End-of-Life University

Learn how a professional mediator can help families manage conflict and disruption at the end of life and why it’s important. About the guest: My special guest Molly Darsow is a mediator who specialized in helping families navigate conflict related to aging parent, elder care, guardianship, end-of-life decisions, estate disputes, and other complex family transitions.… Continue reading Ep. 568 Mediation as a Tool for Conflict at the End of Life with Molly Darsow

Learn how a beautiful magazine about grief was inspired by the devastating loss of two loved ones to suicide. About the guest: My guest Laura Jaye Cramer is the founder of Waiting Room Publishing, an independent media company putting smart, human-centered print magazines into healthcare, senior living, and end-of-life waiting rooms across the United States.… Continue reading Ep. 567 Grief in the Aftermath of Suicide with Laura Jaye Cramer

Learn how grief shows up in the body and how simple yoga techniques can help us recognize and embody grief in a healthy way. About the guest: My guest Sheena Nancy Sarles is a yoga teacher, author, and longtime communicator whose work focuses on times of loss and transition. She has decades of experience teaching… Continue reading Ep. 566 Yoga for Living with Loss with Sheena Nancy Sarles

Many of us still remember exactly where we were on 9/11/2001 when the news broke about the first attack at the World Trade Center. Learn how Carol Lin, the first news anchor to share this news with the nation, coped with this moment in her career and eventually with grief and loss in her personal… Continue reading Ep. 565 BONUS – When News Breaks: Remembering 9/11 with Carol Lin

Surveys show that millions of people are turning to AI to talk about their grief. Learn how one man began a conversation with AI about his devastating grief and what happened after that. About the guest: My guest Tom Lehmann is a video creator for TikTok and Instagram, and also an author who has recently… Continue reading Ep. 564 Giving Words to Grief: Unexpected Support Through AI with Tom Lehmann

Learn how a creative art project can help foster conversations about loss and grief and how a playwright and an end-of-life doula collaborated to develop it. About the guests: My guests this week are Bess Welden a playwright who wrote the play Death Wings and Laura Cleminson an end-of-life doula and the founder of Pre-Dead… Continue reading Ep. 563 Death Wings Project: Art and Storytelling for Loss and Grief with Bess Welden and Laura Cleminson

Learn how a former ICU nurse is transforming the end of life for the people she serves by creating a home for the dying, honoring grief with sacred tea ceremonies, and hosting Death Cafés. About the guest: My guest Christin Ament DNP is a hospice and palliative care provider with over 15 years at the… Continue reading Ep. 562 Reimagining What it Means to Die Well with Christin Ament

Learn from this memoir how a researcher maintained continuing bonds with her father after his death as part of her grieving process and managed to heal their relationship. About the guest: For this BONUS episode I’m talking with Corey McAuliffe, the author of 23 Dates with My Dead Dad, the reading selection for August 2026… Continue reading Ep. 561 BONUS Book Discussion: 23 Dates with My Dead Dad with Corey McAuliffe PhD

Learn about the benefits of natural burial for loved ones and for the environment and how to get more information to plan your own natural burial. About the guest: My guest Dr. Basil Eldadah is the founder and executive director of Reflection Park Natural Burial Ground in Silver Spring, Maryland. Basil’s professional training is in… Continue reading Ep. 560 Natural Burial as a Vehicle for Connection and Healing with Basil Eldadah MD

Learn about the grief experienced by homicide survivors and how some have found comfort through after-death communication with their loved ones. About the guest: My guest Dr. Jan Canty is a psychologist, author, former podcaster, and a homicide survivor. She has written three books related to homicide and grief including her latest book: Rekindled: Healing… Continue reading Ep. 559 Healing Grief After Homicide Through After-Death Communication with Jan Canty PhD

Learn about the need for more education around death, dying, and grief to help us create more compassionate communities that are better prepared for the end of life. About the guest: My return guest Suzanne O’Brien is the founder and CEO of Doulagivers Institute and a pioneer in the global Death Doula movement. She is… Continue reading Ep. 558 Filling the Gaps in End-of-Life Education, Support, and Community with Suzanne B. O’Brien RN

Learn about the impact of grief on the physical body and how the stress of grief and loss can lead to healing. About the guest: My special guest Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor is a professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, where she directs the Grief, Loss and Social Stress (GLASS) Lab, investigating the effects… Continue reading Ep. 557 The Grieving Body: Loss as a Healing Opportunity with Mary-Frances O’Connor PhD

Learn about mindfulness and compassion-based tools to nurture and empower caregivers as they serve the needs of others. About the guest: Roy Remer is the executive director of the Zen Caregiving Project in San Francisco and the lead creator of the Mindful Caregiving Education curriculum. He is an educator and end-of-life caregiver since 1997 and… Continue reading Ep. 556 Zen Caregiving: A Mindful Approach to Caring for Others with Roy Remer

Learn about the value of preserving photographic memories of funeral services for grief and bereavement. About my guest: Today’s guest is Nell Aburto, a portrait photographer based in Minneapolis MN who offers funeral and memorial photography, which is largely unheard of in this industry. She discusses why people might want to consider hiring a photographer… Continue reading Ep. 555 Funeral Photography as an Act of Service and Love with Nell Aburto

Learn how a near-death experience and after-death communication with her mother led to increased spiritual awareness and intuition for Purnima. About my guest: My guest Purnima Sinha has certificates in LifeStyle Medicine and Meditation & Psychotherapy for the Harvard School of Medicine. She taught meditation to patients for many years and has been researching consciousness… Continue reading Ep. 554 After-Death Communication and Developing Intuition with Purnima Sinha

Learn how the Compassionate Schools model can foster better support for children and young people experiencing grief, illness and loss.. About the guests: My guests Dr. Sally Paul and Bert Quintiens have developed a how-to guide for Compassionate Schools that we discuss in today’s conversation. Sally is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the… Continue reading Ep. 553 Compassionate Schools: Education on Illness, Dying, and Grief for Children with Dr. Sally Paul and Bert Quintiens

Learn how a childhood near-death experience sparked a lifelong search for spiritual meaning in life and death. About the guest: My guest Sally Dukes has been a small business owner, psychotherapist, editor, and middle school teacher and she is also the author of a newly published memoir titled drummer girl: A Story of Life After… Continue reading Ep. 552 Drummer Girl: How a Child’s Near-Death Experience Changed Her Life

Learn about a symposium on spiritual bypassing in situations of grief and bereavement and why it’s important to look at this. About the guest: My return guest this week is Dr. Terri Daniel who is an end-of-life educator, inter-spiritual hospice chaplain, and grief counselor. She is the founder of the Conference on Death, Grief and… Continue reading Ep. 551 Spiritual Bypassing and Complicated Grief with Dr. Terri Daniel

Learn how this doctor’s animated videos are helping to share information and create culture change around palliative care in medicine and in the public at large. About the Guest: My guest Dr. Jared Rubenstein is a pediatric palliative care doctor and medical educator. He uses metaphor, animation, and satire to help people get comfortable with… Continue reading Ep. 550 Changing the Culture Around Palliative Care with Jared Rubenstein MD

Learn about a compassionate, community-based approach to caring for someone at the end of life, including the use of medical assistance in dying. My special guest Anna Byrne is and end-of-life educator, speaker, and author who holds degrees in Gerontology, Psychology, Education, and Theology with a thesis on Medical Assistance in Dying. She is the… Continue reading Ep. 549 The “Dying Team”: Community-Supported Deathcare with Anna Byrne

Learn about facts and misconceptions around medical aid in dying and the ethical tensions that exist in medicine and society. My guest Professor Jeffrey Kahn is a bioethicist, researcher, author, and Director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. The institute’s award-winning podcast, playing god? explores ethics dilemmas that arise in medicine, science, law,… Continue reading Ep. 548 Choice at the End of Life: A Bioethics Conversation on MAID with Jeffrey Kahn PhD in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics

Learn how asking “What do you think happens when we die?” helped this podcast host deal with death anxiety. My guest Zach Ancell is the creator of When We Die Talks, a project around one question asked to anonymous callers: “What do you believe happens when we die?” He airs these fascinating conversations as a… Continue reading Ep. 547 When We Die Talks: Facing the Fear of Death with Zach Ancell

Learn about an end-of-life planner that helps people share joy and love as they prepare for their later days. My guest Sherry Richert Belul is the founder of Simply Celebrate and author of The Love List of a Lifetime. She helps people discover creative, heartfelt ways to celebrate life, deepen connection, and express love–while also… Continue reading Ep. 546 The Love List of a Lifetime: Uplifting End-of-Life Planning with Sherry Richert Belul

Learn how two creators each facing serious illness came together to produce an award-winning masterpiece. My guests Christina Holbrook and Walker Vreeland are joining me today to talk about their personal stories of serious illness and facing mortality in the midst of working on a creative project. Numerous synchronicities and little miracles came together to… Continue reading Ep. 457 Creativity and Serious Illness with Christina Holbrook and Walker Vreeland

Learn about a senior living community that is bringing end-of-life doula training to residents, thanks to the efforts of its chaplain. My guest Tom Waknitz is a chaplain and end-of-life doula who is working with Walker Methodist Senior Living Community to establish a unique end-of-life program for residents called Passages. He is certified by INELDA… Continue reading Ep. 456 Passages: An EOL Program for a Senior Living Community with Tom Waknitz

Learn about a powerful NY Times bestselling memoir that teaches how acknowledging our mortality helps us live a more authentic life. My guest Alua Arthur is the founder of Going With Grace, a death doula training and end-of-life planning organization. She is a frequent guest on television and radio and has been featured on CBS’s… Continue reading Ep. 455 Briefly Perfectly Human with Alua Arthur

Learn about an innovative model for compassionate end-of-life care that meets the needs of individuals and communities. My guest Dr. Bob Uslander is the co-founder, with his wife Elizabeth, of Empowered Endings, a unique palliative and end-of-life care model addressing the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs of patients and families. He discusses the flexible… Continue reading Ep. 454 Empowered Endings: Changing the Landscape of End-of-Life Care with Bob Uslander MD

Learn about Rosie Grant’s unique project to memorialize those who have died by cooking their special recipes. My guest Rosie Grant has a library science degree from the University of Maryland and now works at UCLA as an archivist. She is well known on social media as a “cemetery tiktoker” who researches recipes found on… Continue reading Ep. 453 Gravestone Recipes: Cooking to Honor the Dead with Rosie Grant

Learn how planning ahead for after-death care can help loved ones with grief and loss. My guest Jokotifa Alaye is a licensed funeral professional and NEDA certified end-of-life doula with a focus on grief. She created Mourning Space to fill the gaps in education and support that society requires for healthy grieving. She discusses the… Continue reading Ep. 452 Funeral Planning, After-Death Care, and Healthy Grief with Jokotifa Alaye

Learn about a powerful international model that calls for a public health approach to end-of-life care and how we are championing it in the U.S. This week I am hosting three guests who are my collaborators in a “think tank” on the Compassionate Communities Model: Elizabeth Johnson and Erin Collins of The Peaceful Presence Project… Continue reading Ep. 447 Compassionate Communities and End-of-Life Care with Elizabeth Johnson, Erin Collins and Qwynn Galloway-Salazar

Learn about THE LAST ECSTATIC DAYS, a film about a young man with brain cancer in search of community, and the hospice doctor who gives up everything to honor his dying wish. My guest Dr. Aditi Sethi-Brown is a hospice and palliative care physician, end-of-life doula, and musician. She is the founder and executive director of the Center… Continue reading Ep. 446 “The Last Ecstatic Days:” How to Die Without Fear with Aditi Sethi-Brown MD

Learn about grief from the perspective of two hospice providers on their personal experiences of loss. This week I’m happy to be speaking once again to my recurring guest Barbara Karnes RN, hospice nurse, author, thought leader and expert on end-of-life care and the dynamics of dying. Barbara is the author of “the little blue… Continue reading Ep. 445 Grief and Bereavement on the Hospice Journey with Barbara Karnes RN