About
I'm Sally, an end-of-life doula and guide based in Brooklyn, NY. I came to this work through my own experience as a caregiver, and I built Going Your Own Way around the kind of support I wished my family had. You can read that story below.
I trained through INELDA, Going with Grace, and the Doulagivers Institute, hold the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance proficiency certification, and am a Respecting Choices certified facilitator for advance care planning. I have additional training in LGBTQ+ affirming care through SAGECares, and in dementia care. I also volunteer in hospice settings. Before becoming a doula, I spent more than 20 years in human resources, guiding people through some of the hardest moments of their working lives. I work with clients in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and virtually with people anywhere in the U.S.
Death is something we'll all face, but as a culture, we don't talk about it much. That silence makes things harder. People don't know what to expect. Small tasks pile up and feel impossible: a missed prescription refill, a doctor's appointment that needs rescheduling, a form that has to be filled out by Friday. None of it is complicated on its own. All of it together is exhausting.
Going Your Own Way exists to help you navigate that uncertainty and carry some of that weight, so you can spend less time wondering what to do next and more time focusing on what matters most: being present with the person you love.
How I Got Here
Going Your Own Way started with one of the most important experiences of my life: caring for my mom in her final weeks. When my mom entered hospice care, I left my job to become her full-time caregiver. For six weeks, I managed her care, coordinated with hospice, and navigated countless medical decisions, while also supporting her and my family through every step of the process. It was a deeply challenging time, and something surprising happened: my mom, who spent her life as a hospice nurse, noticed that I seemed happier and more at ease than I had been in years. One day, she said, "Maybe it's time to think about a new job."
Her observation stopped me in my tracks. How could I be happy while my mom was dying? But she was right. The care and presence I was providing felt natural, even as it was incredibly hard. That caught my attention.
My mom had always thought I'd follow her into nursing, and had noticed my calming presence and natural caregiving ability. But I'd long ago ruled out medicine, I'm comically bad at science. Becoming a death doula, a non-medical support role, felt like the right way to put those instincts to work. Those six weeks of caregiving, alongside her encouragement, are what started Going Your Own Way.
Although this work is vastly different from my career in Human Resources, the skills I honed there, clear communication, emotional support, and navigating difficult conversations, remain at the heart of what I do. In HR, I helped people through challenging transitions, ensuring they felt heard and understood. Today, I bring those same skills to end-of-life care.
I know what it feels like to sit with uncertainty, to wrestle with overwhelming emotions, and to want the very best for someone you love. That's what I bring to this work, alongside the training to actually help.
Whether you're planning ahead or in the middle of this right now, I'd love to talk. Book a free consultation and let's figure out together what support might look like for you.
