“'Begin With The End’ allows me to support others where I had felt alone.” — Marni Blank, Founder

Marni Blank, Esq - End of Life & Legacy Planner

Marni is a trained end of life doula, mediator, after loss consultant, recovering lawyer and female founded small business owner (a lifelong learner at heart). She received her BA from the University of Rochester and her JD from Brooklyn Law School. She completed her doula training through Going with Grace, mediation training through New York Peace Institute and Elder Decisions, grief training through Living Through Loss Counselling Society and is NEDA proficient. She completed her After Loss training through PALS.

Marni’s goal is to create a safe space to learn and talk about death, dying & grief. This includes accountability in completing advance care directives & end-of-life planning, creating legacy projects, facilitating difficult conversations within families and helping loved ones navigate all of the logistics after a loss. She brings deep compassion, active listening, practical resources and a healthy dose of humor to her work.

Marni splits her time between Brooklyn, NY and upstate NY so that she can enjoy both the energy of city life and the stillness of the mountains. Her snuggly, but mischievous, pup Penny keeps her company. 

Certifications

How It Began

I have always been curious about death and dying. My relationship to it changed, however, when my mother suffered injuries due to a car accident in 2018 (she’s ok now!). I went from procrastinating on getting her advanced directives notarized (they’d been collecting dust on my desk for months) to scrambling. It forced me to understand the importance of these papers and also the vast logistics I didn’t realize went into caregiving or after someone dies. It was overwhelming, frustrating and lonely. I was so caught up in all of the “to do’s” that I wasn’t able to just be a worried daughter. I was unable to process or experience the feelings that naturally come up when someone you love is hurt or dying because I was too busy trying to deal with all of the very real and pressing logistics. I knew there must be a better way to get and feel support in order to free up mental space to be present for oneself and loved ones.

Through my trainings, I have learned to have more open and thoughtful conversations with family and friends around this nuanced and often taboo topic. Death and grief affect us all. The more we connect with our families, communities and ourselves, the less fear plays into these important discussions and decisions.

Featured In

  • "End-of-life planning is both incredibly important and incredibly terrifying. Marni Blank provided excellent services to help me understand the steps and see them through to completion."

    Ellen

  • "Working with Marni as a death doula has been such a positive and transformative experience. Her gentle and knowledgeable presence and unwavering support have made a profound impact on my journey through the grieving process, as well as thinking ahead to my own end of life."

    Kate

  • "Marni brought compassionate presence and practical guidance as I navigate how to best support my mom through end of life planning. I highly recommend her offering to anyone looking to get a better grasp on how to prepare for this one inevitable life event."

    Annie

  • “When I started working with Marni, I realized I held feelings of avoidance and fear that I had not expected. Marni helped me tackle this process with patience, compassion, specialized knowledge, and flexibility.”

    Tammy