2025 has been a year of extraordinary momentum for Preparing the Way and for the end of life doula movement across Australia and New Zealand. What began over a decade ago in response to growing requests for education in end of life doula care and service has now become a national conversation that is reshaping how people think about end of life, care, choice and community.
This year, we saw the work of end of life doulas recognised, celebrated and requested in more places than ever before. We witnessed the landscape shifting under our feet. And as more people, organisations and communities turned to us for guidance, training and partnership, our mission became clearer than ever: to prepare, educate, empower and accompany people through one of life’s most profound transitions.
Training, education, and growing community
Our education programs remain at the heart of our work. Since Preparing the Way began, over 1,800 people have completed our Foundation Workshop with 960 continuing to complete the four-day Intensive Course. We also celebrated that there are now 15 graduates of the 10966NAT Certificate IV in End of Life Doula Services and a further 16 have completed the End of Life Doula Skill Set, delivered in partnership with Essential Skills Training and Recruitment (RTO ID 91729). Overall over 125 people have participating in our accredited end of life doula training.
Thanks to many of our doulas being willing to put their hand up in their local area and grow the doula space by moderating a ‘doula hub’, our doula hubs have expanded to 36 across Australia and New Zealand. Our doulas are hosting gatherings, education sessions, death cafés and community events, which are strengthening local confidence and capacity around end of life.
We want to give a shout out to some of our doulas in New Zealand who created a highly successful alliance that is making great headway in the NZ doulaverse!
We also invested behind the scenes: improving our technology, relaunching our blog with regular weekly content, re-establishing a newsletter and enhancing communication across our expanding community.
We are training new trainers and creating opportunities for our doulas to step more into leadership in their communities by developing training for them in community education.
Sharing knowledge and expanding public understanding
This year, we created and participated in more opportunities for the public to learn about end of life experiences, planning, and care.
In May, we hosted a meaningful three-part online event with Dr Michael Barbato exploring the mystery and meaning of end of life. Participants received two recorded conversations between Michael and Helen, the latest and most up to date version of his book, Caring for the Living and the Dying, and a live curated Q&A session. Contact us if you would like to purchase a copy of this updated version.
In August, Preparing the Way and our doulas hosted and participated in Dying to Know Day events around the country, continuing to spark local conversations and build community confidence.
In addition, inside our commitment to support rural and regional areas we assisted organise and host Dying to Know Day events (created in collaboration with regional Primary Health Networks and other local organisations) with more than 250 people attending events across Mudgee, Canowindra, Orange and Bathurst in the second half of 2025. More to follow in 2026!
In December, Helen was honoured to contribute to a webinar hosted by the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN), joining Palliative Care Australia CEO Camilla Rowland and Go Gentle Australia CEO Dr Linda Swann to discuss the Aged Care Act and explore what quality end of life care looks like in practice. This conversation reached wide audiences and highlighted how end of life doulas can be included in grounded, compassionate information. If you missed it, you can watch the replay here. OPAN has amazing resources and regular educational webinars, and we encourage you to subscribe to its newsletter on its website so you don’t miss out.
Partnerships across Australia
2025 saw significant growth in organisational engagement and sector recognition.
Preparing the Way partnered with Carer Gateway in Central West NSW to deliver two rounds of workshops for carers in Dubbo, Broken Hill, Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Orange, and Bathurst, bringing practical, heart-centred education to regional and rural communities. To create sustainability, we also trained three of their staff to lead the workshops ongoingly using a ‘train the trainer’ model. The team did an amazing job and will be taking the training further into the Central West in 2026.
MND Queensland requested that we deliver a Foundation Workshop to their team members to increase their death literacy and support resources in their work with people living with Motor Neurone Disease.
Staff and support carers from Catholic Care have almost completed the accredited End of Life Doula Skill Set, and the Hunter/Central Coast Public Health Network funded a group of support workers through a two-unit Skill Set from the Certificate IV in End of Life Doula Services. These partnerships demonstrate the increasing value organisations place on the skills and presence of end of life doulas.
In addition, we have been approached by several other organisations to assist their staff becoming more death comfortable and death confident. This training has received great acknowledgement, and we look forward to delivering to several other organisations in 2026. These include residential aged care facilities, carer organisations and community care support organisations.
In September, Shannon Beresford, who is the Chair of Holistic End of Life and Death Care Australia (HELD), and Helen presented at the Oceanic Palliative Care Conference in Brisbane, a significant moment for doula representation within professional health and palliative care networks. Shannon has taken over the Chair position after Helen resigned and we are excited to see where strong leadership will take us heading into 2026,
Advocacy and sector change
In September, Preparing the Way contributed and advocated for improvements to voluntary assisted dying legislation in Victoria. In November, the Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill 2025 passed both houses of Parliament. These reforms will enhance access for people with terminal illness and better support their ability to make informed choices at end of life.
Many of our doulas have also been advocating in their communities, meeting with their local MPs to raise awareness of how doulas can support a person’s circle of care.
November saw the introduction and rollout of the new Support at Home program and aged care reforms. Preparing the Way has been working with HELD and other organisations to lobby Federal and State governments for the inclusion of end of life doulas in the Support at Home program. This funding would enable us to meet the needs and desires of people who wish to die at home and be supported as they deserve.
We recognise that end of life doulas can be part of the solution to many of the gaps in service provision, and we will continue to champion that cause.
Recognition on a national stage
This year, Preparing the Way was named the New South Wales Winner in the Championing Health category at the 2025 Telstra Best of Business Awards. This recognition honours not only our work, but the growing public understanding that end of life literacy, support and choice are essential to Australia’s wellbeing.
We also appeared in numerous media stories and community podcasts throughout the year, further helping to bring end of life knowledge into homes and communities nationwide.
Looking ahead to 2026
This year has shown us that the role of the end of life doula is no longer at the edges; it’s entering the mainstream. People are seeking support earlier, asking brave questions, and expecting and asking for greater levels of holistic, compassionate, person-led care.
In 2026, we will continue to meet that need. We will expand our programs, deepen our partnerships, strengthen our community, and keep supporting people to accompany others through one of life’s most profound thresholds.
We’re proud of what we’ve achieved and even more inspired by what’s ahead.
This work matters. This community matters. And together, we’re preparing the way for a more compassionate and informed future. We want to thank each of you out there willing to have those conversations, champion people in their end of life journey and stand for transformation of the end of life space.
Since Preparing the Way started in 2014, our vision has been all people empowered with choice at end of life and all people having access to an end of life doula. That continues to be our vision and mission and we will remain committed to the fulfilment of that.
Thank you to each and every one of you, to our incredible dedicated team, to all our students, participants, end of life doulas and colleagues and partnering businesses and organisations. Together, we can do this.
Wishing you all a gentle holiday time and see you on the way in 2026!
Helen Callanan
Founder & Lead Educator
Helen is a practising end of life doula and the Founder, Managing Director, and Lead Educator of Preparing the Way. With nearly 40 years of experience in traditional Chinese medicine and Reiki and working with the aging, very ill, and dying, Helen brings profound insight into health and the ‘circle of life’.
Catherine Hutton
Director & Chief Financial Officer
Catherine has had a lifelong interest in healing, wellbeing and making a difference. With a background in finance in the health sector and international banking, Catherine brings corporate experience to Preparing the Way and supporting end of life doulas.