Embracing the Journey: Navigating Grief and End-of-Life

Special Guest Angie Kyllo

 

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In this episode of the Live Into Your Best Life podcast, host Paulie Skaja welcomes Angie Kyllo, a former colleague who has transitioned from project management in the medical field to becoming a certified end-of-life doula. Angie shares her inspiring journey, which began about a year ago after hearing a podcast about end-of-life doulas. Her personal experience with her husband's terminal illness highlighted gaps in hospice care, prompting her to seek a role where she could offer more comprehensive support.

 

Angie explains the role of an end-of-life doula, emphasizing the importance of providing personalized support to individuals and families as they approach death. This support includes both practical tasks and emotional guidance during and after the dying process. Her personal experience with loss deeply influences her approach, focusing on continuing support beyond the immediate aftermath of death.

 

The discussion highlights how Angie's project management skills—such as listening, organizing, and coordinating—have seamlessly translated into her doula work. She envisions integrating these skills further and hopes to teach others to become doulas while advocating for more open conversations about death in society.

 

Paulie reflects on her own experiences with grief, sharing how support from a priest helped her family cope with her mother's passing. Both Paulie and Angie stress the importance of recognizing and addressing ongoing grief rather than assuming it ends with the funeral. They discuss how grief can resurface unexpectedly and how societal norms sometimes overlook the ongoing need for support.

 

The episode also touches on preserving family stories and memories as a way to honor loved ones. Angie and Paulie share personal anecdotes about maintaining connections with deceased family members through storytelling. They emphasize the value of end-of-life planning and organizing important documents ahead of time to ease the burden on loved ones.

 

Finally, the conversation offers advice on approaching sensitive topics like end-of-life planning with family members and highlights the benefits of involving an end-of-life doula. They encourage listeners to embrace change, follow their own paths, and honor their true selves, concluding with information on how to connect for further support and advice.

 

To learn more and work with Angi, contact her at CoachAngi.com