Seeing Death Clearly

Send us Fan Mail What if dying could be more peaceful, intentional, and healing for both the living and the dying? In this powerful conversation, healer and death priestess Cristabeth Ingold shares how her soul’s calling guides her to support individuals and families through death, grief, and spiritual healing. Her work spans the physical and energetic realms, blending bodywork, astrology, ancestr...

Send us Fan Mail In this moving conversation, Deborah Charman and Brian Wardale share their powerful personal journeys through grief, caregiving, and healing, and how those experiences inspired their work in suicide prevention and emotional education. Both survivors of deep loss and personal struggles, they now use their stories to help young people navigate grief, end-of-life challenges, and the...

Send us Fan Mail In this heartfelt episode, Daryl McCullough shares how childhood grief led him to create a story that now helps others navigate death, loss, and healing. What started as a middle school writing assignment after the death of his cousin became a lifelong journey of finding meaning in grief and honoring loved ones through storytelling. His children’s book, The Story of Tree and Cloud...

Send us Fan Mail For over 25 years, Caroline has walked beside the dying and their families, offering support, stories, and sacred presence. Her work as a death doula and funeral celebrant has brought her into homes, long-term care facilities, and sacred circles, where she’s helped others navigate grief and end-of-life transitions with honesty, humanity, and compassion. Caroline’s journey began as...

Send us Fan Mail When we think about end-of-life, we rarely think about archivists, but maybe we should. Emily Cabaniss, a Seattle-based archivist, shares how her work preserving the personal records of the deceased offers profound insight into grief, legacy, and dying. Her reflections reveal how archivists often act as invisible companions to the dead, holding space for stories left behind. As an...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Marc Cooper is the founder of The Contemporary Elder Institute and author of the book  Older to Elder: The Thinking and Being of a Contemporary Elder In this episode, he shares how embracing growing older can lead to wisdom, freedom, and profound healing. In this powerful conversation, he explains the difference between simply aging and stepping into elderhood, a role that bri...

Send us Fan Mail This episode shares the powerful story of Diane Cordell, a woman whose entire life has been shaped by the presence of death, and her commitment to helping others understand and cope with it. From growing up in a family where death was never a taboo topic to serving in the Air Force and later becoming a trailblazing detective sergeant in the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, Diane...

Send us Fan Mail Matt Jacobson shares the story of how losing his father changed the course of his life and inspired a deeper connection to legacy, grief, and purpose. This episode is a heartfelt reflection on fatherhood, the impact of grief, and how honoring a loved one can lead to unexpected healing and direction. Matt grew up in Temecula, California, and was studying finance at San Diego State...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jill talks with her real-life friend Morgan Everitt, a death doula based in Bucks County, PA. Morgan shares how her journey began after her mom got sick in 2015. She came home to care for her, and after her mom passed in 2016, she had a powerful moment in 2017 when she overheard someone mention the word "death doula." It felt like a lightning bolt—she kn...

Send us Fan Mail Tony Stewart joined the podcast to share his powerful story about love, loss, and healing after the death of his wife, Lynn. In his new book, Carrying the Tiger: Living with Cancer, Dying with Grace, Finding Joy While Grieving , Tony tells the story of Lynn’s sudden cancer diagnosis, their emotional journey through treatment, and the deep lessons they learned about life, love, and...

Send us Fan Mail Jen Riggs shared her powerful journey of finding her true calling, supporting seniors and especially those living with dementia. After spending years as a stay-at-home mom, she pursued a career in commercial baking, only to have a major back injury end that chapter. What felt like a loss at the time became a turning point. Her cousin, a nurse at an assisted living facility, encour...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I talk with Lowrey Brown and Brian Ruder from the Final Exit Network, a nonprofit organization that supports people who want more control over their end-of-life choices. Lowrey, the Exit Guide Program Director, grew up in a family where open conversations about death and the importance of quality of life were normal. She signed her first advance directive at 16 an...

Send us Fan Mail Rosalia Quintana, a nurse practitioner, has built a career in healthcare while also running a private practice focused on breathwork, psychedelic integration, and trauma transformation. In this conversation, she opens up about her struggles, including reaching the peak of her career in 2018, only to feel an overwhelming sense of emptiness and depression. Despite having everything...

Send us Fan Mail Chris Mamone is an acceptance coach who helps people heal from grief, loss, and trauma so they can find self-acceptance and step into their power. His journey began with profound personal losses that reshaped his life and perspective. In 2020, he experienced the death of his grandfather, and just two years later, after struggling with infertility for 12 years, he and his wife were...

Send us Fan Mail Jessica Fein shares her deeply personal journey of loss, grief, and resilience. Having lost two sisters, three parents, and most recently, her teenage daughter Dahlia—who passed away one week after her 17th birthday—Jessica's life has been profoundly shaped by death. Her memoir, which explores Dahlia’s life and the journey of moving forward together, has become a key part of...

Send us Fan Mail Katina Jones, known as the Purple Priestess, is a reverend with a deep love for the color purple, which she sees as a symbol of spirituality and healing. Everything changed after her mother passed away from ovarian cancer in 1988. At just 22, she had no guidebook on how to navigate such a loss. This left her searching for meaning and understanding. To reconnect with her mother, sh...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I welcome back Hospice Chaplain Hank Dunn.  We dive into a crucial yet often misunderstood topic—artificial hydration, nutrition, and voluntary stopping of eating and drinking (VSED) at the end of life. We explore how feeding tubes work, when they are beneficial, and when they may prolong suffering. Hank shares stories of patients who regained the ability to eat,...

Send us Fan Mail Sandra Doyle, author of My Life at the Cemetery: It's Not as Dead as You Think , shares fascinating and unexpected stories from her years working in a cemetery. Her book features 88 captivating tales, ranging from heartwarming to shocking, each offering a glimpse into the lives and emotions of those left behind. Whether readers laugh, cry, or shake their heads in disbelief, e...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Annie Sklaver Orenstein shares her personal journey of grief after losing her brother, Ben, in Afghanistan 15 years ago. After his death, Annie found little support for siblings, so she wrote Always a Sibling: The Forgotten Mourner's Guide to Grief , a book addressing the unique pain of losing a sibling. She discusses how there were no resources that resonate...

Send us Fan Mail Tash Ritz joins the conversation from Sydney, where she reflects on her global journey, growing up in New Zealand after being born in South Africa. With over 14 years of experience working in social enterprises, she has helped founders build businesses focused on social impact and environmental sustainability. Most recently, she authored the book Souling , a deeply personal explor...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we are joined by Daniel and Patrick Lazour, the creators of Nightside Songs , and Taibi Magar, the director of its Philadelphia production. Nightside Songs is more than a musical—it’s an immersive and communal experience that explores caregiving, illness, death, and the end-of-life journey. Audiences actively participate by singing, transforming each performance i...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we explore memorial forests with Gillian Nye. Gillian shares her six years of experience helping families create meaningful, conservation-focused memorials through Better Place Forests.  Better Place Forests offers a natural alternative to traditional cemeteries, allowing families to choose a memorial tree where ashes are placed beneath the soil. The process is gu...

Send us Fan Mail Brandon Zimmerman shares the fascinating history and challenges of Mount Vernon Cemetery, a hidden gem in North Philadelphia. Established in 1856, this 28-acre cemetery became a predominantly German burial ground, home to over 33,000 graves. Despite its historical significance, Mount Vernon has faced decades of neglect, transforming into an overgrown, derelict site. Today, the cem...

Send us Fan Mail Marie Miller, a medical medium and theta healing instructor based near Columbus, Ohio, shares her fascinating journey into the spiritual and healing realms. Her experiences began after a near-death experience as a child, which opened her perception to the spirit world. Growing up in a small town of 250 people, she often sensed when someone had passed away before others knew, a ski...

Send us Fan Mail Penny Smith, widely known as Hospice Nurse Penny on TikTok, brings over 20 years of experience as a nationally certified hospice nurse and a unique perspective shaped by her late start in nursing at age 40. Now 62, Penny embraces the wisdom of aging, especially in her work with end-of-life care. During the pandemic, she found her voice on TikTok, where her heartfelt stories about...