Seeing Death Clearly

Send us Fan Mail My guest in this episode is Chaplain Hank Dunn. Hank is an ordained healthcare chaplain, bestselling author, and speaker who, for more than 30 years, has been helping patients and their families as they struggle with end-of-life decisions. In this episode emphasizes the importance of understanding these treatments as they may not always align with what's best at the end of li...

Send us Fan Mail Following the decision, I prioritized my aunt's comfort as we prepared to remove her oxygen support. The nurse and I made her as comfortable as possible, opting for comfort care with a touch of morphine to ease her pain. Reflecting on the day, I found solace in the serenity of the room. With all distractions muted, I held her hand, conveying love and reassurance, even reading...

Send us Fan Mail In the latest episode, I share a personal experience of losing my aunt after her two-week stay in the ICU.  Despite being familiar with medical procedures from my volunteer work, seeing a loved one in that setting was different. I remember walking into the ICU and hardly recognizing her. During her last days, the hospital ensured her comfort, although it was tough seeing her strug...

Send us Fan Mail Marie Scott, the Creator and Founder of Happy and Healthy After Widowhood boasts an impressive resume as a best-selling author of three published books, with two more in the pipeline. She's also recognized internationally as a speaker and holds certifications as a Health and Grief Coach. Following the loss of Dave, her husband of three decades, and her mother in the same year...

Send us Fan Mail Meloney, a first-generation BVI islander from Tortola in the Caribbean, shares her unique cultural background, heavily influenced by her Jamaican roots. She highlights the diverse religious and cultural landscape of Jamaica, including the presence of various ethnicities and religions. Despite being predominantly Christian, Jamaican culture is a fusion of different beliefs and prac...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Kim Harms has encountered numerous challenges throughout her 67 years. She endured the tragic losses of her mother, son, and husband, all to different circumstances. These losses prompted her to delve into the topic of death, exploring how individuals manage it and the impact it has on their lives. In her reflections, Kim highlights the unexpected nature of grief, especially w...

Send us Fan Mail Isabel Knight, also known as The Death Designer, operates a unique business focused on end-of-life planning. She employs principles of human-centered design to assist individuals in navigating the complexities of death care. This approach involves co-creating systems and products with users to ensure they meet their needs effectively.  Isabel emphasizes the importance of making de...

Send us Fan Mail Jen Henry was born and raised in Riverside, California, where she still resides. Her mission, which she refers to as lifestyle recovery, stems from her upbringing as an only child, where everything was handed to her without understanding the value of need or want. Despite having both parents, she felt disconnected and misunderstood, with her emotional intensity often overwhelming...

Send us Fan Mail Meet Iris Van Nespen, a Belgian emergency room physician turned life coach. She's on a mission to help women, and people in general, reclaim their joy and self-acceptance. Iris emphasizes the importance of recognizing one's own beauty, believing that it leads to a more fulfilling life and, ultimately, contributes to world peace. Iris delves into the challenge of judgment...

Send us Fan Mail My guest this week is Deborah Grassman and for 30 years, she served as a hospice nurse practitioner within the Department of Veterans Affairs. While trained as a psychiatric nurse practitioner, her focus shifted towards hospice care, where she unearthed a unique revelation about trauma's transformation at life's end, an aspect not formally identified before. In her discu...

Send us Fan Mail Meet Brenda, a Londoner who, at 59, has dedicated most of her career to the charity sector, specifically working with Friends of the Earth, an environmental lobbying organization. Around four or five years ago, Brenda faced a challenging period at work, compounded by issues with her eye health and the onset of menopause. This stress took a toll on her physical health, leading to a...

Send us Fan Mail In the 1970s, Elizabeth Kubler Ross and Dame Cicely Saunders revolutionized our approach to death. While Kubler Ross emphasized the neglect of the dying in America, Saunders proposed a novel philosophy with her Hospice program. The focus shifted from mere medical treatment to a holistic approach of embracing life during the dying process. Our guest, Barbara Karnes,  a registered n...

Send us Fan Mail My guests today are Kathleen McGee, Elder Care Coordinator and Director of Care Coordination at Rothkoff Law Group and Chelsea Duckers, one of the care coordinators at Rothkoff Law Group. In an ideal world, we'd all proactively plan for future challenges, especially as our needs change with age. Reality often sees us facing issues reactively. Rothkoff clients range from those...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, my guest is Narinder Bazen, founder of the Nine Keys Death Midwifery Apprenticeship. In her twenties as a Kundalini yoga and meditation teacher, Narinder found herself officiating weddings, blessing babies, and attending deaths within her community. Embracing her mystic roots, she began offering death care, grief care, and trauma care.  Our discussion evolves into...

Send us Fan Mail In this end-of-2023 episode, my husband Stephen Wilson takes on the role of interviewer, leading a conversation where we explore our intertwined paths and how they've led us to appreciate life's impermanence. Drawing parallels with our careers in food service, we find beauty in life's temporary nature. The conversation turns personal as we discuss our polyamorous li...

Send us Fan Mail Patricia Ayers is the Director of Clinical Services at Coras Wellness & Behavioral Health and she spent several years working for hospice and home care agencies. Eventually, she found herself teaching hospice at Stockton University for nine years, a role that she thoroughly enjoyed. In this episode we talk about how people misunderstand hospice, thinking it's a place to g...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode my guest is Nancy Alterman, a therapist with a focus on helping adults navigate relationship challenges. Nancy believes that nothing matters more in life than our relationships. She brings a wealth of experience, with over 35 years dedicated to families facing medical crisis. Nancy emphasizes the immediate impact of clear objectives in the improvement proce...

Send us Fan Mail In this podcast episode, we talk with Deb Driscoll, an author, spiritual teacher, and speaker, whose life has been a testament to the transformative power hidden within profound loss. Deb's story is about the  heart-breaking tragedy of losing her 10-year-old son, Sage, a pivotal moment that shattered her world and set her on an unexpected path of healing and growth. As Deb sh...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I have a conversation with Eryn Johnson, a Philadelphia-based writer and facilitator, about her journey from a religious upbringing to her current spiritual beliefs. Eryn, whose work has graced publications like Well + Good, Insider, and Tilted House Magazine, brings a unique perspective to her exploration of queerness, mental health, spirituality, and healing. Er...

Send us Fan Mail Jeanette Sealy, a dedicated Yoga Therapist, loving mother of four, and a veteran of the United States Air Force, is on a mission to bring healing and transformation to people's lives. Her profound personal journey through complex trauma has given her a deep understanding of the healing potential of Yoga and Ayurveda.  Since 1993, she has been unwaveringly committed to explori...

Send us Fan Mail Our guest, Sam Ruth, originally from Michigan but now in Colorado, shares her journey as a psychologist, author, and speaker.  She met her husband in Michigan at 24, and they reconnected later but tragically, he passed away in Colorado at 46, just four years later. Sam turned to nature and the beauty of Colorado to heal. Sam's deep connection to spirituality emerged following...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we're deviating from our usual guest interviews due to a hectic week. Sometimes, life throws unexpected challenges our way.  One such challenge happened to me recently when my minivan was struck by a drunk driver. It could have been much worse, but we're grateful that no one was hurt. This incident reaffirmed my deep appreciation for life and the importance of...

Send us Fan Mail In this podcast episode, I'm joined by Tony Lynch, the founder of The Global Grief Network, a worldwide community of grief workers, mental health practitioners, and coaches. This community is all about raising awareness, sharing knowledge, and providing support to each other. During our conversation, Tony shares his personal journey of spiritual growth, self-acceptance, and s...

Send us Fan Mail My guest this week is Casey Stevens. We had a heartwarming conversation about her incredible journey. High school was a turning point in her life, marked by a profound loss and her parents played a pivotal role in helping her navigate this grief by openly discussing death and grieving. This experience, along with her volunteer work with people at the end of life, set her on a path...

Send us Fan Mail Nadia grew up in a family of spiritual seekers who openly discussed death. They believed that death wasn't an end but a transition to another dimension. Her mother's peaceful passing in October 2020 was a result of their many conversations about death, making it less frightening. Her goal today is to stress the importance of open conversations about death to make it less...