Many of you who have had children had a birth doula. If you didn’t have a birth doula or haven’t had a child, you probably have a rough idea of what a birth doula is and what they do. But… have you ever heard of a death doula?

I can roughly trace back my first exposure to death doulas around 2011, a sophomore in high school writing a discursive essay on physician assisted death, but that’s about it. It was one of those days where you’re doing nothing important, washing the dishes, folding laundry, that a random memory pops up out of nowhere that I suddenly remembered “Oh! Death doulas! I want to meet one.” I did a quick Instagram search of the term death doula, didn’t find many, but did find Hannah Elder, an LA-based death doula, yoga instructor, and actor.

Today, you’ll be lucky enough to hear from her. She’s delightful, endearing, well-read, wise, multifaceted, and deeply relatable. We get to talk all about how she first became exposed to death doula work, what inspired her to pursue it as a career, and candid discussions on the role death doulas play, mortality, end of life care, and ways to become more comfortable with these discussions.

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Still Here by Ram Dass

Die Wise by Stephen Jenkinson

Being with Dying by Joan Halifax

A Year to Live by Steven Levine

A Beginner’s Guide to the End by BJ Miller + Shoshana Berger

Hannah Elder Website

Hannah Elder Instagram

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