Best Life Best Death
Episodes
#225 Words at the Threshold: What We Say as We're Nearing Death – Diane Hullet, Doula, Educator and Founder of Best Life Best Death
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s BLBD podcast brings something a little different: it's story time! Listen this week to hear a few of my favorite sections and ideas ...
#224 Gaps in Care! What are they? — Dr Bob Uslander of Empowered Endings and True Palliative Care
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are you ready for some real talk about what may be missing in your healthcare experience? Dr. Bob Uslander highlights the “gaps in care” we rarely...
#223 Navigating a Smooth Transition from Hospital to Home Care – Dr Bob Uslander of Empowered Endings
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Dr. Uslander and I dive into the often-overlooked transition from hospital to home. How can that shift go more smoothly? What does it reall...
#222 Creativity, Crafting, Loss and Grief — Lauren Carroll, Co-Founder of La Mort and Deathwives
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Starting in her twenties—and quickly shaped by an experience of profound love and loss—Lauren Carroll has devoted her life to the funeral professi...
#221 An Invitation to Slow Down – Rhea Mader, Thanatologist, End of Life Practitioner, Meditation and Yoga Nidra guide
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here with the holiday of Thanksgiving in the US in 2025, join us for a chat about Rhea’s experience as a Chaplain, and the idea of finding a bit of ...
#220 What is the Purpose of Death? Part 2 – David Maginley Psychospiritual Specialist, Author
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
More from author, cancer survivor and psychospiritual specialist David Maginley! Building on our conversation from last week, David and I continue to ...
#219 What is the Purpose of Death? Part 1 – David Maginley, Psychospiritual Specialist, Author
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ready for a deep dive? You can’t get much deeper than asking: What is the purpose of death? This episode is about Medical Assistance in Dying, yes, ...
#218 Dementia: Dispelling Myths and Gaining Information – Jessica Empeño, National Director of Clinical Engagement and Education for Compassion and Choices
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is chock-full of important information about a topic that affects so many. What is dementia? What symptoms might it include? Why does it ...
#217 Ghost Stories and Signs from the Other Side: Are You a Believer? – Orion Couling, Tour Guide, Storyteller, Magic-Maker
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Do you believe in the paranormal, the mysterious, the supernatural, the extra-ordinary? Whether you are a believer or not, I think you’ll enjoy this...
#216 “Always Offer, Never Force” - Food and Healing at the End of Life – Barbara Karnes, RN, Hospice Nurse, Author, Long-time End-of-Life Educator
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of Barbara Karnes’ recent publications is a booklet on food at the end of life. She believes that more education is needed in this area, as fami...
#215 Denial, Meaning, and Holding on at the End of Life – Barbara Karnes, RN, Hospice Nurse, Author, Long-time End-of-Life Educator
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ahh, denial. We all have it at times. How does denial play a role at the end of life? As BK says, “We’re a death-denying society, and we carry thi...
#214 Being Mortal – Diane Hullet, Doula, Educator and Founder of Best Life Best Death
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Atul Gawande - surgeon, physician, son of a surgeon - wrote Being Mortal in 2014, I wonder if he knew what staying power it would have. This ti...
#213 Companioning Your Person on the End-of-Life Journey – Tracy Chalmers, Doula, Author, Educator
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy Chalmers has written a guidebook we can all lean on. Rooted in five principles of care, she offers practical ways to walk alongside the dying, b...
#212 “If Nothing Else” – Little Ideas You Can Do Today – Jennifer Tadjedin and Karen Callahan, Death Doulas and Educators with The Heartwood Collective
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Talking with Jennifer and Karen brings BLBD back to basics, in the best sort of way. They share several “If Nothing Else” ideas. That is, “If I ...
#211 The Dementia Deck: A Conversation Starter for Better Living – Lisa Pahl of The Death Deck and Jessica Empeño of Compassion and Choices
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does a deck of cards have to do with end-of-life education? Tools like The Dementia Deck, The Death Deck, and the EOL (End-of-Life) Deck offer ea...
#210 What’s Possible? Make a Film, Throw a Living Funeral, Have a Green Burial – with Barry Koch and Jason Zamer, Filmmakers and Cofounders of TGBeyond
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I sit down for a conversation with the producers of a documentary film called A Butterfly Has Been Released. The website sums it up b...
#209 Ruminations on Mortality – Maria Popova, Writer, Curator and Creator of The Marginalian
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Maria Popova is a Bulgarian-born writer, curator, and critic best known as the creator of The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings), a long-running on...
#208 Lessons the Dying Teach Us about Living – Diane Button, Doula, Author, Instructor at the UVM End-of-Life Doula Certificate Program
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join me on BLBD this week, for a gorgeous conversation with Diane Button. Author of several books, Diane’s latest is with Maria Shriver’s imprint,...
#207 Love, Loss, and the Life of Lueza – Jody Gelb, Mother, Actor, Author of She May Be Lying Down, But She May Be Very Happy.
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jody Gelb has written a deeply moving memoir about the life and loss of her daughter. Brain damaged at birth, life with Lueza is as complex as you ima...
#206 Choices Aligned with Values: Deciding about Euthanizing a Pet – Dr Sarah Kerr, Founder of the Centre for Sacred Deathcare
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s podcast is especially close to my heart. In the spring of 2025, my family said goodbye to our beloved 16-year-old dog, Kaya. Sarah and I...
#205 When Community Comes Alive Through Death – Scott Kirschenbaum, Director of The Last Ecstatic Days
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Director Scott Kirschenbaum joins me to discuss the powerful documentary, The Last Ecstatic Days, and the transformative journey of making this film. ...
#204 What is a Death Café? – Karen Keeran, Coach, Doula and Facilitator
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
To sum up this episode, I’d say: listen to learn all about Death Cafés from a seasoned facilitator! How does it work? Who attends? What sorts of th...
#203 Leaving a Legacy and Not a Logjam – Rachel Donnelly, Founder and CEO of AfterLight
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel has her MDA – Master of Death Administration! Her personal experience settling estates led her to create a business as an After Loss Professi...
#202 What Would It Mean to Carry Each Other Through Death? – Erin Merelli, Death Doula
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Words straight from her website: “As a death doula, educator, and public speaker, Erin Merelli guides individuals, families, and communities to meet...
#201 Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking, Part 3: An Update – Kate Christie, Author
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Description: On BLBD episode #145, one year ago, Kate and I talked extensively about VSED, Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking. Her mother chose ...
#200 Death-y Books that Might Surprise You – Mia Hope Adgate
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Now this is a subject that I really enjoy covering: books. In this episode I chat with a teenager who is a voracious reader — and does she ever know...
#199 Turning Towards: Accepting Aging as a Part of Life, Part II – Dr Carla Perissinotto, Gerontologist and Courtney Martin, Author
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you already heard Part I, then you know that this is an episode you do not want to miss! Personal and professional, we dive into what matters most....
#198 Turning Towards: Accepting Aging as a Part of Life, Part I – Dr Carla Perissinotto and Courtney Martin
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a topic, a duo, and a two-part podcast that you do not want to miss! I love it when BLBD is both personal and professional, and these two epis...
#197 Grief in Public: Roadside Memorials and Spontaneous Shrines – Dr Holly Everett, Folklorist and Associate Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Holly Everett’s work helps us better understand roadside memorials and other public expressions of remembrance. Her 1998 master’s thesis, “C...
#196 Meet the Pre-Dead Social Club — Laura Cleminson, Founder
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Laura Cleminson believes that we could all use more preparation before the people we are close to are dying. How can we get that? Through conversation...
#195 Carrying a Sibling’s Story: What My Brother Knew – Kristina Amelong, Author
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this BLBD episode, author Kristina Amelong joins me to share the deeply personal journey behind her memoir What My Brother Knew. Through honest con...
#194 Code Status, CPR, and the Choices We Face – Dr Matthew Tyler, Palliative Care Physician and Founder of How to Train Your Doctor
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does “code status” really mean — and how does it affect the care we receive at the end of life? In this episode, Dr. Matthew Tyler returns ...
#193 What Does Good Pain Care Look Like? – Dr Matthew Tyler, Palliative Care Physician and Founder of How to Train Your Doctor
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Matthew Tyler returns to explore the layers of palliative care — what it is, what it isn’t, and how it differs from hospice. We discuss everyt...
#192 Reframing Dying for Better Living – Penny Hawkins Smith, RN, Author, Influencer
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this BLBD episode I talk with Penny Hawkins Smith, nationally certified hospice and palliative care nurse and social media rockstar! Penny’s 2025...
#191 Reclaiming Dignity, Connection and Humanity – Laura Musselman, Director of Communications for The Humane Prison Hospice Project
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A good death should be a right not a privilege — Do you agree? Listen to this week’s podcast to learn about how our incarcerated population dies b...
#190 Widows, Wisdom, and WTF Moments — Anita Coyle and Mel Shore, Founders of Widow We Do Now
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I sit down with two fabulous and funny podcast hosts, Anita Coyle and Mel Shore, founders of the Widow We Do Now? podcast. They share...
#189 What If Death Care Included a Doula for Everyone? — Kacie Gikonyo, RN, Death Doula and the Founder of Death Doula School
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kacie Gikonyo is a registered nurse, death doula, and educator with over 12 years of experience in end-of-life care. She is the founder of Death Doula...
#188 What Is Green Burial? – Samuel Perry, Funeral Director and President of The Green Burial Council Board
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From his humble days as a “lawn guy” at a local funeral home, to his current role as a funeral director and leader on the board of the Green Buria...
#187 Pushing Up Daises 101 - or - What to Know about Body Disposition – Diane Hullet, Death Doula and Founder of Best Life Best Death
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week I’ll give you an overview of the many ways a body can be laid to rest — from traditional cremation to options like green burial, water c...
#186 What Does a Care Boss (aka Caregiver) Need to Know? – Jennifer A. O'Brien, MSOD
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jennifer A. O’Brien, MSOD, joins me to discuss a topic that we all need more understanding around: caregiving. In her book Care Boss: Leadership Str...
#185 The Green-Wood Cemetery: An Iconic National Historic Landmark – Gabrielle Gatto, Manager of Public Programs
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Whether large or small, urban or suburban, many of us have a favorite cemetery. Perhaps the crown jewel of cemeteries in the US is the National Histor...
#184 Is a “Good Death” Possible? How?? — Suzanne B. O’Brien, Founder and CEO of Doula Givers
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Former hospice and oncology nurse turned Doulagiver Trainer, Suzanne B. O’Brien has dedicated her life to teaching people how to care for those at t...
#183 Children’s Books about Death, Grief and Loss – Jade Adgate, the Farewell Librarian & Death Doula behind Farewell Fellowship & Farewell Education
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, doula, educator and book-lover Jade Adgate joins me to explore children’s books that delve into the tender topics of death, grief and los...
#182 When Grief Is Complicated: Navigating Loss in Complex Relationships – Tawnya Musser, Life-Cycle Celebrant, Death Doula & Founder of Dear Departures
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes, the truth is that the dead are not always our “beloved.” Relationships can be incredibly complex, and when a person in a complicated re...
#181 Home Funerals: What You Need to Know – Tawnya Musser, Life-Cycle Celebrant, Death Doula & Founder of Dear Departures
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this information-filled episode, Tawnya Musser and I explore the power and possibilities of home funerals. What exactly is a “home funeral”? Ho...
#180 The Hospice Doctor’s Widow: A Love Letter to Life and Loss – Jennifer O’Brien, Author, Artist and Interim Healthcare CEO
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I chat with Jennifer O’Brien, author of The Hospice Doctor’s Widow: An Art Journal of Caregiving and Grief and also Care Boss. (M...
#179 A Legacy of Compassion: Ken Ross on Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's Life and Work – Ken Ross, Founder and President of the EKRoss Foundation
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I’m joined by Ken Ross, son of the legendary Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, whose groundbreaking work revolutionized the field of end-of-l...
#178 Pregnancy Loss: What We All Need to Know – Amy Wright Glenn, Founder of The Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath, and Death
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode delves into a subject that many find deeply uncomfortable: pregnancy loss. Whether through miscarriage, abortion, stillbirth, accident, o...
#177 Postal Service for the Dead – Janelle Ketcher, Founder & Director
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As Sarah Kerr puts it, “Grief is a feeling; grieving is an action.” This week, I speak with Janelle Ketcher, an artist and archivist who envisione...
#176 Grief Improv Theater: a Creative and Compassionate Approach to Grief-Related Topics – Erin Whalen, Founder of Compassionate Coaching
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
[Note to listeners: Sorry for the not-so-great sound on this one. I had issues.] Erin Whalen has spent years as an actor and acting coach, and she’s...
#175 The Real Deal about Hospice with Dr G — Dr Kaishauna Guidry, Founder of Mourning Dove Medical
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Kaishauna Guidry and I take a look at some myths about hospice, and you’ll hear Dr G’s heart-filled point of view as she busts...
#174 What Is VitalTalk? Clinicians and Hard Conversations – Dr James Tulsky, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
01 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. James Tulsky is passionate about enhancing communication between clinicians and patients. Why are words so vital in the medical field? What do pat...
#173 Bringing Compassionate Presence to Difficult Experiences – Amy Wright Glenn, Founder of The Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath, and Death
25 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Some people possess the rare gift of weaving together knowledge from multiple fields, using it to chart new and inspiring directions. Amy Wright Glenn...
#172 Dementia: Reframing for a Creative and Positive Approach – Ashley Bright and Heather MacLeod, Instructors with the Conscious Dying Collective
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When someone is living with dementia, challenges abound. Join me for a conversation with Ashley Bright and Heather MacLeod, experienced instructors of...
#171 How to Hold Space for Suicide Talk – Cait Maddan, Doula and Founder of Aware Care Library
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cait Maddan’s free downloadable guide called “How to Hold Space for Suicide Talk” is just one key part of all the work that she does. As a doula...
#170 The Latest on Terramation: “It Just Makes Sense” – Mike Reagan, End-of-Life Doula, Hospice Volunteer, and CEO of The Natural Funeral
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Terramation, Natural Organic Reduction, Human Composting – whatever you call it, let’s get down in the dirt to discuss this body disposition opt...
#169 The Value of Service, Silence and Presence at the End of Life – Mike Reagan, End-of-Life Doula, Hospice Volunteer, and CEO of The Natural Funeral
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Enjoy this conversation with end-of-life doula Mike Reagan. How can we embrace opportunities to “serve” at the end of life? What does it mean to “...
#168 When You are Called to Soul-Based Deathcare: Becoming a Sacred Deathcare Guide – Sarah Kerr, PhD Founder of The Centre for Sacred Deathcare
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Kerr joins BLBD again this week, as we share exciting news about a new course we’ve been developing at the Centre for Sacred Deathcare. Launch...
#167 Rewriting the Story: The Deathwalker Archetype and Soul-Based Death Care – Sarah Kerr, PhD & Founder of The Centre for Sacred Deathcare
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s conversation with Sarah Kerr invites you to broaden your perspective on death, shifting toward a soul-centered understanding. We talk ab...
#166 Planting Seeds in a Garden: Messages from Terminally Ill Parents to Their Children – Su Park, Founder of Die Well
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you have the “gift of precious time” in the face of a poor prognosis, here is a way to leave videos that are structured, organized, and develop...
#165 When the Veil Is Thin: Ancestors, Ghosts and Spirits – Rhea Mader, Founder of Conscious Living, Conscious Dying
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rhea Mader and I chat about the mysteries that this time of year brings forth. We start out with some light-hearted remembrances of Halloween costumes...
#164 Conversations with Doctors: How Do You and Your Doc Get on the Same Page? – Dr Matthew Tyler, How to Train Your Doctor
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Listening to Dr Matthew Tyler mull over the intricacies of conversations between doctors and patients always gives me hope. How do we figure out when ...
#163 We’ve Lost Our Role Models for How to Die and How to Give Care to Those Who are Dying — Barbara Karnes, RN
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this conversation with long-time hospice nurse and educator Barbara Karnes, she states: “We’ve lost our role models on what it’s like to die,...
#162 One Year After the Death of a Spouse: Barbara Karnes, RN Reflects
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast is personal, and I thank Barbara Karnes for her candid sharing of what the first year has been like after the death of her long-time husb...
#161 What Are the Different Ways that Grief Shows Up? – Annie Sklaver Orenstein, Author
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Resilient grief, complicated grief, anticipatory grief, disenfranchised grief. These are terms you may or may not be familiar with, but trust me, lear...
#160 Always a Sibling: The Forgotten Mourner’s Guide to Grief – Annie Sklaver Orenstein, Author
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Annie Sklaver Orenstein’s brother died, she looked for books that would help her to understand her experience as a surviving sibling. While she...
#159 It’s Not Too Late, Until It’s Too Late: How to Start a Conversation – Diane Hullet, Mortality Educator and Doula
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's all well and good that I keep saying “You should really have conversations about death and dying….” Yet you might be thinking, “What ...
#158 When Dementia and Mental Illness Collide: One Person’s Experience – Tarron Estes, Founder of the Conscious Dying Institute
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tarron Estes is no stranger to death. Raised by a mother who sat vigil with the dying, Tarron understood from a young age the power and possibility of...
#157 What Do the Dying Take with Them? – Gabriele Elise Jimenez, Hospice Nurse and Author
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gabby Jimenez – hospice nurse, doula and social media content creator extraordinaire – explores these questions with me. What do the dying take wi...
#156 Having The Conversation Can Make the Difference Between Pain and Peace – Gabby Jimenez, Hospice Nurse and Author
28 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gabby changed everything up mid-life after taking care of a friend who was dying. She realized that she wanted to make a difference in people’s live...
#155 A Key Medical Study: Living the Most in the Time You Have Left – Dr Kerin Adelson MD Anderson and Dr Maureen Canavan Yale
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When you are in that terribly complicated time of making medical decisions around advanced cancer, what framework can you turn to? Oncologists are cal...
#154 Our Grief Illiterate and Grief Avoidant World, Part II – Kim Shute, Grief Writer
14 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This conversation is one of those that is personal and universal. What do you do when your partner dies unexpectedly? What Kim did was delve into that...
#153 Our Grief Illiterate and Grief Avoidant World, Part I – Kim Shute, Grief Writer
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After her husband of 19 years died suddenly of Leukemia at the age of 48, Kim Shute experienced first-hand that the death of a young partner “stoppe...
#152 What is “Death over Drafts”? – Stefanie Elkins, Founder of Death over Drafts and Be Present Care
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Perhaps you’ve heard of Death Cafes or Death over Dinner… what about Death over Drafts? Grab a brew and listen to this episode in which you’ll h...
#151 The Experience of Aging: “I’ve Become an Immigrant In the Country of Old” — Susan Lieberman, Author
24 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Author Susan Lieberman concludes in this BLBD conversation: “Old is not terrible, it’s just old.” Listen to this episode for some light thoug...
#150 What Makes an Obituary Full of Life? – Jennifer Carroll, Author and Artist
17 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jennifer Carroll shares tips and thoughts on how to bring an obituary to life. What are the personal touches that take it beyond a short, basic announ...
#149 Judith Letting Go: Six Months in the World's Smallest Death Cafe – Mark Dowie, Award-winning Journalist and Author
10 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I think it is fair to say that Mark Dowie’s latest book is unlike any other he’s written. Brief and intensely personal, Mark writes about his expe...
#148 Bonus Tracks with a Thanatologist and an Animal Doula – Kim Mooney and Kayla Nakano
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I’m pulling from the “old files” for this one! I spoke with Kim Mooney on BLBD podcast #71 and #72 and with Kayla Nagano on #74, and with this e...
#147 How Can We Prevent Adults From Drowning? – ‘Melon’ (Mary Ellen) Dash, Expert Swim Instructor
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I believe that this podcast offers a topic you might not have considered – and it very much has to do with life and death. “Drowning deaths are on...
#146 VSED Part 2: Understanding Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking – Nancy Simmers BSN, RN, Death Doula
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy Simmers served as the death doula for Kate Christie’s mother when she chose VSED (Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking) to hasten her deat...
#145 VSED Part 1: One Family’s Experience of a Terminal Fast – Kate Christie, Author of The VSED Handbook
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kate Christie and her family went through the experience of VSED when her mother chose to “voluntarily stop eating and drinking.” This choice to h...
#144 Conscious Grieving: How Might We Engage and Transform Through Loss? – Claire Bidwell Smith LCPC
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we explore the rich, complex topic of grief. Claire Bidwell Smith’s beautiful book Conscious Grieving: A Transformative Approach to ...
#143 Telling Our Stories as They Come to a Close – Darnell Lamont Walker
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Writer, teacher, artist, filmmaker, and death doula Darnell Lamont Walker is all about the stories we live and share. What truly matters as we spend t...
#142 Get Griefy: A Magazine For Those Living with Loss and Actually Living – Kera Sanchez, Founder of Get Griefy
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Kera’s mom died unexpectedly at age 57, just a few days after Kera had just had a baby, the duality of grieving and mothering dropped her to he...
#141 What Can We Do to Create Gentle, Empowered Endings? – Dr Bob Uslander
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How do we support individuals to do death better? #1 Realize that the medical system isn’t set up to address the gaps for the dying and their famil...
#140 What Do Grief Groups Offer? The Who, When and Why – Jenn Flaum, Executive Director of the HeartLight Center
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The HeartLight Center in Denver, CO is a nonprofit grief center offering in-person and online support to those who are grieving or supporting grievers...
#139 Seeing Death as Part of Life: Changing Culture Through Film – Johanna Lunn, Director
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Several years ago, film Director Johanna Lunn set out to make a movie about death. What she quickly discovered was that there were enormous amounts of...
#138 Hospice Information Is a Phone Call Away – Helen Bauer, Founder of Hospice Navigation Services
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Bauer is one of those people who makes connections and disseminates information in every way she can think of! With 500+ podcast episodes of The...
#137 Thoughts in Passing - Portraits and Stories at the End of Life – Claudia Bicen, Artist
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I reached out to artist Claudia Biçen when I learned about an installation she had created some years ago that combined the portraits and words of ho...
#136 What Is the Arc of a Meaningful Memorial Service? – Shari Stern, Celebrant
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We have probably all attended funerals that we found meaningful – and services that fell flat. What are the parts that make up a meaningful memorial...
#135 Thoughts on Planning for the Inevitable – Sue Mackey, Founder of Out of the Box End of Life Planning
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nothing like talking to an expert in the field to clarify what truly matters! Sue Mackey has been working for more than 15 years to help people prepar...
#134 In Their Honor: Veterans and the End of Life – Dr. Qwynn Galloway-Salazar
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Qwynn Galloway-Salazar brings her experience as a veteran and spouse of a combat veteran straight into her work as a death doula and educator. She...
#133 Eldercare Is Episodic – Rick Northrup
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week I have a conversation with none other than an old family friend. And while I love talking to the experts out there, there’s something just...
#132 Scams and Fraud: What You Need to Know! – Amy Nofziger, AARP expert
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Amy Nofziger is the Director of Victim Support for the AARP Fraud Watch Network and has nearly two decades of experience in fraud prevention and victi...
#131 Visiting When Someone Is Dying - “Always go to Ohio” – Jennifer Graham
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What would it mean to you to “Always go to Ohio”? In this episode, author Jennifer Graham and I ponder the question: why show up? Whether for a ...
#130 The Wind Phone Phenomenon – Grief, Connection, Art, & Service – Amy Dawson of My Wind Phone
28 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, learn about “wind phones” — what are they, where are they, who is making them, and why? Created to share a continuing relations...
#129 Navigating Modern, Meaningful Caregiving - Allison Applebaum, Ph.D.
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Allison Applebaum, Ph.D. sees caregiving through both a personal and professional lens, giving her a unique take on the logistics of individual situat...
#128 How to Train Your Doctor – Dr. Matthew Tyler
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Matthew Tyler is a palliative doctor and champion via social media for having the hard conversations when necessary. He knows that doctors are doin...
#127 Dying in Community: The Last Ecstatic Days of Ethan Sisser - Dr Aditi Sethi
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This conversation with Dr Aditi Sethi is a heart-felt discussion of a film, a doctor’s experience of an unusual patient, and the idea that “death ...
#126 Why Have a Conversation about Mortality? (and how the heck do we even begin??) – Reena Lazar, Willow End of Life Education and Planning
31 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Willow End of Life Education and Planning is all about changing the conversation around death and dying to include living. As Reena Lazar says, “All...