Hi, I’m Maria Di Paolo.
I believe that speaking openly about death brings us closer to life.
Too often, conversations about end-of-life are avoided until it’s too late leaving families overwhelmed, unprepared, and disconnected. Soulset was born from my desire to change that.
As a recovering consultant turned end-of-life coach and certified death doula (Center for Conscious Living and Dying), my role is to create a calm, compassionate space where you can navigate end-of-life planning with clarity and courage.
My path here
For me, end-of-life work has never been an abstraction — it has been part of my life since childhood.
I grew up visiting assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and cemeteries on a weekly basis. When my grandmother died tragically in my early teens, she had prepared everything in advance. Her clarity was a gift: it allowed my parents to grieve instead of scrambling for answers.
By the time I turned 18, my parents handed me a stack of documents transferring executorship to me. These conversations felt normal. I assumed this was simply how families prepared.
Years later, when my mother’s aunt died, I saw the opposite unfold. Her cousins couldn’t find a will. They guessed, argued, and worried for months — until they finally discovered it tucked between two placemats in an armoire. The contrast stayed with me: preparedness is not the norm. It is the exception.
Fast-forward to my master’s program at Parsons. During a guided meditation, I asked myself what I most needed to study — and the answer came clearly: end-of-life conversations. My research explored how we can make these conversations more accessible, so that when death comes, especially unexpectedly, families are free to grieve and remember, rather than struggle and guess.
Who I Am Today
I am an end-of-life coach and certified death doula (Center for Conscious Living & Dying, Death Wives), a design strategist, and recovering consultant with over a decade of experience (Deloitte Digital, ZS Associates), and a researcher who has spent years studying how we talk about death.
I am also a curator of community and experiences, from building a Burning Man camp with my husband to shaping gatherings that bring people together with intention. That same spirit flows into how I help families design celebrations of life, rituals, and legacy projects.
My approach
Being an end-of-life coach and death doula doesn’t mean I have answers for every situation. It means I walk beside you as you find your own.
Sometimes that looks like creating a space to speak with aging parents about their wishes. Sometimes it’s making sense of the tasks and decisions that feel overwhelming. And sometimes it’s simply holding space for you to move through reflection, grief, or love.
I bring both structure and softness: the practical skills to help you prepare, and the human presence to help you feel supported along the way.
Through Soulset, I offer one-on-one guidance, facilitated family conversations, and support for legacy projects, planning, and rituals. My hope is simple: that you feel less alone, more prepared, and more connected — to yourself and to those you love.
What I hold true
Presence: slowing down enough to really hear one another
Choice: honoring that each person’s path is unique
Connection: remembering that what matters most at the end is how we are with each other