Conversation with End-of-Life Doula, Hannah Fowler

“If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make who would you call and what would you say?  And why are you waiting?” ~ Stephen Levine

Guest Introduction: 

Thank you for being here, friend and welcome to Exploring the Seasons of Life, a podcast for women with a big heart on a spiritual journey. I'm your host Cindy MacMillan.

Do you ever feel like you are waiting on a permission slip to live the life you want? If you answered yes, then you are in the right place. Each week I interview coaches and spiritual explorers, from all walks of life about beginnings, endings and the messy bits in between. Self-love well-being and mindset are at the heart of our conversations. Because once you change the inside, the outside will begin to change as well.

Hannah Fowler is joining me today, and you are truly in for something magical.

Through her work as a hospice nurse, Hannah found that planning for death and becoming aware of our mortality can actually allow us to experience more meaning, fulfillment and presence. This is what drew her to become an end of life doula and conscious dying educator. She is also faculty for the Conscious Dying Institute and brings end of life doula training to healthcare systems.

Here’s a glimpse of our conversation:

Hannah, thanks so much for joining me today.

3:28 So in many ways, Exploring the Seasons of Life to me means using what's happening in life as medicine and as a means to appreciating where we are and to sort of trust from that larger vantage point, to see life and change and seasons and death as teachers and as sacred forces.

4:53 But what happened was while I was working as a nurse in a hospital in Vermont before going on to be an NP, I was diving deep into meditation and metaphysics and energy healing, transpersonal and epigenetic studies, and I just found myself becoming more drawn to the healing that occurs at the level of the soul more than anything.

6:34 And most of all, as I mentioned earlier, what's always sort of enlivened me is talking with people about who we really are, beyond these bodies, beyond these roles and these personalities that will inevitably dissolve and getting in touch with our essence as that which is beyond form and beyond the physical and how to be present in life and appreciate it instead of taking it for granted and becoming an end-of-life doula allowed me to integrate all of that.  

14:04 And yet, because we live in this death phobic society that we're talking about, that looks away from death and away from discomfort and from grief, we're not really skilled in navigating these natural and sacred parts of life. 

16:08 So rituals are really important for maintaining meaning and connection. 

23:17 Death can come at any time to anyone anywhere. 

26:16 And that's why I love this awareness because it reminds us that as much as we'd like to think of ourselves as Masters of the world and special and separate from nature and from one another, actually, we are very much a part of nature and inextricably connected to everything, and we can't cheat death no matter how much money is in our wallets or how intelligent we are.

YOU CAN FIND HANNAH FOWLER AT:

 Website Instagram Facebook  If you LOVED this conversation with Hannah Fowler you’ll also love the conversations we had with:

Redefining Death with Jessica Wertz

Rediscover Your Brilliance with Jamie Martin

Your Clutter is a Teacher with Star Hansen

Finding Your Inner Peace with Lydia Knoor

What is Feng Shui with Jillian Rothschild-Scholar

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Thanks again, Until next time live inspired!