Meet McKenna Reinhard | Death Doula & Grief Specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with McKenna Reinhard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi McKenna, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Before starting Time Enough, I worked in both human and animal medicine and saw that there is a huge gap in resources to help people plan for the end-of-life (from themselves and their pets) and a huge gap in grief support. These gaps made these already difficult situations much more difficult for everyone involved and I wanted to do something to try to help make this process any amount easier for people. Once I finished my master’s degree and death doula certification, I decided to start Time Enough in an effort to address those gaps by providing compassionate end-of-life services and grief support. It is very important to me to try to make my knowledge and services as accessible as possible so I offer free information on my Instagram and blog and offer income-based payment options.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
One thing that sets Time Enough apart from other death doula and grief support services is my education. I received a Master’s in Mental Health and Wellness with an Emphasis in Grief and Bereavement. This is not a counseling degree, so I am not licensed to provide therapy, but I fill a space for those who don’t need or want therapy but who are looking for additional support and education as they grieve. Having this educational background, in addition to the continuing education I partake in, allows me to meet people where they are in the grieving process. While I don’t have a magic solution for grief (or else I’d be a millionaire), I do believe that knowledge and compassion go a long way in helping people through the process. I also have experience working in human and animal medicine, which allows me to support my doula clients in a unique way because I have insight into how the medical establishment works and how I can best get what my client needs from the medical establishment, so I can be a very effective advocate for them. I am most excited to expand my practice to include herbalism in the (hopefully near) future because I believe this will help to provide a really holistic experience to those that I serve. I am also working on some legacy packages for pet owners that I am really excited to announce.

It hasn’t been easy to get to this point professionally. Aside from completing my education, including two doula certifications, owning a business isn’t easy! Having a passion for what you do isn’t enough to keep a business going, which I knew going in but I don’t think I truly understood. Trying to get people to understand my passion and why what I do is important has been hard because we live in a very death-phobic society. In addition to that, most businesses have seasons that are less busy, which can be very disheartening. Something I have learned is that it’s really helpful to talk to people about the difficulties that come with being a business owner. It can feel embarrassing to admit that you’re having problems or that your business isn’t doing as well as you want it to, but ultimately being open has helped me to get new insight and input that has helped me see things in a way I wouldn’t on my own and ultimately overcome the challenges I was facing.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I moved to Tucson in elementary school and up until I got to college, I didn’t appreciate Tucson and everything it has to offer. I now know better and I think Tucson is amazing. Things to do (depending on the time of year) would be going to Mt. Lemmon, the botanical gardens, Tohono Chul, Kitt Peak, seeing a movie at the Loft, visiting the Mercado San Agustin (and MSA Annex), and definitely going down to Sonoita for wine tasting. Also, if there are markets going on (MSA night market, Desert Air Market, Old Pueblo Market, to name a few) those are worth hitting because we have amazing makers in town. For eating and drinking there are so many options but Falora, Side Car, Bata, Borderlands, Arizona Wine Collective, Ombre, Hill House, and Three Canyon are some of my favorite spots around town.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a lot of people who have helped me get to this point in my life, but my parents deserve the biggest shout-out. They both work in healthcare, so they are a big reason I am comfortable working in end-of-life and grief because those weren’t parts of life that were hidden from me. My route to getting where I am has been unconventional, but they have supported me through it (there have been some of the normal questions you get from parents, but who can blame them when you get a degree in veterinary science and end up as a death doula). Even more than that, they have supported me in ways that have allowed me to make the choices that let me get the education and experience that I needed to start Time Enough. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to take jobs that provided me with education and experience over income. They have also held me up during difficult points when I didn’t feel like I could keep going because the work is hard and owning a business is hard. I could name a bunch of other people who have also helped me, but my parents truly deserve the credit for helping me get to this point.

Website: www.therestimeenough.com

Instagram: @therestimeenough

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timeenoughllc