Today we’d like to introduce you to Raiya Iverson.
Hi Raiya, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My name is Raiya, (phonetically: Ray-ya). I’m a single mom of 5 “adulting” children and the owner and Creatress of Earthside Holistic. On a professional note, I am a Healer, compassionate caregiver, and “Life Doula”, caring for the Birthing, the Dying, and everything in between. I teach and certify others to be Earthside End of Life Doulas (EEOLD), and I educate caregivers about Compassion Fatigue. I am a Student Midwife, Reiki Master, Herbalist, and Artist. I am also currently writing my ‘Love Story’; a journey spanning over four decades, ultimately leading me to the Source of everything… LOVE.
The Earthside vision started in 2006 when I began my career working in the local cancer hospital. My passion for people and innate caregiving abilities led me further down a path to finding a deeper way of connecting with the people I cared for. But as hospital policies began to mute my abilities to connect the way patients needed and wanted, it became apparent that my original path into nursing was course correcting, and steadily coming to an end. Over time, I was able to identify and embrace my desire to hold a more holistic foundation in caregiving, which led me out of the hospital system and on my own path as a “Life Doula”. This began after taking a Birth Doula course, while at the same time holding the hands of the dying and their families in the hospital… I knew I was being led into a field that wasn’t known in Utah, but it felt like a Soul calling I was meant to pursue. I could not find training courses that taught me information that I didn’t already know through my own years of experience, so I proceeded to spend the following 3 years interviewing patients, family members, doctors, nurses, lawyers, and Hospice workers and I finally wrote my own End of Life Doula program in 2017.
On a personal note: Some things that have deepened the work I do are the personal lessons I have learned. I have found that all of the major lessons in my life have been ones of Love, even if they looked like a lack of, or call for, Love. I deeply credit the lessons, and people, especially of the past 3 years, that offered the most profound lessons. They were, by far, my biggest teachers and I now have a full view of how beautiful our life lessons really are, how I was never the victim, how I unknowingly chose everything I needed to learn, and how each lesson was brilliantly choreographed to give me those deeper understandings. I love every moment of this beautiful, impossible life. Some of my teachers looked like confusion, some looked like abuse, some looked like difficult employers, some even looked like difficult family members. Some of my teachers exposed ancestral trauma and taught me that some wounds began a long time ago, before I was born, and have given me (and my posterity) an invitation to forgive and heal them. My teachers of misunderstanding, judgement, depression, anxiety, and fear have taught me to pause, without judgement, and notice what was asking to be seen, to understand where it began, and to heal it for real. This… is my Love Story.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been easy. I was a single mother starting a business, and this came with a whole different set of challenges. It was a juggling act, and one I don’t believe I was always able to balance as well as I’d have liked. But I will say, I did solely raise five beautiful and brilliant humans, so I hope that despite those places I lacked, they have learned to do it better.
Earthside was a labor of love for years. No one in Utah had ever heard of a Death Doula, End of Life Doula or Soul Midwife. This really is a specialty field and not a lot of people can do this work. I spent a lot of time trying to initiate conversations to talk about what I was doing, that I wanted to teach it, and discovered quickly how much the community shies away from the topic of death and grief. I did find a few people, not working as death doulas, but who did similar things like grief circles, etc. and I found the No One Dies Alone (NODA) program through the U hospital, which is such a great program, but finding my “people” was far and few between. I was a one-woman show for about a year and a half in Utah, but I am so happy to say, this is no longer the case.
I must say, I appreciate and absolutely LOVE my EEOLD students for coming into and helping expand this Earthside community. Since Earthside’s inception, they have lovingly been deemed “Earthside Angels™”. I am no longer a one-woman show!
We’ve been impressed with Earthside Holistic, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I opened the Earthside End of Life Doula certification course to the public in April of 2018 and taught my first EEOLD certification class in the summer of 2018 in St. George Utah. I continue to teach this course locally (SLC and St George UT) and abroad, and I will travel to other locations if there is enough interest to fill a class. I offer workshops to caregiving facilities for Compassion Fatigue (which is a growing epidemic in all caregiving fields, including caregivers for animals), and I offer Caregiver Workshops (non-certified) for those caring for loved ones who do not wish to certify as an End of Life Doula, but still need help knowing how to care for a dying loved one.
Earthside believes in the holistic practices of caring for each other and the world. Everything we do is based around the betterment of people and planet. It is our mission and intention to offer, teach and practice healing, holistic, thorough, evidence-based culture of care standards that every person deserves… Earthside bases its principles and teachings on the concept of LOVE. We Love what we do, we Love who we serve, we heal through Love, even in Death. We believe that all things are an act of Love or a call for Love. Earthside is here to serve our communities and leave them better than we found them.
Earthside’s motto is “Community, not Competition”. Our Earthside Angels™ are what bring the vibrant importance to our Earthside End of Life Doula program. We are a tribe of Doulas and Caregivers, and we are here to support our students long after they have certified with us. We also LOVE and fellowship all Doulas from any certification program to be part of the Earthside tribe! We are all in this together. We see other businesses who are teaching others to care for the dying as our beautiful allies. The more these allies bring into the Collective to care for the dying, the more exposure EOLDs will get, and communities will know we are a valuable resource for end-of-life needs.
Another thing that sets us apart from the rest is that we ALWAYS offer course discounts to Single Parents and Veterans, and we offer payment plans. I want anyone who feels called to this work to have every opportunity to do it.
And I don’t just teach it, I DO IT! Currently, as a “Life Doula”, I personally include Yoga, Meditation, Reiki, and Herbal support for my clients and their loved ones.
Earthside loves to collaborate! For example: October 2022 Earthside helped to host a discussion group for the award-winning film JACK HAS A PLAN for the DOCUTAH International Film Fest in St George, UT. I have also collaborated with several podcast hosts as a guest speaker, sharing my experience in Death, Grief, and Compassion Fatigue, as well as other subjects such as Angels, Dreamwork, Compassion, Mercy, Forgiveness, and LOVE. Earthside loves to collaborate with other Healing Artists and members of the community working to heal the Collective. Please reach out if you feel inspired to collaborate!
What are your plans for the future?
Currently, Earthside does not have a physical location. It isn’t all that necessary because we travel to teach the EEOLD course, however having a home base would be really nice. I would love a place we could do group Grief sessions, Compassion Fatigue workshops, group Reiki sessions, and host/collaborate with other events based around wellness and community. So eventually this is the plan. But for now, home base is wherever we are.
This year, Earthside will begin to implement other workshops and Earthside coteries that will be free or discounted to our Earthside Angels™, but still available to the public as well. There are so many ways to look after our people and planet, and Earthside hopes to collaborate and always be a part of making the world a better, and more beautiful, place…
Pricing:
- EEOLD course: $1000
- Caregiver workshop (non-certified): $250
- Compassion Fatigue Workshops: $50 per participant
- Raiya “Life Doula” Services: Contact for pricing
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.earthsideholistic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthsideholistic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EarthsideHolistic/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/earthsideholistic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@earthside
Image Credits
JACK HAS A PLAN
DOCUTAH International Film Festival
