Starlight North Star Community of Practice
What is the North Star Community of Practice?
Starlight’s “North Star” Community of Practice invites death doulas from Communities of Color and PAUSE’s partner institutions from the end-of-life industry to meet each other in a place of exploration, learning, and mutual resourcing around the questions:
“What are the bridges and barriers that death doulas encounter when trying to integrate into the broader end-of-life industry?”
“Where are opportunities for expansion and collaborative relationships in the end-of-life ecosystem?”
“What is the experience of death doulas of color after receiving their training?”
What does the North Star Community of Practice include?
Over the course of six months and multiple phases, a core group of 6 death doulas will work together to reflect on their experiences after receiving their training, and identify gaps and key areas where progress can be made to further support their work. Through both internal group discussions and engaging in round tables with external partners from healthcare, hospice, funeral, mental health, and other institutions, we will further explore the narratives and misconceptions about death doulas and identify opportunities for change.
From here, the group will work on determining what solutions could be strategically and sustainably implemented with end-of-life institutions and other community spaces.
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Cohort environment and support
Starlight “North Star” Community of Practice participants will connect and learn within an intimate cohort of death doulas of color. The group will engage in collaborative learning, problem-solving, and tracking progress on collectively-set objectives. These objectives are all specifically focused on answering questions related to death doula’s experiences navigating end-of-life industry.
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Customized learning modules and integration
Each module will include a blend of guided individual reflection, small group dialogue, and full-group discussions. Together, we will explore and deepen our understanding of the experiences and potential of death doulas of color. In the culmination of these sessions, PAUSE and the program participants will clarify and align around our personal and collective "North Stars" - the guiding values and visions to expand opportunities for death doulas of color.
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A grounding and nourishing space
The “North Star” Community of Practice strives to provide a grounding and nourishing space for end-of-life professionals who hold so much, so often. The monthly group meetings allow participants to come together, slow down, reflect, and be resourced by each other. Through shared grounding practices and the power of collective presence, we will tend to our own inner landscapes as we care for others.
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Facilitated discussions between EOL professionals
PAUSE will facilitate roundtables and conversations with partner institutions (e.g., hospitals, hospices) that have expressed specific interest in collaborating with doulas. These discussions will focus on examining the bridges and gaps between death doulas and the broader EOL ecosystem– and identify opportunities for partnerships.
Program Structure
Phase 1: Learning & Reflecting
The Starlight "North Star" Community of Practice is a 7-month journey designed to foster connection, reflection, and collective growth. The community will gather in person once a month for a 3-hour session, creating a consistent container for meaningful engagement.
Each module will include a blend of guided individual reflection, small group dialogue, and full-group discussions. Together, we will explore and deepen our understanding of the end-of-life ecosystem in Los Angeles for People of Color. In the culmination of these sessions, PAUSE and the program participants will clarify and align around our personal and collective "North Stars" - the guiding values and visions for improving the EOL experience for POC communities.
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Guiding question: Who are we (as a collective) and how do we show up in this work?
Learning objective: Share personal information, experience, and history about ourselves to familiarize the group with each other’s lives, identities, and work.
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Guiding question: What are our thoughts and reflections about the training we received to be death doulas of color? What has work as a death doula looked like after receiving training? What grounded and inspired us? Where was more support needed?
Learning objective: Explore and examine themes across death doula training recipients. Identify supportive factors and opportunities for growth in training programs. Identify the various ways that death doulas provide EOL care. Explore what feels sustainable in carrying out the work, and what roadblocks are being encountered.
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Guiding question: What does the EOL ecosystem look like in Los Angeles? Who makes up the EOL ecosystem and how do they interact with each other? Where are there opportunities to further integrate doulas into this ecosystem?
Learning objective: Map the EOL ecosystem of Los Angeles. Identify networks of support and resources. Identify opportunities for doulas to carry out their work.
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Guiding question: What does the current end-of-life experience look like for POC in California? How is the practice of whole person care applied at EOL?
Learning objective: Map the stakeholder network. Apply our understanding of whole person care to analyze how it impacts the EOL experience for POC.
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Guiding question: What do partnerships with other end-of-life institutions, agencies, and community resources look like?
Learning objective: Examine and critique the bridges and gaps between death doulas and the broader EOL ecosystem.
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Guiding question: What are the misconceptions and narratives about death doulas that other end-of-life professionals have? How can death doulas help expand and strengthen the EOL ecosystem in Los Angeles?
Learning objective: Engage death doulas in conversation with other end-of-life professionals about the breadth of their work. Define what the existing barriers are. Analyze and critique the existing barriers. Discuss and acknowledge our part in creating and dismantling/addressing those barriers.
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Guiding question: Based on our reflections and resourcing, what have we learned about the experience for death doulas of color navigating the EOL field? What are our individual and collective “north stars” that guide us to transform the EOL experience and ecosystem in Los Angeles/California?
Learning objective: Reflect on the strengths and barriers of the EOL ecosystem for death doulas of color. Identify our “north stars” to work towards transforming the EOL ecosystem. Determine what solutions could be strategically and sustainably implemented individually and with EOL allies.
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In-person Monthly Sessions:
Frequency: 1 session/month in person, first Thursday of the month
Location: In person in Los Angeles; official meeting location TBA
Duration: 3 hours/session, from 2:30pm - 5:30pst
Total In-Person Session Time: 21 hours over 6 months
Session dates
Module 0 – October 2, 2025
Module 1 (Part 1) – November 6, 2025
Module 1 (Part 2) – December 4, 2025
Module 2 – January 8, 2026
Module 3 – February 5, 2026
Module 4 – March 5, 2026
Additional Commitments:
Pre-work (optional or required per module): ~30 minutes/month
Reflection or journaling (encouraged): ~15–30 minutes/month
Optional peer exchanges or check-ins: ~1 hour/month
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Participants are expected to:
Attend all monthly sessions and actively engage in discussions and activities.
Attendance Policy: 2 excused absence is permitted. If a session is missed, participants will set up a 1:1 meeting with the Program Manager to determine the best ways to make up missed activities/material.
Approach the space with openness, respect, and a willingness to explore both personal and professional dimensions of end-of-life work.
Maintain confidentiality and uphold collective safety within the group.
Participate in feedback and evaluation processes to inform future phases of the program.
Bring stories, questions, and reflections that can contribute to the collective learning.
Phase 2: Applications & Blueprints
After defining the barriers the group will work on determining what solutions could be strategically and sustainably implemented individually, within partner orgs and within their communities.
Phase 3: Development, Learning, and Implementation
Participants will participate in individual learning opportunities, group learning opportunities (modules, workshops, etc. hosted within the program), and have the opportunity to co-design products (referral database, etc.) with PAUSE and partner organizations. This phase is all about doing the work, learning, practicing, and growing.
Phase 4: Retrospective & Iteration
The participants, PAUSE team, and partners will collectively review the learnings, products, and experience of the program and development phase. The period of reflection will involve providing feedback on what worked, didn’t work, and what could be improved upon.
Phase 5: Long-term Community of Practice & Residency engagement
Program Objectives
Identify and gather 6-8 Los Angeles-local death doulas who have sustained, long-term commitment to community-based sharing, learning, and problem-solving.
Define who and what support mechanisms a “constellation of care” includes/involves in relation to the end-of-life experience for POC in California.
Critically analyze the barriers to People of Color achieving the end-of-life experience they desire.
Develop and disseminate 1-2 innovative, culturally-informed tools and resources to support end-of-life providers in increasing their comfortability serving POC folks at end-of-life.
Collectively, the program participants and PAUSE will:
Design and disseminate 1-2 solutions over the course of the project, particularly focused on supporting doulas in expanding their ability to make identity-focused referrals (i.e., building a referral network, database, matching system).
Collaborate to design a long-term community of practice that supports all participants in the cohort through their ongoing learning, development, and growth journey.
Eligibility and applying
Eligibility
Our definitions
End-of-Life/Death Doula: This is an umbrella term for individuals that provide non-medical care and support to people as they prepare for death and for families after a death.
End of life: We expect applicants to work in the end of life space, which encompasses the full spectrum of dying, death, and grief experiences that individuals have at the end of their lives. “Dying” includes but is not limited to palliative care, hospice, doula services, and experience post-terminal diagnosis. “Death” includes but is not limited to funeral experience/services, death-related arrangements, and death-related rituals (cultural/religious). “Grief” includes but is not limited to personal grief experience, grief’s connection to mental health, public mourning, and grief-related rituals (cultural/religious).
People of Color/Communities of Color: Individuals from communities that identify as non-White. We currently primarily focus on serving and working with People of Color in the United States.
Who is encouraged to apply?
PAUSE encourages you to apply for the “North Star” Community of Practice if you are:
A death doula actively practicing in Los Angeles, CA
Seeking a meaningful outlet to explore the experiences of death doulas of color, and discuss the intersections of race, justice, and barriers to healthcare at the end of life.
Curious, motivated, and ready to translate ideas into tangible, actionable change in the EOL field.
Participant requirements and guidelines:
Must identify as a person of color
Must have received an end-of-life/death doula training (*this could mean receiving training from a formal program, institution, direct training from a teacher/mentor, etc. - we invite applicants to share their own experiences and definitions of their pathway to being a doula)
Must live or work anywhere within the greater Los Angeles region
Availability to attend community of practice sessions and peer coaching sessions October 2025-March 2026
Participants must have access to reliable transportation to in-person sessions and internet to attend virtual meetings
Participants must be 18+ years old
