About Us
It has become our passion to guide people through the death & dying process with strength, awareness & courage.
How We Began
We officially began in 2015, but the concept of this offering was years in the making. After seeing numerous deaths that could have turned out differently had there been more support, Shelby decided to help change that. She attended the International End of Life Doula Association's doula training and started A Peaceful Passing. Within the first week, a client's family found her and the word of mouth has been traveling ever since.
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About a year and a half into this endeavor Shelby realized that she would need more doulas to help support our community. In early 2018 Nicky Hansen, who had also taken the INELDA training, was brought on to be A Peaceful Passing's second doula.
We are both now certified End of Life Doulas within the Richmond area and we have grown the business to not only support countless client's and families in our area, but to also educate our community about death and dying through Death Cafe's, speaking engagements and co-founding The Art of Dying Conference in 2019.
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Over the many years we have been End of Life Doulas, we have had the privilege to be a part of many people’s journey through the dying process. What we have seen in those rare occasions when people accept death & dying, is that they depart this world spiritually fulfilled & content. This contentment spreads to the loved ones and family which allows this amazing moment, usually permeated with fear, to be instead filled with hope & grace.
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Mission Statement
To support and serve as guides to individuals and their families as they work through and accept the process of dying; to help them manage their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
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To provide the individual a sounding board to help establish and fulfill their ideas of a peaceful passing.
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To assist the family as they navigate this journey, affirming to them that they are not alone, helpless or lost.
Meet Us
​Shelby is the founder and president of the private practice A Peaceful Passing LLC, Richmond, VA. Along with being an ICU nurse for over twenty years, she is trained and certified by INELDA (the International End of Life Doula Association), and has been a practicing end of life coach/doula for since 2015. In 2017 she became an instructor for INELDA where she travels around the country training others to be doulas. Shelby believes that dying isn’t a medical experience, but rather a sacred and special time in our lives that should be treated with such care. With the right preparation and open communication, she believes that dying can, and should be, a beautiful ending to the wonderful chapters we write.
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Outside of her practice, she enjoys hiking, camping and reading. Her first loves, however, are her husband and three beautiful children.
Nicky is passionate about caring for the elderly and became a vigil volunteer with hospice in 2014. She has since been trained and certified by INELDA as an End of Life Doula, and began practicing with A Peaceful Passing, LLC in 2018. She is also certified in the Alzheimer's Association person-centered Dementia Care Training Program and essentialALZ.
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Nicky instinctively guides loved ones and their family through the end of life journey in a compassionate manner. Over the years she has supported many patients and their families through the dying phase. Using her quiet strength and experience, she helps create a sacred space for comfort, reflection and peace.
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​Outside of her work, Nicky enjoys quality family time with her husband, children and rescue pets.