My beautiful guest today is Annie Whitlocke. Annie is a death doula. A What you ask? 40 + years on the planet and this entire profession was completely unknown to me… that is until now.
Like many of you I suspect, the only context in which I’d heard of any kind of Doula was a person who provides emotional, physical and instructive support to mothers before, during and after labour. Not someone, who assists at the other end of the life cycle.
But taking on this noble profession isn’t as unusual as you might think, particularly for a woman like Annie, who’s seen life end countless times.
Her own experience with death is both personal & profound. Annie’s grandfather died in her arms, as did her baby nephew. She lost one husband to a fatal car accident and a fiancée to suicide. She’s tragically had six miscarriages, tried to take her own life twice and clinically died once.
As a Death Doula or Death Elder as Annie prefers to be known, she’s helped hundreds of people and their families at their most difficult and vulnerable times. Annie is driven to help those who are dying, ensure that their living until the end of their life, is as good and as safe and as meaningful and as authentic & as peaceful and joyous, as it can possibly be.
BUT BEFORE YOU GO…
Find out more about Annie here
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CREDITS:
Creator, Host & Executive Producer: Tammi Faraday
With thanks to my special guest: Annie Whitlocke
Audio Editor: Zoltan Fecso
With very special thanks to George Weinberg, & Ursula Ferguson
BRAVE JOURNEYS acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we record this podcast on, the Yaluk-ut Weelam Clan of the Boon Wurrungwho are part of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respect to their Elders, both past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
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