Month: October 2025

EOLPodcast

Ep. 525 Writing as a Lifeline Through Loss and Grief with Christina Holbrook and Jane Flynn

kwyattmd

Learn about a beautiful memoir co-written by friends whose correspondence helped them both navigate a year of overwhelming loss and grief.

My guests today are Christina Holbrook and Jane Flynn, co-authors of a shared memoir from a year when they were both confronting loss and grief–the diagnosis a glioblastoma brain tumor and the death of a child by suicide. Through a series of emails the two long-term friends shared not only their grief but also the little moments of life’s wonder and joy. They discuss their newly released book Antiphon: A Call and Response in a Year of Grief and Renewal and how writing together helped them navigate overwhelming grief while offering support to one another. Learn more at the website:

jane-flynn.com

Get the book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • The long trajectory of friendship between Chris and Jane
  • Their personal grief that led to a year of email correspondence
  • Why they decided to share their writings in Antiphon
  • The waterfall metaphor for grief and how it applies to each of their stories
  • How writing helps us express complex and painful emotions
  • Why sharing our pain lightens the burden for both parties
  • How writing about the ordinary events of a day helps us stay in the present moment
  • The little joys that are present even within deep grief

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu. And thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal, especially Austyn Wells! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 524 Meeting the Challenges of End-of-Life Care with Cathy Yuhas RN

kwyattmd

Learn about a new book that addresses challenges faced by patients, providers, and caregivers at the end of life.

My guest Cathy Yuhas is an RN and certified end-of-life doula who founded Dying Matters, LLC to advocate for conscious, compassionate end-of-life care. She is also the author of a new book: Walking Each Other Home: Guiding Caregivers and Community Through the Sacred Passage of Death. Learn more at her website:

dyingmatters.llc

Get the book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • Cathy’s journey from being an RN to becoming an EOL doula
  • What inspired Cathy to write Walking Each Other Home
  • The importance of honest patient-provider communication when serious illness is diagnosed
  • How our medical system currently fails patients and their families when the end of life is approaching
  • The “caregiver starter kit” Cathy created and why it is essential to care for those who care for others
  • Shifting healthcare from an outcome-driven approach to one guided by values instead
  • The aging population and the growing shortage of end-of-life care options for seniors

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu. And thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 523 Humanizing Healthcare: The Good Listening Project with Jenny Hegland

kwyattmd

Learn how deep listening and poetry are helping transform healthcare and provide an antidote to burnout.

My guest Jenny Hegland is the Executive Director of The Good Listening Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to humanizing healthcare through the healing power of poetry and compassionate presence. We discuss the work of TGLP and the power of sharing our stories and having them reflected back to us in the form of poetry. Learn more at the website:

goodlistening.org

Read the poem The House Medicine Built here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • The origin story of The Good Listening Project
  • The power of poetry to reflect our deep stories
  • Why being heard by someone else is deep medicine
  • The synergy between the storyteller and the listener poet
  • How TGLP works
  • Why grief is the number one concern of healthcare providers served by TGLP
  • You don’t have to be skilled at poetry to become a “listener poet”
  • The crafts of listening to and writing poems for others can both be taught
  • The quality of listening can actually affect the quality of sharing that happens
  • How both community and mystery support us when we hold space for others
  • What it involves to become a “listener poet”
  • How “Caregiver Haven” supports caregivers

We give the gift of staying with; there is nothing to fix. -The Good Listening Project

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu. And thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 522 BONUS: Introduction to Wild and Holy

kwyattmd

In this special episode I’m sharing with you the Introduction to my new book Wild and Holy! I hope you enjoy listening to this brief excerpt and that you’ll consider backing the Kickstarter campaign where you can receive many wonderful bonuses for your support. Wild and Holy has been named a “Project We Love” by Kickstarter, which is an amazing honor I’m happy to receive. Check it out and reserve your copy – available now only through Kickstarter!

Go to this link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2136452733/wild-and-holy

Thanks in advance if you choose to support the campaign!

Listen here:

EOLPodcast

Ep. 521 Caring House: A Residence for Hospice Care with David Zartman and Joanna Franco

kwyattmd

My two guests this week are administrators of Caring House, a non-profit residence for hospice patients in Torrance, California. David Zartman is the Executive Director of Caring House having previously been a successful entrepreneur. Joanna Franco is the Director of Operations with many years of experience as both a caregiver and a residential care coordinator and manager. They discuss the history of Caring House and how residences like this are essential for communities that want to fully support end-of-life care for their people. Learn more at the Caring House website:

yourcaringhouse.org

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • The history of Caring House
  • The long journey of establishing an Omega Home as a residence for hospice patients
  • What services are provided by Caring House and similar homes
  • Who qualifies to reside there
  • The benefits of “death in community” where several patients and families are experiencing the end of life in the same facility at the same time
  • How staff processes grief after the death of a patient
  • Rituals and traditions followed after a patient death
  • How care is paid for at Caring House

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially Deborah Ward and thank you to Kathleen Lynch, Christina Holbrook and Alan Dulit, Chantal Kersten, and Ann Kenworthy for making donations on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.