In this special episode, Laurel gathers trainees, faculty, and community members to celebrate a historic milestone: the first certification cohort of the Death and Resurrection Doula Training Program. What unfolds is a warm, communal conversation reflecting the heart of the program—rooted in a shared calling and Christian hope.

Laurel revisits the vision behind the training, responding to a growing crisis in end-of-life care by equipping believers to offer compassionate, non-medical, spiritually grounded support to the dying and their families. Certified doulas and trainees offer personal reflections, many describing how their calling emerged through seasons of loss and caregiving.

Listen in as a variety of guest speakers share how the curriculum was shaped by insights from hospice nursing, chaplaincy, grief care, and bioethics—distinguishing this program from secular models through its Christ-centered theology, prayerful presence, and commitment to resurrection hope.

(02:45) Celebrating the first certification cohort
(09:10) Medical aid in dying: ethical concerns
(12:40) Building a Christian end-of-life model
(18:50) Compassion across faith traditions
(32:00) Grief, purpose, and vocational clarity
(41:20) What’s next for training and growth
(57:10) Closing prayer and commissioning

Follow us on social media and learn more about our Death and Resurrection Doula Training at:

Website: https://laurelnicholson.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-death-resurrection-doula/ 
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In this deeply moving gathering at the Café, Laurel hosts a safe space for the sharing of testimonies as three special guests join the conversation to share their lived experiences of loss, caregiving, and clinging to faith in the darkest of times.

Through listening to their stories, we're invited into an honest exploration of grief—not as something to be rushed or resolved, but as a place where God’s steafast presence is revealed over time. These moving stories testify to a hope that holds firm even in doubt and a faith anchored in the loving power of Jesus Christ.

(02:10) Purpose of sharing African American women’s faith stories
(08:21) Anger, faith, and God’s provision
(21:32) Peace, grief, and faith over time
(35:12) Long-term suffering and God’s mercy
(48:27) Support, grief, and unmet needs
(54:43) Cultural perspectives on mourning
(1:16:51) Healing, hope, and closing reflections

Follow us on social media and learn more about our Death and Resurrection Doula Training at:

Website: https://laurelnicholson.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-death-resurrection-doula/ 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedeathandresurrectiondoula 

In today's conversation, Laurel is joined by Brittany McCardle, founder of the Biblical Birth School, to explore the shared calling of Christian birth doulas and end-of-life doulas. Together, they reflect on doula care as an act of faithful servanthood—rooted in a biblical vision of life, dignity, and presence from beginning to natural end.

Drawing from the opening chapters of Genesis, Laurel and Brittany discuss how Christian theology shapes our understanding of birth, death, pain, embodiment, and human worth. They also address the growing tension many believers face as doula training programs become increasingly secularized—and in some cases openly hostile to a Christian worldview—creating a need for faith-centered education and clarity of language within the profession.

(01:29) Why birth and death doulas need shared understanding
(06:07) Genesis, theology, and pain in birth
(11:16) Why language and titles matter
(17:47) The value of birth doulas
(26:25) Parallels between birth and death
(31:23) Community discussion and closing prayer

Follow us on social media and learn more about our Death and Resurrection Doula Training at:

Website: https://laurelnicholson.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-death-resurrection-doula/ 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedeathandresurrectiondoula 

In this extended International Fellowship Café conversation, Laurel Nicholson facilitates a global, faith-centered discussion on Medical Aid in Dying (MAID), joined by Megan, a British journalist researching proposed MAID legislation in New York. Participants from the United States, Canada, and Australia bring pastoral, ethical, and deeply personal perspectives shaped by their real-world experiences in end-of-life care. 

Together, the group explores how MAID intersects with Christian beliefs about suffering, dignity, free will, and hope. Several end-of-life doulas and caregivers share firsthand accounts of situations where MAID was offered—or subtly pressured—even when pain was manageable or other supports were available. These stories raise important questions about safeguards and cultural narratives of burden, as well as the growing gaps in caregiving and community support.

Rather than offering a simple conclusion to this complex topic, this discussion aims to emphasize the role of compassionate presence and theological reflection, while affirming the inherent value of every human life.

(00:55) Introducing the topic: Medical Aid in Dying (MAID)
(05:30) Christian perspectives on pain, sovereignty, and care
(13:23) Family conflict and advocacy at end of life
(26:20) The role of death doulas in ethical discernment
(48:48) MAID beyond terminal illness
(53:59) Redefining dignity, worth, and Christian hope

Follow us on social media and learn more about our Death and Resurrection Doula Training at:

Website: https://laurelnicholson.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-death-resurrection-doula/ 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedeathandresurrectiondoula 

Today on The International Fellowship Café Podcast, Laurel is joined by Carole Klinger, CEO and founder of LIFE, a dementia-friendly nonprofit offering free weekly Memory Cafés for people living with dementia and their care partners. Carole shares how the global Dementia Friends movement empowers everyday people to take simple, meaningful action, and how LIFE’s Memory Cafés create welcoming spaces through music, meals, art, routine, and caregiver support.

The conversation also touches on dementia directives and end-of-life wishes, beforfe diving into the real-life tensions families face when navigating care decisions. A Q&A session follows their conversation, offering practical resources for caregivers and community leaders, along with encouragement for those sensing a call to build similar initiatives. 

Discover more about LIFE at https://www.dflife.org/ 

(00:01) Launching the International Fellowship Café vision
(03:49) What Dementia Friends is and why it matters
(09:36) Becoming a Dementia Friends champion
(17:11) Supporting caregivers through weekly community
(31:23) Dementia directives and end-of-life decision challenges
(48:05) Presence, familiarity, and meaningful connection in dementia care
(54:31) Closing encouragement and prayer for communities

Follow us on social media and learn more about our Death and Resurrection Doula Training at:

Website: https://laurelnicholson.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-death-resurrection-doula/ 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedeathandresurrectiondoula 

In this powerful conversation, Laurel sits down with Miles Gloetzner, RN and founder of Inhora Home, a Christian social-model hospice home in downtown Albuquerque. Miles shares his remarkable journey through VA nursing—spanning med-surg, street outreach with homeless veterans, and a season of spiritual restlessness that ultimately led him to answer God’s call to create a home for the dying.

Miles offers an inside look at how Inhora Home serves alongside local hospice agencies by providing what families often long for but cannot offer themselves: a peaceful, home-like setting, 24/7 caregiving, nourishing meals, a chapel, and space for loved ones to remain close—always at no cost to the guest. Together, Miles and Laurel go on to address the growing legalization of medical aid in dying, examining how cultural narratives around autonomy, burden, and suffering contrast with a Christian understanding of dignity and hope rooted in Christ’s death and resurrection.

Discover more about Inhora Home at https://www.inhora.org/ and follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/inhorahome 

(00:03) Introducing Miles and the vision behind Inora Home
(07:32) Reclaiming death as a communal, Christian responsibility
(18:40) Medical Aid in Dying and why Inora stands apart
(35:50) Spiritual warfare, faithfulness, and obedience
(53:01) The best days of life are not to be stolen
(56:59) Guidance for others discerning similar callings

Follow us on social media and learn more about our Death and Resurrection Doula Training at:

Website: https://laurelnicholson.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-death-resurrection-doula/ 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedeathandresurrectiondoula 

In this inspiring conversation, Laurel welcomes Candy McCune—lawyer, Christian conciliator, and family legacy coach—to explore how God uses every chapter of our lives to shape our calling. Candy shares her unexpected journey from law to Christian mediation, revealing how her own seasons of hardship deepened her desire to help others restore relationships and preserve their stories of faith.

Together, Candy and Laurel dive into legacy work as a biblical practice, rooted in Deuteronomy 6’s call to remember God’s faithfulness and “tell your children” what He has done. Candy explains how genealogy and family storytelling opened her eyes to her own spiritual heritage, as well as how she now helps others build a meaningful “digital home” for photos, documents, and memories so future generations can clearly see God’s hand in their family line.

Their conversation extends to reconciliation and the intricacies of navigating estrangement around aging parents, and the unique peacemaking role end-of-life doulas can play, before Candy shares a moving story of accompanying three elderly friends through their final season—an unexpected ministry of presence and hope.

Learn more about Candy, and the work she does, at https://candymccune.com/ 

(00:00) Legacy projects & introducing Candy
(08:10) Leaving litigation for Christian mediation & conciliation
(17:23) Deuteronomy 6 and the biblical vision for legacy
(29:02) Overwhelm, “too much stuff” & building a digital home for memories
(45:41) “Friends forever”: Candy’s hidden doula story
(54:11) First steps: bridging estrangement & starting a legacy project

Follow us on social media and learn more about our Death and Resurrection Doula Training at:

Website: https://laurelnicholson.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-death-resurrection-doula/ 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedeathandresurrectiondoula 

In this illuminating episode, Laurel is joined by Naomi Bjorgan, a licensed midwife, end-of-life doula, and funeral director whose work bridges both the beginning and the end of life. Naomi offers a rare and compassionate look into water cremation (aquamation)—a gentle, eco-conscious alternative to traditional cremation. She shares how her calling in birth work naturally expanded into funeral care, and how her commitment to holistic, family-centered support shapes every step of her practice.

Naomi explains how aquamation works, its environmental benefits, and what families can expect throughout the process before walking listeners through the Aqua Terra facility, highlighting the reverent care given to each person and the meaningful ways families can participate in final rituals.

Learn more about aquamation and Naomi at https://www.adamahlifememorial.com/ and https://www.aquaterracremation.com/

(02:21) “First Breath to Death”: A Dual Calling in Birth and End-of-Life Care
(08:21) Why Water Over Fire: Psychology, Ritual & the Full-Circle Metaphor
(19:19) Full Facility Tour: Equipment, Water Tanks, Dehydrators & Cremulators
(28:16) Q&A: Water Tanks, Co-Mingling Concerns, Bone Consistency & Laws
(55:53) Integrating Christian Doula Work with Community, Church & Calling

Follow us on social media and learn more about our Death and Resurrection Doula Training at:

Website: https://laurelnicholson.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-death-resurrection-doula/ 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedeathandresurrectiondoula 

In today's episode, Laurel is joined by Becky Joosten, one of the first of Laurel's students to train as a Death & Resurrection Doulas, she is also a licensed massage therapist and co-founder of Refiners Gold Ministry with her husband, Larry. Drawing on decades of nursing, inner healing ministry, and hospice work, Becky shares the deeply personal story of her mother’s unexpected injury and resulting ventilator dependence and difficult decisions that followed.

Throughout their conversation, Becky reflects on how God met her family in the midst of their shock and anticipatory grief—bringing reconciliation, courage, and peace as her mother prepared to meet the Lord. She also speaks about grieving with the Holy Spirit, and how hope in Christ’s resurrection transforms the way we face both death and ongoing loss.

(00:00) Introducing Becky and Her Call to End-of-Life Ministry
(04:47) Refiners Gold Ministry and Death & Resurrection Doulas
(19:09) Advanced Directives, Difficult Choices, and God’s Mercy
(23:06) Grieving with the Holy Spirit and Hope Beyond Death
(34:23) Hearing, Music, and Salvific Moments Near Death
(40:11) When Healing Looks Like Death: Young Mothers, Children, and Eternal Perspective

Follow us on social media and learn more about our Death and Resurrection Doula Training at:

Website: https://laurelnicholson.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-death-resurrection-doula/ 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedeathandresurrectiondoula 

Joining Laurel today at the Cafe is her husband, Ed Nicholson, to share a personal case study from Ed’s family that many will find relatable: the tender and often complex journey of supporting an aging parent whose needs gradually increase over time. As Ed and his brothers faced difficult decisions about their mother’s living situation and care needs, Laurel’s guidance as an end-of-life doula provided their family with clarity and steady support.

Together, Laurel and Ed reflect on the practical and emotional steps involved—assessing living conditions, organizing essential documents, exploring care options, initiating hospice when appropriate, and ultimately helping Ed’s mother transition to a setting where she could receive consistent, compassionate support. Their conversation highlights not only the challenges families encounter but also the deep love, respect, and desire to honor a parent’s dignity that motivate each decision.

Follow us on social media and learn more about our Death and Resurrection Doula Training at:

Website: https://laurelnicholson.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedeathandresurrectiondoula/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-death-resurrection-doula/ 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedeathandresurrectiondoula