Jennifer Mallmes
Jennifer Mallmes is a leader in end-of-life education and compassionate care, with nearly 30 years of experience supporting individuals and families across the lifespan, from birth through to death and bereavement. She serves as Program Manager of Continuing Professional Development for the Kootenay Boundary Division of Family Practice, where she leads the design, delivery, and evaluation of rural healthcare education initiatives.
Jennifer is the Lead Instructor and curriculum developer of the End-of-Life Doula Program at Douglas College, where she has helped shape one of Canada’s most comprehensive non-medical end-of-life education programs. Furthermore, she is the developer of the Indigenous End-of-Life Guide which is culturally grounded end-of-life education. Working with FNHA and MNBC, her heart work is to create supportive, inclusive and culturally informed approaches to care.
Jennifer holds a Bachelor of General Studies in Sociology and Gerontology from Simon Fraser University and a Master of Arts in Adult Education from Athabasca University. She is a co-founder and past president of End-of-Life Doula Association of Canada, contributing to the advancement and recognition of the doula role nationally and internationally as a member of the End-of-Life Doula Research Committee.
Jennifer resides at Christina Lake BC while remaining connected with her beloved home and family in Newfoundland.
Brandi Bailey
Brandi Bailey is an end-of-life educator and doula based in Coquitlam, BC. Brandi believes that dying is one of life's most profound and meaningful transitions and considers it a privilege to walk alongside people during this chapter, creating space for honest conversations, deeper connection, and care that honours what matters most.
Her journey into end-of-life care began in 2018 when she enrolled in Douglas College's End-of-Life Doula course. She later became the first employee of the End-of-Life Doula Association of Canada, helping grow the organization through educational programming, event facilitation, and member engagement. She also volunteered for several years with her local hospice as a palliative care visiting volunteer, where she helped launch its Virtual Reality program for patients and families.
In addition to her doula practice, Brandi is the VP of Marketing and Navigator Program Lead at Plan Well Guide, where she develops educational programming, facilitates workshops, and supports individuals through advance serious illness planning. She is also a Last Aid Course Facilitator with the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association.
Outside of work, Brandi enjoys spending time with her husband and two teenagers, catching up with friends on long walks, and is rarely found without a coffee in hand.
Olga Nikolajev
Olga is a death educator, certified in Thanatology, the study of death, dying, loss and bereavement. Olga is a dying well advocate, nurse educator and grief counselor with over 25 years of professional experience as a registered nurse in various health care settings, including hospice palliative care. Her educational history includes a degree in Anthropology and Psychology, a Master’s degree in Religion and Culture, and an interdisciplinary certificate in palliative care.
Olga has been involved in national, provincial and local efforts to shift the way we view the dying experience, death and grief, including end of life care. She served as one of the founding faculty members for the Virtual School for Community Deathcare in Canada and is currently facilitating on-line Thanatology program courses through Centennial College, and travels across Canada to offer End of Life Doula training through Douglas College. Olga is the founder and director of DyingMatters.ca a Death Education and Death Doula services business, and is the founder and director of the Death Doula Ontario Network. Olga lives in Eastern Ontario with 2 dogs and 2 cats.
Mary-Anne Parker
Mary-Anne is an End-of-life-Doula and loss navigator who helps clients and their families work together to find a meaningful path during life’s transitions. A former Health Care Aide and Recreation worker, she has spent over 8 years working within long term care environments and is thrilled to be working as a Death Doula and companion. She is proud to be one of an incredible team of instructors for Douglas College’s End of Life Doula course and travels all over Alberta and Saskatchewan mentoring others who are interested in exploring this new field. She firmly believes that talking about death and loss allows us to be better for each other. The journey starts with just one conversation.
She recently completed a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary studies with a focus on the End-of-Life Doula role in end-of-life care. Her final applied project explored both the practical elements and philosophical approach to comfort care. She has noted that the End of life doula approach is both intuitive and responsive, that care needs are as individual as the recipient and that talking about death is a way of appreciating life.
In addition to teaching for Douglas College she is currently the Administrative and Development Coordinator for the Saskatchewan Hospice and Palliative Care association. She lives in Saskatoon with her husband, parents, children, grandchildren, and Welsh terrier. They live with a multitude of unfinished art projects.