About Me
Suzanne Talarico
Hello and Welcome,
My caregiving instinct was fostered at an early age. I spent many hours and overnights at my Gram’s house while she navigated life with what I later learned was chronic congestive heart failure. I helped her to bathe, wash and set her hair, “scooch up her robe” over her shoulder, carry heavier items, dust the high shelves and decorate.
But most fulfilling of all was simply being in her company and enjoying the bond we shared. My Gram died just shy of my 13th birthday and was my first human death experience. I credit her with fostering my love of the elderly, coffee, popcorn, cats, and “the knowing” that physical death is not the end.
In later years that call to caregiving led to my nursing degree with a focus on clinical cardiology. I have been a dedicated Registered Professional Nurse (RN) for over 30 years serving in clinical bedside and leadership roles and in the administrative setting.
My most gratifying memories are those of vulnerable patients and families who were filled with fear and anxiety, where I was able to translate, advocate, provide a calming presence, and reduce this fear. Concerns included diagnoses, tests, lab results, discharge instructions, and for some whether to continue medical treatments or to begin preparing for death. Helping folks navigate these stressful and transforming experiences was heart filling work.
Not news to anyone in healthcare, then or now, enough time to spend with individual patients is a challenge. Too much time on documentation and regulatory and compliance requirements. I racked up many overtime hours charting long after my bedside shifts ended and similarly pouring over data points and metrics on "off" hours while in the leadership realm.
In 2024, with support from my family, I embraced the opportunity to step out of the hospital employment setting to manage the care for my aging parents on a full-time basis.
With an RN license, a unique lens on the complexities of healthcare, and insight into the challenges of trying to manage medications, appointments, insurance, household upkeep, while in the primary caregiver role for a loved one, I thought, “I’ve got this.”
I did not.
When a FREE End-of-Life Doula & Family Caregiver Training course registration appeared in my social media algorithm, I scrolled by a few times. But the messages reverberated…”what if as a society we forgot how to die, we forgot that death is a human experience and not a medical one…that knowing how to die changes everything about how to live…that knowledge and education about the choices and decisions we can make in advance can reduce fear and bring back the sacred experience of dying…” WOW!
With my mom living with dementia, and my dad experiencing an acute medical episode and new cancer diagnosis, these messages resonated deeply within me.
As my mom’s dementia advanced, the Doulagiver training gave me everything I needed to guide my mother to a beautiful, serene transition and death, and it helped me to explain every step of the way to my brother, dad, and family. There was no fear, just an abundance of love.
And that gift would have been enough…. But the calling to this space for me was so clear; illuminating a path to serve in a way that focused less on deadlines and metrics and more on humanity.
I am proud and grateful to be a Certified Doulagiver Specialist, part of the Doulagivers Institute community, and supporting the global good death movement.
My passion for aging and end of life planning and care honors my mom, who died in March 2025, and my dad, who in his late 80’s selflessly cared for her to the detriment of his own health. Their love and commitment to one another and my desire to help ease the fear and decrease the burden for others in these circumstances, inspires me every day.
Intertwined with my calling as an end-of-life-doula, I am a wife and a mom to 3 amazing daughters. This crew enriches my understanding of the value of family, connection, and forgiveness. I strive to be a compassionate advocate for those I serve, helping to honor life’s transitions and celebrate the love that surrounds us.
Together, we can embrace these moments with serenity, peace, and compassion, ensuring that every individual feels valued and supported throughout life and in death.
About
Doulagivers
Institue
International Doulagivers Institute is a globally recognized institute that provides the highest level of education and certification for professional Death Doulas.
Suzanne B. O’Brien is a registered nurse who has worked most of her career in either Hospice (end-of-life care) and/or Oncology (cancer care).
She has had the honor and privilege to have personally worked at the bedside with over one thousand end-of-life patients and their families, from all different cultures, backgrounds, and nationalities.
In addition to being the creator and founder of Doulagivers Institute, she is also a founding member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s (NHPCO) End of Life Doula Council and a founding member and former Vice President of the National End of Life Doula Alliance (NEDA).
For over a decade now, she has been training End-of-Life Doulas to help support and serve our vulnerable elder population.
She helps incredibly passionate people become the best possible non-medical, holistic practitioner you can be, so that you can help the people that need you most.
“Death can be the natural, sacred experience it was meant to be with the right kindness, education and support.”
—Suzanne B. O’Brien, RN