PODCAST · society
Mortality Minded
by Thomas Gaudio
Mortality Minded explores life, death, and whatever's next through culture, science, personal growth, and more to shed light on this universal yet deeply personal subject. Hosted by Thomas Gaudio, whose endless mortal curiosity as a writer, journalist, and student of thanatology—the interdisciplinary study of the end of life—has led him here.
Episodes
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Philosophy of death 101: Introduction
What can philosophy teach us about death? Since you could say the goal of philosophy is to help us think and communicate clearly and critically about fundamental aspects of nature and humanity, the answer seems to be—a whole lot. That’s why I’ve decided to take this philosophy of death class,...
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Revisiting the first Covid wave with NYC funeral director Caroline Schrank
Back in the Spring, when the first wave of Covid-19 in the U.S. hit New York City like a tsunami, there were so many deaths in a such a short period of time that the normally seamless process of transporting, burying and cremating, and memorializing the dead was upended. Funeral directors,...
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The deadly roots of Thanksgiving
Whoops, I’m a few days late on this one. Or just think of it as incredibly early for Turkey Day 2021. Either way, this is an entry in my Bucket Nuggets series, which are short episodes about things like a great quote I came across, a fact I find interesting, or maybe just a weird thought I had...
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Mortal Chats with writer and podcaster Jule Kucera
When Jule came home from work one day and found her partner, Trent—who had post traumatic stress disorder and was suicidal—dead at the age of 46, her world imploded. Eventually, she began blogging to help herself through the wilderness of grief and then turned that writing into a memoir, Sweet…
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Dying is no biggie (says Stoic philosopher Seneca)
This is a new type of episode I’m calling Bucket Nuggets, which are death-related tidbits about things like a great quote I came across, a fact I find interesting, or maybe just a weird thought I had recently. And I have no shortage of off-kilter thoughts so I’ll have plenty to choose from. Today...
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How reminders of death affect our politics
We’ve just finished an incredibly contentious presidential election in the U.S.* so it’s the perfect time to look at one of the most important aspects of politics: advertising. Political ads urge us to vote one way or another, of course. But an intriguing area of social psychology called terror...
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Mortal Chats with musician Richie
“When you really feel it (your own mortality), it’s a visceral feeling…it’s like a punch in the face or a punch in the chest. It kind of just wakes you up.” Richie is a musician and soon-to-be recovery coach for substance abusers from Brooklyn, New York. I spoke with him for my Mortal Chats…
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Día de Muertos rising and the tiny mightiness of tardigrades
In this episode—part of my End Points series, a mix of end-of-life topics intersecting with culture, science, and more—I explore: Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday honoring ancestors and celebrating death as a natural part of life that takes place every year on the first two…
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For Tara Sroka, death planning is personal
Tara Sroka helps people create online memorials, manage their digital legacies, and more through her end-of-life planning service, Bringing Death Into Life. I spoke with Tara about why she feels called to this work—especially her launch of virtual funeral offerings amid the Covid-19…
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Digging into vaccines and the possibility of an afterlife
Are vaccines a life-saving technology contributing to an unintended consequence of innovations that ultimately make us more anxious about death? (Spoiler: Probably.) Are we headed to an afterlife or a void after we die? (Spoiler: Stop being so binary.) If there is an afterlife and it turns out…
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Mortal Chats with artist Jak Ruiz
Jak Ruiz is a Brooklyn-based artist focusing on abstract and expressionist paintings. I spoke with him as part of my Mortal Chats series, a collection of wide-ranging conversations with people of all stripes about mortality and its corollaries: dying, death, grief, and the possibility of an...
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A candid look at suicide—and suicide prevention
Suicide is a leading cause of death and major public health problem in the United States. Its consequences often go well beyond the person who acts to take their own life: it can have a lasting effect on family, friends, and communities. Since September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month here…
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Catharine DeLong on music as medicine at the end of life
Catharine DeLong is a music thanatologist—thanatology is the interdisciplinary study of dying, death, and grief—who plays the harp and sings for hospice patients as they approach the end of life. She's also the facilitator of the Integrative Thanatology Certificate Program, which I completed last...
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What is Mortality Minded?
Episode one of Mortality Minded is here! Find out how the podcast will work, what it means to be mortality minded, and why we generally have so much trouble thinking and talking about the end of life—yet how that’s been slowly changing in recent years. You’ll also get to know me, Thomas Gaudio…
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Mortality Minded trailer
A preview of Mortality Minded, a podcast that explores life, death, and whatever's next through culture, science, personal growth, and more to shed light on this universal yet deeply personal subject. Hosted by Thomas Gaudio, whose endless mortal curiosity as a writer, journalist, and student of...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Mortality Minded explores life, death, and whatever's next through culture, science, personal growth, and more to shed light on this universal yet deeply personal subject. Hosted by Thomas Gaudio, whose endless mortal curiosity as a writer, journalist, and student of thanatology—the interdisciplinary study of the end of life—has led him here.
HOSTED BY
Thomas Gaudio
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Mortality Minded have?
Mortality Minded currently has 15 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Mortality Minded about?
Mortality Minded explores life, death, and whatever's next through culture, science, personal growth, and more to shed light on this universal yet deeply personal subject. Hosted by Thomas Gaudio, whose endless mortal curiosity as a writer, journalist, and student of thanatology—the...
How often does Mortality Minded release new episodes?
Mortality Minded has 15 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Mortality Minded?
You can listen to Mortality Minded on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Mortality Minded?
Mortality Minded is created and hosted by Thomas Gaudio.
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