Preparing the Way has been named the NSW State Winner in the Championing Health category of the Telstra Best of Business Awards 2025. This feels less like a trophy and more like a turning point. For a field that often works quietly with families, carers and small teams, the spotlight matters.
“My heart is full, and I feel so grateful,” says Founder and Lead Educator, Helen Callanan. “This is a win for the entire doulaverse. Recognition at this level does not just lift Preparing the Way, it lifts end of life doula work itself.”
What the Telstra award recognises
Championing Health celebrates small and medium-sized businesses improving health outcomes in Australia. Our contribution is simple and holistic. We treat health as physical, emotional, social, relational, cultural, mental and spiritual. We focus on the person and the circle around them.
Our training builds steadiness and continuity, so people and those close to them can make informed decisions, aligned with their values and preferences, with confidence. We encourage true collaboration across community, palliative and clinical care so that choices are understood, honoured and respected.
These actions make the end of life journey gentler for individuals and those they care about, as well as members of the medical and other support teams who collaborate with and accompany them. The long-lasting impact of empowering people to plan and make choices for their end of life improves the broader health outcomes across the community.
A collaborative achievement
Helen is quick to share the credit. “I am so proud of the collaborative effort across our end of life space. Thank you to my precious teachers and mentors who championed me from day one, to Catherine our co-owner and steady rock, to every member of our incredible team past and present, and to every participant who has trusted us with your learning.”
Our gratitude extends to the partners who keep showing up with us. Thank you to Libby Moloney and the team at Natural Grace Holistic Funeral Care. Thank you to Julie Fletcher, Leisa Harrison and Dee Cooke of Essential Skills Training and Recruitment and Doula Connections for our strong collaboration. Thank you to colleagues across the sector who continue to steward compassionate care, quality and clarity in this work.
Turning values unto capability
What sets our work apart is how we turn values into practical capacity and confidence on the ground.
Our four-day Intensive Course has become a rite of passage for many aspiring doulas. Our graduates, affectionately called our Legends, often finish with a steadier presence and a clearer way to have the conversations that once felt daunting. Our accredited pathways, including the End of Life Doula Skill Set and the world first 10966NAT Certificate IV in End of Life Doula Services delivered in partnership with Essential Skills Training and Recruitment (RTO ID 91729), carry that learning into workplaces and communities.
“At the heart of this work is collaboration and community,” says co-owner Catherine Hutton. “We listen, we learn and we build capability that lasts, so support is local, practical and person centred. This award is shared with our graduates, our partners and the communities we serve.”
Meeting the Telstra awards criteria
The Telstra judges look for positive and sustainable impact, thought leadership and innovation, commitment and perseverance, and values led business practice. We have moved with care on each front.
We offer accessible pathways, from free information sessions to the Foundation Workshop, the Intensive Course and accredited study. That way, our participants can layer their education as they deepen their skills and build on unique client experiences. Inside Preparing the Way, we invest in people, culture and technology, so delivery keeps pace with demand while staying human and heart-driven.
We measure what matters, like confidence, connectedness and capability, so our programs and peer support network improve organically to support our graduates in their practice.
We also co-design community education in regional areas, so learning aligns with the local needs and context.
The work behind the work
Preparing the Way’s growth has been measured and steady. We bring age-old wisdom and knowledge to an increasingly changing world. We are ‘reverse pioneering’ end of life matters to bring confidence back to communities, so people have choice, capacity and control.
We strengthen referral pathways between doulas and community services. We keep telling the story of this work clearly, so that families, carers, friends and professionals know what to expect. We adapt content for caregivers and workplaces juggling caring responsibilities.
We are also committed to advocacy and the growth of our sector. We engage with government, host community events to build awareness, and show up at professional conferences such as the Oceanic Palliative Care Conference, Ageing Australia and the Advance Care Planning Conference to build bridges between end of life doulas and the broader health and community sectors.
The throughline is steadiness and collaboration, with a commitment to improved health outcomes at all levels.
What comes next
We now join other remarkable and worthy state winners around our beautiful country as we head toward the national announcement in November. Whatever the result, we will keep doing what brought us here. We will equip people and their communities with skills and language. We will partner with health, community and education providers. We will accompany communities with presence and practical support.
“Every conversation you make possible, every moment of presence you offer, changes lives,” Helen says.
An invitation to connect
If you are new to this field, here is the heart of it. End of life doulas are part of a broader movement to make care more connected, informed, holistic and humane. Preparing the Way’s NSW win does not close that story; it gives it a louder microphone. And for communities already building capacity, it is an invitation to keep moving forward, together.
If this recognition resonates with your values, there are many ways to connect. Join a free information session. Explore the Foundation Workshop or the four-day Intensive Course. Learn more about our accredited training. See all our training options here.
The work is collective and the impact is shared.