Find practical and emotional support for your journey with this immersive workbook.
If you are preparing for the end of life--or simply looking to bring more meaning to the here and now--The Death Doula's Guide to Living Fully and Dying Prepared imparts valuable insight to nurture clarity and your internal strength on your journey. Infused with essential doula approaches, this workbook is a first-of-its-kind publication that invites you to process your life and legacy, create remembrance projects, build connections to vital supports, and draft informative wishes and plans for your last chapter.
Replete with centering techniques and thought-provoking prompts, this comprehensive workbook is a welcome invitation for anyone seeking a more intentional approach to living and dying. It provides a practical template for end-of-life planning focused on designing comforting experiences that feel personally affirming--with sensitivity to all belief systems, cultures, identities, and histories of lived experience. The practices within chapters promote death literacy, and present steps to create your custom death journal.
Completing this workbook is a brave act of healthy preparedness, as it breaks down a complex and often overwhelming topic into manageable tasks. You will tap into deep truths and poignant memories as you work through the exercises, often feeling lighter and less burdened upon their completion. Most importantly, you'll find your best way to live fully and die prepared, by clarifying the fundamental ideals, priorities, and requests you want honored.
About the Author Francesca Lynn Arnoldy is the course developer of the University of Vermont's End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate Programs, a Story Listening researcher with the Vermont Conversation Lab, and a hospice volunteer. Arnoldy authored
Cultivating the Doula Heart: Essentials of Compassionate Care and
Map of Memory Lane. She runs workshops and presents on life-and-death topics with hopes of encouraging people to support one another through tender times of intensity.
Industry Reviews
"The Death Doula's Guide to Living Fully and Dying Prepared blends insights, tools, and resources from Arnoldy's years of experience as an end-of-life doula into a workbook for building a healthy relationship with life and death. It is a gift for all readers: inspiring us to contemplate how we want to live today and the positive impact we hope to leave behind, and helps people facing death find clarity and closure in their final days, weeks, or months."
--Kim Callinan, president and CEO of Compassion & Choices, the largest end-of-life care consumer advocacy organization in the US; and certified death doula--Kim Callinan
"The Death Doula's Guide to Living Fully and Dying Prepared by Francesca Arnoldy provides readers with the tools to incorporate a healthy awareness of death as they navigate life. The practical reflections and exercises included in the book can calm fears of death and catalyze growth in consciousness and joy. This workbook should be on every kitchen table to bring essential conversations about mortality back into day-to-day life."
--Karen Wyatt, MD, retired hospice physician, host of End-of-Life University Podcast, and author of 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying--Karen Wyatt, MD
"A beautiful portrait of the human capacity for love, acceptance, and meaning as we face life's end. Rich in deep experience and thoughtful reflection, The Death Doula's Guide to Living Fully and Dying Prepared is an emotionally wise book that provides the framework for people in any life stage to engage in death journaling and death wellness. Francesca gently and compassionately guides us on a journey that will inspire you to reflect on your own life and help you to be meaningfully present for those nearing the end of their lives."
--Christopher Kerr, MD, PhD, hospice physician, researcher, and author of Death is But a Dream--Christopher Kerr, MD, PhD
"A thoughtful, kind, compassionate, forgiving, loving, and infinitely practical lesson in living well and dying your way. No surprise it comes from the desk of an end-of-life doula."
--Jessica Zitter, MD, MPH, FAAHPM, FCCP, author of Extreme Measures, and founder of Reel Medicine Media--Jessica Zitter, MD, MPH, FAAHPM, FCCP
"As I was savoring every word, I kept thinking how I wish I had this when I was a young adult, and I wonder, if someone had helped me dig deep into my own curiosities back then, would I have lived my life more fully? This is a brilliant guide, and a lovely opportunity to explore what matters most--allowing you to choreograph a life, and a death, on your terms."
--Gabrielle Elise Jimenez, hospice nurse; end-of-life doula; conscious dying educator; and author of four books: Soft Landing, The Hospice Heart, At the Bedside, and What Would Gabby Say?--Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
"This compassionate preparation guide is a valuable resource for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of how to prepare and plan for the end of their life. Francesca provides a wealth of information on the practical and emotional aspects of end-of-life planning--including exercises that prompt self-reflection and wishes for the future--that guides readers on a journey of self-discovery."
--Jennifer Mallmes, BGS, facilitator and developer of the End-of-Life Doula Program at Douglas College in Canada, and cofounder of the End-of-Life Doula Association of Canada--Jennifer Mallmes, BGS
"This is a well-organized, generous encouragement toward death wellness, grounded in compassionate action. Accessible exercises and practical resources for doulas, care partners, and curious people exploring their relationship with mortality."
--Dina Stander, end-of-life navigator, burial shroud maker, and founder of the Northeast Death Care Collaborative--Dina Stander
"Whether facing your own death or caring for someone at the end of theirs, this remarkable book can become a true friend and guide on the journey. With care and wisdom, Francesca has crafted a comprehensive workbook that tackles the practical and spiritual dimension of dying. In it we explore our fear, make meaning of our life, heal the past, and sort out end-of-life wishes. A tall order beautifully executed."
--Johanna J. Lunn, founder of the When You Die Project, and award-winning filmmaker whose work includes Saying Goodbye and Architecture of Death--Johanna J. Lunn
