Holding Space for Life’s First and Final Chapters
Doula Purposes offers intuitive, holistic care through life’s most profound transitions — the sacred thresholds of birth, parenthood and death.
Welcome friend, I’m Emily.
My Story
Birth and death are not entirely distinct experiences — they are woven together in the fabric of human existence.
I see Life moving in cycles — each beginning carrying the imprint of an ending, each ending opening the door to something new.
These transitions are made up of both big and small moments that shape us in ways both seen and unseen… and while they are deeply personal, they are also fundamentally shared.
Together, we can reclaim these experiences as sacred human rites of passage, rich with meaning, transformation and healing.
Roots & Curiosity
I feel most alive when I’m connecting with people and nature, sharing stories, and witnessing the wide spectrum of experiences this world has to offer. Since I was a child, I’ve carried an innate curiosity about people and the ways we all move through life.
Growing up in rural Montana and the Pacific Northwest rooted me deeply in the natural world, shaping my love for forests, lakes, and open landscapes. I grew up riding horses, finding an outlet for my natural caretaking and empathetic personality. I also gained a steady confidence and humility in myself competing in my state and county 4H circuit until I turned 18. I dream of one day returning to life in the saddle, as my connection to the outdoors and animals, along with a passion for travel, has shaped how I see the world and my place within it.
My first career spanned a decade in the restaurant industry in California. Those years taught me how to be present with people in all kinds of moments: celebration, stress, connection, and vulnerability. Hospitality sharpened my ability to listen deeply, adapt quickly, and meet people where they are. Looking back, those skills became some of the most important foundations for how I approach my work and life today.
When I found myself seeking further education, I was drawn to biology, ecology, and the study of living systems. I earned my degree in Ecological Environmental Science in 2018. The systems-based perspective I gained throughout my education is a fundamental lens in which I see families, communities, and the human body — as living systems navigating constant cycles of change.
Answering the Call
After college, something inside me began asking for more — work that felt meaningful, where life and vocation could align. I didn’t know what that path would be. I simply kept asking the question, what is my purpose?
Eventually, the seed was planted: Doula.
At first it felt less like discovering a job and more like recognizing something I already was. From the first day of my Birth Doula training, I knew I had found exactly what I hadn’t realized I was searching for.
I began training as a Postpartum Doula shortly after completing training in Birth. Support could not just end once the baby was born… and neither could my knowledge. I could feel this was only the beginning. My Doula career became the catalyst for my own personal healing, spiritual initiation, and identity transformation.
Through the years I’ve experienced multiple identity shifts, spiritual awakenings, and periods of grief that felt like endings but revealed themselves as beginnings. I call these moments “micro-deaths,” seasons that dismantle one version of ourselves so another can emerge. Each one became part of the roadmap that led me here.
Holding Families & Building Communities
My work as a Birth and Postpartum Doula grew quickly. Postpartum support especially captured my heart. I became deeply connected to the transformation of becoming a parent — how people learn to care for a new life while also reshaping the life they once knew.
It has been an immense honor to witness so many families becoming families, to stand beside people as they navigate both the tenderness and intensity of early parenthood.
Like many Doulas, I also began to see the challenges of sustaining this work in a system where care is often inaccessible and undervalued. In response, I turned toward community organizing and founded a nonprofit in Nevada dedicated to supporting Doulas and expanding access to Doula care through grassroots legislative action, education, and research. That chapter of my life revealed another side of myself: leadership, advocacy, and building community structures that allow those who do this work to thrive.
Meeting Mortality
My relationship with mortality deepened when a long time family friend was walking toward her death. She knew the passion I carried for supporting people at the beginning of life and stated with only the clarity that death brings, “you are needed for people on the other side.”
Until that moment, I had never considered becoming a Death Doula.
But once again, the same quiet pull appeared… the breadcrumbs were leading me to the same feeling I had when I first discovered birth work. I followed them into Going with Grace’s first in-person Death Doula training. I encountered teachers, wisdom, stories, and truths that profoundly rooted that Death is central to our understanding of life.
Studying death brought me back to the ecological truths I had learned in college: that life exists because death exists, and death exists because life does.
Humans are animals. We are conscious living beings. We eat, breathe, love, grieve — and eventually, we die.
Holding this has once again changed everything about how I move through the world and how I serve others. I now understood a universal truth: birth and death are the portals through which we enter and leave this physical world — but we don’t have to birth a child or stop breathing to feel their steady presence in our lives.
The Work Today
Today, I serve as a Birth, Postpartum, and Death Doula. In my roles, I also educate, consult, speak, and advocate for accessible, human-centered beginning and end-of-life care.
My approach is grounded in the principles of trauma-informed care, social justice, ecology, spirituality, and pure intrinsic passion. I believe that care during life’s most profound transitions should honor autonomy, dignity, and the innate wisdom that already lives within each of us.
I remain committed to community-centered care that uplifts the lived experiences of marginalized communities and holds to the belief that none of us are free until all of us are free. I am a proud LGBTQIA+ ally and Black maternal health advocate.
I continue to learn through listening, mentorship, collaboration, and volunteering my time to people, organizations, and spaces aligned with my values. I welcome partnerships with others who share a vision of collective healing and more humane systems of care.
It is my deepest honor to walk alongside individuals, families, and communities in these spaces of transformation; however they take shape.
Beyond the Work
Being a Doula is who I am whether or not I’m wearing my “official” hat. But if I’m not with clients or in the community, you can find me exploring, hiking, and basking in the sun and waters of Northern Nevada, being an auntie, riding horses whenever I can, dancing, hunting for rocks, in the kitchen, learning to care for myself and the Earth, snuggling with my partner and our cat, or catching up with friends near and far.
Estoy aprendiendo Español y puedo hablar con las familias en “Spanglish” muy bien. Si estás interesado en mis servicios de Español, por favor conectarme.
My Invitation
If something in my story resonates with you, I would love to hear from you.
Every family and every transition is unique, and the best way to explore whether we’re a good fit is simply to start a conversation. You are always welcome to reach out and share where you are in your journey.
Training & Continuing Education
- Birth Doula Training, Natural Resources ~ 2019
- Postpartum Doula Training, Natural Resources ~ 2020
- The Ripple Effect Trauma-Informed Care Training, Dr. Chandra Ghosh Ippen ~ 2021
- Reproductive Justice, Roots of Labor Birth Collective ~ 2022
- Birth Doula Certification, Nevada Certification Board ~ 2022
- End of Life Doula Training & Certification, Going with Grace ~ 2023
- Maybe We Should Unpack That Trauma-Informed Care Training, Elle Psychological Services ~ 2023
- Spinning Babies® Workshop ~ 2023
- National Institutes of Health & IMPROVE Initiative Connecting the Community for Maternal Health Research Team ~ 2022 - 2024
- Adult & Infant CPR, American Red Cross ~ 2025 (renewed every 2 years)
- Holding Space with Compassionate Presence, The Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath & Death ~ 2025
- Executive Director Nonprofit Academy, Community Foundation of Northern NV ~ 2025
- Certified Breastfeeding Specialist, Lactation Education Resources ~ ongoing
