Francesca Lynn Arnoldy

Greetings! I’m Francesca—doula, writer, and fellow mortal. I’m the author of three death lit books: Cultivating the Doula Heart: Essentials of Compassionate Care (a guidebook), Map of Memory Lane (a picture book), and the forthcoming workbook, The Death Doula’s Guide to Living Fully and Dying Prepared. I’m a researcher with the Vermont Conversation Lab, and I was the original developer of the end-of-life doula training programs at the University of Vermont. My goal is to encourage people to hold one another’s hands through life’s intensities. I live in quaint Vermont with my family in a most beloved village.

I believe nature is good medicine, allyship is a verb,
and that the potential for healing exists beyond the hope of a cure.

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Professional Presentations

Featured Presenter/Speaker/Educator:

Vermont-based: Death and Dying Symposium, Center on Aging Gerontology Symposium, Osher Lifelong Learning, Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Access Community Classes, Village Deathcare Citizen Course, University of Vermont undergraduate and medical school classes, Summit Street School, UVM Health Network hospice volunteer training programs, Interstitial Lung Disease Support Group

National/Global: The Art of Dying Integrative Thanatology Certificate Program, “Before I Die” AZ, City of Hope End of Life Symposium, Fundación Elisabeth Kübler-Ross México Centro, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation, “Doulapalooza” by the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, “Let’s Talk about Health: Caring for Seniors in Rural New York” Conference by the University of Rochester, Vet VOICE National, International Doula Life Movement, End-of-Life Doula Association of Canada, The Funeral Consumer Alliance of Maine, The Hospice Heart: “At the Bedside” Class, “Healing in Community Conference” Older Adult Behavioral Health Network, Lifespan Doulas

Press & Recordings

Podcast Interview – Give Grief a Chance

The StoryListening Project: Feasibility and Acceptability of a Remotely Delivered Intervention to Alleviate Grief during the COVID-19 Pandemic – Research Paper

A Hospice Chaplain Shares The Secret to Contentment – Mindful Magazine

Enriching the dying experience: End-of-life doulas help those who want to personalize their journey – The Westerly Sun

What are the stages of grieving with Francesca Arnoldy, Professional Pet Doula – Bark & Wag Podcast

What is a Pet Doula? – Bark & Wag Podcast

Author Series: Map of Memory Lane – Elisabeth Kübler Ross Foundation

Shape-Shifting as an End-of-Life Doula During COVID – MedPage Today Op-Ed

Conversational stories & self organizing maps: Innovations for the scalable study of uncertainty in healthcare communication Last Days – Research Paper

Panel Discussion: Pediatric Loss and Grief – Contemplative Doula

Compassionate End-of-Life Preparation and Care – Ellementa (live podcast recording)

What is a Death Doula? How Trained Companions Help People Face Their Last Days – The National

A Search for Meaning – Vermont Medicine Magazine

Deathcare Roles Webinar – University of Vermont

Podcast Interview: MAP OF MEMORY LANE – The When You Die Project

Map of Memory Lane: A Grief Book for Children with Francesca Arnoldy – EOL University Podcast

Death Doulas Create Shift from Avoidance to Awareness About End of Life – UVM OutReach

‘Death Doulas’ Provide Aid at the End of Life – New York Times

Podcast Interview – The Heart of Healing: The Healer’s Journey

What is a Death Doula? What These Experts Offer – Today Show

What is a Death Doula? – Newsweek

End of Life Care for the 21st Century – The Hinesburg Record

Grief and Loss in Isolation – VPR Vermont Edition

Book Review – International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care

Grief Support Systems – The Verge

Podcast Interview – Out of Curiosity

Podcast Interview – When You Die

Doula Program Info Webinar – University of Vermont

Podcast Interview – Death By Design

The Stream: The Death Positive Movement – Al Jazeera English

Panel Discussion – University of Vermont

Podcast Interview – EOL University

Death Wellness – Fast Magazine

End-of-Life Doula Movement – Today’s Geriatric Medicine (cover story)

Public Radio Interview – Vermont Edition

Learning to Serve the Dying – AARP 

A Birthing Doula Shares the Significance of End of Life Care – UVM OutReach

Filling a Critical Gap in End-of-Life Care – UVM OutReach

UVM Pilots an End-of-Life Doula Program – Seven Days VT

Truth and Compassion Are at the Core of End-of-Life Care – UVM OutReach