Death Ed
with Erin
Here, Education is the Bridge from Fear to Preparedness
Welcome. You are here to learn more about death and dying. Maybe because it is imminent in your own life, or maybe because you want to train as a death doula. Welcome to this space. I am here to guide you with knowledge, compassion, and experience through what many consider the hardest part of life: its end.
Who is Erin?
My name is Erin Merelli, and I walk alongside death, not to fear it, but to honor it. As a death doula, educator, and public speaker, I guide individuals, families, and communities to meet mortality with intention, courage, and love. My message is simple but not easy: We are all going to die, and to manage that well, we need to talk about it.
This is a space for:
Erin Merelli
“So long as we love, we cannot dispel grief, but we can manage its weight by educating the fear out of it.”
Education for Every Level
We fear what we don’t understand, and through learning, we can dispel fear. After creating over 20 programs tailored to every level, I am excited to teach individuals, communities, and professionals how to approach death with confidence, knowledge, and compassion.
Personal ancestry and inherited narratives
Cultural death practices across time and place
The funeral industry: a critical look behind the curtain
Death laws, democratization, and autonomy at the end of life
Green burial options and ecological alternatives
My current offerings include evergreen classes (pre-recorded, self-paced), as well as live online classes. We explore themes of:
The environmental impact of burial and cremation
Cultural grief rituals and the need for communal mourning
Ceremony and rites of passage at the end of life
Death Doula business tools
Online Learning
Evolving Death Care
Tailored Educational Experience
Remote
Courses With Colleagues
Transformative Training Alongside Industry Experts in Grief, Life, and Death
Online/In person
Public Speaking
Redefining Deathcare
Customized Curriculum
In Person
Client Reviews
“Thank you for showing us what’s possible through death studies. I honestly feel that I have gained so much and have been able to put it into practice with those around me. You are guiding me”
— Multiple courses student“Highly suggest taking this work if you feel called. Death work is for everyone who is human. Erin Merelli came into my life as I prepared for my father to go through his end of life and her teachings carried me into the underworld. Now my father has died, I’ve run my own mortuary Transports business, worked at a water cremation center run by women, and am the full time caretaker for my mum as she walks towards her end of life. Truly one of the most gifted and talented Death Creatures I know.”
— Lemmuria, Multiple courses student“Thank you for putting your heart and energy into creating this time and space for all of us. I absolutely am so grateful for you.”
— Michelle, DS Evolved StudentThanks so much for our training. The only critique I have is that I just want more. I left feeling full and satisfied for the moment, and also wanting more.
— Death Doula Training Workshop Student, Fall 2024 Deathschool, and by extention you, have changed my life. I learned so much about myself, my family, my community, and our class.”
— DS Evolved Student “Erin has created a program unlike anything else. You can study a book until you know the material backwards and forwards, but Erin has added her practical experience as a doula, as an educator, as a public speaker, to make the curriculum *human*. And there is nothing that compares to the humanity, the community, the acceptance, and the love that you'll find in Deathschool, and from Erin Merelli.”
— Robin, DS Evolved Student“I went into Deathschool Evolved not entirely sure what to expect, but it ended up being a deeply meaningful experience in my own journey with grief. Erin's knowledge and respect for the field carry through in how she presents topics. Her sessions were full of care and intention, not only with regard to the content but also for each of her participants. I am beyond grateful for the insight and perspectives this course provided. Sign up, you won't regret it!”
— Elizabeth, DS Evolved Student “Death School was an invaluable experience, and I truly cannot imagine walking this path without having gone through it. I learned far more than I expected, not only about death and grief, but about myself and how I show up for others. The reflections were deep, the learning was rich, and the connections were genuine and meaningful.
This course strengthened my business and clarified my offerings in a powerful way. I now move with greater confidence, integrity, and discernment in my work. The impact of this experience continues to unfold, and I am deeply grateful I said yes.”
— Kema, DS Evolved Student Thank you for leading us with grace and compassion. It felt really nice to be led by you!
— Death Doula Training Workshop Student, Austin TXDeath Doula Services:
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Planning for the end
practical logistics, family preparedness and mining through grief and fear until we find some level of surrender.
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Visitations
providing companionship to the dying and respite care to the caregivers.
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11th Hour Care
presence when death is imminent, tending to the space, supporting family lead care.
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Ceremony
planning meaningful rituals, ceremonies, memorials and funerals that support the grieving in personal ways.
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Workplace support
what happens when there is a loss in the workplace? Lets structure, support and organize gatherings to tend to the rip in the community cloth, honoring the one who died and the feelings that remain, supporting staff mental health, wellness and performance.