Lauren Richwine was one of the first death doulas to serve families in the Midwest. Based in Indiana, she founded Death Done Differently in 2019 after training through the Earth Traditions Death Midwife program and volunteering with Heartland Hospice. In 2022, an anonymous complaint from a funeral industry insider led the state of Indiana to issue a cease-and-desist against Death Done Differently. They demanded that Lauren become a licensed funeral director and embalmer to continue supporting families and educating the public.

She did not agree to their terms.

Instead, Lauren partnered with the Institute for Justice and challenged Indiana’s funeral code in federal court. After three years of litigation, she won her First Amendment lawsuit in 2026, protecting her work and becoming an accidental activist for funeral industry reform and community led death care.

Today Lauren is a master’s level Thanatology student, sought after public speaker, mentor through The Mortal Clay Mentorship, and trained Advance Care Planning facilitator. She maintains membership with the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, National Home Funeral Alliance, and Indiana End of Life Alliance.