Helen Callanan

Managing Director, Founder and Lead Educator

Helen is a practicing end of life doula and the founder, managing director and lead educator of Preparing the Way. Trained in TCM and Reiki and with more than 30 years experience working with the very ill and dying, Helen has deep insight into health and healing.

The death experiences of her own parents, family, friends and many clients and her passion for education that transforms, led Helen to establishing Preparing the Way and bringing her wealth of knowledge to hundreds of doulas, clients and their families and those close to them.

Helen and all our team at Preparing the Way’s hold, and are at work on, the vision of ALL people being empowered with choice at end of life and ALL people being supported by trained end of life doulas.
Come and join us!

Catherine Hutton

Director and CFO

Catherine has had a lifelong interest in healing, wellbeing and making a difference.  Her involvement in the world of end of life doulas is a result of varying experiences at the end of life of family and friends and her passion for having people know that their values and wishes will be honoured.  With a background in finance in the health sector and international banking, Catherine brings this corporate experience to Preparing the Way and supporting end of life doulas.

Jo Fuller

Senior Educator

Jo has a background in palliative and aged care nursing, as well as pathology and medical research. Prior to training as an end of life doula, she completed a professional management program with Adelaide University. As one of Preparing the Way’s senior educators, Jo has extensive experience in doula’ing those at end of life, and is currently completing her Cert IV in Training and Assessment, as well as studying Mental Health Peer Work.

Jancine Hurst

Systems and Student Journey Lead

Starting her career as a nanny, for 20 years Jancine complemented this with aged care until her own experiences with family and friends dying poorly lit a fire in her belly to find a better way. As an end of life doula Jancine’s passion and purpose is aligning people with what matters most for them at their end of life, improving death literacy and making sure our Preparing the Way students are well supported.

Cherie Maglis

Marketing and Events Lead

Cherie was drawn to the end of life doula profession after 25+ years in various project, marketing and business management roles; and after experiencing personal losses including her stillborn son. Cherie has always been passionate about death literacy, lifting the taboo around death and advocating for living and dying well. It is gratifying to Cherie to now be in a role that helps to train, develop and support other EOL doulas, and to be immersed in a vocation that is positively life changing for so many.

Tilly Stevens

End of Life Doula Coordinator – New Zealand

Tilly hails from the central North Island of New Zealand and attended the first New Zealand training with Preparing the Way in 2018. Tilly has worked in the field of change, loss and grief since 2007 and is passionate about advocating for death and grief literacy in schools.  Tilly is excited about the changes in attitudes and beliefs we are slowly seeing in the wider community around the importance of planning and preparing for end of life. Tilly’s role with Preparing the Way is to help support all our New Zealand end of life doulas and the running of our NZ courses.

Berneice Callow

Compliance and Accreditation Consultant

Berneice has an extensive background in the VET sector working in regulatory compliance, management and training in TAFE, private RTO’s and the disability and government sectors. Prior to this, Berneice worked in the legal services and banking industries, and also ran a massage practice with a special interest in infant massage and working with older clients. Berneice leads the team in development of the upcoming Government accredited and oversees training, assessment and compliance.