End of Life Conversations: Normalizing Talk About Death, Dying, and Grief

Send us Fan Mail In this conversation, Michael Erard discusses his work on language, mainly focusing on the first words of babies and the last words of the dying. He shares personal experiences with death, including a profound encounter that shaped his understanding of grief and mourning. The discussion explores the importance of communication at the end of life, the cultural models surrounding de...

Send us Fan Mail In this conversation, Tiana Dargent, founder of Queer Community Death Care, shares her personal journey with death and grief, highlighting the importance of inclusive and compassionate end-of-life care for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. She discusses her experiences with death from a young age, the evolution of her understanding of grief, and the creation of safe spaces for discussions...

Send us Fan Mail In this conversation, Joe'l Simone Maldonado, a licensed funeral director and grief educator, shares her profound experiences with death from a young age, the challenges she faces in her profession, and the importance of self-care and boundaries in her work. She emphasizes the need for cultural competency in death care and reflects on the spiritual aspects of her role, while...

Send us Fan Mail In this conversation, Deborah Grassman shares the profound insights she gained from her extensive experience as a hospice nurse for veterans. She discusses the concept of 'soul injury,' a wound that disconnects individuals from their true selves and emphasizes the importance of healing through self-discovery, grief, and forgiveness. Grassman reflects on how facing death...

Send us Fan Mail LiElla Kelly is a nationally recognized NEDA (National End-of-Life Doula Alliance) Proficient End-of-Life Doula and After-Death Care Educator. She founded Leaving Well, a groundbreaking business that serves individuals and families seeking to navigate end-of-life transitions with grace, dignity, and peace. Her clients understand the importance of planning and wish to approach deat...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we spoke with two new friends we met at a recent death care conference in Seattle. They are both Death Doulas and some of their cohort will share their inspiration and work in a special premium video episode called “How to become a Death Doula?” We hope you’ll subscribe to enjoy that and other premium content. Phoenix and Myra share their personal experiences with...

Send us Fan Mail Laura Musselman is the Director of Communications (and program facilitator) for the Humane Prison Hospice Project. She is also a trauma-support specialist and advocate for compassionate, dignified end-of-life care.  A mother of one child and three dogs, she enjoys exploring how privilege affects access to a “good death” and learning from others’ stories. In this conversation, Laur...

Send us Fan Mail NOTE: You can see the video version of this episode on YouTube - https://youtu.be/L-mUMV5shaA Also, please note that subscribing to the YouTube channel (though we appreciate it!) is not the same as subscribing to our podcast to have access to our premium content. Please consider clicking on the " Support the Show " link at the bottom of these (and all) podcast notes or o...

Send us Fan Mail In this conversation, Teresa Yung shares her profound journey through grief and healing, exploring the impact of death on her life and work. As an activist and therapist in training, she discusses her experiences with plant medicine, the awakening process, and her role as a life doula. Teresa emphasizes the importance of self-discovery and the challenges faced in the healing journ...

Send us Fan Mail In this conversation, Anastasia Dadashpour shares her profound experiences with death and loss, exploring how these events have shaped her understanding of life, love, and spirituality. She discusses the impact of her grandmother's fear of death, the loss of her daughter, and her father's suicide, emphasizing the connections that remain after death. Anastasia also highli...

Send us Fan Mail Duane Kelly is an award-winning author of eleven full-length plays. His plays often delve into end-of-life themes. The two most recent productions were a premiere of Abacus in Seattle in September 2024 and the play Patrimony in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in October 2024. Abacus tells the story of a synthetic human replicant who experiences unexpected concerns as she cares for a man who suff...

Send us Fan Mail In this conversation, Dr. Kimberly Harms shares her profound experiences with grief and loss, detailing the impact of her mother's and son's deaths on her life. She discusses the importance of processing grief, the role of legacy planning, and how to support others through their grief journeys. Dr. Harms emphasizes the significance of reconciliation, forgiveness, and the...

Send us Fan Mail In this conversation, Jamie Sarche discusses her mission to help people confront their mortality and plan for their funerals, which she believes leads to more meaningful lives. She shares personal experiences with death, the importance of open conversations about grief, and the various options available for funeral planning. Jamie emphasizes the need for rituals and the emotional...

Send us Fan Mail Rodney Diffendaffer, a clinical compounding pharmacist and certified functional medicine practitioner, discusses his work in the field of medical aid in dying (MAID). He shares his personal experiences with death growing up on a farm and how it shaped his perspective. Rodney talks about his role at Flatirons Family Pharmacy, where he helps people with their end-of-life journey and...

Send us Fan Mail Libby Carr. Libby has been an environmental and political activist for much of her life.  It was when she had her first big job (working for the Sierra Club) when she had her near death experience while on a white-water raft trip on the Snake River.  This happened in 1972, several years before much had been written about this phenomenon.  Libby shares her near-death experience in...

Send us Fan Mail Adam Zuckerman is the Founder of Buried in Work, a leading eCommerce platform specializing in estate planning/organization, end-of-life tasks, and estate transitions. With a deeply personal motivation stemming from his experience managing his father's estate, Adam is dedicated to simplifying these complex processes for individuals and families nationwide. As an Eisenhower Fel...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Seth Viddal shares his journey of becoming aware of death and how it has impacted his life. He discusses his experiences with traditional funerals and the limitations he felt in the funeral industry. This led him to start The Natural Funeral, an organization that offers ecological funeral options. Seth explains the processes of natural organic reduction and water c...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we're pleased to welcome Tajali Theresa Tolan, MS Tajali is a Certified Mindfulness Educator, Peace Educator, Marriage and Family Therapist, Family Life Educator, and Registered Yoga Teacher.  She is the founder of both the Children’s Global Peace Project and The Consciousness Project–an Empowerment Life Coaching Counseling Business.  She holds an MS in Educat...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we speak with Megan Rohrer, PhD and DMin, a social justice influencer known for their advocacy with the homeless and LGBTQ communities.  Megan received a PhD in Transformative Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies for their dissertation Trans Theology Without Apology. Megan received a Doctorate of Ministry from the Pacific School of Religion, st...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we meet Rosanne Corcoran, who shares her experience as a caregiver for her mother with vascular dementia. She discusses the challenges of caregiving, the impact of death awareness, and the importance of supporting caregivers. The conversation also delves into the complexities of dementia care and the need to meet caregivers where they are. We talk about the challe...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we enjoyed a conversation with Lynn Rovig. Lynn contacted us to say she had a story to tell about her work as a Home Care Consultant with a Seattle area organization called “Home Instead.” Lynn has been working with seniors for twenty-four years. She has worked with many people in hospice care and on a personal note, Lynn’s parents died in the last few years. Lynn...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we are honored to speak with poet, Steve Dahl. Steve’s career has always been in the world of marketing and creativity. He’s helped many clients over the years promote and grow their business with his creative writing, photography, and social media skills. Steve holds a Master’s degree in Organization Development and a Master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology. His m...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we meet Rebecca Crichton, the executive director of Northwest Center for Creative Aging. We discuss her work in the field of creative aging and grief counseling. She shares personal experiences with death and highlights the importance of having conversations about death and end-of-life choices. Rebecca emphasizes the value of resilience and positive psychology in t...

Send us Fan Mail Today we're very happy to be able to share a conversation with two friends, Diana & Luc Diana O'Riordan Verschoor, who also goes by Dee, is an eco folk artist living in the Colorado on Cheyenne, Ute, and Arapaho ancestral land. Dee's small business, Thimble and Stone, supports collective liberation through functional folk arts, placing an emphasis on ritual and...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have an opportunity to share a conversation with Dr. Amelia Phillips, a black woman working in a variety of fields dominated by white men including Engineering Information technology and real estate. Dr. Phillips  is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a BS degree in Astronautical Engineering and a BS in Archaeology along with an MBA in Tech...