My name is Leah.
I serve my community of Cherokee and Cobb County, Georgia (Woodstock, Marietta, Canton, and Kennesaw) as a death doula and soul midwife. Before studying death and dying and how to support the grieving, I was (and am) a novelist and storyteller. I understand the power of words to heal and I know how to use creativity as a balm for the aching soul.
“Dying is not a medical event. Dying is a social and communal event.”
- Hospice pioneer Barbara Karnes
I serve those who are dying and their caregivers by offering…
Heart-centered, holistic care
Caregiver support
Education about the dying process
Vigil and ritual design
Handling logistics
Storykeeping
Guidance regarding your options for after-death care, funerals, and burial
Storykeeping
There’s healing power in the telling of stories. Revisiting memories can make us feel a love and connection to our departed that can help hold and guide us through our grief. When we preserve our loved one’s story, we keep the details and color fresh, the emotion tangible, and we build a bridge between them and future generations, so the little ones can experience that sense of connection to the dear one they never knew.
As a novelist, storyteller, and family genealogist, I can use my storykeeping magic to preserve your loved one’s story.
How does a novelist become a death doula?
I was deep in the editing trenches of my second novel when the pandemic hit. Suddenly confronted with my own mortality and the mortality of those I love, I found myself swimming in death anxiety—and recognizing that this wasn’t just my own wrestling match in our death-phobic culture. It was a collective battle. COVID demanded that we take a long look at how we handle death, dying, and grief—and we didn’t know how. So I decided to learn.
You can learn more about doulas, death, grief, and more by following me on Instagram…
