About Me
I am Death Doula. I am here to hold space, guide, empower and support those that are dying and those that surround the dying. I am a gifted listener, empath, intuitive and connect deeply and purposely with other humans. My strength of communication serves to build a bridge to allow discussion about death and dying.
Whether you have been given a “projected time of death” or you have never even thought about death, working with me will improve how you approach life.
I get asked all the time…
“Why do you want to work with death?”
The simple answer…
“To allow you to live life, fully.”
Death is the great equalizer. Not talking about death isn’t going to stop it. Our body knows how to die, it is the mind that tells us “death is later, you don’t have to worry about that right now.” The last gift we can give those that we leave behind is having a plan in place.
My journey of embracing death doesn’t come from a traumatic event. It isn’t founded in deep grief. It is an accumulation of 50+ years of living life and the experiences with death that have befriended me along the way. My personal life has found death among family and friends. Many deaths have been prolonged and “expected” and others have been sudden and surprising. I have been blessed to sit vigil with family and friends as they have died. I have been an advocate to ensure that people’s deaths are peaceful and supported as per their wishes. Professionally, in 30 years as a speech/swallowing pathologist, across acute care hospitals, cancer centers and hospice I have repeatedly watched death happen regardless of how hard people tried to stop it. I have seen so much extra pain around death that could be avoided if the conversations surrounding it were started earlier—before the sudden illness or injury—when we are “healthy” and “fine.”
My additional training includes Death Doula training with Going with Grace completed in February 2021 & in March of 2021 I completed National End of Life Doula Alliance Proficiency. In August 2022, I completed David Kessler’s Certified Grief Educator program.
I am a life-long Arizona resident. My soulmate, Shawn, has supported me along our journey of raising two children who have grown and flown the nest. We have also brought the world to us over the years with hosting 10+ foreign exchange students, teenagers—there are a bundle of life lessons there.
I look forward to meeting you, hearing your story and helping you create comfort in a death plan so that you can live fully.
In Loving Kindness,
Keri Winchester
