Seeing Death Clearly

Send us Fan Mail Tony Stewart joined the podcast to share his powerful story about love, loss, and healing after the death of his wife, Lynn. In his new book, Carrying the Tiger: Living with Cancer, Dying with Grace, Finding Joy While Grieving , Tony tells the story of Lynn’s sudden cancer diagnosis, their emotional journey through treatment, and the deep lessons they learned about life, love, and...

Send us Fan Mail Jen Riggs shared her powerful journey of finding her true calling, supporting seniors and especially those living with dementia. After spending years as a stay-at-home mom, she pursued a career in commercial baking, only to have a major back injury end that chapter. What felt like a loss at the time became a turning point. Her cousin, a nurse at an assisted living facility, encour...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I talk with Lowrey Brown and Brian Ruder from the Final Exit Network, a nonprofit organization that supports people who want more control over their end-of-life choices. Lowrey, the Exit Guide Program Director, grew up in a family where open conversations about death and the importance of quality of life were normal. She signed her first advance directive at 16 an...

Send us Fan Mail Rosalia Quintana, a nurse practitioner, has built a career in healthcare while also running a private practice focused on breathwork, psychedelic integration, and trauma transformation. In this conversation, she opens up about her struggles, including reaching the peak of her career in 2018, only to feel an overwhelming sense of emptiness and depression. Despite having everything...

Send us Fan Mail Chris Mamone is an acceptance coach who helps people heal from grief, loss, and trauma so they can find self-acceptance and step into their power. His journey began with profound personal losses that reshaped his life and perspective. In 2020, he experienced the death of his grandfather, and just two years later, after struggling with infertility for 12 years, he and his wife were...

Send us Fan Mail Jessica Fein shares her deeply personal journey of loss, grief, and resilience. Having lost two sisters, three parents, and most recently, her teenage daughter Dahlia—who passed away one week after her 17th birthday—Jessica's life has been profoundly shaped by death. Her memoir, which explores Dahlia’s life and the journey of moving forward together, has become a key part of...

Send us Fan Mail Katina Jones, known as the Purple Priestess, is a reverend with a deep love for the color purple, which she sees as a symbol of spirituality and healing. Everything changed after her mother passed away from ovarian cancer in 1988. At just 22, she had no guidebook on how to navigate such a loss. This left her searching for meaning and understanding. To reconnect with her mother, sh...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I welcome back Hospice Chaplain Hank Dunn.  We dive into a crucial yet often misunderstood topic—artificial hydration, nutrition, and voluntary stopping of eating and drinking (VSED) at the end of life. We explore how feeding tubes work, when they are beneficial, and when they may prolong suffering. Hank shares stories of patients who regained the ability to eat,...

Send us Fan Mail Sandra Doyle, author of My Life at the Cemetery: It's Not as Dead as You Think , shares fascinating and unexpected stories from her years working in a cemetery. Her book features 88 captivating tales, ranging from heartwarming to shocking, each offering a glimpse into the lives and emotions of those left behind. Whether readers laugh, cry, or shake their heads in disbelief, e...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Annie Sklaver Orenstein shares her personal journey of grief after losing her brother, Ben, in Afghanistan 15 years ago. After his death, Annie found little support for siblings, so she wrote Always a Sibling: The Forgotten Mourner's Guide to Grief , a book addressing the unique pain of losing a sibling. She discusses how there were no resources that resonate...

Send us Fan Mail Tash Ritz joins the conversation from Sydney, where she reflects on her global journey, growing up in New Zealand after being born in South Africa. With over 14 years of experience working in social enterprises, she has helped founders build businesses focused on social impact and environmental sustainability. Most recently, she authored the book Souling , a deeply personal explor...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we are joined by Daniel and Patrick Lazour, the creators of Nightside Songs , and Taibi Magar, the director of its Philadelphia production. Nightside Songs is more than a musical—it’s an immersive and communal experience that explores caregiving, illness, death, and the end-of-life journey. Audiences actively participate by singing, transforming each performance i...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we explore memorial forests with Gillian Nye. Gillian shares her six years of experience helping families create meaningful, conservation-focused memorials through Better Place Forests.  Better Place Forests offers a natural alternative to traditional cemeteries, allowing families to choose a memorial tree where ashes are placed beneath the soil. The process is gu...

Send us Fan Mail Brandon Zimmerman shares the fascinating history and challenges of Mount Vernon Cemetery, a hidden gem in North Philadelphia. Established in 1856, this 28-acre cemetery became a predominantly German burial ground, home to over 33,000 graves. Despite its historical significance, Mount Vernon has faced decades of neglect, transforming into an overgrown, derelict site. Today, the cem...

Send us Fan Mail Marie Miller, a medical medium and theta healing instructor based near Columbus, Ohio, shares her fascinating journey into the spiritual and healing realms. Her experiences began after a near-death experience as a child, which opened her perception to the spirit world. Growing up in a small town of 250 people, she often sensed when someone had passed away before others knew, a ski...

Send us Fan Mail Penny Smith, widely known as Hospice Nurse Penny on TikTok, brings over 20 years of experience as a nationally certified hospice nurse and a unique perspective shaped by her late start in nursing at age 40. Now 62, Penny embraces the wisdom of aging, especially in her work with end-of-life care. During the pandemic, she found her voice on TikTok, where her heartfelt stories about...

Send us Fan Mail This episode celebrates a significant milestone: two years of our podcast! Stephen and I reflect on the journey, exploring our growth, challenges, and the remarkable connections we’ve made along the way. A highlight of our conversation is our annual tradition of reviewing the past year, made even more special this time by recording in the same room, creating an intimate and dynami...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Seeing Death Clearly, Holocaust survivor Ben Lesser shares his incredible journey of survival, resilience, and hope. At 96 years old, Ben recounts his story with remarkable detail, leaving no need for questions during this one-and-a-half-hour conversation. His experiences, detailed further in his memoir Living a Life That Matters: From Nazi Nightmare to American...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Liz Fiedler shares her remarkable journey of resilience, transformation, and finding joy after profound loss. Raised on a cattle farm in Southwest Minnesota, Liz cultivated a love for agriculture, leadership, and flowers. Life took a pivotal turn when she married Josh, a man deeply connected to farming, and together they purchased 40 acres of his family’s original...

Send us Fan Mail David Edey, a certified executive advisor with over 35 years of experience, joins the podcast to share insights from his book Executor Help: How to Settle an Estate, Pick an Executor, and Avoid Family Fights . Inspired by his seven-year struggle to settle his parents' estate—despite them having a will—David provides practical guidance to help families avoid the legal battles,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Kate Carson, a love, sex, and relationship coach, shares her transformative journey from scientist to a supportive guide for couples navigating grief and intimacy. After losing her baby at eight months pregnant, she faced the impact of profound loss on her relationships and sexuality, and she soon recognized a gap in resources for others experiencing similar strug...

Send us Fan Mail Adam Zuckerman has a unique and varied background, holding both a law degree and an MBA. His path took a different turn that led him to his current work, which revolves around estate planning and end-of-life organization. Despite his accomplishments in law and business, Adam uses his expertise in a less conventional but deeply impactful way through his company, Buried in Work . Th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode my guest is Naila Francis, a grief coach, poet, interfaith minister, and community grief tender dedicated to providing compassionate, holistic support for those navigating grief, loss, and dying. Born in Barbados and raised across several Caribbean islands, she moved to the Philadelphia area as a child.  Her early career as a journalist and greeting card writer off...

Send us Fan Mail Whitney Chew, born and raised in California, recently moved to New York. As a physician, she completed her residency during the pandemic. However, less than a year after finishing, Whitney realized that being a physician wasn’t her long-term calling. During this time, she witnessed immense death and dying, not only in her role as a physician but also on a personal level with the l...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Bob Uslander, based in San Diego, runs a medical practice called Empowered Endings with his wife and partner, Elizabeth. Their work focuses on supporting people through difficult end-of-life journeys and providing personalized in-home care, including palliative care, dementia care, geriatric care, and more. With a holistic, high-touch approach, their team of compassionate prof...