Empowerment at the End of Life: Dying with dignity, living with choices with Guest, Vanessa Johnston

Birth and death are the bookends of life, yet we welcome one and dread the other. Why is it that birth is celebrated, but death is taboo? Since the beginning of time, women have labored and birthed at home, attended by a midwife and their female friends and kin. This camaraderie of women, once universal, was a way to provide birth support and also to pass on knowledge about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting.

Death and dying can be taboo topics that families tend to avoid. Then, when a loved one becomes ill, family members are emotionally unprepared on how to have delicate conversations about a person’s end-of-life desires. An end-of-life doula approaches these situations with empathy, helping families come together to have open conversations and ensure that nothing is left unsaid. This provides peace for the dying patient and a sense of closure for the grieving family, which aids in their healing process.  The transition from this physical realm to the next realm is a sacred space. End-of-life doulas are a bridge to continue one’s soul journey.  

 

In this podcast, Ariela has a conversation with Vanessa Johnston, End-of-Life Doula and Owner of Denver EOL Doula, and Co-Founder/ Second Vice-President, Membership of Colorado End-of-Life Collaborative. Her mission is to empower those who are dying to experience their final milestone with dignity and grace. She seeks to provide individualized and intersectional emotional, spiritual, and informational support for people with a terminal diagnosis and their loved ones. She is a compassionate companion and provides a witness in sacred service to honor the final chapter in others’ stories.

In this podcast, you will discover:

• How to get comfortable with and talk about death and dying
• The importance of being an open container for your loved one’s dying process and honor their journey
• The similarities between birth and death and how to see the dying process as a spiritual journey
• How to empower yourself in the phases of death, dying 
• How to take your power back and plan for your death even in the unknown mysteries of death and dying.