A Free Educational Email Course

The Sacred Passage

The Final Aloha

An eight-day invitation to sit with one question: is death doula work your calling? Each day, one short email opens a doorway into the heart, the practice, and the Hawaiʻi-rooted foundations of accompanying others at the end of life. Not a certification — a beginning.

Day 0 plus eight daily lessons. No cost. Unsubscribe anytime. Education only — not medical or legal advice.
THE
Sacred
Passage
The Final Aloha
What a Death Doula
Is and Is Not
A Free Educational Email Course
The Heart of It

What a Death Doula Is — and Is Not

The role is widely misunderstood — including by many who feel called to it. Here's the honest picture of the work you'd be stepping into.

A death doula IS

  • A non-medical companion for the dying and their family
  • A calm, steady presence in the room and on the hard days
  • A guide to planning, paperwork conversations, and final wishes
  • Support for the family — before, during, and after
  • A bridge that works alongside hospice and your care team

A death doula IS NOT

  • A doctor, nurse, or medical provider
  • A replacement for hospice or palliative care
  • Someone who prescribes, treats, or gives medical advice
  • A substitute for legal, financial, or estate counsel
  • A faith or religion — the support meets you where you are
The Course

Eight Doorways, One Gentle Path

It begins with a Day 0 welcome, then one doorway each day — at a pace that lets every lesson settle before the next.

1

Presence, Calling & Accompaniment

Sitting with another — calmly, without judgment. Where the work begins.

2

Listening, Breath & Holding Space

Listening as a way of being, and the breath that steadies the room.

3

The Dying Process & Threshold Moments

What dying actually looks like — so fear gives way to peace.

4

Ritual, Legacy & Meaning-Making

Helping someone leave their mark, and answer "did my life matter?"

5

Planning, Advocacy & Vigil Support

Where presence meets practice — and the long watch at the bedside.

6

Grief & After-Death Care

The tender first hours after death, and witnessing grief without fixing it.

7

Ethics, Self-Care & Integration

Boundaries, trust, and caring for the one who cares.

8

Hawaiʻi Laws, MAID & Private Practice

Legal foundations, your scope, and building a practice with integrity.

Dr. Joseph Eppink, instructor of The Sacred Passage
Your Guide

Taught by Dr. Joseph Eppink

Dr. Joseph Eppink has spent more than 30 years walking with individuals, families, and communities through dying, loss, and renewal.

A Certified Death Doula, Grief Educator, Ocean Therapy Practitioner, musician, and educator, he weaves music, ritual, and grounded end-of-life knowledge into a way of accompanying others that feels both accessible and steady.

Students describe his teaching as gentle, clear, and deeply respectful of culture. He doesn't just teach the role of a death doula — he models it.

Certified Death Doula Grief Educator Ocean Therapy Practitioner Musician Educator
What Comes Next

For Those Called Deeper

For students who feel pulled to step further, Joseph leads a small in-person cohort on Oahu — eight evening classes, two field trips, and the start of a guided internship.

  • Jul 21Class 1
  • Jul 28Class 2
  • Aug 4Class 3
  • Week of Aug 10Field Trip
  • Aug 18Class 4
  • Aug 25Class 5
  • Sep 1Class 6
  • Week of Sep 7Field Trip
  • Sep 15Class 7
  • Sep 22Class 8
  • Week of Sep 28Internship begins

Details and tuition are shared with course students partway through the email series.

Begin When You're Ready

Walk the Passage With Us

No cost, no pressure, no certification to chase. Just eight quiet days to discover whether this calling is yours.