Creating Space for Grief and Growth – Exclusive Interview With Elizabeth Huang
Updated: Feb 15
In a world that often rushes past pain and silences emotion, Elizabeth is creating space for something deeper. As a life coach, grief educator, and death doula, she walks alongside people as they navigate life’s rougher terrains, feeling stuck, overwhelmed, dissociated, etc, and continues that support all the way through end-of-life.
Having supported over a thousand individuals through their grief, major life transitions, and emotional stress, Elizabeth has cultivated a unique ability to hold space for deep endings while nurturing new beginnings with presence and care.
Today, we dive into her journey, her mission, and the powerful ways she’s helping others live a life they love.
Elizabeth Huang, Life Coach & Death Doula
For those who may not be familiar, what is a death doula, and what personally drew you to this work?
Death doulas are non-medical professionals who support individuals and their loved ones through the dying process and beyond, providing emotional, practical, and spiritual care.
I started out as a life coach when my mental health took a major dip while working over 120 hours every week for about 2 years. During that time, I worked with a coach whose approach resonated with me in a way I hadn’t experienced before. That connection reignited a long-standing desire to support others in their emotional and mental well-being.
In the midst of going through my first certification in coaching, I began thinking about the relationship our world has with death and dying. We often hear about the importance of living fully and showing up for others, but when death approaches, many people find themselves unsure, uncomfortable, or absent. The irony is striking: we celebrate life, yet struggle to stay present at its end.
It made me realize how much we lose by avoiding conversations around death, dying, and difficult emotions. Our discomfort with these topics doesn’t protect us; it disconnects us. How can we truly live well if we’re not prepared to die well? And how can we die well without ever talking about it? When approached with care, these conversations can actually deepen intimacy with the people we love. Coaching offers a supportive space to navigate them and build that kind of meaningful connection.
People spend most of their waking hours at work. Can emotions be a strength in the workplace?
Absolutely, emotions are our body’s information and motivation system. When we suppress, ignore, or bypass them, we don’t just create inner tension; we ripple that conflict into our relationships, teams, and work environments. Emotional suppression can lead to miscommunication, chronic stress, and burnout. It also affects decision-making and collaboration, eroding trust over time. Recent reports confirm that emotional disconnection in the workplace is not only harmful to individual well-being but costly as well.
Of course, managers and business owners everywhere would benefit from doing their own introspection work, but it would also help them to learn how to navigate emotions within their teams. Putting our emotions to the side in favor of corporate numbers and rapid tech growth has made our world less connected, more alexithymic (especially in men), and ultimately, less human.
What inspired your work in emotional intelligence?
Before working with my own coach, I was living life on autopilot. Raised in Silicon Valley by Asian immigrant parents, I grew up in a culture where academic achievement was everything. The pressure was intense, and in places like Palo Alto, it has tragically contributed to cycles of youth suicide over the years. That environment shaped my understanding of stress, emotional suppression, and the urgent need for safe spaces to feel and heal.
I soon realized that being a life coach and death doula allowed me to use my skills and experience from one role to support clients in the other. And recognizing how much of the difficulty people experience in grief is contributed by our discomfort and growing unfamiliarity with emotions made me realize that grief isn’t just one emotion; it is a collection and journey of emotions.
Now more than ever, as AI advances and attempts to replicate human connection, it’s crucial that we address the emotional skills and lived experiences we risk losing in the process.
Speaking of AI & tech, what are your thoughts around their involvement in the mental health space?
As with anything, there are benefits and challenges. While AI & tech can provide accessibility to mental health with more affordable options, flexible scheduling, and fewer errors, much of the work in therapy or coaching is relational. AI may be able to work with CBT, IFS, Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, ACT, and psychedelics in any given session, but without a genuine connection, you aren’t healing on a human level. You’re missing out on the opportunity to repair and grow with a human when there are scheduling mistakes, miscommunication leading to misunderstandings, or simply one of you having a bad day.
How can people know if you are a good fit for them?
I typically offer complimentary 30-minute consultations, but as a special thank you to Brainz Magazine readers, I'm extending that to a full 60-minute session. Just reach out through my website, mention that you found me through Brainz, and we’ll set up a time to connect.
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