human experience.

Following her heart led Killy to become a Certified Doulagiver®, but it didn't stop there.

Today, Killy is helping Spanish-speaking communities around the world access life-changing end-of-life education and support. She is a vital part of the growing Doulagivers Institute Español initiative, helping expand free resources, including the award-winning Level 1 Family Caregiver Training, to Spanish-speaking families globally.

Killy also facilitates The Good Death Book Club in Spanish, creating a beautiful space where people from many countries can come together to explore meaningful conversations about life, death, grief, caregiving, forgiveness, and what truly matters.

One of the most moving moments in this conversation is Killy's story of caring for her cousin at the end of life.

When her cousin needed support, Killy opened her home and her heart. Using the skills, compassion, and wisdom she learned through her Doulagivers training, she helped bring family members together, bridged difficult relationships, created opportunities for forgiveness, and fostered meaningful conversations that may never have happened otherwise.

What unfolded was a powerful example of what becomes possible when a family is supported through the end-of-life journey with love, understanding, and intention.

Through Killy's guidance, her cousin's final chapter became one filled with connection, acceptance, peace, storytelling, healing, and love.

This episode reminds us that ordinary people have the extraordinary ability to change lives.

When we follow our hearts, answer the call to serve, and show up for one another, we create ripple effects that extend far beyond what we can see. Families heal. Communities strengthen. Fear transforms into understanding. Love becomes the guiding force.

This is how we change the world.

One person.

How Killy's caregiving journey began with her mother

What inspired her to become a Certified Doulagiver®

The profound impact end-of-life education had on her own life

How she supported her cousin and family through a sacred end-of-life journey

The role forgiveness, communication, and connection play in healing

Why following your heart can transform not only your life but the lives of others

The growth of Doulagivers Institute Español and its global impact

How Spanish-speaking communities can access free caregiving resources today

Information about joining The Good Death Book Club in Spanish

If this conversation inspired you, we invite you to take the next step.

Join The Good Death Book Club in Spanish and become part of a global community exploring what it means to live fully, care deeply, and embrace the sacredness of life, death, and grief.

You can also access free Spanish-language caregiving resources, including the award-winning Level 1 Family Caregiver Training, designed to help families feel more prepared, supported, and empowered during life's most important transitions.

Together, we are bringing compassionate care, education, and community back where it belongs—into the hearts and homes of people everywhere.

Because when one person follows their heart, the world changes.

As Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) legislation continues to expand across the United States, a deeper question is emerging:

What is really driving the conversation?

In this episode, Suzanne B. O'Brien, RN, Founder and CEO of Doulagivers Institute and author of The Good Death, explores the growing movement around Medical Aid in Dying and asks us to look beneath the headlines, politics, and debates to uncover what many people are truly seeking.

Suzanne recently appeared on the nationally acclaimed Freakonomics Radio podcast alongside New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who discussed her decision to sign Medical Aid in Dying into law in New York State. While opinions on MAID vary widely, Suzanne believes there is one important truth that deserves more attention:

The desire for Medical Aid in Dying is often rooted in fear.

Fear of pain.

Fear of prolonged suffering.

Fear of loss of dignity.

Fear of losing autonomy.

Fear of becoming a burden to loved ones.

But what if, instead of debating only the final decision, we focused on addressing the fears that lead people there?

Drawing on more than 20 years as a hospice and oncology nurse and the bedside wisdom of over 1,000 dying patients, Suzanne shares how education, preparation, community support, and compassionate end-of-life care can transform fear into peace.

This episode opens an important conversation about what it means to die well—and ultimately, what it means to live well.

If people are choosing Medical Aid in Dying because they fear pain, suffering, loss of dignity, or becoming a burden...

Shouldn't we first make sure they have access to the education, support, resources, and care that can address those fears?

That is the conversation Suzanne believes is the invitation of this moment: Returning Death Back to Sacred Experience it was meant to be.  

Death Doula Secrets Webinar: https://event.webinarjam.com/4kv5v/register/zmyryix0?

Freakonomics: Who Gets to Choose a Good Death: 678. Who Gets to Choose a “Good Death”?

Learn the foundational skills every family should know for caregiving and end-of-life support.

Suzanne B. O'Brien's bestselling book on what the dying teach us about living fully, loving deeply, and facing death without fear.

Providing free education, resources, and professional certification programs to help return the sacredness of aging, caregiving, end-of-life, grief, and community support.

Suzanne B. O'Brien, RN is a former hospice and oncology nurse, international bestselling author, and founder of Doulagivers Institute. She has trained hundreds of thousands of people worldwide in end-of-life care and is dedicated to ensuring that every family has access to the knowledge and support needed to navigate aging, caregiving, and dying with dignity and peace.

Please subscribe, share it with someone you love, and help us continue the movement of bringing death, caregiving, and community back into the conversation.

Because when we learn how to support a good death, we learn how to create a better life.