DEAD Talks

Bryan Callen — comedian, actor, and co-host of The Fighter & The Kid — joins DEAD Talks for a raw and hilarious conversation about comedy, spirituality, grief, and what it really takes to face life’s hardest challenges. Known for appearances on The Joe Rogan Experience and as one of stand-up’s sharpest voices, Bryan brings humor and wisdom to a topic most people avoid: death. In this episode, Brya...

Death can break us — or it can become the catalyst that transforms us. After losing his mother to lung cancer, Blake Kasemeier turned grief into art, launching his acclaimed podcast series Good Grief and later expanding his storytelling on TikTok to reach millions. His work dives deep into parenthood, loss, healing, and the ways grief reshapes who we are. In this episode of DEAD Talks, Blake joins...

Grief comes in waves — and sometimes it brings experiences that are beyond explanation. Yasmine Aker shares her extraordinary story of loss, beginning with a near-death-like spiritual experience that shaped her beliefs about heaven, hell, and what comes after we die. After losing her father, she encountered unusual hallucinations and a unique grieving process that pushed her to explore life, death...

Her father abandoned her as a child — and the next time she saw him was on his deathbed. Stand-up comic Jessica Singleton shares her deeply personal grief journey of abandonment, trauma, and eventual forgiveness. From being left at a Waffle House as a kid to facing her father’s final moments, Jessica opens up about acceptance, grief, and the messy path toward healing. In this episode of DEAD Talks...

What happens when comedy meets grief? Stand-up comic Nick Simmons joins DEAD Talks to share his powerful story of losing his mother to cancer at just 17 years old — and how that experience shaped both his life and his comedy career. Nick’s mother was diagnosed when he was 11 and told she had only six months to live, yet she fought for years. That journey left Nick with raw, honest perspectives on...

Natalie Weaver’s story is one of love, grief, and fierce advocacy. After losing her daughter Sophia in 2019 — a child born with facial differences and multiple disabilities — Natalie founded Sophia’s Voice to honor her memory and to fight for the rights of families navigating medical complexities. In this episode of DEAD Talks, Natalie joins David Ferrugio to share her mission to protect the disab...

Grief just happens — often when we least expect it. For comedian Laura Shepard, that moment came when she got the call that her father had died suddenly from a blood clot. At the lowest point of her life, she faced the raw realities of grief, loss, and all the unexpected details no one prepares you for. In this episode of DEAD Talks, Laura joins David Ferrugio to share her journey of losing a pare...

Marci Burton survived a plane crash in the mountains of Kodiak, Alaska — while pregnant with her daughter and alongside her young son. Against all odds, she and four others were the only survivors of one of the deadliest bush plane crashes in Alaskan history. In this gripping episode of DEAD Talks, Marci joins David Ferrugio to share not only her survival story, but also her journey of grief, the...

What happens when three siblings sit down to talk about losing their father on September 11th? In this very personal episode of DEAD Talks, David Ferrugio and his sisters share their perspectives on grief, family, and how loss reshaped their lives in different ways. Each sibling opens up about their unique grieving process, the memories they carry, and how their father’s death not only broke them...

On September 11th, my mom lost her husband — and I lost my father. For the first time, she joins DEAD Talks to share her story of grief, resilience, and raising her children as a widow in the aftermath of 9/11. This deeply personal conversation captures how she remembers that day, how she navigated grieving while caring for her kids, and the strength it took to rebuild a life after devastating los...

What really happens at the end of life? Hospice Nurse Hadley has witnessed extraordinary encounters from her patients — including moments where they saw their deceased loved ones before passing. These stories reveal as much about how we live as they do about how we die. In this episode of DEAD Talks, Nurse Hadley joins David Ferrugio to share the lessons she’s learned from the bedside, how her own...

Can laughter really heal grief? Emmy Award–winning comedian Craig Shoemaker believes it can. Known as one of the funniest stand-ups of his generation and named Funniest Male Stand-Up Comic at the American Comedy Awards, Craig joins DEAD Talks to share how he’s turned decades of personal trauma and grief into healing through humor. In this conversation with David Ferrugio, Craig opens up about his...

How do you actually deal with grief? Litsa Williams, grief therapist and co-founder of What’s Your Grief (a platform serving over 5 million people), joins DEAD Talks to share practical ways of coping with loss, anxiety, guilt, and the messy emotions grief leaves behind. In this conversation with David Ferrugio, Litsa offers guidance on how to support yourself or someone else after loss, how to app...

What happens after we die? Dr. Eben Alexander — neurosurgeon and author of the bestselling book Proof of Heaven — shares his extraordinary near-death experience after a rare illness left him in a 7-day coma. During that time, he experienced vivid memories of another realm, more real than anything on Earth, challenging everything he once believed as a man of science. In this episode of DEAD Talks,...

What happens when two friends lose their mothers only months apart? Sally Douglas and Imogen Carn, creators of the Good Mourning Podcast, turned their heartbreak into one of the most powerful grief platforms today. Im lost her mom to suicide, while Sally’s mother died from a seizure in her sleep — two devastating losses that sparked their mission to normalize grief conversations with honesty and h...

What’s the difference between social death and biological death? Conscious Lee — educator, thought leader, and creator with over 2 million followers — joins DEAD Talks to unpack how death shapes identity, value, and legacy. In this episode, Conscious Lee and David Ferrugio dive into what it means to live without value vs. biological mortality, how grief intersects with race and culture, and why co...

How do we heal from trauma, grief, and the obstacles life throws at us? Cameron Rosin — RN, plant-medicine educator, and host of This Might Be Helpful Podcast — joins DEAD Talks to share tools for living with intention, building healthier relationships with ourselves, and unlearning destructive patterns. In this conversation with David Ferrugio, Cameron explores the importance of “inner work” — fr...

On September 11th, Neil deGrasse Tyson was just four blocks away from the World Trade Center. The world-renowned astrophysicist, author, and science communicator joins DEAD Talks to share how that day changed his life forever and how it shaped his views on mortality. In this conversation with David Ferrugio, Tyson explores how death has been both a motivator and a lens through which he views the u...

On July 25, 2021, Mason Sawyer’s life was shattered when a fatal car accident claimed the lives of five members of his family: his wife Kortni, son Riggins, daughter Franki, brother Race, and nephew Rider. His only surviving child, Blue, became Mason’s reason to keep going. In this deeply emotional episode of DEAD Talks, Mason joins David Ferrugio to share his story of unimaginable loss, survival,...

What happens when you lose your father before you’ve fully figured out who you are? At 19, Max Berlin watched his father die of cancer — an experience that left him grieving while also struggling to define himself as a young man. For the 100th episode of DEAD Talks, Max joins longtime friend David Ferrugio for an intimate conversation about loss, identity, and the complicated emotions that come wi...

What does grief look like when you lose a parent as a child? At just 10 years old, Alysen James lost her father — a trauma that left gaps in memory and shaped her perspective on life and loss. In this episode of DEAD Talks, Alysen reflects on what it means to grieve while growing up, how forgotten details of her father’s death resurface over time, and the ways grief continues to evolve into adulth...

Grief doesn’t only come from losing people — it comes from losing pets too. Actress and TV host Caitlin O’Connor joins DEAD Talks to open up about both human loss and pet loss, sharing her experiences after the deaths of her grandparents and her beloved dog. In this emotional episode, Caitlin reflects on the similarities and differences between grieving people and grieving pets, why both losses cu...

What happens when you survive the worst day of your life? Hip hop artist Rowlan lost his best friend suddenly in 2022 — and he was the one who found him. Burdened with the calls to family and the weight of grief, Rowlan opens up about the trauma of that moment, the waves of loss that followed, and the process of surviving grief when everything changes in an instant. Through music, Rowlan found a w...

What happens when you lose the person who gave your life meaning? For Christal Luster, everything changed after her sister died tragically. In this episode of DEAD Talks, Christal shares her raw journey through the stages of grief, the emotions she battled, and how she found ways to cope while losing not only her sister but other loved ones as well. Her honesty blends with practical insights on he...

What happens to the human mind and spirit after years of combat and loss? Eddie Gallagher, former Navy SEAL, Marine Scout Sniper, and Navy Corpsman, served nearly two decades on the frontlines. With eight overseas deployments, two Bronze Stars, and a Navy Achievement Medal for Valor, Eddie’s story is one of resilience, trauma, and the haunting realities of war. In this episode of DEAD Talks, Eddie...