End-of-Life & Death Doula Services
From birth to death, we continue to SHED®. Shedding is continual process of letting go of the old, and taking on the new.
At Birth, it’s our umbilical cord that is SHED to give us LIFE.
At Death, it’s transformational SHEDDING of our bodies.
Throughout life we go through a lot of attachments and detachments, not the physical ones like birth and death, but they are emotional ones. Your ability to deal with life’s detachments is about obtaining peace and happiness.
Kathy B Dempsey
Photo taken by Kathy Dempsey, 2008, Wisconsin
What is a Death Doula?
Death Doulas, much like Birth Doulas at the beginning of life, provide non-medical emotional, practical, spiritual, and compassionate support during one of life’s most important transitions.
Simply put, a Death Doula helps people prepare for death by helping them live more fully today.
Less than 30% of adults complete end-of-life planning, leaving families overwhelmed, uncertain, and often forced to make difficult decisions during times of crisis.
As a trained Death Doula through the Omega Institute, former ER trauma nurse, healthcare executive, educator, and lifelong student of change and transitions, Kathy Dempsey brings a unique combination of medical experience, emotional support, practical guidance, and grounded compassion to this sacred work.
A Death Doula does not replace physicians, hospice teams, nurses, clergy, therapists, or family members.
Instead, Kathy’s role is to help individuals and families embrace each day more intentionally, strengthen meaningful connections, and live more fully, because You Die Well By Living Well Today.
How We can Support You
- Speaking Programs, Workshops & Retreats
- Life Transition Coaching
- End-of-Life Planning & Guidance
- Living Funerals & Celebrations of Life
- Legacy Projects & Meaningful Conversations
- Life Review & Reflection
- Family Meetings, Mediation & Advocacy
- After-Death Planning & Practical Support
- Grief, Loss & Transition Support
“Death is an integral part of life, as natural and predictable as being born,”
Elizabeth Kubler Ross, MD
PODCAST – “Your Clock is Ticking: Are You Ready?” COMING SOON!
“Your Clock is Ticking: Are You Ready?” is a lively yet insightful podcast hosted by two humorous death doulas, Kim and Kathy. With wit and wisdom, they help listeners face the reality of life’s inevitable end—whether it’s expected or not. Each episode dives into the practical and emotional aspects of end-of-life planning, offering candid conversations and light-hearted advice to make sure you’re not only prepared but at peace with what’s to come. It’s time to stop avoiding the clock and start embracing life while preparing for its finale!
Kathy B Dempsey, RN, MED, CSP, didn’t expect to get her “death sentence” at 25 years old. But being diagnosised as the first healthcare worker in the country to test HIV positive, she learned, even as a ER trauma nurse, she was not prepared to die. Kathy is a keynote speaker, award winning author (8 books) who helps people of all ages with change and transitions. With Lenny the Lizard, the powerful metaphor that reminds people to SHED, their mantra is, From birth to death we continually let go of the old and take on the new. Kathy did her master’s thesis on Death & Dying and has been helping thousands of people SHED for over 30 years. She is also a Death Doula and took her training at the world renowned Omega Institute in New York.
Dr. Kimberly Harms has been around the block in life. She has served as a Commissioned Officer in the United States Public Health Service, a dental school professor, a grief counselor, a death doula, a civil mediator, a clinical dentist with her late husband Jim in Farmington MN, a school board Chair, President of an international women’s organization, the first woman President of the Minnesota Dental Association, a National Spokesperson for the American Dental Association (21 years), an award-winning, best selling author and international speaker on the topics of grief, conflict and legacy planning. She has also suffered many personal losses, including the deaths by suicide of her mother and son and the death by broken heart of her husband after their son’s death. Her most important role now is mother to her two surviving children and grandmother to 6 precious grandchildren.
Ever thought about having a LIVE FUNERAL?
Ron Black requested a LIVE FUNERAL before he died on May 12, 2013, at Hospice of the Valley, Scottsdale, AZ.
