Peaceful Exit

Thanatologist, horticulturalist, and author Cole Imperi studies death, dying, grief, loss and bereavement. She says we don't have a taboo around death in our culture - but around grief. In this episode, she and Sarah dive into Cole's pioneered concept of "shadow loss," and they break down the six distinct categories where grief manifests, which she also outlines in her book "A Guide to Grief," for...

When Nancy Howard Cobb wrote "In Lieu of Flowers: A Conversation for the Living" in the year 2000, she was ahead of her time. Little did she know that the cultural appetite for stories about mortality would only continue to grow, and that her book would be republished more than two decades later. In this interview,  Nancy explores the deaths of her parents, the loss of a close friend, and the shat...

Death doula Darnell Lamont Walker, author of "Never Can Say Goodbye: The Life of a Death Doula and the Art of a Peaceful End," came to this work young. At just 12 years old, he sat with his dying cousin during the AIDS crisis. At 13, he helped classmates grieve the death of a friend. Darnell shares with Sarah how his grandma's fearless, open-hearted approach to death shaped those early experiences...

Anne Lamott is known for her piercing honesty, her humor, and her willingness to go to the hard places. She's the New York Times bestselling author of books like "Bird by Bird" and "Traveling Mercies," and she is, appropriately, so many people's favorite writer. In this conversation with Sarah, Anne explores the terrain that has defined so much of her life and writing: loss, grief, faith, and grac...

Alua Arthur is a death doula and a New York Times bestselling author, most recently for her book "Briefly Perfectly Human." In this episode from 2024, Alua shares with Sarah what it was like fleeing Ghana as a child, and how she found her calling in an unexpected conversation on a bus. They also discuss the transformative nature of confronting mortality, why it's important to set boundaries in gri...

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 overlapping themes in people's responses, but so far no two replies have been exactly the same. In this compilation episode, we revisit the answers from our amazing season 6 guests: Dr. BJ Miller; Dr. Lucy Hone; Lisa Keefauver; Mary Roach; Jenny George;...

As co-director of the Stanford Center on Longevity at Stanford University, geriatrician Dr. Deborah Kado helps patients live not just longer, but better. In this thoughtful interview, she  shares what her earliest patients taught her about the end of life, and what any of us can do - starting now - to age with dignity and purpose. Dr. Kado also explains why, despite what you might think, older peo...

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 this episode, he talks to Sarah about the different experiences he had with grief across these major losses, and how they've inspired his work, including a number of poems in his latest collection, "Turning Toward Grief." James also explains why even m...

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 around the world in end-of-life care, with a mission to make death literacy accessible to all. She tells Sarah why she believes that dying is not just a medical event, but a sacred transition — one that can be met with preparation, presence, and even peace. I...

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 alone, so she started reaching out to friends. What began as a simple potluck dinner with other young adults who'd also lost parents grew into The Dinner Party, a nationwide movement with tables in over a hundred cities. At these gatherings, grievers shar...

Child life specialist Jessica Correnti helps kids and families navigate loss, change, and big life transitions. In this episode, she tells Sarah why children often experience grief in short emotional "bursts"; why they process grief best through play; and why it's best to talk to kids honestly about death and dying. Jessica also shares  her deeply personal story of pregnancy loss, and how that exp...

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, Kaleel felt like he had nowhere to turn. So, he took matters into his own hands: Kaleel became an animal chaplain, an ordained pastor, and a pet loss and bereavement counselor. He also founded the nonprofit Animal Talks, which supports people who'v...

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 poems, "After Image," Jenny uses the lens of grief to describe caring for and losing her sweetheart, and to explore what it means to live in the shadow of her death. Jenny tells Sarah about the challenges of writing about dying, and also why her grief so...

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 written fascinating, humorous books about the human body and its curiosities. Today she discusses three of them with Sarah: "Stiff," "Six Feet Over," and her latest, "Replaceable You." They also talk about how our culture got so squeamish about dead bod...

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 are all favorites!) You'll hear excerpts from Sarah's interviews with puppeteer Basil Twist; death educator Joél Simone; poet Danusha Laméris; journalist Oliver Burkeman; and writer-illustrator duo Suzy Hopkins and Hallie Bateman. Each of these guests...

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, helping people identify, understand, live with, and talk about their grief through her book and podcast, "Grief Is a Sneaky Bitch." Lisa tells Sarah why scuba diving is a metaphor for life, how to metabolize your grief over a lifetime, and what to do w...

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 in a car crash in 2014. She tells Sarah how her close knowledge of resilience informed her grieving, why humans are hardwired to cope, and what role her grief over Abi plays in her life now. Lucy also shares practical tips for anyone who is grieving...

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 tells Sarah how confronting mortality reshaped his purpose, and opened his heart to awe, humor, creativity, and love. BJ has been on a mission to redefine end-of-life care through his work at Mettle Health and his book, "A Beginner's Guide to the End...

Peaceful Exit is back with new episodes starting Tuesday, November 11! Host Sarah Cavanaugh is on a mission to dispel people's natural fear surrounding death, dying and grief. This season, she'll talk with a new slate of exciting guests: writer Mary Roach, palliative care physician Dr. BJ Miller, psychologist Dr. Lucy Hone, grief activist Lisa Keefauver, poet Jenny George, and many others. Yo...

Dacher Keltner is the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. He’s one of the world’s leading scientists studying emotions, and his latest book is " Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life ." In this episode, Dacher tells Sarah why we need awe, and where (and how) to find it eac...

Journalist Katy Butler spent years listening to hundreds of people’s stories of good and difficult deaths. She’s talked to countless experts in palliative care, geriatrics, hospice, and oncology. Those conversations, paired with lots of research and the story of her own father's challenging death, come together in her deeply practical and existential book, "The Art of Dying Well: A Practical Guide...

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 share the hard truths of caregiving for a loved one with dementia, the emotional toll it takes, and the surprising moments of grace that can emerge.

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 pamphlet that uses simple, straightforward language to explain the dying process - and it is still widely used today by hospice agencies across the country. In this episode, Barbara tells Sarah how hospice helps not just the dying individual, but their lov...

Michelle Hord has lived through any parent's worst nightmare: her ex-husband murdered their seven-year old daughter Gabrielle. She talks about her book, "The Other Side of Yet," and tells Sarah how she transformed her grief into action, hope, and resilience, particularly through founding the nonprofit Gabrielle's Wings. Michelle also discusses the impact of other significant deaths in her life, th...

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 editor-in-chief at Copper Canyon Press, an independent nonprofit press that publishes award-winning poetry. Under his leadership, CCP has published over 400 titles, including winners of the Pulitzer and Nobel Prizes, as well as the National Book Award. I...