Welcome, With Care.

If you’ve landed here somehow, I’m glad you’re here.

My name is Niki, and I’ve recently found myself pursuing the work of a death doula.

I completed my death doula training at Douglas College in the summer of 2025, with the intention of creating a space for more honest conversations about aging, illness, death, and grief. These topics are often avoided until they become unavoidable, and by then, people are overwhelmed, exhausted, and unsure where to turn.

This blog is a place to talk about those things more honestly.

Here, I’ll share reflections from my work and lived experience, along with practical, supportive thoughts on caregiving, end-of-life planning, and grief, including the kind that starts long before someone dies.

You’ll find posts here about:

• What death doulas actually do, and how we support folks

• Supporting aging parents and loved ones

• Navigating grief and mixed emotions

• Practical end-of-life planning

• Small rituals and grounding practices that can help during hard seasons

• Living alongside loss, rather than trying to “move on” from it

This isn’t about fixing grief or offering tidy answers. It’s about making space for what’s real, naming what’s hard, and helping people feel a little less alone as they navigate it.

You don’t need to be in crisis to be here. You don’t need the right words. If you’re caring for someone, thinking about the future, or simply curious about how we approach death differently, this space is for you.

You’re welcome to stay, read quietly, or share this with someone who might need it.

With care,

Niki

The Vancouver Death Doula