Today we’d like to introduce you to Penny Waugh
Hi Penny, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Three years ago, at work, I paused and asked myself, “Penny, can you do this for another 10 years and be happy?” The answer was a quick no. In that moment, I realized I had a choice—abandon a 30-year career to pursue my so-called passion or settle and accept that I didn’t believe in myself. I bet on myself, and the transition began. But I had no idea what I wanted to do.
During this period of transition, I started deeply contemplating my own mortality, which led me to explore death care in the U.S. I learned that home funerals are legal in every state, that my chosen friends and family can care for my body after death, and that green burial and human composting are alternatives to American burial and flame cremation. My future end-of-life plan was coming together beautifully—I’d die at home, listening to my curated playlist, with my favorite people witnessing my transition. After I’m gone, they’d gently wash and shroud my body while incense burns and candles glow, then whisk me away to a green cemetery, where I’d be reabsorbed into the earth.
Unfortunately, accessing these options is nearly impossible within the current funeral industry. That’s how The Death Network was born—I knew I had found my passion. With 50% of funeral directors retiring in the next five years, a revival of time-honored, natural death care practices is underway, and greener disposition options are becoming more mainstream. Big changes are on the horizon! My vision for The Death Network is to educate the community on their choices and connect with funeral homes eager to expand their offerings—because I believe our end-of-life experience should be an authentic reflection of how we lived.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Most days I wake up and ask myself if I’m on a path of awakening to my souls purpose or just making poor life choices by taking this risk. But with every passing day I find myself feeling more confident in my decisions. The Death Network has grown to a collective of 6 end-of-life guides, a few progressive funeral homes and big visions for what the future holds.
Our biggest obstacle right now is opening up accessibility to alternative end-of-life care. The funeral profession is highly regulated and some funeral homes prioritize efficiency and profit over offering their families a full range of services. We want to restore some of the time-honored practices and encourage the community and close loved ones to step into death and embrace this important, intimate moment in life. One of our long term goals is to partner with funeral homes to integrate death doulas and home funeral coordinators, expanding their offerings to better support the families they serve.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a collective of end-of-life guides and death educators. Like birth, death can be loud, messy, and unexpected—yet in our culture, we embrace one but not the other. End-of-life guides, also known as death doulas, can help you craft an authentic end-of-life plan that reflects your core values and personality. They can communicate this plan to your loved ones and advocate for your wishes.
What makes The Death Network unique is that we offer a seamless transition from death to disposition—meaning our team can support you through the dying process and also handle all aspects of funeral planning.
We offer:
Death Doula Services
End-of-Life Planning
Home Funeral Planning
Death Education Workshops
Living Farewell Celebrations (a curated funeral before you die so you can take in all the love!) https://www.livingfarewell.com/
Funeral Planning including green burial, water cremation, natural organic reduction aka human composting, flame cremation and American burial.
In Western culture, transparent conversations about death and dying are rare. Because of this, many people are blindsided by the number of decisions that must be made after death and often default to one of the two most common options: American burial with embalming or flame cremation. Our purpose is simple… lift the taboo about talking about death and help to educate the community on all of the options. By embracing our mortality and educating ourselves on the options that best fit our values, we can plan ahead—ensuring that our loved ones have the space to grieve rather than being overwhelmed by last-minute funeral decisions
Along with guiding people through the end-of-life, we are also deeply engaged in our community. Educational workshops are one of our favorite offerings, and we host free gatherings every month to lift the taboo around talking about death. Our Grief Garden Club, Queer Death Network, and Death Café discussion groups are always in the monthly rotation. You can find all of our events on Meetup.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, I’m the 3rd of 4 girls. I am grateful that our family vacations were always a camping trip. We’d spend a couple of weeks tent camping on the cliffs at Carlsbad beach frolicking in the ocean, cooking over a fire and playing a lot of cards. For Thanksgiving we’d go to Death Valley and hike during the day and play games in the van at night because it was so cold out. I loved reading Nancy Drew books and hated taking piano lessons.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thedeathnetwork.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedeathnetwork/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/penny-waugh-1724964/
- Other: https://www.meetup.com/the-death-network/events/
Image Credits
The Death Network
