What might change if we allowed ourselves to really be with death? If we turned towards our mortality, rather than away from it?
In this episode of Awakening Doctor, host Maria Christodoulou speaks with end-of-life doula, death educator, and writer Chloe Hope about what it takes to accompany people at the threshold between life and death.
Chloe shares the childhood loss that shaped her relationship with death, why she prefers the 'big talk' of doula work over superficial small talk, and how her wildlife rescue work with hatchling birds mirrors her experience at the bedside, with both beginnings and endings demanding full attention and a willing heart.
Together, they reflect on the love and grief that weaves through this work and explore the cultural tendency to label death as failure. They also consider the subtle violence that arises when we try to solve the 'problem' of dying, and the challenge of discerning what needs intervention from what needs witnessing.
Through personal stories of ritual and community, we learn how presence can transform care, and that acknowledging that the body knows how to die might change the choices we make for ourselves.
Join us for a thoughtful conversation about humanity, mortality, and the courage to stay present at life's most tender edge.
Find out more about Chloe's work here: https://www.liminalcompanion.com/
Read Chloe's Substack, Death and Birds here: https://www.deathandbirds.com/
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Host:
Dr Maria Christodoulou
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