About Me

Catherine Durkin Robinson (she/her): Owner and End-of-Life Doula/Educator at Anitya Doula Services in Chicago.*

I grew up in the Catholic community of Tampa. In my twenties, I converted to Judaism. Currently, I am also a student of both Zen and Tibetan Buddhism.

In a thirty-year career, I organized movements to end apartheid and cosmetic testing on animals. I managed community recycling campaigns and supported freedom fighters in Ireland. I also worked to restore voting rights to felons and to shut down animal exploitation at circuses. I continue advocating for medical aid in dying and decriminalizing psychedelics and other plant medicines. 

I raised two sons in Tampa while working as an organizer, teaching at the high school and college level, and writing syndicated columns for Creative Loafing and The Tampa Tribune. I then led the movement for education equity in Florida and around the country at Step Up For Students.

In 2022, I relocated to the Lakeview East neighborhood in Chicago.

I hold a history and political science degree from the University of South Florida and graduated from The University of Vermont’s End-of-Life Doula Program.

I am a credentialed NEDA-Proficient member of the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance. Additionally, I have logged over 100 volunteer hours with Seasons Hospice and LifePath Hospice. I also completed the LGBTQ+ Inclusive Training through Metro Inclusive Health, take intermediate ASL classes at The Chicago Hearing Center, and am a board member and educator at End of Life Psychedelic Care. 

Furthermore, I am the death doula/educator at the Diaspora Psychedelic Society in Jamaica and a private doula working in Chicago and the world at large.

In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, yoga, meditation, and running.

I am fully vaccinated, background-checked, and fingerprinted through Care.com, Seasons Hospice, and Renewable Memory Care.

Contact Anitya Doula Services today.

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