Deadly Serious Conversations

End of Life conversations  are tough conversations to start.       We tend to avoid them because we don't want to cause upset, often we don't want to face reality and they may bring up uncomfortable emotions.   Anne supported her partner Greg through his cancer diagnosis and his treatment.  But following a terminal diagnosis, they had to learn how to live in the face of death.    Through...

In this episode of the podcast, I have a chat to Katie Anne from a charity called Jacinta’s Smile is passionate about helping those suffering the loss of a sibling for bereaved children and young adults.    Katie Anne knows too well the grief when a sibling dies.   In an extraordinary set of circumstances, she has experienced it 3 times with the death of her brother Declan when she was a child, an...

This episode of Deadly Serious Conversations is on the topic of Voluntary Assisted Dying.  " Voluntary Assisted Dying" is the term given in Australia, referring to the assistance given by a health practitioner to a person to end their life.  The term “voluntary” assisted dying emphases the voluntary nature, of the choice, of the person and their enduring capacity to make this decision. ...

In this episode of the podcast, I chat to the lovely Karin from Heavenly Catering .  Karin has over 20 years experience as a caterer for wakes and celebrations of life. Through her catering company Heavenly Catering , she helps co-ordinates gatherings of any size and in any location, including church halls, private homes, and funeral function centres.  Using her experience she has written a beauti...

It has always been my goal for Deadly Serious Conversations, to normalise tough conversations.  October is pregnancy and infant loss awareness month.  As a society we don’t like to talk about uncomfortable and difficult things.  This is an area that I really believe we need to become more comfortable.   The discomfort that accompanies stillbirth, leaves many parents feeling alone with their pain. ...

On this episode of the podcast, I have a chat to Belinda  from Belinda Jane video. Belinda and her wonderful team, work behind the scenes in creating all the audio and visual tributes to personalise funerals, such as Music, Order of Services, Memorial cards, bookmarks, Reflections of life slideshows and in more recent times, funeral recording and live streaming.  We have a great chat on how funera...

On this episode of the podcast, I have a chat with John Slaytor, funeral photographer .    Funeral Photographer is a genre of photographer that we don’t hear talked about a lot.  For some people this concept may seem disrespectful or even morbid.  But through the course of conversation, John shares with us the concept that his clients felt he “was their eyes when they couldn’t see with grief”.  We...

Shots of Fireball, singing Karaoke live music, tears and laugher.   The was Sarah's swan song.  Sarah was only 34 when she died suddenly leaving her family and friends reeling in shock.  She lived life to the full.   She love performing, travelling and having a good time.    Her loved ones didn't know where to start in planning her farewell.  But what they did know is that a traditional...

In this episode, I have an absolutely wonderful chat with  Annie Bolitho. Annie is the author a  beautiful book called "Death a love project".  It is a great resource for anyone who is having to think about decisions about their own death or for someone they love, before they meet with a funeral director.  We also chat about all sorts of things including Death cafes, the use of ritual in...

Zenith Virago is renowned for leading the way in helping demystifying death, dying and funerals in our society for over 25 years.  She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge which she freely shares in this episode of Deadly Serious Conversations.  Conversations like this one are so important, to inform listeners of some of the choices available to them, prior to and following the death of a l...

 Today, I chat to the lovely Danielle from an organisation called  "Motherless Daughters" about the impact of the death of your mother at any age can have on your life.  Motherless Daughters is a wonderful organisation that helps  connect woman and girls whose mother has died. 

In this episode of Deadly Serious Conversations, I chat to the lovely Meg Marshall.  Meg was diagnosed with Breast Cancer at 28 and since then she has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.   She has been incredibly busy living ever since.    She has put in place many plans for her love ones for a time when she is not here. In this episode, Meg shared her honest and open experience of living with a T...

In this episode I am chatting with Lucy from Head and Heart Estate Planning .  in this episode we chat about the next steps in handling someones estate after they pass away.  We also chat about what happens if someone dies without a Will. https://www.instagram.com/headandheartestateplanning/ Services Australia has a checklist of some of the more common organisations you may need to notify.  

In Episode 12  of Deadly Serious Conversations, I have a chat with the lovely Jo Betz .    Jo courageously talks to us about learning to live with grief, following the sudden and unexpected death of her husband Craig.   She also shares some insight on how her grief has evolved over time and how she has come to accept that grief will always be a part of her life. Through her experience, Jo has writ...

On this episode of the podcast I chat to Lisa Oshlack from Moving on.  One of the many services that moving on provides is helping families take care of the daunting task of organising personal belongings after someone has died,  Lisa offers some great suggestions on how to alleviate the emotional challenge of this task.  

The word “suicide” is a sensitive word and it really conjures up different ideas in everyone’s mind.   This is a tough subject but one that is very important to talk about.   Speaking more openly about suicide is something that we need to get better at.   Today on this episode I am talking to the lovely Imogen Carn.   Imogen is the host of own podcast “Good Mourning” -  a wonderful podcast which n...

In this episode of the podcast I chat with the lovely Victoria from Telopea flowers . Victoria shares her expertise on how we can use flowers in meaningful rituals, how we can protect our environment and how we can really personalise the ceremony space in a beautiful way.

In this episode, I have a chat with Lance Stringer.  For those who own a much loved family pet, you will understand that losing an animal is like losing a much loved family member.  And this can trigger all sorts of painful emotions.  Lance has a lot of experience supporting families at this time.  His companies, Lawnswood and Edenhill's pet cremations provide incredible caring support to tho...

In this episode,  I chat with Katrina Schalager.   Katrina is a psychologist in a private practice and in this episode we talk about some of the normal responses to losing a loved one and how grief can encompass a wide range of emotions.   We also explore some of the steps we can take to adjusting to a new reality of living with the absence of a loved one. Katrina Schlager Lifeline Take them a mea...

Today on the Podcast, I am speaking to Jacqui Brauman.  Jacqui is the principal solicitor and director at TBA Law.  And she specialises in the area of Wills and Estates.    Jacqui has many years experience of guiding families through the process of documenting their wishes, to how their estate and belongings are dealt with, after they pass away.   It’s a topic none of us like thinking about, but n...

Today on the podcast, I am chatting to Phoebe Deklerk.  Phoebe is a funeral singer, who loves to use music to celebrate and honour the life of someone who has passed away.   Music plays a very important part of a funeral service.  It can be very emotive and it usually helps to set the tone of the ceremony.  Phoebe believes in empowering families to take more control of the music choice that they u...

In this episode, I speak to Kaylene Ledger who shares some valuable advice for writing and delivering a Eulogy for a loved one. Link to Kaylene's book From the Heart with Tears https://www.kayleneledgar.com.au/

In this episode, I chat about what is a funeral celebrant and some important considerations when choosing a celebrant for your loved ones funeral  https://www.bigloveceremonies.com.au/funerals

In this episode Margo Collins shares her experience of supporting and guiding those who are receiving palliative care,  their families and loved ones. 

In this episode, Fiona chats to Jo Lincoln.  Jo is a death doula and in this episode she  offers a wealth of knowledge and experience to those facing the death of a loved one at home. Resources: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/servicesandsupport/what-to-do-after-someone-dies Links https://www.bigloveceremonies.com.au/funerals https://www.fionathefuneralcelebrant.com.au/