Spirituality, Mortality, and Exits: Disrupting Death with David Maginley

“ I'm not sure what my hopes are. I hope we learn how to die well, and that doesn't mean dying efficiently. It means deep dying infused with wonder and mystery and waiting in the unknown.” This month, Kathy and Keri-Lyn are excited to discuss spirituality, mortality, and exits with David Maginley. David Maginley is a Canadian psychospiritual specialist, educator, and award-winning author with over 25 years of clinical experience supporting individuals facing serious illness, grief, and end-of-life transitions. As a long-time healthcare chaplain, his work has focused on the inner dimensions of suffering—particularly the existential and spiritual distress that often emerges when life is most uncertain. David is the author of Early Exits: Spirituality, Mortality, and Meaning in an Age of Medical Assistance in Dying, which received the Best Indie Book Award (Medical). In it, he explores how many MAiD requests are driven not only by physical symptoms, but by deeper struggles with identity, meaning, and loss of control. His work invites a broader understanding of suffering as not only something to relieve, but also something that can be engaged as part of a transformative human process. A four-time cancer survivor, David brings both clinical expertise and lived experience to his work. A near-death experience during his second cancer diagnosis profoundly shaped his understanding of consciousness, identity, and the nature of reality—informing his grounded, non-dogmatic approach to spirituality. Today, David offers psychospiritual counselling, teaching, and speaking for individuals, healthcare professionals, and organizations. His work bridges psychology, spirituality, and clinical care, helping people navigate the deeper questions that arise in the face of illness and mortality. Learn more at: www.davidmaginley.com Music for Disrupting Death was created by the ever-lovely Sarah McInnis. Sarah is a music therapist, a songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and End-of-Life Doula. In 2021, Sarah began The Legacy Song Project, writing original songs for folks at the end-of-life, and for folks who have lost loved ones. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website https://sarahmcinnis.com. This episode of Disrupting Death was produced by Keri-Lyn Durant.