End of Life Training Student Guides

The Going with Grace Student Guides are End of Life Training graduates that have been carefully selected to support students in their group training. They create an added layer of engagement, intimacy, and connection throughout the course by leading bi-monthly small group discussions with students.

Meet our April 2022 End of Life Training Students Guides!

Jennifer Owens (she/her)

Bio

January 2021 – Round 9 End of Life Training Program Alumni
June 2021 – Round 11 End of Life Training Student Guide

Jennifer Owens is the founder of From Butterflies to Angels where she assists families with end-of-life education and planning, acting as a death midwife and care companion. She is active duty military with 20 years of service in the US Navy and will retire in 2023 giving her 22 years of service. She has an AA in Liberal Art and Business Management and is working towards her BS in Sociology.

She recently became an ordained minister and has hopes of assisting families in less expensive home ceremonies, bringing the caring for our dying loved ones back into the family and the home. Speaking about the importance of planning at military pre-deployment briefs and volunteering for two hospice programs are just a few of the ways she chooses to spend her spare time. Additionally, she is the wife of a retired US Marine and mother to a 15-year-old daughter, 2-year-old son, as well as two angel babies.

Website
Instagram

What led you to enroll in the GWG End of Life training program?

In 2008 I lost a pregnancy at 22 weeks gestation and in 2013 I lost my preemie daughter Lyric. That’s what really got me wanting to help others who had lost children. Back then there weren’t as many resources or things available via google and people would kind of shy away when I talked about death and kids. I took a step back and busied myself with other things. Years down the line, believe it or not, I kept having dreams about the phrase death doula. One day the word got so loud that I couldn’t ignore them. I did some asking around and was referred to a video of Alua talking about what she does and how she became a death doula. Her video solidified the fact that this is what I was trying to do and have been called to do all along.

What was your experience like as a student?

My experience as a student was amazing. I learned so much from so many different perspectives too. I really feel like it gave me the foundation to become a well-rounded Death Doula and to serve my clients in the capacity that I do today. I have also formed genuine relationships with some of the students that were in my cohort. We still chat on and off occasionally.

What would you tell someone who is interested in the program?

Do it! Even if you are planning on doing this as a career, do it. You get so much valuable information. You learn what you need to do for yourself and your loved ones. You can be a voice for others or just share the information that you have. You’d be surprised about how many people really want to talk about death or start planning but have no idea where to begin.

Why did you want to participate as a Student Guide?

I agreed to participate because I believe this work is so important! Helping people hold space for death conversations is in my bones. To put it simply, I love it!

Kit Tuck (they/them)

Bio

March 2021 – Round 10 End of Life Training Alumni
August 2021 – Round 12 End of Life Training Student Guide

My name is Christopher but you can call me Kit. I am an artist and death doula living in Northern Colorado, and I seek to help people express and celebrate their authenticity in life and death.

Website
Instagram

What led you to enroll in the GWG End of Life training program?

I had been engaged with the spiritual aspects of death and dying before enrolling in the Going With Grace training, but after the deaths of my parents, I wanted to expand my practices into the practical areas of life. I realized the importance of planning and conscious dying played in the lives of the dying and the people around them. I wanted to help people find ease and grace in their dying process by having all of the practical affairs taken care of so they could focus on their experience with their death.

What was your experience like as a student?

I had a wonderful time in both the EOLT and EVOLVE programs. They taught me how to take the concept of a “good death” and take it into my community to create conversation and change our concepts of death.

What would you tell someone who is interested in the program?

Do it. Not only will it change your concept of dying and the role of death in our communities, but it will also change the way you and others around you live knowing that you will die.

Why did you want to participate as a Student Guide?

Being a Student Guide means I get to participate in the conversation that is growing around death and end-of-life training. I get to watch people grow in their journeys and relationship with death and how they support their own communities in their death studies.

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Avril Carr (she/her)

Bio

June 2020 – Round 7 End of Life Training Alumni
June 2021 – Round 11 End of Life Training Student Guide

Avril Carr has been living in Abu Dhabi for a decade and has worked there as an English teacher. Additionally, she is a Birth Doula, Hypnobirthing Teacher, Breast/Chestfeeding Supporter, Baby Yoga & Massage teacher, Baby & Toddler Sleep Coach and a Death in Early Life Doula. She is from Co Donegal in the North West of Ireland. She is mother to Cara Bella and wife to Michael. After 8 IVF treatments, she is somewhat of an infertility warrior. She is learning guitar and Italian, slowly. But slow progress IS progress.

What led you to enroll in the GWG End of Life training program?

I know there is so much peace that can be harnessed through preparation. I want everyone to enjoy that sense of ‘having your homework done’. Death is explorable. I came face to face with my own mortality when my daughter was born and that was the catalyst for enrolling in this course. I had such a strong reaction to my own mortality that I knew it needed further investigation.

What was your experience like as a student?

It was wonderful, enlightening, fear-eradicating/reducing, fun, celebratory, unique, unforgettable …

What would you tell someone who is interested in the program?

Like Nike said, Just do it! You will never find a better course.

Why did you want to participate as a Student Guide?

I just want as much contact with Going with Grace as possible. It’s my magnet. I learn so much there and I feel at home there and I want to meet you all and go drinking (Irish style!) Alsooooo, I want to guide students through this unique and special training. I am very good at building brave containers and I feel like that is half the work. Once the container is set, it is easier for conversation and emotions to flow. I can react competently to any event that may happen (tears, anger, regret, hostility) I am very good at loosening situations so that validation and learning can happen still.

Monica O'Connell (she/her)

Bio

August 2021 – Round 12 End of Life Training Alumni

I am a cake-obsessed baker, doula, and writer interested in Black women’s ritual and modes of care work.

Instagram

What led you to enroll in the GWG End of Life training program?

I wanted a closer (self-defined) relationship with death and I wanted to learn to care for the dying and grieving in a way that reflects the belief that a self-determined good death is a human rights issue.

What was your experience like as a student?

The coursework was excellent but really it was the experiential element that was the foundation of the course for me: the holding and being held in such a safe and honest space was the “show, don’t tell” that made this course so special.

What would you tell someone who is interested in the program?

That even if they don’t go into formal death work, the investment is worth it because there are endless ways the knowledge applies: everybody dies AND the shift in your relationship to death sharpens and recalibrates everything about how we live.

Why did you want to participate as a Student Guide?

The “subject” is deep and layered. I know I will learn even more–about issues but also about how to hold compassionate and non-judgmental space. Plus, I think people attracted to this are really special–I want to meet more of us!

Rel Brender (they/them)

Bio

August 2020 – Round 8 End of Life Training Alumni

I am a queer, disabled, Jewish lapsed farmer/earth-worker, ancestral ritual candlemaker, and novice Death Doula. I would consider myself a balaboosta, a yiddish term for a femme who thrives in the domestic sphere. I am a learner and a mistake-maker. I love to cook meals with local ingredients, watch movies, read, hike, bike, and swim (in the warmer months!). I am in the process of weaving a robustly-skilled community for the end times and hope to share land and family with many loved ones later in my life.

Website
Instagram

What led you to enroll in the GWG End of Life training program?

I watched my mom and sister-in-law struggle to take care of aging loved ones at the end of their lives and felt there had to be a better way. I am also weaving community for the end-times and noticed a huge lack of wisdom in my community & myself around elder, end of life & grief care. It’s important to me that I can provide my community with both ancestral wisdom and technical skills where there is a gap in knowledge. Also- I think end-of-life care can teach me a lot of important interpersonal lessons that I need to learn for all of my relationships.

What was your experience like as a student?

The EOLT program revived my spirit at a time when I desperately needed it. The lessons I’ve learned and community I’ve grown have continued to give me life every day. I have no idea what my “career” will be, but I have no doubt that the EOLT program will inform my life, vocation, and relationships forever.

What would you tell someone who is interested in the program?

Right off the bat: the course changed my life for the better more than I can explain. It gave me so much life and meaning at a time when I was really lacking both those things. I had no prior experience with death work outside of informal grief support for loved ones (and myself), and I felt the course was really comprehensive and non-intimidating for an absolute novice/beginner like myself. Alua is….. brilliant beyond brilliant. She has a true gift when it comes to leading and teaching with vulnerable authenticity, connection at the core of each interaction, and compassionate honesty. Getting to rub virtual shoulders with her continues to serve me as I deepen into the work.

From a logistical perspective, I felt the way the digital course was organized was *extremely* effective for my learning style. I did group study, so I met with a small group of students & the large group of the whole course every other week for one hour (which is a very manageable amount of time for me to be on Zoom. Plus, no breakout groups, which is my strong preference), and each week there is a new module of coursework released on the platform. The modules include mostly videos, and very little reading, which also really worked for me as I could dip candles while listening or watching. I enjoyed every piece of learning and the approach that was taken in the lessons.

Why did you want to participate as a Student Guide?

Because I want to deepen my studies, grow relationships with other doulas, serve GwG because it has given me so much, and hopefully deepen my relationships with seasoned end-of-life workers.

Erica Reid Gerdes (she/her)

Bio

January 2021 – Round 9 End of Life Training Alumni

Erica Noelle Reid Gerdes (ENRG) is a death doula and wedding officiant living in Chicago. Originally from Mississippi, for over 22 years she has worked as a comedian, dancer, choreographer, and producer for hundreds of live stage and television shows and is currently the DJ of She’s Crafty, Chicago’s all-female Beastie Boys Tribute (shescraftychi.com). In this current phase of her life, she is devouring oodles of continuing education including grief and death work, Yoga Nidra, and any book she can get her hands on. Erica loves live music, coffee, her 3 cats–Waffle, Turnip, and Jan– and her husband Fuzzy.

What led you to enroll in the GWG End of Life training program?

The loss of my father to cancer in December of 2007 changed how I view everything in life. Since then, I have tried to normalize talking about grief and loss and death and all that comes with it as much as possible. In the time since then, I have had the honor of supporting many friends through cancer treatment in addition to being a long-distance caregiver to my mother, and I decided that I wanted and needed to take the next step to help support folks who interact with death, ie: everyone. I was looking into many different training programs, but none of them felt like the right fit until I found the GWG program. Alua’s vibrancy, energy, and warmth made the GWG training a no-brainer to me, and I applied immediately. The training was literally life changing for me.

What was your experience like as a student?

I loved the program and felt especially blessed to be grouped with the people in my cohort. We formed super special bonds that I cherish every day, and those people now forever hold a place in my heart.

What would you tell someone who is interested in the program?

Listen to your heart and your gut–they know how to guide you.

Why did you want to participate as a Student Guide?

I love love love seeing others succeed, and I really love encouraging people however I can.

Patrice Dwyer (she/her)

Bio

August 2021 – Round 12 End of Life Training Alumni

Patrice Dwyer is a Holistic Multipotentialite, Community Builder & Life Lover with over 19 years experience, literally touching lives as a body worker and energy healer. She is also a Certified Lymphedema Therapist, Cancer Coach, Patient Navigator & Psychedelic Guide. Described as a Transformation Therapist, accompanying many on their journey to healing and lifestyle transformation, she is passionate about promoting efficient, quality care for all, reminding her clients that “You are your greatest health advocate”. In 2021 she completed training as a Death Doula & End of Life Planner and is currently involved in projects & research utilizing psilocybin to aid grieving parents, as well as persons facing burnout, serious diagnosis & end of life. She is the newly published author of “It’s Your Life – Care Directive & Transition Plan”, a guide providing individuals with the necessary tools to not just make informed decisions about their health, but to act on them.

Website
Instagram

What led you to enroll in the GWG End of Life training program?

As an advocate for palliative care, I am always seeking ways to improve support services for people facing serious illness and death. I enrolled in the Going With Grace Training to have a more holistic understanding of what it means to support persons who are dying, as well as gain more tools to educate my community and ultimately normalize conversations on planning for serious illness and death.

What was your experience like as a student?

Life changing is what comes to mind. There is such a wealth of knowledge in this program, enhanced by the wise supportive team. As a student, it assisted me to gain deeper insight into my own thoughts about death, as well as valuable tools to assist my current and future clients.

What would you tell someone who is interested in the program?

The GWG EOLT program is comprehensive & holistic. It will provide you with the tools needed to support & assist your clients as well as yourself in planning for & facing serious illness and death, but most importantly, it will change your life!

Why did you want to participate as a Student Guide?

I want to pay it forward! I received such love and support from my own student guide and found the small group extremely important in providing a space for us as students to dive deeper into the information and gain valuable insight from each other. I’m looking forward to holding space for the next cohort to do the same.

Ashleigh Skaggs (she/her)

Bio

June 2021 – Round 11 End of Life Training Alumni

Ashleigh (she/her) is a Queer and Polyamorous End of Life Navigator who resides on occupied Cherokee and Shawnee land, also known as Louisville, KY. She is momma to Walt (Disney) and June (Bug), her Bougie cats. Formerly a Director of Sales and Marketing in Senior Living and the funeral industry, she transitioned into Doula work after losing her father to suicide. A Reiki practitioner since age 13, as well as a classically trained vocalist, cosplayer, cabaret, burlesque performer, and Disney Princess, she recognizes the vibrational energies of those around her and utilizes humor and entertainment to lift them up. Ashleigh struggles with severe hearing loss as well as auditory processing disorder. She is a strong advocate for Medical Aid in Dying, conscious living, psychedelia, and the Death positive movement, she is committed to educating and empowering others to take control of their lives and deaths. She founded Morning Star End of Life Care in 2021 with the intention of bringing joy and peace to the end of the lives of others, filling their limited days with quality over quantity.

Website
Instagram

What led you to enroll in the GWG End of Life training program?

In 2020, I was a very lost soul with no real understanding of my place in this world. When the pandemic hit I found myself so miserable in the job that I sat on the floor of my kitchen one night with a bottle of Ambien in my hand ready to meet the Creator. The nudge of the cold black nose and silver face of my angel golden retriever stopped me as she prodded me for pets and love. The next night my father took his life. I battled months of holding back my grief and struggled with cleaning up the mess he left behind. One day after sitting on hold for hours trying to reconcile accounts I finally let it all go. I let go of the hurt, the anger, the frustration and came out of it raw and ready to live. When I typed “death help” into Google I was hoping to find someone to help me with his estate. What I found instead was a video of Alua talking about being a Death Doula and a calling to help others as they come to terms with death.

What was your experience like as a student?

The GWG EOLT program opened me up to a world of life without limits. You will be amazed how much talking and working with death makes you want to live. I no longer despise the sound of my alarm clock in the mornings because it means I am alive. This program will make you take stock of your life and those you surround yourself with. It will give you a greater understanding and compassion for the struggles of others. It will make you a better human.

What would you tell someone who is interested in the program?

You have been called here for a reason. The Universe has laid a path before you. Now you get to choose if you will walk down it. If this work is attractive to you, if something deep within you is prodding you to get involved, take a class, become an advocate, start a business or help walk with other souls as they transition, then go for it. Your life and death will be better for it.

Why did you want to participate as a Student Guide?

I want to give back to this program. I believe in it and I believe in this work. I want others to be as passionate about the terminal illness of life and a beautiful Death as I am!

Nicole Briggs-Gary (she/her)

Bio

October 2018 – Round 1 End of Life Training Alumni
September 2019 – Round 4 End of Life Training Student Guide
August 2020 – Round 8 End of Life Training Student Guide
March 2021 – Round 10 End of Life Training Student Guide

After retiring as an Educational Audiologist for 20+years, Nicole participated in the 1st round of GWG EOLT. She moved on to acquire her NEDA certification and became a Volunteer Coordinator of a local Hospice agency. She is a repeat Student Guide for GWG. Currently, she serves the community as an advocate for EOL preparation and offers Death Doula services under her business, Passing With Peace. Her passion is being present for families during the eleventh hour and increasing awareness of EOL preparation.

Website

What led you to enroll in the GWG End of Life training program?

I’ve always been fascinated and passionate about the process of death and dying, even as a small child. I was always comfortable being present to witness death and comfortable with death talk. GWG was a perfect opportunity to sharpen my skill set within my passion. The modules pushed my thinking, enhanced my learning, and helped shape my offerings.

What was your experience like as a student?

The modules pushed my thinking, enhanced my learning, and helped shape my offerings. The teaching was clear, multi-faceted, and unbiased. There was always room for discussion and reflection.

What would you tell someone who is interested in the program?

Whether you are just curious, seeking support for self/family, or thinking about making a career in Death Doulaship, GwG EOLT provides a structured and thorough approach

Why did you want to participate as a Student Guide?

GwG enhanced my understanding of death work and helped shape my offerings, so I wanted to help guide others through this positive experience.

FEC9DFDF-7CA9-4BAE-8F8B-3B5AB9E0FDF3 - Amanda Tart-Walker

Amanda Tart-Walker (she/her)

Bio

August 2021 – Round 12 End of Life Training Alumni

Hello! My name’s Amanda Tart-Walker and I’m a Bay Area native residing in Berkeley, California. I currently work as a florist and volunteer at a local hospice as a companion and person who sits vigil. I have a background in cannabis and alternative medicines, and a degree in American Sign Language. Although these may seem like a random assortment of experiences, I believe they have all aided me on my life’s journey to be exactly where I’m at now and to find my calling as a Death Doula.

Instagram

What led you to enroll in the GWG End of Life training program?

My answer always starts with “I believe I’ve been on the journey to becoming a Death Doula all my life.” However, after the death of my grandmother in 2015 (for which I was present) I was feeling called to death work from deep in my being, I just wasn’t sure what it would look like yet. During the pandemic, this urge became so strong that it wasn’t possible to ignore it anymore. After hearing a friend use the term “death doula” I did some research and found Alua and Going with Grace, I knew I’d found my people and the way to pursue this calling. And the rest my friends, is history.

What was your experience like as a student?

It was an incredible time of learning, soul searching and finding my community. It’s a time I’m forever grateful for and will never forget.

What would you tell someone who is interested in the program?

Do it! You won’t regret it.

Why did you want to participate as a Student Guide?

My student guide was a wonderful and supportive part of my time with GwG, and is now a forever friend! I was so excited to be given the opportunity to be that for someone else, there was no way I could say no.

Summer Downs (she/they)

Bio

April 2020 – Round 6 End of Life Training Alumni

Summer (she/they) is a queer deathcare worker making their home on unceded Cheyenne, Arapahoe, Ute, & Sioux land (Denver, CO). In addition to operating her death doula business Fiercely Beloved and caring for folx after death at a local water cremation facility, Summer is a performance artist, avid reader, & lover of mountains and thunderstorms.

Website
Instagram

What led you to enroll in the GWG End of Life training program?

I have always been passionate about grassroots community care, and my calling into the work of providing care to the dying and the dead arrived as a homecoming. I stumbled upon my vocation as a death doula after experiencing the devastating death of my beloved sister and allowing the chaos of grief to transform me. I am a death doula in honor of my sister, in reverence of my ancestors, and out of tender & fierce love for the dying, the dead, and those who mourn them.

What was your experience like as a student?

This program is both vast and deep, in terms of the material it covers and the emotional experiences it guides students through. As a student, I gained a robust understanding of the wide possibilities within the alternative deathcare movement, increased my practical skillset as an end-of-life doula & advocate, and meaningfully explored my own relationship with Death.

What would you tell someone who is interested in the program?

Why did you want to participate as a Student Guide?

I am continuously impressed and invigorated by the end-of-life community Alua has masterfully created here, and I welcome any chance to engage with other like-minded folx on our collective community deathcare journey.

Jourdan Sales (they/them)

Bio

Coming Soon!

What led you to enroll in the GWG End of Life training program?

Coming Soon!

What was your experience like as a student?

Coming Soon!

What would you tell someone who is interested in the program?

Coming Soon!

Why did you want to participate as a Student Guide?

Coming Soon!

End of Life Training Program

Do you have additional questions about the Going with Grace End of Life Training Program, or Death Doula profession? Email grace@goingwithgrace.com and our team would be happy to assist you.

Learn More About The Program

Student Testimonials

We have proudly trained over 2000 students from 17 countries around the world to become Death Doulas. Hear what their experience was like as an End of Life Training Student.

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Scholarship Program

The Going with Grace End of Life Training Course now has a scholarship program and we couldn’t be more excited! If you are in need of financial support to join the training, now is the time.

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