About Sarah Barry

I am a mortality doula, funeral celebrant & living wake celebrant, with a lot of experience as an after death body carer & holistic funeral director.

My journey in end of life work began when I was 28 years old in 2005, when I volunteered once a week at Sacred Heart Hospice, Darlinghurst, until 2009.

I completed End of Life Doula training with Preparing the Way in September 2020.

In my doula role, I can provide emotional, practical and spiritual support for clients and families. I am able to sit calmly and intuitively with big emotions, complexity, and existential conversations.

I have been a professional tarot reader since 2002, and full-time since 2003. These days I am generally available 3-4 days a week for my tarot clients. This longterm work with the tarot cards means that I have been having deep, expansive, therapeutic and trauma-informed conversations with a huge cross-section of society for over 23 years, and I bring this experience to my doula and celebrant work.

I was part of the Life Rites Holistic Funerals team from October 2020 – September 2025, where I worked as an after death carer in the mortuary, doula, funeral director and funeral celebrant. If in future you would like to have your own or a family member’s funeral at Life Rites, I can still be there for you as celebrant if you request me and/or the Life Rites funeral directors.

As an independent funeral celebrant I can work with you in this capacity regardless of which funeral director you utilise. I can also work directly with you for memorial services, and support folks to make choices around what to consider when making decisions around death care, home vigils and funeral rites.

Being part of the LGBTQ+ community, I am very aware of the importance of chosen family, and I am sensitive to the fears and concerns that can arise as end of life approaches for those who are dying and the people who love them. I can support you to help get your needs met, no matter your gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, relationship style, age, race, religion, type of employment, socio-economic background, body shape, size or ability.

My Background & Current-ground that supports me to support you:

• I have regular supervision with an experienced psychologist so that I can discuss any aspects of my work in a confidential and safe environment, and continue to grow as a responsible practitioner.

• I undertake professional development and mentoring regularly so I can keep learning and strengthening the way I work with people.

• I completed a short Counselling Skills course facilitated by Aurora Hammond of the College of Holistic Counselling, circa 2002.

• I have been studying and practising Nonviolent Communication (NVC) since 2007, which included 7 years in a fortnightly practice group (2007-2014).

• I have been practising Vipassana Meditation (in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin, as taught by S.N. Goenka) since 2005. I have maintained this meditation practice as part of my everyday life, since my first 10-Day course.

• I completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (majoring in Printmedia) at the College of Fine Arts (now known as UNSW Art & Design) & a Master of Arts in Photomedia (years of study 1997 – 2001). Nowadays I maintain my art practice through creating warm and colourful immersive spaces to have good conversations within: my tarot office in Newtown, and chai tents at community parties (I also make Queen of Cups Chai). I have a background of performance at various queer parties since 2004, and from 2022 – 2025 I have performed on occasion under the monicker of the Cosmic Nuns, where my performing has been in the form of spoken word, movement & holding space.