The Caring Death Doula

Frances
  • 5.0 (2)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE

In a world that rushes past death and ignores grief, The Caring Death Doula stops to listen with tenderness, truth, and time.  Whether you are grieving right now or here to learn how to help those grieving, join your host, Frances, a certified grief educator on the journey of finding connection, conversations, and comfort. Let's make grief and death a natural part of our conversations.

  1. 2D AGO

    When Grief On The Page Feels Too Real

    In this episode, I discuss how a book  can be something we look forward to until it suddenly feels like a mirror. I sit down ready to gather grief resources and instead I’m stopped cold by a story that’s too close to home. With my brother-in-law’s death still fresh, the rawness on the page makes me close the cover and cry. And, I have to admit what so many of us think but rarely say out loud: I want support, not a wave that pulls me under. Next I share how I trya second book, hoping for inspiration and motivation, and I run into the same wall.  That becomes the turning point, not because reading is bad, but because grief is honest. We can learn from stories and still set boundaries with them. We can look for inspiration & help after loss without forcing ourselves to absorb more pain than we can carry today. And we can release the guilt and shame that tell us tears are something to hide. From there, I share my own written reflections about the changes and reality of our life. It isn’t a perfectly controlled schedule or environment . It’s life. Messy. Real. Not perfect. Not planned.  As the ground  of our life path shifts, we have the confidence that we will keep our existence, our balence amongst life’s reality.  That we will get up and keep going. It’s resting, working, crying, and laughing again. Letting joy and sorrow coexist in the same memory.  I close with a gentle, practical grounding exercise: breathe, notice the sounds around you, see the colors in front of you, and remember you are not alone. If you needed a quiet place to land today, press play.  Subscribe, share with someone who’s grieving, and leave a review so more people can find this kind of grief support.  And if feels okay to do so, leave me a message on what helps you breathe when life or grief feels unbearable? With care,  Frances, The Caring Death Doula Click here to send me a text. I would love to hear from you your thoughts on this episode. Sign up for my newsletter, ask questions, and get responses via Email: thecaringdeathdoula@gmail.com Follow on FB The Caring Death Doula https://www.facebook.com/share/1CUfH9Kek6/?mibextid=wwXIfr IG The_Caring_Death_Doula https://www.instagram.com/the_caring_death_doula?igsh=MXdjOTF3MWo2a3RpYw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

    10 min

  2. 5D AGO

    Grief and a Birthday

    A birthday can be a celebration and a gut punch at the same time, especially when it arrives only weeks after a funeral.  Today I’m holding space for my brother in law’s family and anyone staring down a hard date: your loved one’s birthday, an anniversary, the first holidays, or even a small tradition like “the day the pond opens” that used to belong to someone you love.  These milestones don’t just bring sadness. They bring memory, meaning, and the reality that life keeps moving even when your heart is still catching up. In this episode, we talk honestly about why the first year of bereavement can feel numb, and why the second year of grief can sometimes hurt more as you become more aware and active in daily life again.  I share a simple message that can change everything: you’re allowed to grieve exactly as you are. Cry if the tears come. Scroll the photos. Tell the stories. Gather with family and celebrate the life your person lived. Or keep it quiet and private if that’s what you need. This is your grief, your way, and in your timing.  We also name the pressure that makes grief heavier, like people saying it’s time to “get over it” or insisting your loved one “wouldn’t want this.” I offer a kinder path: give yourself grace, set boundaries when you need to, and remember that many people struggle around death because they were never taught how to show up for grievers.  If you’re looking for grief support,  and a reminder that love and the sorrow of loss can be carried together, press play.  If this helped, subscribe, share it with someone facing a hard date, and leave a review so more people can find it. And always remember, you don’t need to walk this alone. I  am The Caring Death Doula, and I am here for you.  Let’s change the way we talk, live, and support grief.  Click here to send me a text. I would love to hear from you your thoughts on this episode. Sign up for my newsletter, ask questions, and get responses via Email: thecaringdeathdoula@gmail.com Follow on FB The Caring Death Doula https://www.facebook.com/share/1CUfH9Kek6/?mibextid=wwXIfr IG The_Caring_Death_Doula https://www.instagram.com/the_caring_death_doula?igsh=MXdjOTF3MWo2a3RpYw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

    9 min

  3. MAR 9

    Grace In Grief: Choosing Rest, Choosing Connection

    Ever have a day where your heart says not tonight and the world keeps asking anyway? We start right there—at the honest edge of not wanting to show up—and talk about how grief reshapes energy, attention, and appetite for connection. Frances, the Caring Death Doula, invites us to treat that resistance as information, not failure, and to claim the small, life-giving boundary of no when our bodies ask for quiet. From that grounded place, we explore the tender middle ground where connection can help without forcing anything. You’ll hear why choosing rest is not avoidance, how to listen for the moments when a gentle voice or a short check-in might ease the ache, and why you are not broken for needing fewer plans and more pauses. The conversation anchors in practical, compassionate grief support: normalize fluctuating capacity, and  trade productivity for presence. We also lay out a calm, focused plan for March: curating grief and death resources so you don’t have to sift through noise when you’re already tired. Take what fits and leave the rest. Expect thoughtful recommendations from podcasts and books that speak plainly about loss, hold space for sorrow and joy, and offer language for the love that remains. Frances shares gratitude for the steady listeners who make this a living circle—proof that showing up can be as small as pressing play and as deep as being seen. If you’re carrying a heavy day, take the permission slip here. If you’re ready for a little company, we saved you a seat. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs a softer pace, and leave a review to tell us what kinds of grief resources would support you next. Click here to send me a text. I would love to hear from you your thoughts on this episode. Sign up for my newsletter, ask questions, and get responses via Email: thecaringdeathdoula@gmail.com Follow on FB The Caring Death Doula https://www.facebook.com/share/1CUfH9Kek6/?mibextid=wwXIfr IG The_Caring_Death_Doula https://www.instagram.com/the_caring_death_doula?igsh=MXdjOTF3MWo2a3RpYw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

    7 min

  4. FEB 23

    When Grief Knocks You Sideways

    Grief doesn’t ask if you’re ready. It arrives and sometimes it knocks you flat.  In this episode, I open up about the death of my brother‑in‑law and how the shock unsettled not just my thoughts but my body, even with years of training as a grief educator and death doula. The point isn’t to prove we’re strong; it’s to learn how to be gentle with ourselves when grief hits. I share practical ways to create pockets of safety: a few minutes of sunlight on your face or  a  cup of hot tea.  We also reframe crying as a powerful, biological reset rather than a loss of control. If tears don’t come easily, try a movie that loosens the valve. If tears do come, drop the reflex to stop them or to apologize. Never be ashamed of your tears.  Another thread runs through the caregiver’s dilemma: when you’re the one holding space, what happens when the loss is in your own family? I talk about the surprise I felt about being hit so hard with grief and how strong the fear was. Sometimes we need to step back from being “the strong one.”  Mixed emotions belong here too—joy and sorrow can live in the same breath, the same photo, the same memory.  You are not broken, and you don’t need fixing.  If this lands with you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs permission to feel, and leave a review so more people can find support when the waves hit.  Click here to send me a text. I would love to hear from you your thoughts on this episode. Sign up for my newsletter, ask questions, and get responses via Email: thecaringdeathdoula@gmail.com Follow on FB The Caring Death Doula https://www.facebook.com/share/1CUfH9Kek6/?mibextid=wwXIfr IG The_Caring_Death_Doula https://www.instagram.com/the_caring_death_doula?igsh=MXdjOTF3MWo2a3RpYw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

    9 min

  5. FEB 19

    Fifty Episodes, Zero Rules For Grief

    Plans unraveled, but the heart of our work held steady. We set out to share the origin story behind “the caring death doula” for a milestone 50th episode and ran into tech roadblocks—so we did what grief teaches best: we stayed present. This conversation leans into honesty, gratitude, and the quiet courage it takes to feel what you feel without apology. Together, we name the messy middle of loss—anger at choices a loved one made, numbness that flattens the day, the waves that crash when you least expect them. There are no stages to pass, no finish line to cross. Grief is love learning a new shape, and that learning is allowed to be imperfect. We also discussed the importance of raising our children to see death as part of life; of teaching them to understand the fragility of life.  If you’ve been with us from the start or you’re pressing play for the first time, you’ll find permission here—permission to feel, to pause, and to come back when you’re ready. If this conversation meets you where you are, subscribe, share it with someone who needs gentle company today, and leave a review to help others find a safe place to land. And always remember I am Frances, The Caring Death Doula, and I am here for you.  Click here to send me a text. I would love to hear from you your thoughts on this episode. Sign up for my newsletter, ask questions, and get responses via Email: thecaringdeathdoula@gmail.com Follow on FB The Caring Death Doula https://www.facebook.com/share/1CUfH9Kek6/?mibextid=wwXIfr IG The_Caring_Death_Doula https://www.instagram.com/the_caring_death_doula?igsh=MXdjOTF3MWo2a3RpYw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

    8 min

  6. FEB 16

    Why “I’m Sorry For Your Loss” Still Matters

    In this episode, Frances, The Caring Death Doula, pushes back on grief-shaming and makes the case that a simple “I’m sorry for your loss” is better than nothing. Frances shares how to move from polite words to real presence, and how to invite stories, hold tears, and build a culture of support without perfection. • why simple condolences still matter • how not reaching out deepens isolation • presence over fixing as the core skill • questions that honor the loved one • learning grief skills we were never taught • moving beyond scripts without shaming others • practical ways to check in after the funeral • choosing connection over perfection If this episode touches you, please let me know. Leave a review and share so others can find the support they need either in their time of grief or in supporting someone who is grieving.  Click here to send me a text. I would love to hear from you your thoughts on this episode. Sign up for my newsletter, ask questions, and get responses via Email: thecaringdeathdoula@gmail.com Follow on FB The Caring Death Doula https://www.facebook.com/share/1CUfH9Kek6/?mibextid=wwXIfr IG The_Caring_Death_Doula https://www.instagram.com/the_caring_death_doula?igsh=MXdjOTF3MWo2a3RpYw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

    17 min

  7. FEB 12

    The Numbness of Grief

    In this episode, your host, Frances, shares raw moments after two funerals and the quiet that followed. She names the numbness of early grief and the strength in saying “I’m not okay.”  She offers  encouragement to rest or to return to routine, and permission to reject timelines. • fresh grief after family losses • numb days and decision fatigue • permission to rest without guilt • returning to routine when ready • waves of grief without timelines • no judgment for how you grieve • holding space and reaching out You can always reach out to me. The Caring Death Doula Click here to send me a text. I would love to hear from you your thoughts on this episode. Sign up for my newsletter, ask questions, and get responses via Email: thecaringdeathdoula@gmail.com Follow on FB The Caring Death Doula https://www.facebook.com/share/1CUfH9Kek6/?mibextid=wwXIfr IG The_Caring_Death_Doula https://www.instagram.com/the_caring_death_doula?igsh=MXdjOTF3MWo2a3RpYw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

    11 min

  8. FEB 12

    Grief of Two Funerals in Four Days

    Grief doesn’t follow rules, and it may sometimes not even arrive one loss at a time.  This week, your host, Frances, shares a raw, intimate account of attending two funerals in four days while holding the quieter ache of a father whose memory feels too easy for others to forget. The contrast is striking: the shock and numbness surrounding a brother‑in‑law’s passing versus the slow, complicated sorrow of a parent you loved but didn’t fully know. That tension opens a compassionate space for anyone who has ever wondered if their grief “counts” when the relationship was distant, uneven, or misunderstood. We move from story to structure, noticing the parts of a service that either comfort or create friction: the flow of the ceremony, the choices made by clergy, and the unseen labor of funeral home staff. Those details become prompts to prepare—clarifying wishes, organizing documents, and making sure loved ones aren’t left to guess under stress. Planning is framed not as morbid, but as mercy: a gift to the people who will one day need clarity, calm, and care. The conversation also challenges workplace norms. When a daughter returns to work the day after a funeral, it exposes how narrow bereavement expectations can be.   And throughout, we honor the many valid ways to mourn: photo albums and stories, quiet rooms and small circles, laughter among grandkids, or simple silence. For those who feel like the only ones left to speak a loved one’s name, Frances offers a steady hand—say the name, share the memory, keep the thread. If this resonates, share it with someone who needs permission to grieve at their own pace- to grieve outloud in their own way.  Subscribe for future episodes, leave a review to help others find this space, and share : whose name are you keeping alive today? Click here to send me a text. I would love to hear from you your thoughts on this episode. Sign up for my newsletter, ask questions, and get responses via Email: thecaringdeathdoula@gmail.com Follow on FB The Caring Death Doula https://www.facebook.com/share/1CUfH9Kek6/?mibextid=wwXIfr IG The_Caring_Death_Doula https://www.instagram.com/the_caring_death_doula?igsh=MXdjOTF3MWo2a3RpYw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

    13 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

In a world that rushes past death and ignores grief, The Caring Death Doula stops to listen with tenderness, truth, and time.  Whether you are grieving right now or here to learn how to help those grieving, join your host, Frances, a certified grief educator on the journey of finding connection, conversations, and comfort. Let's make grief and death a natural part of our conversations.

Information

  • Creator
    Frances
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    54
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Caring Death Doula
  • Show Website
    The Caring Death Doula