Sara Comp

Originally a cheesehead from Wisconsin, I’ve been happily roosting in North County San Diego since 2018. As a Registered Nurse, Trauma-Educated Yoga Teacher and End of Life Doula, I have had the honor of being at the bedside of the dying both personally and professionally since attending high school.

Currently, I am working as a hospice RN, an independent death doula, serving others through volunteerism, and connecting to the community with grief yoga classes & donation-based grief support. Whether it's at the bedside, on the yoga mat or anywhere in between, I will meet you there with empathy, vulnerability, care and respect. Most recently, I began volunteering with End of Life Choices California, with a special focus on support for those who choose MAID or VSED.

Trained through the International End of Life Doula Association and endorsed as proficient through the National End of Life Doula Alliance, I offer compassionate care and advocacy for folks from all walks of life as well as support, education and guidance. After a few decades of weaving through this work, I’ve lovingly combined my passion and wisdom from all three educational/vocational avenues into a holistic approach to individual and community grief support. I facilitate groups and classes that have a heart and soul. Part "Death Cafe”, part "Support Circle", my donation-based groups are safe community spaces to have your grief heard and held with respect. No grief is too old, no loss is too small. In these spaces, we can talk and ask questions about death and dying. We can learn to think differently about our relationship with loss and see that the pain of another is not so distant from our own. And we can begin to feel that even if the cause of that grief is not the same, what lies beneath is more universal than we may realize. This rich, supportive background offers an avenue for you to gain knowledge and practices you can come back to again and again. There is room here for nuance, inquiry, humor and heart. We don't have to take it so seriously...or maybe we do. Let's figure it out together.

The Death Network Sara Comp Waves of Grief Fletcher Cove Solana Beach CA

End-of-Life Support & Creative Grief Integration

End-of-Life Doula

A compassionate ally for those navigating end of life options, advance care planning, caregiving, hospice and beyond. The scope of the doula role is vast and there are many ways for us to explore what feels right for you and/or your support person. From diagnosis and pre-planning to bedside comfort and from family respite to after-death care and bereavement, I want you to have the best quality of life as possible -- whatever that means to YOU.
Other offerings include: Caregiver Support, Vigil Sitting/Design, Life Review/Legacy Projects, Living Wakes/Celebrations of Life, Meaning Making/Memory Keeping, Advance Directives & Care Planning Facilitation, Palliative/Hospice/MAID Support.
Somatic Support

Considering that the nervous system translates the physical language of sensations more so than the cognitive language of thoughts, we get curious about where we feel strong emotions, triggers, or psychological distress and sensations like heart rate, breathing patterns, body posture/tension. Through the lens of nervous system support and this intentional somatic inquiry, together we can explore your relationship with grief and how it is showing up in your body.
Some of my practices include: Yin and Restorative Yoga, Somatic Release Techniques, Guided Meditation/Imagery, Breathing Exercises, Healing Touch, Tapping, Yoga Nidra, and Sound Healing/Crystal Bowls. These are practices that you can return to again and again as the heavy waves of grief roll in.
Holistic Grief Support

After a few decades of weaving through this work, I’ve lovingly combined my passion and wisdom into a holistic approach that meets you exactly as you are. I offer individual, group, caregiver and community grief support, both in-person or virtually and facilitate groups & classes that have a heart & soul — exploring various practices & tools to support the complexity of processing grief, loss and other complicated emotions such as shame, regret, fear, forgiveness, anger, betrayal, and confusion.
Other offerings include: Death Cafe/Sharing Circles, Grief Yoga, Walk & Talks, Caregiver Support Circles, Forgiveness Practices, Surf/Nature-based therapeutic modalities, and the somatic & creative tools as described in those sections.
Creative Expression ~ Memento Mori

Creative expression cultivates what is called "post-traumatic growth." This is the idea that with education, support and action; we can improve our quality of life, enhance our relationships, and discover personal strengths. Combined with the benefits of post-traumatic growth, the wisdom gained by knowing ourselves more clearly as mortal beings allows us to connect more deeply with ourselves, our communities and those we have lost.
Latin for “remember you will die”, memento mori is the practice of reflecting on our mortality so that we may learn what we truly value in this life, and how to live more fully within that expanded sense of awareness. Contemplating death brings clarity around how we spend what time we have left and fosters a sense of purpose and meaning.
My practices include: Personalized Ritual & Altar Creation, Writing Prompts/Workshops, Floral Arrangements & Grief Gardening, Curated Music/Playlists, Memory/Journey Boards, Alternative Memorials, Honor Walks, Scattering of Ashes Ceremonies, Living Wakes/Celebrations of Life.
Waves of Grief

A passion near and very dear to my heart is the non-profit organization, Waves of Grief/Audrey Ellis Foundation. By incorporating Ocean/Surf/Nature-based therapeutic modalities, we facilitate monthly donation-based "Second Sunday" gatherings as opportunities to engage with nature as a supportive element in the grief journey. Held on the the second Sunday of each month, we gather on the beach to foster meaningful community connection, find solace in and around the ocean and offer tools to navigate the inevitable waves of grief.
Our San Diego location is in Solana Beach. Whether you come once or return monthly, we welcome you to join us exactly as you are — any type of loss or grief, no surf/ocean experience or participation is required. If you’d like to learn more, make a donation or view Kelsey/Waves of Grief as featured on National Geographic’s IMPACT, please visit us here: Waves of Grief