Learn why community is important for all of us as we work to improve the end of life in our society.

Today I’m welcoming two guests to the podcast: Jo-Anne Haun and Karen Hendrickson who are the co-founders of the Death Doula Network of BC. Jo-Anne is a professional end-of-life doula, hospice volunteer, and therapy clown. Karen is a professional coach, a licensed Willow EOL Educator™, and end-of-life doula. They share their experiences in creating an online community for death doulas, why it’s important that we form collaborative networks right now, and how everyone benefits when we work together. Learn more at their website:
This episode includes:
- Why Jo-Anne and Karen decided to create DDNBC
- How the pandemic helped inspire this online network
- How facing death can help us truly find quality in life
- Why preparing in advance can help us cope with a terminal diagnosis
- The value of humor to help us shift energy and cope with difficult situations
- Why the role of the death doula is essential at this time in our history to fill in gaps in end-of-life care
- Doula communities allow creative potential to arise for each individual and foster collaboration
- The need for community-wide education about loss and end-of-life issues
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Email DDNBC for information: jo-anne@ddnbc.com
- Previous episodes about community: Peaceful Presence Project ; How to Find Community
- Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
- Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
- Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
- Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
- Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
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