The Death & Resurrection Doula Podcast

https://deathandresurrectiondoula.com
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Welcome to The Death & Resurrection Doula Podcast, a space where faith, theology, and end-of-life care meet in the form of compassionate, hope-filled conversation.  Hosted by Christian End-of-Life Doula Practitioner and Theologian Laurel Nicholson, this podcast serves as an invitation to explore the sacred realities of death and our resurrection into eternal life through the power of Jesus Christ. Each episode offers thoughtful reflection and meaningful dialogue—whether through rich theological insights, heartfelt discussions with those serving within and around end-of-life care, or with shared moments drawn from our live fellowship community. All are united by a single purpose: to remove the taboo surrounding death and to proclaim the joy of returning home to spend eternity with our loving God.     Visit https://deathandresurrectiondoula.com/ for more information and to register for training.

  1. FEB 10

    When Care Becomes Calling

    In this deeply personal episode, Laurel Nicholson is joined by her husband, Ed Nicholson, to share the story of Ed’s mother’s end-of-life journey—a path marked by complexity, faith, and ultimately, peace. Laurel reflects on her unique role as both a Christian end-of-life doula supporting Ed’s family and later, as his wife, offering a rare and honest look at how professional care intersects with family responsibility. Together, Laurel and Ed recount the realities many families face: caring for a loved one with advancing dementia while navigating their unsafe living conditions and coordinating care across long distances. They discuss how early doula involvement helped bring clarity, both with practical matters as well as through the emotional turmoil of caring for a loved one. As the conversation unfolds, Laurel and Ed speak candidly about the ethical concerns and resulting emotional exhaustion and fear that families often carry when approaching end-of-life care. This episode stands as both a testimony and an invitation—encouraging listeners to seek support early and find comfort that in Christ, death does not have the final word.(00:00) Introducing a Sacred Family Story and God’s Faithfulness (05:39) What an End-of-Life Doula Provides Before Crisis Hits (11:37) The Hidden Burdens of Caregiving and Daily Realities (17:57) Moving Across States and the Complexities of Memory Care (33:28) Finding Unexpected Compassion in a State-Focused Facility (37:16) Hospice, Ethical Questions, and Letting Go with Trust (44:48) A Peaceful Passing, Music, and Final GoodbyesFollow us on social media and learn more about our Death and Resurrection Doula Training at: Website: https://deathandresurrectiondoula.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

    56 min

  2. JAN 28

    You’re Not Meant to Walk Alone

    In today's episode, Laurel Nicholson is joined by her friend and colleague Matthew Currin, CEO and founder of Convene Communities, for a conversation about resilience and the communities that people truly need when life hits a rough patch. Matt shares his remarkable background as a pilot across a variety of exciting fields—but explains why his deepest calling has always been convening people around shared stories. He reflects on the defining loss that shaped Convene’s vision, the tragic death of his close friend in a helicopter crash, and how this devastating event eventually grew into his broader mission of helping people find connection and support through life’s hardest seasons. Throughout their discussion, Laurel and Matt explore the difference between offering information and building genuine community—especially in contexts surrounding caregiving, family dynamics and end-of-life preparation. This episode offers encouragement for anyone navigating hardship, reminding listeners that their story matters and that no one has to carry the weight of hardship alone.(00:00) Welcome and Introducing Matthew Currin and Convene Communities(02:52) Loss, Grief, and the Birth of Convene(07:05) From Aviation to Everyday Life(11:27) How Laurel and Matt Met and Why the Mission Aligned(12:54) Building a Christian Doula Community That Lasts(28:58) Matt’s Cancer Diagnosis and Facing the Unknown(38:33) Choosing Hope, Purpose, and Perseverance(39:25) Don’t Give Up on Your StoryFollow us on social media and learn more about our Death and Resurrection Doula Training at: Website: https://deathandresurrectiondoula.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

    41 min

  3. 12/20/2025

    Commissioned to Serve: the First Annual Certificate Celebration

    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 commissioningFollow 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

    1h 4m

  4. 12/19/2025

    Faith That Endures

    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 reflectionsFollow 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

    1h 18m

  5. 12/18/2025

    From Womb to Tomb: A Christian Vision for Doula Care

    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 prayerFollow 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

    57 min

  6. 12/17/2025

    The MAID Roundtable: A Global Christian Conversation

    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 hopeFollow 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

    1h 19m

  7. 12/16/2025

    Memory Cafés, Caregivers, and the Power of Community

    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 communitiesFollow 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

    58 min

  8. 12/15/2025

    Sacred Hospitality at the End-of-Life

    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 callingsFollow 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

    1h 4m
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About

Welcome to The Death & Resurrection Doula Podcast, a space where faith, theology, and end-of-life care meet in the form of compassionate, hope-filled conversation.  Hosted by Christian End-of-Life Doula Practitioner and Theologian Laurel Nicholson, this podcast serves as an invitation to explore the sacred realities of death and our resurrection into eternal life through the power of Jesus Christ. Each episode offers thoughtful reflection and meaningful dialogue—whether through rich theological insights, heartfelt discussions with those serving within and around end-of-life care, or with shared moments drawn from our live fellowship community. All are united by a single purpose: to remove the taboo surrounding death and to proclaim the joy of returning home to spend eternity with our loving God.     Visit https://deathandresurrectiondoula.com/ for more information and to register for training.

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