What Becoming a Death Doula Has Taught Me About Change Management

by | Jun 18, 2025

What Becoming a Death Doula Has Taught Me About Change Management

After five years volunteering in UC Davis’s No One Dies Alone program, I recently completed my end-of-life doula training to serve at Joshua’s House, a hospice for unhoused individuals nearing the end of life. I expected the experience to be emotional. I didn’t expect it to fundamentally shift how I think about change management.

One moment in the training defined grief as “the space of transformation or transition between what we knew before and whatever is happening or who we are becoming.” That stopped me in my tracks—because that’s not just grief. That’s change management. And yet, most organizations treat change as a checklist, skipping the emotional reality of what’s being lost.

In hospice, we don’t try to fix grief—we witness it. We stay present. Imagine if leaders did the same. At Culture Partners, we believe experiences shape beliefs, and beliefs drive results. When people feel seen in their grief—whether it’s resistance, burnout, or silence—they begin to believe something new is possible. Real change begins not with control, but with presence.

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