Peaceful Exit
Episodes
What Does a Peaceful Exit Mean to You?
28 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
At the end of every episode of Peaceful Exit, Sarah asks her guests the same question: what does a peaceful exit mean to you? There have been many ove...
Living to 100 with Dr. Deborah Kado
14 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As co-director of the Stanford Center on Longevity at Stanford University, geriatrician Dr. Deborah Kado helps patients live not just longer, but bett...
Turning Toward Grief with James Crews
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Poet James Crews lost his father when he was just 20 years old, and then, decades later, his mother and both grandmothers died in the same year. In th...
The Good Death with Suzanne O'Brien
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Suzanne O’Brien is founder and CEO of the Doulagivers Institute and author of the book “The Good Death.” She has trained thousands of people aro...
Renegade Grief with Carla Fernandez
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Carla Fernandez, author of the book "Renegade Grief," was just 21 years old when her father José died. She felt ill-equipped to handle her grief alon...
The ABCs of Grief with Jessica Correnti
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Child life specialist Jessica Correnti helps kids and families navigate loss, change, and big life transitions. In this episode, she tells Sarah why c...
Pet Loss Can Break Your Heart with Kaleel Sakakeeny
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Animal chaplain Kaleel Sakakeeny was overwhelmed by grief after the death of his cat Kyro. And even though pet loss is an incredibly common experience...
Living in the After Image with Jenny George
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Poet Jenny George was always drawn to writing about death and dying, even before she lost her wife to ovarian cancer. In her latest collection of poem...
What Cadavers Taught Me with Mary Roach
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Mary Roach is a New York Times bestselling author and acclaimed science writer who once thought science was boring. She has traveled the world and wri...
A Few of Our Favorite Things 2025
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for the annual holiday episode, and this year we're revisiting a few of our favorite conversations from 2025. (It was tough to pick, they ar...
Sneaky Grief with Lisa Keefauver
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Social worker Lisa Keefauver was just 40 years old when her husband died from cancer in her arms. She has since become an outspoken grief activist, he...
Resilience Is in Your DNA with Dr. Lucy Hone
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Psychologist Dr. Lucy Hone studies resilience, a topic that hit especially close to home when her 12-year old daughter Abi and two friends were killed...
What Dying Can Teach You About Living with Dr. BJ Miller
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Palliative care physician Dr. BJ Miller survived a near-death experience and lost three limbs at just 19 years old. In this intimate conversation, he ...
Season 6 Trailer
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Peaceful Exit is back with new episodes starting Tuesday, November 11! Host Sarah Cavanaugh is on a mission to dispel people's natural fear surroundin...
Everyday Awe with Dacher Keltner (Replay)
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dacher Keltner is the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. He...
The Art of Dying Well with Katy Butler (Replay)
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist Katy Butler spent years listening to hundreds of people’s stories of good and difficult deaths. She’s talked to countless experts in pa...
Death Before Dying with Patti Davis (Replay)
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Actress and author Patti Davis spent ten years caring for her father, President Ronald Reagan, as he faced Alzheimer's disease. She joins Sarah to sha...
The History of Hospice with Barbara Karnes (Replay)
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hospice nurse Barbara Karnes helped set the standard for end-of-life care 35 years ago, when she wrote "Gone From My Sight." It's a little blue pamphl...
The Other Side of Yet with Michelle Hord (Replay)
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Michelle Hord has lived through any parent's worst nightmare: her ex-husband murdered their seven-year old daughter Gabrielle. She talks about her boo...
Poetry Unplugged with Michael Wiegers (Replay)
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re re-releasing an episode featuring Sarah's conversation with Michael Wiegers, who gives us a masterclass in poetry. He's the ed...
Curb Appeal: Finding Home After Loss with Rev. Steven Tomlinson (Replay)
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re re-releasing an earlier episode featuring Sarah's conversation with Episcopal priest, playwright, and former economist Steven Tomli...
Creativity and Death with Basil Twist
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Basil Twist is a world-famous puppeteer. His first full-length production, Symphonie Fantastique, flipped the audience's concept of the art form by ex...
Second Chances with Quan Huynh
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Quan Huynh's story details the resilience of the human spirit. His book, "Sparrow in the Razor Wire: Finding Freedom from Within While Serving a Life ...
Death and Getting Dumped with Suzy Hopkins and Hallie Bateman
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This mother-daughter, writer-illustrator duo, has created two illustrated books together. The first stemmed from Hallie's painful realization that her...
The Poetry of Being Alive with Danusha Laméris
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In my conversation with poet Danusha Laméris, we talk about art, poetry, grief, and language. She reads from her latest collection of poems, "Blade b...
Surviving Sudden Cardiac Arrest with Lauren Canaday
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lauren Canaday has lived quite a life. Two lives, if you ask her. In her memoir, Independence Ave: How Individualism Killed Me and Community Brought M...
Make Time for What Counts with Oliver Burkeman
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Oliver Burkeman's latest book, "Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts," is a guide to embracin...
Paradox and Poetry with Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer knows grief. Her dad and son died in the same year. Like her latest book, The Unfolding, if this interview were music, it wo...
Revolutionizing Death Care with Joél Simone Maldonado
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Joél Simone Maldonado is a licensed funeral director and embalmer, spiritual death care educator and the founder of the Multicultural Death & Gri...
Music and Judaism with Rabbi Neil Blumofe
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rabbi Neil Blumofe is the senior rabbi at Congregation Agudas Achim in Austin, Texas, and has been part of that community for 26 years! Rabbi Blumofe ...
Prayer As a Place of Peace with Pastor Daryl Horton
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daryl Horton is the senior pastor at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Austin, Texas. He explains why community is a key tennant of his faith and why it's so...
Impermanence in Buddhism with Venerable Jue Ji
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Like authors, faith leaders are a great source for language about life and death. Venerable Jue Ji is a Buddhist nun who grew up in Taipei, Taiwan, an...
The Death of Whales with Dr. Michael J Moore
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Michael J Moore is a veterinary scientist who spent his entire career studying and advocating for the North Atlantic Right Whale. This is a critic...
Season 5 Trailer
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We live in a culture that avoids talking about death and Peaceful Exit is an invitation to be in candid conversation about it. In season five, host Sa...
Reflections - Behind the Scenes with Sarah
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the show begins to switch gears a bit, from talking with authors to talking with artists, theologians, musicians, poets –creatives of all kinds –...
Reflections - Looking Back at Special Moments
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Sarah looks forward to the future of a Peaceful Exit, we take a look back at some memorable moments of the past year with some of her most impactfu...
The Art of Transformation with Alixa Garcia
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah talks with multidisciplinary artist Alixa Garcia about Alixa's transformative experiences with art, her powerful personal stories of loss, and h...
Curb Appeal: Finding Home After Loss with Rev. Steven Tomlinson
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Steven Tomlinson, Episcopal priest, playwright, and former economist, shares his personal journey through grief and healing after the sudden loss of h...
Get Me to 21 with Gabi Lowe
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Peaceful Exit, host Sarah Cavanaugh interviews Gabi Lowe, author of Get Me to 21: The Jenna Lowe Story. Gabi shares her deeply pers...
The Other Side of Yet with Michelle Hord
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Michelle Hord, author of 'The Other Side of Yet,’ recounts the devastating loss of her daughter, Gabrielle, who was murdered by her ex-husband. The ...
COVID Chaplaincy with Luke Lorentzen and Mati Engel
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk with Luke Lorentzen and Mati Engel about their intimate documentary, 'A Still, Small Voice'. The film features Mati as ...
The Girlfriends with Carole Fisher
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Peaceful Exit, host Sarah Cavanaugh interviews Carole Fisher, who shares her deeply personal journey through experiences of gr...
The Anthropology of Death with Anita Hannig
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Peaceful Exit, host Sarah Cavanaugh interviews an anthropologist who immersed herself in the world of assisted dying in Oregon, Ani...
The Power of Storytelling with Brittani Ard
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brittani Ard, from the podcast "You Probably Think This Story's About You", shares her raw, unfiltered story of navigating loss and a manipulative rel...
Grief and Artivism with Kumi Naidoo
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kumi Naidoo is a prominent global activist. He is the former Secretary General of Amnesty International and Executive Director of Greenpeace. Kumi sha...
Briefly Perfectly Human with Alua Arthur
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alua Arthur is an entrepreneur, death doula, and New York Times bestselling author, who recently published her book, 'Briefly Perfectly Human.' Alua s...
Grief, Trauma, and Healing with Louisa Zondo
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From growing up in Apartheid South Africa to helping write the country's constitution, Louisa Zondo's life story is nothing short of extraordinary. We...
Your Grieving Brain with Mary-Frances O’Connor
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mary-Frances O’Connor is a neuroscientist at the University of Arizona where she studies the impact of grief on the brain. Her work helps explain th...
When Families Choose Assisted Dying with Cynthia Clark
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After a terminal brain cancer diagnosis, Cynthia Clark’s husband chose to have a medically assisted death when his treatment stopped working. Cynthi...
Assisted Dying in Canada with Stefanie Green, MD
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Stefanie Green, MD, was one of the first providers of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in Canada, when it became legal in 2016. Her book, This Is As...
Conscious Grieving with Claire Bidwell Smith
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Claire Bidwell Smith knows grief well. When she was 14, both of her parents were diagnosed with cancer at the same time. Her mom died when Claire was ...
Puberty and Death with Julie Metzger
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Julie Metzger has been teaching families about puberty for over 30 years. Her book, “Will Puberty Last My Whole Life?” and her course, Great Conve...
Navigating ALS with Rachael King
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
ALS is a heartbreaking disease. Just ask my guest Rachael King. Her husband, health care activist Ady Barkan, recently died from complications of ALS ...
Talking to Kids About Death with Elena Lister and Michael Schwartzman
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is all about how to talk to kids about death. Experts Elena Lister and Michael Schwartzman both have decades of experience working with k...
Grief Is Funny with Leslie Gray Streeter
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Leslie Gray Streeter tells it like it is. Her husband, Scott, suddenly died one night when he was just 44 years old. Leslie chronicles that heartbreak...
Medicine in the Eleventh Hour with Sunita Puri
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sunita Puri is a palliative care doctor who chronicles her journey through medical school, fellowship and finding her specialty in her book, “That G...
Grieving and Google Docs with Valarie Kaur (re-release)
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re re-releasing one of our earliest episodes, and still one of my favorite conversations. Author and activist Valarie Kaur shares pers...
Poetry Unplugged with Michael Wiegers
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Wiegers is the Editor-in-Chief at Copper Canyon Press, an independent nonprofit press that publishes award-winning poetry. Under his leadershi...
Gut Wrenching Grief with Mira Ptacin
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In her memoir, Poor Your Soul, Mira Ptacin explores the grief associated with losing a baby which is often hidden behind closed doors. Instead, she cr...
Widowed Fathers Reimagining Life
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Don Rosenstein and Justin Yopp are both psychiatrists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They started a support group for widowed fat...
The Art of Dying Well with Katy Butler
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Katy Butler is a journalist and author of two books, who spent years listening to hundreds of people’s stories of good and difficult deaths. She’s...
Death and Money with Lynne Twist
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lynne Twist is a globally recognized philanthropist and author of two books, including “The Soul of Money: Transforming Your Relationship with Money...
Palliative Care with Dr. Edward Creagan
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Edward Creagan spent four decades at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, working as a cancer specialist and then helping to develop the Mayo Clinic’s ...
Choose Your Own Adventure Holiday Episode
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our holiday episode, we’re highlighting some of my favorite conversations from this year, in hopes that you hear what you need. The holiday seaso...
Life After Sudden Loss with Eirinie Carson
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever felt like you needed permission to grieve, or your grief just wasn’t understood by others, this book and this episode is for you. I...
Collective Grief and Community with Justine Mastin and Larisa Garski
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Larisa Garski and Justine Mastin are practicing therapists who have authored two books together. Their narrative approach to therapy centers on rewrit...
The History of Hospice with Barbara Karnes
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Barbara Karnes is a pioneer of the modern hospice movement in the United States. She got her start as a hospice nurse when medical professionals didn’...
Poetry of Place with Claudia Castro Luna
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Poems are tools for existential work and Claudia Castro Luna’s poetry is our guide to a deeper understanding of place and belonging. Claudia was bor...
Death Care at Home with Lucinda Herring
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Herring has over 20 years of experience as a licensed funeral director and a home funeral guide. Her book, “Reimagining Death: Stories and P...
Everyday Awe with Dacher Keltner
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dacher Keltner is the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. He...
The Denial of Death with Sheldon Solomon
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sheldon Solomon, a professor of psychology at Skidmore College, has spent his professional life studying humans’ fear of death and the wide ranging ...
Your Brain and Death with Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained neuroanatomist who suffered a stroke at 37 and spent the next eight years working towards recovery. She det...
Death and Desire with Rebecca Woolf
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rebecca and her husband Hal were on the brink of divorce when Hal was handed a terminal cancer diagnosis. He died just months later. Her book gives us...
Marriage and Mourning with Barbara Ascher
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the wake of a terminal cancer diagnosis, Barbara and her late husband, Bob, kept on living. In fact, they partied. Barbara details how she helped p...
Sacred Service with Reverend Deborah L. Johnson
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Reverend Deborah L Johnson (Rev D) shares the story of her remarkable call to ministry as a teenager and how she got there on her own time. Since then...
The Dirt on Funerals with Todd Harra
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wonder why funerals look the way they do? Fourth-generation funeral director Todd Harra explains the evolution of the industry in America. Todd s...
Removing Stigma from Schizophrenia with WJT Mitchell
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Father and distinguished professor WJT Mitchell (Tom) lost his son, Gabe, to schizophrenia. Tom details how Gabe embraced the term “madness” in or...
Forgiving the Unforgivable with Anita Sanchez
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Anita Sanchez shares Indigenous wisdom for living in today’s world. A big focus of the conversation is about forgiving the unforgivable. She exp...
Rewriting Your Story About Death with Kristi Nelson
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Gratefulness expert Kristi Nelson describes how facing death at a young age transformed how she faces life. For Kristi, being grateful isn’t a susta...
Navigating Death with Grace with Adam Robarts
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Father and architect Adam Robarts shares the intimate story of his son, Haydn, facing a cancer diagnosis at age 19 and the fight for life-saving treat...
Grieving and Google Docs with Valarie Kaur
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Activist Valerie Kaur shares with us some of her transformative experiences with death and the way grieving in community expanded her capacity for joy...
Rituals To Remember with Day Schildkret
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What do Little Debbie Rolls have to do with grief? Artist Day Schildkret explores the impact of losing our rituals in modern life and how to bring the...
Death Before Dying with Patti Davis
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
American actress Patty Davis spent ten years caring for her father, former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. We dive into the specific challenges of demen...
Trailer
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We live in a culture that avoids death and Peaceful Exit is an invitation to be in candid conversation about it. Writer and host Sarah Cavanaugh belie...