Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula , Traci Arieli explores a question more people are beginning to ask: does AI have a place in grief?  Joined by Traci Gwozdz, grief educator and advisor to Reflekta, this conversation looks at how artificial intelligence is being used to preserve memories, support grief, a...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula , Traci Arieli sits down with Peter Abraham, BSN, RN, to talk about the real experience of hospice care, beyond what most families are told.  They walk through what hospice nursing looks like today, including heavy caseloads, time pressure, burnout, and the limits nurses...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. What actuall https://www.hjertehagen.net y happens in a shamanic journey, and can it really shift the way we experience grief?  In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula , Traci Arieli looks at the role of shamanism in grief, death, and the unknown. Joined by Lisa Cox, a death midwife and shamanic practitioner, t...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli explores funeral planning and why it matters long before a death occurs.  She is joined by Dan Ford, President of Alderson-Ford Funeral Homes and President of the National Funeral Directors Association. Drawing from his experience working with families, Dan...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with Michael A. Light, Clinical Social Worker at Harborview Medical Center, to talk about what happens when someone is seriously ill and has nowhere to go.  In the United States, many people assume care will be there when it’s needed. But that is n...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli explores grief, connection, and a little-known practice called the psychomanteum. Joined by Dr. Irene Blinston, researcher, author, and grief practitioner, they talk about what this experience actually looks like, how it is used in grief work, and what peopl...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure – Conversations with a Death Doula , Traci Arieli discusses one of the hardest questions families face: when is it time for hospice. Joined by David Zartman and Joanna Franco from Caring House Hospice, they talk about what hospice really is, why families often wait too long, and how to start the conversati...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli discusses long-term care planning and the question most people avoid: who will take care of you if you need help.  Joined by Raymond Lavine, founder of Lavine LTC Benefits, they walk through what long-term care really looks like and why so many families are...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli explores what it truly means to be an end-of-life doula in the United States and why families often discover that hospice care alone cannot meet every need at the end of life.   Joined by Danielle Slupesky, executive director of the New Mexico Death Care Net...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure – Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli speaks with Marilyn Raichle, author of Don’t Walk Away, about what it means to care for someone living with dementia in a more human, relational way. Together they discuss how dementia caregiving can shift from managing decline to building partnership, prese...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure – Conversations with a Death Doula , Traci Arieli sits down with Dan Ford , President of Alderson-Ford Funeral Homes and President of the National Funeral Directors Association, to talk about something many people have never heard of before: therapy dogs in funeral homes.  Dan shares the story of Joey and...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli discusses why planning for the future often begins with a simple family conversation. Joined by Jermaine Ee, founder of the estate planning platform Heirlight, they discuss what it means to talk openly about retirement, illness, death, and writing a will bef...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula , Traci Arieli, end-of-life doula and founder of Comforting Closure, explores the reality of caring for a loved one with dementia. Joined by author and end-of-life doula trainer Patty Brennan, the conversation looks closely at the emotional, practical, and relational chal...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula , host Traci Arieli speaks with Molly Pearson, founder of Birthdays From Beyond, about legacy, anticipatory grief, and how relationships can continue after death.  Molly shares how her father’s cancer diagnosis led her to ask him to write birthday cards meant to be opened...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure – Conversations with a Death Doula , Traci Arieli talks with Martha Shedden, Co-Founder and President of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts (NARSSA).  Together, they discuss how Social Security changes when a spouse becomes ill or passes away, and what families can do to plan a...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula , Traci Arieli talks with Martha Shedden , Co-Founder and President of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts (NARSSA) .  Together, they discuss what Social Security really is, how it works, and why it matters to every family. They talk about what...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure – Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with Isabelle Dekkers, a grief counselor, social worker, and artist based in Belgium. Together, they discuss how art can support people through grief when words feel unavailable.  Isabelle shares her personal journey, including how her daughter’s i...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli explores how adult children can talk with aging parents about senior living, safety, and future care. Joined by senior living consultant and author Shari Ross , they walk through the emotional and practical challenges families face when aging parents want to...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula , Traci Arieli speaks with fraud prevention expert Doug Shadel, Managing Director of Fraud Prevention Strategies, LLC. Together, they discuss how scammers use emotion, stress, and grief to manipulate even the most careful people, and what practical steps can help protect...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula , host Traci Arieli is joined by Ashley Mollison from the Palliative Approaches to Care in Aging and Community Health Research Program at the Institute on Aging & Lifelong Health at the University of Victoria. Ashley is also a PhD candidate in the Social Dimensions of...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula , Traci Arieli speaks with Samantha Rose, New York Times Bestselling ghostwriter, writing coach, and author of the newly released and award-winning memoir Giving Up the Ghost . Together, they explore what it means to navigate grief after suicide while still finding a cont...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli sits down with multidisciplinary artist and podcast creator Andee Kinzy to explore how fiction, humor, and storytelling can make end of life conversations feel more approachable.  Andee is the creator of the audio fiction series “Kicking the Bucket,” a...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli sits down with family physician Dr. Eleanor Tanno to talk about one of the most overlooked steps in end-of-life planning: discussing your advance directive with your doctor. Together, they discuss why the form itself is not enough, what to do before the...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula , host Traci Arieli sits down with Crystal Flores, an end-of-life doula and owner of The Grateful Death® to discuss Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED) as a compassionate and empowering end-of-life option. Together, they discuss what VSED really looks like, fr...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula , Traci Arieli speaks with Bryan Rigg, founder of Axios Consulting, about what happens when Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) isn’t available where you live.  After helping a close family member access MAiD through Dignitas in Switzerland, Bryan created a consulting practice th...