I swam in the depths of grief to discover
my capacity for love.
When my mother died by suicide, my world crashed down all around me. At times, I would have the capacity to see the larger truth of her decision and then quickly shift into a deep sadness that would not quit. I would find myself crying one moment and dancing with joy the next as I tried to continue to live my life alongside grieving and taking care of her affairs. As I slipped in and out of grief, I found myself more curious than ever about death and how to remain connected to her. I could feel and hear her in my heart, especially while in nature.
Each time I went into the darkness of grief, I discovered and remembered a depth of love that was ineffable.
From this experience of grief, which continues to evolve with time, I found myself connecting with others about grief and death. Holding space for people to feel all the forms of their grief and having open-hearted conversations about death and how to prepare for it.
Tending to my own grief after my mother’s death revealed a truth I now carry in my bones:
that awareness and connection continue
after the soul leaves the physical body.
I choose to walk alongside souls moving through their own unknown thresholds to remember together our innate capacity to heal, to wail, to laugh, and to meet every part of this experience with loving self-acceptance
and a resilient heart.
I am glad you are here. Thank you for reading my story.
Grief is a reflection of love,
but death is not the end of that love.
There is no such thing as goodbye.
CLAIRE BIDWELL SMITH
ABOUT
Guided by her own journey of tending to grief after her mother’s death by suicide, Chelsea integrates this lived wisdom into her dedicated service as a practicing Death Doula and Grief Companion, supporting others as they meet their own thresholds of change. Her approach is rooted in eight years of direct service, offering a compassionate, spacious, and accepting presence that embraces the truth of each individual's experience. By inviting a slower, more intentional pace, Chelsea uses intuitive insight to help others honor the space that loss creates—recognizing it as a unique opening for remembering their innate wisdom and returning to wholeness.
Chelsea views death not as an end, but as a transformation of a relationship. Her personal experience of engaging the dreamworld to remain in connection with those who have died offered her an embodied understanding of this truth. She now walks alongside others as they explore their own dreams as a pathway for an ongoing relationship. Through Dream Guidance, Chelsea supports others in valuing and nourishing these direct experiences as authentic portals for healing and spiritual growth.
Living in rhythm with the natural world, Chelsea integrates her study of meditation, dream yoga, and bardo yoga into her role as a guide for both the living and the dying. Through her co-creative partnership with Katie Love at this is a dream, she supports others in spiritual awakening through their dreams. Her practice is a continuous bridge between ancient spiritual insights and a commitment to slow living, all held in service to a more awakened and loving world.
She resides nestled between two volcanoes in the watery lands of the Pacific Northwest and works with individuals and groups, both in person and online.
Chelsea gives deep gratitude to her guides, teachers, mentors, and chosen family:
Alessandro Tulisso, Andrew Holecek, Carissa Rose, Harold W., Katie Love, Larry Byram, Monique Goodman, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, The Natural World, and guides in the unseen realms.
Experience & Training
Chelsea’s approach is rooted in direct service as a death doula and grief companion. Her practice is informed by years of dedicated training and community-based work, including:
-
Support Group Facilitator for Dream Work for Conscious Grieving through Claire Bidwell Smith.
-
Program Manager & Teaching Assistant for Andrew Holecek's Preparing to Die Program, supporting numerous cohorts in the study of death and dying.
-
Certified End-of-Life Doula via Going with Grace (Alua Arthur) in 2018.
-
Completed the Grief & Loss Training Program with Claire Bidwell Smith in 2023.
-
Registered with the National End of Life Doula Alliance (NEDA).
-
Practitioner of Higher Alignment, trained by Larry Byram in his framework for understanding relationships.
-
Previous Hospice Volunteer and former member of the Threshold Choir, providing bedside presence and song for those in transition.