Professional Life & Legacy Doula
MY "WHY"?
This site is all about YOU and your Imprint on "US," Collectively. But who am I to tell you:
Dahria Williams-Fernandes is a Wife and a Mother, while Owner and Operator of Floyd A. Williams Funeral Home in Boston, MA. She is a Professor of Mortuary Science, Mortuary Law, and Thanatology. She held an appointed and was the former Chairman of the Massachusetts State Board of Funeral Directors & Embalmers.
Through her spiritual journey & her husband's ordination,
she recognized that God had a hold & a place in her heart and head that transcended generations.
This alignment stemmed from her ability to outstretch her arms. Launching PAUSE broadened her reach and her mission to help others with her spiritual foundation. The molding of PAUSE motivated her to get the credentials that would back what life had already been set into place. Thus she became a Certified Life Coach, Art Therapist, and an End-of-Life Doula.
PAUSE, Inc. has manifested from her 20+yrs of experience in the Death Care Industry, in addition to balancing her personal life's mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and social hurdles. She knows that LIFE has a generational learning curve that we must recognize, that we ALL were built to overcome. As Dahria stopped to PAUSE and take the steps that you will begin to take in a MOMENT; gathering the piece of her own life, a consistency reigned true ~
Purpose, Adaptation, and Legacy have become the primary emerging factors guiding her personal & professional life and how she interacts and mentors others. She has made it her mission to give a voice to the wisdom that has been bestowed upon her. Dealing with the end of life has set a charge upon her life; to create opportunities to bring awareness to the lessons that have arisen from looking at life in reverse.
In her experience, she has found:
~ From Death Comes Life ~
Her goal is to change the perspective of funeral service and end-of-life planning.
It is not about dying; it is about finding the path to Living Forever.
Over the years, Dahria has worked with thousands of families and has been blessed to speak in a variety of culturally diverse forums, discussing and addressing sensitive, hard-talk conversations.
Topics span the scope of Life, Death, and Beyond.
She travels the stages of life; recognizing the psychology that comes with the realities of palliative & hospice, homicide, the loss of a child, cost, probate court,
family dynamics, grief, and how to start the next chapter of one's life.
She is known for her ability to put a level of ease to the issues one faces during a difficult but pivotal time in one's life. Her professionalism and compassion have continued to shine throughout her career, and amazingly funeral service has led her to tap into various areas in which she can pour into others and help them navigate life's blueprint. Dahria believes -
Every Life is Significant and has Value to Transcend Generations!
Dahria has strived to develop relationships with other Religious Leaders, Health Care Professionals, Life Coaches, Art therapists, Community-based social service agencies, Legal Professionals and Financial Advisors, Estate Planning Specialists, and Insurance Agents. All to provide you with sound and accurate information
~ The Foundation Of Creating Purpose and Giving Reverence To The Gift Of Life.~
“Patience is an inner pause, a brief stillness, a moment we give ourselves to breathe through our initial reaction so we can move to the place where a calm, thoughtful response is born. Patience is a gift of time we give ourselves so we can give the gift of peace to others.”
~In my personal self-reflection, I hold on to my mother reminding me about the Importance of Patience~
L R Knost
MY Unique Perspective
One of the ways I often describe my perspective is that I look at life backwards.
Most people move through life focused on the future—career, success, goals, retirement. But in my profession, I often stand at the end of people’s lives.
I’m a licensed funeral director, an end-of-life doula, a life coach, a certified Grief Recovery Specialist, and a Grief Movement Coach. Because of this work, I’m invited into some of the most sacred moments of the human experience—from the anticipation of death, to the moment of loss, to the long journey of learning how to live again.
When you spend enough time standing at the end of life, something shifts in the way you see the middle of it.
You begin to ask different questions.
What really mattered?
What relationships were left unfinished?
What words were never spoken?
What legacy was created, intentionally or unintentionally?
Looking at life from the end changes how you live in the present.
And what I’ve discovered over time—both personally and professionally—is something I often describe as “the Wisdom in the Wounds.”
Wisdom in the Wounds:
Through grief work, I’ve come to believe that within every wound—every loss, disappointment, transition, or heartbreak—there is often wisdom waiting to be uncovered.
But most of us never pause long enough to discover it.
We live in a culture that encourages us to:
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move on quickly
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suppress our grief
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stay busy
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avoid the uncomfortable parts of our story
Yet when we allow ourselves to pause, reflect, and process our losses in a healthy way, something powerful can happen.
The wound itself doesn’t disappear—but the wisdom within it begins to emerge.
That philosophy became one of the foundations for the platform I created called PAUSE — A Movement for a Moment, which invites people to slow down long enough to examine their experiences and discover what their life is trying to teach them.
Because sometimes the deepest clarity about life only becomes visible when we look at it from the end backwards.
My Story:
I grew up in a family funeral home that has served our community for generations. From an early age, I witnessed the reality that death is not just an event—it’s a moment that reveals the depth and complexity of human relationships.
In that environment I began to notice something important:
People weren’t struggling with grief because they were weak.
They were struggling because no one had ever taught them what grief actually is or how to navigate it.
Over time I saw people carry emotional pain for decades:
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unfinished conversations with parents, spouses, or children
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regret about words never spoken
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guilt about things that couldn’t be undone
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identity shifts that came after loss
Those experiences eventually led me to become certified in the Grief Recovery Method and to expand my work beyond funeral service into grief education, coaching, and end-of-life support.
Today my work spans the entire human journey—from helping people prepare for death with dignity, to helping families honor life, to guiding individuals through the process of healing afterward.
A Unique Perspective:
What makes my work somewhat unique is that I walk with people across multiple stages of life and loss.
As a life coach, I help people navigate transitions and rediscover purpose.
As an end-of-life doula, I support individuals and families preparing for death with intention and compassion.
As a funeral director, I help families honor and celebrate the lives of those they love.
And through the Grief Recovery Method and grief movement work, I help people continue living after loss in meaningful ways.
So in many ways, my work spans the full spectrum:
life → loss → reflection → healing → legacy.
Topics I Love Speaking About:
Some areas I’m especially passionate about include:
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Looking at Life Backwards
How working in death care reshapes how we understand life and relationships.
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Wisdom in the Wounds
How our deepest losses can reveal insight, purpose, and transformation when we allow ourselves to pause.
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The Difference Between Grief and Depression
Why understanding this distinction is critical for true healing.
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Grief in the Body
How grief manifests physically and why movement and embodiment can be powerful tools in recovery.
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Hidden Losses
Losses that society rarely acknowledges—identity shifts, health diagnoses, lost dreams, and life transitions.
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The Racial and Cultural Grief Gap
How grief support systems often overlook cultural realities and lived experiences.
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Legacy as a Living Practice
Why legacy isn’t just something we leave behind—it’s something we practice daily.
Closing Thought:
At the heart of everything I do is a simple belief:
Grief is not something we “get over.”
It’s something we learn to move through and live with.
And when we are given the space and the tools to face it honestly, grief often reveals something unexpected.
Within our wounds, there is often wisdom waiting to be discovered.
Sometimes we just have to pause long enough to see it.
I’m looking forward to the opportunity to share what I’ve learned through my lens of looking at life backwards—where I’m often invited to uncover the wisdom in the wounds.