Certified death doula
After her brother's death left her with nowhere to turn, Riley trained and became a certified death doula to support others going through similar grief.
Snapshot · Call Her Daddy
Riley Keough: Nepo babies, Addiction & Grief (FBF)
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Jul 3, 2026
Where this was said
Death Doula Certification: Building Community From Grief
At 54:58 · chapter starts 54:43
The conversation arrives at one of the episode's most surprising facts: Riley is a certified death doula. She explains the path there begins with her brother's death and the total isolation she felt, which drove her to Reddit and Instagram DMs with strangers. [1] — Riley Keough "After losing her brother, Riley found no resources — just Reddit forums and Instagram DMs with strangers. That led her to the death doula c…" 54:43 Through that search for connection, she discovered that an entire professional community existed around supporting people through death — and that she hadn't known it. A friend of hers was a death doula, and Riley, wanting to make herself useful to anyone going through what she had been through, decided to get trained and certified. She explains the role simply: it's what a birth doula does, but for dying. You're trained to be present with and for the dying person. Alex asks whether working with grieving people triggers Riley's own grief, and Riley's answer is precise: not triggered, but very emotionally present. Because she has lived it, she is genuinely with the people she supports in a way that someone who hasn't can't quite be.
Becoming a Certified Death Doula After Her Brother's Death
After losing her brother, Riley found no resources — just Reddit forums and Instagram DMs with strangers. That led her to the death doula community, and eventually she trained and got certified. A death doula does for dying what a birth doula does for birth.
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