Death Ed with Erin

07/27/2026

I was finishing Kema’s book 8,000 feet in the air, in one of those small, single engine planes that make you really cherish your life.

High above the ocean waves, as she tells of cancer taking her to the very edge of her existence.

High above the jungle canopy reading words I could have written about the grief of loosing a sister.

Catching glances of the volcano out the window while she speaks of being held and loved in her grief, a privilege denied to many. Myself included.

When I finally touched down and found myself hugging Kema in the living of the beach house, she felt like family.

Costa Rica felt like heaven on Earth. A wild feminine land just beyond the grasp of the grid.

On the last day of our trip, a man drowned on the same beach. Death follows some of us, and when she calls we do our best to serve and to learn. In my mind I just kept hearing “the ocean gives and the ocean takes.”

This life is so precious. I will continue pushing her edges in absolute awe of this place, and in love for her people. We are so much better than the systems we’re now in - and believe it or not - grief is the secret ingredient to your freedom.

Get a real dose of that by reading Kema’s book. It’s called Where the Light Gets In” and it’s at all the usual spots 📚

Kema Ward-Hopper

07/24/2026

How much do we really cover in Deathschool Evolved?

The answer is... a lot.

We start with the foundations, what death doulas do and how the funeral industry works. 

Then we turn inward. Before you can walk with someone else’s grief, you have to know your own. We explore your relationship with death, your lineage, and how cultures around the world have cared for their dying.

We imagine something better. Green burial, home funerals, meaningful ritual that makes community (sometimes from strangers). 

Next we step into practice. Real case studies. Small group collaboration. The kind of conversations you’ll one day hold with real families.

And because I want you to leave prepared, not just inspired, we finish with Death Doula Business 101.

Lear more at erinmerelli.com 🩵

07/22/2026

Doulas need community.
That is why I have kept Deathschool intentionally small since 2019.
Friendship and collaboration happen when a small group is held in deep work together.

11-15 students per session.
4 sessions each year.
7½ years.
The basic math?
Nearly 400 doulas have crossed this threshold, one small cohort at a time.

Some have built thriving doula practices.
Some became funeral directors, ceremony facilitators, nurses, thanatologists, or grief practitioners.
Some simply wanted a healthier relationship with death. They left with a healthier relationship to life.

But a live schedule isn’t possible for everyone.
Children, parents, time zones, work.
We are stretched thin.

So this year I created a second option.
The same curriculum, but self paced.
One full year of access to the course library.
Learn whenever life allows.

I’ll be honest.
The self-paced version loses something without the live conversations.
But it gains something else:
Accessibility.
And that matters, too.

So now you can choose.
A live cohort for community.
Or a self-paced program for flexibility.
Different paths. One invitation:
To become the person your community needs when death arrives.

07/20/2026

Summer Deathschool is sold out and starting tonight. It continues to be a privilege to accompany people into their relationships with death, which is to say, our relationship with life. Thank you for trusting me, students (teachers and friends), as we enter this next portal together.

If you want to join us for the Autumn Deathschool session, watch for the early bird special to open next week. Early bird is a significant discount at $400 off - nearly as good as a half scholarship. Autumn is my personal favorite time to teach this class, as the veil is palpably thinner.

Teaching in a space where we share real time and stories is my favorite and I am committed to continuing live and live zoom classes. But I also realize that not everyone can meet on the same timelines and schedules. For some it is more conducive to learn in a self paced, asynchronous way. If that’s you - welcome to Deathschool Remote. It’s the full 19-lesson curriculum of Deathschool Evolved, but offered in a full online and self paced format.

07/13/2026

Last chance to enroll in the Summer session of Deathschool Evolved! This is the only time I will be offering night classes this year.

Deathschool is a 9 week journey into the deep end of the doula pool. It isn’t just about learning how to support dying people. It’s about changing your relationship with death itself.

Over 9 weeks we explore the scope of death doula practice, grief, the funeral industry, end-of-life planning, green burial, medical aid in dying, ethics, death traditions from around the world, and how to build a sustainable death doula practice. It’s one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever had the privilege to teach. You will leave with a certification in end of life care, and the ability to approach death with more love than fear.

This class is intentionally left small. There are 2 spots left - one for regular registration and one scholarship seat. Registration and scholarship linked in bio

07/13/2026

07/09/2026

There is healing we can only do alone. There is healing we can only do in community. Deathschool Evolved is a rare community designed to hold your grief and support your growth. We meet twice a week. We journey together as people who get it. Next cohort leaves for liminal on July 20.

07/07/2026

There are only 3 spots left for the summer session of Deathschool Evolved!

You will emerge from this program with a certification in death doulaship and philosophy, ready to approach death work in a meaningful way, alongside a cohort of doulas to support you as you walk this path.

Payment plans are always available at checkout.

I hope to see you there 🖤Registration in bio

07/07/2026

Who can relate?

07/06/2026

I think the biggest lie we’ve ever been told is that our 6th sense isn’t real, when in fact, it’s the most real of all. They just don’t want us to know that - because when someone is led by love and connected to the divine, they are a lot harder to control. Our strongest defense against the evils of this world - are to stay rooted to the earth and tethered to God.

I am not a religious person btw. Religion has its place - but if your religion requires itself to stand between you and God, I’d consider that to be another form of control. You cannot control my soul, sir 😉