Dying Your Way

In this final episode of the Dying Your Way Encore Series, Claire O’Berry revisits her powerful conversation with Michele Neff Hernandez, founder of Soaring Spirits International and author of Different After You: Rediscovering Yourself and Healing after Grief or Trauma. Michele’s life changed in 2005 when her husband, Phillip, was killed in a cycling accident. Suddenly widowed at 35 a...

In this Encore episode of the Dying Your Way podcast, Claire O’Berry revisits her first conversation with Toni Reilly, regression specialist and founder of the Toni Reilly Institute. Together they explore what regression work is, how it can include past-life recall and the space “in between lives,” and why many people report feeling calmer and less fearful about death afterward....

In this Encore episode of the Dying Your Way podcast, Claire O’Berry speaks with Julie Ryan, a former medical device entrepreneur and inventor who now works as a medical intuitive and psychic. Julie shares the framework she calls the 12 transitions, describing what she believes happens as a person approaches death from the spiritual side of the equation. Claire and Julie explore the parallel...

In this Encore episode of the Dying Your Way podcast, Claire O’Berry reconnects with Carlos Pomeda, a yoga teacher and practitioner of more than 40 years, and a scholar of Sanskrit and religious studies. This conversation is personal for Claire. In 2004, she and her mother took a course taught by Carlos called Karma, Death, and Dying, before her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Th...

In this Encore episode, Claire O’Berry speaks with Judith Schwartz, former Clinical Director of End of Life Choices New York, about VSED: Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking. This conversation offers a grounded look at what VSED involves, what supports are essential for comfort and safety, and why some people explore VSED when other end-of-life options are not available or accessible. Jud...

In this Encore episode (recorded in 2020), Claire O’Berry speaks with Stephen Jenkinson about what we have lost culturally around dying, and what it might mean to recover death wisdom as a shared, communal responsibility. Together, they explore why older and vulnerable people are so easily dismissed, the difference between a “personalized” death and a communal one, and why the wo...

In this Encore episode of the Dying Your Way podcast, Claire O’Berry revisits a conversation with Dr. Marjorie Woollacott, world-renowned neuroscientist, tenured professor at the University of Oregon, and author of Infinite Awareness: The Awakening of the Scientific Mind. While Dr. Woollacott’s early academic work focused on rehabilitation neuroscience, her current work explores consci...

In this Encore episode, Claire O’Berry speaks with Australian filmmaker Molly Reynolds, director of My Name Is Gulpilil, a documentary shaped around the final chapter of iconic actor and dancer David Gulpilil’s life. Together, Claire and Molly explore what David’s story reveals about mortality, culture, identity, and the deep human longing to return to our roots at the end of lif...

In this Encore Series episode, recorded in 2020 during the height of COVID, Claire O’Berry and Terry Mepham speak with Dr. Peter Fenwick and his wife, Elizabeth Fenwick, from Scotland. Peter Fenwick, a renowned neuropsychiatrist and researcher, is widely known for his work exploring near-death experiences and what they may reveal about consciousness, dying, and the human experience at the en...

As the holidays approach, many people feel the quiet resurgence of grief — memories growing louder, empty chairs at the table, and the tender ache of “what ifs” and “if onlys.” In this rerun episode, we revisit Claire’s conversation with Ken Ross , son of Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and Founder of the EKR Foundation. Together, they explore the true scope of E...

In this Season 4 finale, Claire O’Berry reflects on a season filled with honesty, courage, and deep learning. Each solo episode this season served as a “Cliffs Notes” version of the Dying Your Way End-of-Life Training — a practical roadmap for anyone facing a chronic progressive illness or supporting someone through one. Claire also expresses deep gratitude to each guest in...

What does it mean to prepare for death with dignity — even from behind bars? In this deeply moving episode, Claire O’Berry speaks with Murali Pacini, former director of the Prison Project, about two remarkable men — James and Miguel — who spent their final years on Texas Death Row immersed in spiritual practice. Through meditation, community with like minded inmates, and un...

When Prema Paxton’s 20-year-old son Lance died from fentanyl poisoning, her world stopped. In this intimate conversation, Prema shares her family’s story, the memorial they created forLance, and how she now serves other grieving parents through Love in the Trenches (LITT) . She offers free online classes blending restorative yoga, meditation, and Yoga Nidra to help grief move through t...

This is not a teaching episode. It’s not a checklist or a tidy list of stages. It’s a story — my story — about grief, love, and the spaces in between. In this deeply personal episode, I share the complicated grief that followed the unexpected death of my husband, David, in 1985, just two weeks after our divorce — a loss that wasn’t acknowledged but that shaped m...

In this moving and wide-ranging conversation, host Claire O’Berry sits down with mentor and trailblazer Deanna Cochran, RN, hospice nurse and bestselling author, to explore the current challenges — and extraordinary possibilities — in end-of-life care. Together, they discuss the growing gaps in U.S. healthcare, the power of early planning, and how end-of-life doulas can help fami...

When a loved one dies, the world tilts. The air feels different. Time both stops and rushes forward. In this compassionate solo episode, Claire O’Berry gently guides listeners through the sacred and often chaotic first days after death — from the moment of passing through the week of the funeral. Learn what steps to take, what mistakes to avoid, and how to find meaning in the midst of...

Returning guest Dr. Fred Mirarchi, DO, joins Claire O’Berry to discuss the critical intersection of technology, ethics, and end-of-life care. As CEO of MIDEO, LLC (My Informed Decision on Video) and Chair of the National Palliative Care Committee for USACS, Dr. Mirarchi has led groundbreaking research (the TRIAD Studies) revealing how often advance directives are misinterpreted — and h...

In this deeply personal and practical episode, host Claire O’Berry gently guides you through the physical, emotional, and spiritual transitions that occur during the final stages of life. Using the framework of two months, two weeks, two days, and two hours before death, Claire offers a compassionate roadmap of what to expect — from declining appetite and extreme fatigue, to near-death...

In this episode of the Dying Your Way Podcast , Ryan Bell returns for a deeper conversation about how we prepare for death—and why it matters. From the history of embalming after the Civil War to today’s growing interest in natural burials, Ryan and Claire discuss the cultural shifts that shape our rituals of mourning. They reflect on how pre-planning transforms chaos into calm, and wh...

Most people avoid thinking about funerals—until it’s too late. But planning ahead is a gift, both for you and your loved ones. In this episode of the Dying Your Way Podcast, Claire O’Berry shares why funeral planning matters, what options are available, and how to create a service that truly reflects a life well lived. From traditional burials to green burials, from heartfelt eul...

In this Part One episode, Claire speaks with Ryan Bell—Licensed Family Service Advisor at Dignity Memorial, grief guide, death doula in training, and founder of DeathWorker.com . Ryan shares his remarkable journey from an Emmy-winning marketing career to meaningful end-of-life work after a season of grief, loss, and an adult autism/ADHD diagnosis. Together, we explore: Why Ryan says “d...

In this episode of the Dying Your Way podcast, Claire O’Berry explores what it really means to leave a legacy. Beyond money and material possessions lies something much richer: your story, your wisdom, your values, and your love. Through personal stories—including her own mother and father's lasting influence—Claire invites you to reflect on the memories, rituals, and teachings t...

Interviewing Stephen Jenkinson is not for the faint of heart. In this thirdconversation on the Dying Your Way Podcast, I stepped into the ring once again with one of the great cultural teachers of our time. We explored his latest book Matrimony—a text that challenges, confronts, and ultimately blesses the reader with the possibility of change. What began as a “slog” of words beca...

In this practical and heartfelt solo episode, Claire O’Berry explores what it really takes to stay at home in your final days — and how to make that experience as safe, supported, and peaceful as possible. You’ll learn: What defines a “natural death” How to assess if dying at home is right for you Common risks (falls, isolation, access) and how to prepare for them Why...

In this heartfelt episode, Claire O’Berry speaks with longtime friend and visionary artist Tiffany Riley, co-founder of the Laughter League. Tiffany shares what it means to be a professionally trained healthcare clown—collaborating with medical teams in pediatric hospitals to bring moments of levity, connection, and healing to critically ill children. From stories of joy in the ICU to...