Services
Our Services
Empowering professionals and organizations with transformative culturally rich education.
Joél Simone Maldonado aka The Grave Woman
Joél’s work spans beyond education, community engagement, and advocacy. Her innovative continuing-education-approved courses and presentations have made a nationwide impact on funeral homes, death doulas, and grief and health care practitioners nationwide. With formal training in funeral service education and a passion for uplifting underrepresented communities, Joél has become a sought-after voice in transforming approaches to h dignified end-of-life care in our increasingly diverse,multicultural world.
Through The Multicultural Death & Grief Care Academy, Joél offers expert insights into cultural competency and dignified end of life, death and grief care for communities of color empowering organizations to navigate the complexities of serving diverse families, staff and communities with authenticity and respect.
Culturally Inclusive Training for EOL, Death & Grief Care Excellence
At The Multicultural Death and Grief Care Academy, we offer innovative, heart-centered, and culturally inclusive courses designed to empower death care and grief professionals. Whether you’re an embalmer, funeral director, death doula, end-of-life medical, grief care provider or an organization looking to expand your cultural competence, our courses provide the knowledge and tools to enhance your professional and personal practices.
From exploring cultural sensitivity to practical care techniques like Black hair and facial hair restoration, our curated courses meet the unique needs of diverse communities. Dive into specialized topics like “Faith and Religious Studies for Death Care,” gain actionable insights with “Empathy in Color,” or join our signature series, “Black Hair Care for Deathcare.”
With accessible online formats, live workshops, and interactive experiences, we’re here to help you create meaningful and inclusive end-of-life and grief care practices.Start here to explore our courses and take the next step toward cultural understanding, professional growth, and compassionate care.
Your journey to making a difference starts now.All courses and training are approved for CE credit through APFSP.
Championing Diversity, Equity, and Compassion in Death & Grief Care
We advocate for culturally inclusive practices in death care, grief support, and end-of-life services. With years of experience and a deep commitment to honoring the traditions and values of underrepresented communities, we have become a trusted voice for equity, education, and empathy in these essential spaces. Our work goes beyond individual support, encompassing professional training, community outreach, and transformative conversations around cultural competency.
Our public service extends to board work with organizations that align with her mission of fostering understanding and creating inclusive spaces for all. Our ability to bridge diverse perspectives has helped funeral homes, nonprofits, governmental agencies and corporations alike adopt practices that better serve their communities and clients.
Whether you’re seeking guidance on diversity initiatives, board leadership, training for your team, or collaborative opportunities, we offer expertise, compassion, and actionable solutions to create lasting impact. Let’s work together to build a world where every life—and death—is honored with dignity and respect. Reach out today to start the conversation!
Public Speaking & Consulting
Transforming Death & Grief Care: Inspiring Cultural Compassion and Inclusivity
Looking to inspire your team, enhance your organization’s cultural competency, or transform how you approach end-of-life, death and grief care?
Joél offers customized speaking and consulting services to meet your specific needs. As a leading voice and expert in the field of culturally competent death and grief care, Joél Maldonado aka “The Grave Woman” is the founder of the Multicultural Death & Grief Care Academy, an educational platform dedicated to equipping death care professionals with the tools to serve diverse communities with understanding and compassion. Joél brings years of expertise to the field, empowering funeral directors, embalmers, death doulas, and grief professionals to deliver culturally sensitive services that respect and honor varied traditions and beliefs around death and mourning.
Joél’s insights have been featured in numerous media outlets, including both the New York & LA Times, NPR, Inside Edition, Glamour Magazine, Good Housekeeping and many others where she has shared key perspectives on the importance of cultural competency in funeral service. Additionally, Joél has a robust speaking history, having presented at prestigious industry events such as the American Society on Aging Annual Conference (2025), Teracon (2025), the National Funeral Directors Association International Convention & Expo (2024), the Super Death Care Conference (2024), The Green Burial Conference (2021), and many other prominent gatherings in the death care industry.
Through the Multicultural Death & Grief Care Academy, Joél provides a range of specialized courses covering topics from Black Deathcare Series to courses that explore international funeral traditions, designed to prepare professionals to meet the needs of all families with empathy, respect, and cultural awareness.
Client Testimonials
"Joél is so warm, kind and encouraging, in addition to being incredibly knowledgeable! I highly recommend her courses, including "How to Earn Money in Death Care." Thank you!"
Megan Anderson-Kelly
"Sunday I had the opportunity to attend “How to make money in deathcare” and it’s a must sign up! Thank You for creating the space for professionals to learn, connect and release. The gems were well received and worth the investment."
Angela Braggs
"I just participated in the Melanin Makeup Masterclass and it was such an uplifting experience! Joél created such a welcoming and safe environment for us to explore and learn.
Heather Kelly
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis.
Newsletter
Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgroves.
Made with 1212 Design
Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved.