Corporate to Calling: How Adrian Allotey Found Her Purpose as an End-of-Life Doula
Aug 4, 2026
Corporate to Calling Spotlight Series
What does success really look like?
For many people, it looks like a stable career, a good salary, excellent benefits, and the security of knowing exactly what tomorrow will bring. From the outside, that’s the picture many strive for. But sometimes, even when life appears successful, something deeper feels missing.
That was Adrian Allotey’s story.
“My path to this amazing work began as a volunteer at two local hospices while working a full-time job, a well-paying job with excellent benefits,” Adrian shares. “Society would say that was a good place to be, but it didn’t bring out the best in me, and I began to really dislike myself for getting up each day to go to it.”
It wasn’t that her career lacked opportunity. It was that it lacked purpose.
Every day, she found herself asking the same question.
“Adrian, are you willing to risk it all to gain yourself?”
Eventually, the answer became clear.
“One day I answered yes.”
That single decision would change not only Adrian’s life, but the lives of countless families she would one day serve.
When Success No Longer Feels Like Success
Many people reach a point where they begin questioning whether the work they’ve built their lives around still reflects who they are.
For Adrian, volunteering in hospice revealed something she couldn’t ignore.
She discovered a place where presence mattered more than productivity. Where listening mattered more than deadlines. Where simply showing up could change someone’s final days.
“I knew there was a calling on my life to serve those towards the end of life,” she says.
Leaving a secure career wasn’t a decision she recommends lightly.
“I don’t recommend people leaving their jobs without a plan unless you know for sure that is your plan.”
For Adrian, it was. She trusted what she believed was a deeper calling and took one step at a time.
A Family Experience That Changed Everything
Like many end-of-life doulas, Adrian’s purpose became deeply personal.
Her grandmother lived to be 106 years old, remaining remarkably healthy for most of her life. Her greatest wish was simple: to remain in the home she and her late husband had built together.
But when her health began to decline, Adrian’s family found themselves overwhelmed.
“We felt hopeless with no direction, guidance nor with a real understanding on how to keep her in her home with the medical and non-medical support she needed.”
Eventually, she moved into a facility where medical care was available.
Yet Adrian realized something important was still missing.
“The medical team was in place, but no one was there educating us on how close she was to death nor what we could do to holistically prepare for her last breath.”
She remembers being the last family member to see her alive.
“Had I understood that she was in the active dying phase, I would have stayed the additional hour that she passed after I left.”
That experience became the foundation of her mission.
Today, she makes sure other families don’t have to face those moments without understanding, education, or support.
Becoming the Guide Families Didn’t Have
Adrian helps families understand what to expect physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. She creates Living Wills, Durable Powers of Attorney for Health Care, and Living Well Plans. She facilitates family meetings so loved ones understand one another’s wishes before a crisis occurs. She educates clients about medical decisions, guides life reviews, helps preserve memories for future generations, assists with memorial planning, sits vigil during the final hours, and supports families after death as they begin creating a new normal.
As Adrian beautifully summarizes:
“I prepare people for their last breath, hold their hands through their last breath, and then assist those who they left behind with creating a new normal.”
Living Until the Last Breath
One belief shapes everything Adrian does.
“Death is usually viewed as a medical situation. I, on the other hand, know that death is a human, not medical event.”
That simple shift changes everything.
Instead of focusing only on disease, Adrian helps families focus on the person.
Instead of asking only what treatments remain, she asks what matters most.
Instead of allowing fear to drive the experience, she creates space for connection, presence, education, and peace.
“A good passing for me is one where people realize that a person is still alive until they take their last breath and that he or she still has feelings, thoughts, and most importantly wishes that need to be honored and respected.”
It’s a philosophy that aligns deeply with the mission of Doulagivers: helping families understand that every moment of life has value.
Creating a Ripple Effect
While Adrian works one-on-one with families through her practice, You Are Not Alone Elder Care, her impact extends far beyond individual clients.
She teaches continuing education for healthcare professionals, serves as an adjunct professor, partners with Princeton University, educates seniors, speaks nationally, volunteers with hospice organizations, and helps future healthcare professionals understand compassionate end-of-life care.
Her work demonstrates that becoming an end-of-life doula isn’t only about serving individuals. It can also transform communities, educate professionals, and change how society approaches death and dying.
Finding the Life She Was Meant to Live
When asked how this work has changed her own life, Adrian’s answer says it all.
“I am currently living my best life by providing service to elders and their loved ones.”
She explains that understanding mortality has changed how she lives every day.
“My greatest internal change is the reality that I too will take my last breath. Thus, I strive to make the best of every moment and show up my authentic self.”
She has discovered that purpose isn’t simply found in what we do.
It’s found in how we serve.
“You can’t preach to others what you don’t live.”
Could Your Calling Be Waiting Too?
Not everyone who discovers end-of-life doula work begins in healthcare.
Some begin as family caregivers. Some come from nursing or hospice.
Others, like Adrian, leave successful corporate careers because something inside them knows they are meant to serve in a different way.
If you’ve ever felt pulled toward meaningful work that combines education, compassion, advocacy, and presence, perhaps that quiet voice deserves your attention.
If you’d like to learn more about becoming an end-of-life doula or simply want to better support someone you love, start with Doulagivers’ free caregiver training, explore the growing library of free resources, listen to the Ask a Death Doula Podcast, or join Suzanne O’Brien live each week in Life Café. These educational resources are designed to help people feel more informed, empowered, and less alone on the end-of-life journey.
As Adrian reminds us, our identity is bigger than our job titles.
“Our core is greater than our roles in life, bigger than the jobs we hold, bigger than our titles.”
Sometimes, the greatest risk isn’t leaving the career you’ve always known.
Sometimes, it’s never answering the question that could change your life.
“Are you willing to risk it all to gain yourself?”
Additional Resources:
The GOOD DEATH GOOD LIFE Live Monthly BOOK CLUB and Q&A: Register here
Need help with something else? Send us an email to [email protected]
