Tag: end of life

Interview with Laura Starkey and Freddie Johnson Download

In this episode:

What is a conservation burial ground
The difference between conservation burial and green burial
How conservation burial can help preserve or restore an ecosystem
How this land is legally protected from development in the future
Obstacles to becoming a conservation burial ground
How both natural and conservation cemeteries minimize impact to the land
Other options for disposition that are less harmful than flame cremation
How each conservation area has its own requirements and restrictions for supporting the health of the ecosystem
Conservation burial grounds allow for recreational uses like hiking, biking, picnics, star-gazing, and numerous other options
How nature helps us reconnect our relationship with death and process grief
The steps to take to ensure you can have a green burial when you die
Why each area needs a unique model of conservation burial to meet the needs of the people and the land

Links for this episode:

Resources

Green Burial Council
How to Plan a Green Burial (From GBC)

Related episodes

Transcript

Ep. 573 Coffin-Building: The Intersection of Art and Conscious Dying with Tamara MacIntyre

November 2, 2026November 1, 2026 kwyattmd

Learn how hand-weaving coffins from willow branches can create a container for grief and increase awareness of conscious dying.

A woman with long hair smiles while sitting beside a woven coffin in a natural setting, surrounded by grass and flowers. The text says 'Coffin Building: The Intersection of Art and Conscious Dying with Tamara Macintyre'.

About the guest:

My guest Dr. Tamara MacIntyre is a death doula, death educator, and community coffin builder based in Canada. She is a retired Doctor of Natural Medicine, chiropractor, and former Dean of Clinical Education who now through Conscious Death.org offers end-of-life education, Living Funeral Ceremonies, individualized care planning, and advocacy in addition to her artistic pursuit of coffin-building. We discuss how she serves as a guide for others so that they can choose an end-of-life passage that is in alignment with how they lived their life. Learn more at her website:

consciousdeath.org

Tamara MacIntyre Interview Download

Included in this episode:

How she came to this work as both a death doula and a coffin-builder
Why coffin-building is often a doorway for people who aren’t ready yet to talk about death
Why each coffin she builds is unique to the individual including the size
How designing a coffin can take into account a person’s ancestry, culture, and personal legacy
Who chooses to help make their own coffin and what that’s like
How a handmade coffin can add meaning to a funeral and help with grief, especially as part of a community ritual
How hands-on work like coffin-building helps slow down the process of acknowledging death and creates a deep container for grief
The importance of death education and why we all should be teaching in our communities
Why advance care planning doesn’t always prepare people for what they will actually face at the end of life
Conscious dying asks us to be present for whatever is happening and leads us to find our own balance between pain and comfort
How coffin-building contributes to mindfulness and the full experience of conscious dying

Links for this episode:

Resources

Learn about Willow Weaving from Tamara
Blog Post: The Coffin No One Keeps by Tamara MacIntyre

Related episodes

Transcript

Ep. 571 Treulogy: A Tool for Writing Our Stories While Grieving with Sasha Stricker

October 19, 2026 kwyattmd

Learn about an AI tool that helps with writing eulogies, obituaries, and memorial cards using only the stories you choose to input.

A smiling woman with long brown hair stands in front of green plants, promoting a podcast episode titled 'Treulogy: A Tool for Writing Our Stories While Grieving' with Sasha Stricker.

About the guest:

My guest Sasha Stricker is an entrepreneur, creative thinker and problem-solver who is also the founder of TreulogyAI, a tool built around the simple truth that only the people who loved someone can tell their real stories. She shares what inspired her to develop Treulogy and how she designed it to be helpful to families by creating a safe space to share their stories and thoughts. Learn more at the website:

treulogy.com

Sasha Stricker Interview Download

In this episode:

How Sasha got interested in creating a tool to help people write eulogies
The power of storytelling after a loved one has died
The challenge of writing a eulogy while deeply grieving and why eulogies are sometimes overlooked
How AI can create a safe space for telling tender and sensitive stories with no judgment
Why there is stigma and fear around using AI
How Treulogy differs from generic chatbots that may write incorrect information in a eulogy
Treulogy has strict privacy guardrails and is a closed system that does not use the internet
How to use Treulogy to write a eulogy (and make a donation to EOLU at the same time)
How to utilize stories from multiple people in writing the eulogy
Treulogy can also be used to generate an obituary, a memorial card, a social post. or a living tribute
Why I think it’s okay to use whatever tools we need to help us tell and share the stories of our loved ones

Links for this episode:

Resources

Affiliate account with Treulogy: https://treulogy.com/eolu
What to Include in a Eulogy – Blog post
How to Write a Funeral Program – Blog post
How to Write an Obituary – Blog post

Related episodes

Transcript

Ep. 570 Death’s Guide to Life in Art and Popular Culture with Dr. Dean Cantù PhD

October 12, 2026October 11, 2026 kwyattmd

Learn how death has been personified throughout history in culture, society, and the arts and what that says about our fear of death and desire to control it.

Promotional image for the podcast episode titled 'Death's Guide to Life in Art and Popular Culture' featuring Dean Cantù, PhD.

About the guest:

My guest today is Dr. D. Antonio “Dean” Cantù who is Dean of the College of Health, Education, and Human Sciences at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. He has conducted research on the Personification of Death throughout history in art, music, literature, television, film, and popular culture. He has authored numerous publications and presented 3 TedX talks on this subject and today discusses how death is depicted in various societies and how it provides a better understanding of life. Learn more about his work at his website:

deancantu.com

Dean Cantu Interview Download

This episode includes:

How our society could be both fearful of death and obsessed with it at the same time
Some people delay completing advance directives because they cannot conceive of the idea that they will actually die
There four major types of personification of Death
The figure of the Grim Reaper came about during the Black Plague and was an attempt to get some control over the concept of death
Death is sometimes portrayed as a romantic, seductive figure, which reflects the delicate balance between life and death
Death can also be portrayed as a friend or comforter, especially in art work, film
In graphic novels and film death is sometimes portrayed as a superhero
COVID-19 helped break down some of the walls of our death denial
How the pendulum swings back and forth between death awareness and avoidance
There seems to be greater interest in death and dying among college students now
Death as a teacher for life

Links for this episode:

Resources

Related Episodes

Transcript

Ep. 569 Living and Dying Without Fear with RamDev Dale Borglum

October 5, 2026October 4, 2026 kwyattmd

Learn from one of the founders of the conscious dying movement how to live with awareness so that fear doesn’t interfere with spiritual growth.

A portrait of an older man with glasses and white hair, smiling while standing outdoors with greenery in the background. Text on the right side reads 'Living and Dying Without Fear' with 'with Ramdev Dale Borglum' beneath it.

About the guest:

My guest RamDev Dale Borglum is the executive director of the Living/Dying Project and a pioneer in the conscious dying movement. As a devoted practitioner of both Eastern and Western healing traditions he has spent decades helping individuals face death and life with greater awareness while collaborating with leaders in the field like Ram Dass, Stephen Levine, and Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. He is the author of the book How to Live So You Can Die Without Fear, which we will discuss today. Learn more at his website:

livingdying.org

RamDev Dale Borglum Interview Download

This episode includes:

How RamDev Dale became acquainted with Ram Dass and Stephen Levine and started the first center for conscious dying in the late 1970’s
The hospice movement has sadly strayed from its spiritual roots to become more of a business
Why deep inner transformation on the individual level is necessary for the societal change we need
Our fear of death shows us where we are not enlightened
There’s a balance between caring for the physical aspect of dying and the spiritual reality of death
In Tibetan Buddhism compassion is a mixture of sadness and joy
Fatigue comes from experiencing the sadness of suffering but not the joy
His map of spiritual growth has 5 aspects: Motivation, Invocation, Devotion, Empowerment, Wholeness
How our society can distract us from doing the inner work
How to help someone else with their fear of death
Where to start on a path toward greater consciousness
The best spiritual practice is to combine deep inner work with an outer relationship with death and dying

Links for this episode:

Resources

On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Who Dies by Stephen Levine
Living/Dying Project Upcoming Events

Related Episodes

Transcript

Ep. 568 Mediation as a Tool for Conflict at the End of Life with Molly Darsow

September 28, 2026 kwyattmd

Learn how a professional mediator can help families manage conflict and disruption at the end of life and why it’s important.

A smiling woman in a teal blazer, promoting a podcast episode titled 'Mediation as a Tool for Conflict at End of Life' with host Molly Darsow, featuring a dark brown background and text elements.

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. She is the founder of Still Waters Mediation and shares why mediation is a valuable tool for navigating conflict at end of life and how to utilize it. Learn more at her website:

stillwatersmediation.com

Molly Darsow Interview Download

In this episode:

What mediation is and how it helps with resolution of issues
Why conflicts arise naturally at end of life
How grief contributes to conflict by decreasing ability to empathize with one another
Why the legal system may actually amplify conflict
Underlying issues that arise at end of life most often involve roles and old ways of coping and relating
Mediators don’t offer therapy but do need to understand family dynamics
How caregiver contracts that include compensation can help avoid resentment later
Different styles of handling grief can also contribute to conflicts
How our past narratives can perpetuate conflict in the present time
What does it take to become a mediator
How mediation training can benefit people in other professions
Success as a mediator requires being able to keep yourself in a calm and neutral state

Links for this episode:

Resources

Register for The Death Inside the Death Telesummit
Estate Transition: An Important Part of End-of-Life Planning with Dan Stickel
The Death Deck as a conversation starter

Related episodes

Transcript

Ep. 563 Death Wings Project: Art and Storytelling for Loss and Grief with Bess Welden and Laura Cleminson

August 31, 2026September 3, 2026 kwyattmd

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 Social Club. Together they have developed the Death Wings Project and Toolkit to invite people to come together in community and foster open conversations about loss and grief. They share how art-making and storytelling are used in their workshops to help people navigate loss together through creativity. Learn more at the following websites:

deathwingsproject.org

predeadsocialclub.com

Laura Cleminson and Bess Welden Interview Download

besswelden.com/death-wings

In this episode:

How Laura was inspired to become an end-of-life doula
What inspired Bess to create the play Death Wings and to make her first pair of Death Wings
How Laura and Bess were inspired to work together on this project
What Death Wings are and how they are constructed
How the creation of Death Wings help people create meaning and memories of their loved ones
Why “putting our hands into grief” allows us to open to it
How Death Wings might be used in schools to help children with grief
The value of rituals for grief
You don’t have to be an artist or crafter to participate in this project
Creativity as an opportunity to open conversation about the end of life
Using Death Wings as a gift for someone experiencing grief
How to host a Death Wings workshop in your own community

Links for this episode:

Resources

Order the Death Wings Toolkit here
Learn about Workshops here
Soulcode Post: Grief, Creativity, and Growing the Soul

Related episodes

Transcript

Ep. 562 Reimagining What it Means to Die Well with Christin Ament

August 24, 2026August 20, 2026 kwyattmd

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 beside. She is also a death doula and integrative medicine practitioner who hosts Death Cafés in the Twin Cities. Christin is the founder and executive director of The Bardo–a residence for people at the end of life that follows the Omega Home model. She discusses what is missing in general healthcare and in hospice care when it comes to the end of life and what it takes to make changes in the system. Learn more about her work at the website:

thebardo.com

Christin Ament Interview Download

In this episode:

Christin’s early clinical experiences with death in the ICU
Her travels to learn about the culture of death in other countries
Flaws within the hospice model
Why we need more advocacy for end-of-life issues that is mainstream and market-savvy
To change the mind of the medical system we have to speak the language of medical providers
How and why Christin started The Bardo – a social model hospice
The challenges she met trying to create The Bardo
The need for creativity to find solutions to bureaucratic issues and why we have to start with the systems we have in place
Helping the public overcome the fear of death through Death Cafes
How she uses tea ceremonies as rituals for grief

Links for this episode:

Resources

Related episodes

Transcript

Ep. 561 BONUS Book Discussion: 23 Dates with My Dead Dad with Corey McAuliffe PhD

August 23, 2026August 18, 2026 kwyattmd

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 for A Year of Reading Dangerously. Corey is also a researcher whose work spans mental health, disability, and the spaces where science meets lived experience. In her memoir and this discussion she shares how she maintained continuing bonds with her father after his death by intentionally scheduling monthly “dates” with him just as they used to do during her childhood and the extraordinary synchronicities that have occurred. Learn more about the book at her website:

coreymcauliffe.com

Corey McAuliffe Interview Download

In this episode:

How Corey chooses to stay in relationship with her Dad, even after his death
Using automatic writing to stay connected to a loved one
How this connection after his death has brought about healing and transformation
Bringing together science and spirituality
Her awareness that she is never alone – her Dad and her ancestors are with her
How to start connecting with a loved one who has died
Signs and synchronicities that contain messages for her
How she continues to call on the unseen world for support during difficult times

Links for this episode:

Resources

Related episodes

Transcript

Ep. 559 Healing Grief After Homicide Through After-Death Communication with Jan Canty PhD

August 10, 2026August 8, 2026 kwyattmd

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 Grief Through the Science and Experience of After-Death Communication. She shares how she became interested in studying after-death communication through her work supporting homicide survivors, including the scientific basis for these studies. She also discusses The Aftermath Conference: the first-ever national gathering for homicide survivors coming up September 11-13. Learn more at her website:

jancantyphd.com

In this episode:

How Jan became interested in after-death communication through her work with homicide survivors
The impact of stigma and taboos about homicide death for survivors
Why homicide survivors find after-death communication to be helpful and life-changing
How the experience of after-death communication is often pathologized
Why reductionistic science can’t fully study something like after-death communication because it can’t be measured
How to ask questions about after-death communication
Why grief clinicians need to know more about ADC
Why these experiences should not be negated or dismissed when patients bring them up
Suggestions for people struggling with grief after a homicide death
Homicide deaths are usually complicated by the presence of law enforcement and the media
Why listening to a homicide survivor is what is needed rather than saying the “right thing”
Why Jan is planning a national gathering for homicide survivors and their supporters

Links mentioned in this episode:

Ep. 558 Filling the Gaps in End-of-Life Education, Support, and Community with Suzanne B. O’Brien RN

August 3, 2026 kwyattmd

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 the recipient of numerous awards for her contribution to end-of-life care around the world and the author of the book The Good Death: A Guide for Supporting Your Loved Ones Through the End of Life. She discusses why this moment is right for expanding community education and awareness about end-of-life issues and how learning about death can help us fully live. In addition she describes her upcoming free webinar on “Death Doula Secrets” to mentor doulas on Suzanne’s framework for successful death doula business development. Learn more at her website:

doulagivers.com

Register for Death Doula Secrets Webinar:

August 5th August 13th

Get the book here.

Suzanne O’Brien Interview Download

In this episode:

The evolution of end-of-life care and education over the past 15 years
How COVID 19 awakened many people to the reality of mortality and exposed gaps in care
Families are still largely overwhelmed and uneducated about providing care for their loved ones at end of life
How political and healthcare decision-makers remain poorly informed about end of life issues
Suzanne’s experience of community death care while traveling in Zimbabwe many years ago and how it informed her current work
Why broader cultural change around death and dying requires mass education in our communities
We need to help people with their fear of death through education if we want to see more change
Options for the management of suffering at the end of life, including terminal sedation, are not fully understood by most people
Death is the greatest teacher about how to live
The importance of gratitude and presence for bringing meaning to life

Links mentioned in this episode:

Resources:

The Good Death by Suzanne O’Brien RN
Doulagivers FREE Level 1 Training
The Journey from Ego to Soul by Karen Wyatt MD
The Ego and It’s Immortality Projects – What Really Matters Podcast
The Path of Presence from the Field Guide to What Really Matters

Related episodes:

Transcript:

Ep. 557 The Grieving Body: Loss as a Healing Opportunity with Mary-Frances O’Connor PhD

July 27, 2026 kwyattmd

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 of grief on the brain and the body. Her book The Grieving Brain was included on Oprah’s list of Best Books to Comfort a Grieving Friend and was the subject of a previous interview on this podcast. Today she discusses her latest book The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing, which is being released in paperback format on August 1, 2026. Learn more at her website:

maryfrancesoconnor.org

Mary-Frances O’Connor Interview Download

In this episode:

How Mary-Frances was inspired to do research on grief
As a society we tend to ignore the body and grief can push us further in that direction
Why we need to pay attention to the messages from our bodies, particularly when we are grieving
The importances of social connectedness during grief and all of life
Sitting with someone who is calm can help us co-regulate when we are stressed in our grief
Why bereavement should be a public health issue
How we gradually build capacity to carry our grief
Why every experience of grief is different for us – and that’s natural and normal
How there is a lack of studies on crying in bereavement even though it has multiple functions
Emotional tears contain different hormones than irritant tears
Cardiovascular events related to acute grief
Strategies for managing grief holistically and growing through the process

Links mentioned in this episode:

Resources

Upaya Zen Center: Death / Dying / Grief
Upaya Zen Center: Compassion and Love
Key Research Publications by Mary-Frances O’Connor PhD

Related episodes

Transcript

Ep. 556 Zen Caregiving: A Mindful Approach to Caring for Others with Roy Remer

July 20, 2026July 19, 2026 kwyattmd

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 a dedicated practitioner in the Soto Zen tradition. Roy is also the author of Zen Caregiving: How to Care for Yourself While Caring for Others. Learn more at the website:

ZenCaregiving.org

Roy Remer Interview Download

In this episode:

Being a caregiver is part of the human experience and will affect most of us
Caregiving can be a pathway for growth but certain illnesses (especially dementia) can exact a huge toll on caregivers
The value of learning genuine presence
How this book can help everyone be better prepared in the future to become a caregiver
How serving others differs from helping, which is outcome focused
Our compassion is incomplete if we don’t also care for ourselves
Caregivers do not receive adequate preparation or support physically, emotionally, or spiritually for the task of caring for others
Why grief and guilt are common experiences of caregivers
Simple rituals for processing grief while providing care

Links mentioned in this episode:

Resources:

Related episodes:

Transcript:

Ep. 554 After-Death Communication and Developing Intuition with Purnima Sinha

July 6, 2026July 4, 2026 kwyattmd

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 for over three decades. Today she discusses the mystical experiences she has had throughout her life including after-death communication with her mother following her death. She has assisted many people at the end of life and has taught many others how to access and utilize intuition.

Purnima Sinha Interview Download

In this episode:

How her mother’s death and after-death communication was a catalyst for her spiritual growth
How her parents early teaching about karma and seva have influenced her life
Why forgiveness played an important role in her spiritual transformation
The nature of her near-death experience
How she started receiving messages from her mother
Why fear makes it impossible to receive after-death or intuitive communication
Why love and gratitude are the best practices to cultivate in your life
How the mind and the ego can interfere with receiving guidance

Links mentioned in this episode:

Resources:

International Association for Near Death Studies – IANDS.org
Hello from Heaven
Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Surviving Death – Netflix Series

Related episodes:

Transcript:

Ep. 553 Compassionate Schools: Education on Illness, Dying, and Grief for Children with Dr. Sally Paul and Bert Quintiens

June 29, 2026June 28, 2026 kwyattmd

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 University of Strathclyde in Scotland where she teaches and researches in the areas of bereavement, death education, and public health approaches to palliative care. Bert is a researcher at the End-of-Life Care Research Group at Vrije Universiteit in Brussels, Belgium. He focuses on Compassionate Communities and Compassionate Cities and how initiatives like Compassionate Schools can help normalize conversations about death and caregiving. Get the Compassionate Schools How to Guide at the link below:

Compassionate Schools How-To Guide

Sally Paul and Bert Quintiens Interview Download

In this episode:

What is a Compassionate School
Why is it important for schools to address the existence of death and grief for students and staff
Children can cope with difficult situations when given age-appropriate information
Why culture change can happen faster with a “bottom up” approach
How each compassionate school is unique and meets the particular needs of a community
Tips for introducing Compassionate Schools to your community
Obstacles and resistance to this work
Why it’s important to start with small goals like placing books on death and grief in the school library
How to support teachers in having conversations with grieving children

Links mentioned in this episode:

Resources:

The Resilience Project | Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief
Bereavement Charter Mark for primary schools | Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief
Compassionate Schools: A How-to Guide – The European Learning Network, Compassionate Schools – University of Strathclyde (Guide available in multiple languages on this page)

Related Episodes:

Transcript:

Ep. 547 When We Die Talks: Facing the Fear of Death with Zach Ancell

May 18, 2026May 19, 2026 kwyattmd

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 podcast that explores death, meaning, fear, grief, and how mortality shapes the way we live. Zach invites people to “leave a voicemail and share a belief, a question, or a moment you can’t shake about death: 971-328-0864.” Learn more at the website:

whenwedietalks.com

This episode includes:

What motivated Zach to start When We Die Talks
The courage it takes to face the fear of death
The benefits of anonymity in conversations about death
How Zach approaches these discussions with curiosity and no agenda
What has changed about his acceptance of death has increased from these conversations
How asking “What do you believe happens when we die?” unlocks other layers of meaning
The ultimate benefit of the project is learning to live more intentionally and authentically
How mortality awareness helps us re-prioritize life

Links mentioned in this episode:

Leave a voice mail for Zach at 971-328-0864
Apply here to be an anonymous guest on When We Die Talks podcast
Register for Q&A Session with Shelby Forsythia about Of Course I’m Here Right Now
A Year of Reading Dangerously reading group
Get Wild and Holy on Amazon or Bookshop
Latest post on Substack: Rethinking the Bucket List
What Really Matters Podcast
View my Patreon tier for Soul Supporters and receive extra reflections as a special bonus
NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving
Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death
Get EOLU Podcast Merch here
Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here
Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Souloin the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal

Ep. 546 The Love List of a Lifetime: Uplifting End-of-Life Planning with Sherry Richert Belul

May 11, 2026May 10, 2026 kwyattmd

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 guiding people to plan for the end-of-life. She is a workshop leader and speaker who emphasizes loving out loud and making moments that matter. Her end-of-life planner The Love List of a Lifetime helps people organize what matters most, share their love, and leave a legacy of connection and care. Learn more at her website:

simplycelebrate.net

This episode includes:

How Sherry is currently finding joy within the depths of her grief
The depth of our grief and sorrow is what allows for the breadth of kindness and joy
A love list as a gift for someone with a terminal diagnosis
Why include something “imperfect” on a love list
Why planning for the end of life is an act of great love
Start end-of-life planning by making a phone tree of contacts to be notified after your death and include a short message to each person
Sharing the stories of the things we plan to pass on to others
How sorting through items from the past with a loved one can create new special memories
People need to be seen and heard and loved for who they are
Say it now – don’t let the moment pass

Links mentioned in this episode:

Register for Q&A Session with Shelby Forsythia about Of Course I’m Here Right Now
A Year of Reading Dangerously reading group
Get Wild and Holy on Amazon or Bookshop
Latest post on Substack: Rethinking the Bucket List
What Really Matters Podcast
View my Patreon tier for Soul Supporters and receive extra reflections as a special bonus
NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving
Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death
Get EOLU Podcast Merch here
Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here
Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Souloin the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal

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 my latest donor Joy Fletcher. And thanks to everyone who bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

extraordinaryconversationspodcast.com

Ep. 545 Organ Donation and Extraordinary Conversations at the End of Life with Toby Campbell MD

May 4, 2026May 3, 2026 kwyattmd

Learn about organ donation at the end of life and how to have conversations about it and other difficult topics.

My guest Dr. Toby Campbell is a Professor of Medicine, Thoracic Oncologist, and Palliative Care Physician who is also a writer and podcaster. He is currently writing A Doctor’s Guide to Hard Conversations and created the Extraordinary Conversations Podcast, which explores the pivotal discussions that arise around organ donation and transplantation–and event at the end of one life that helps prolong another life. He discusses these challenging conversations and how they might inform other situations when we need to talk about a difficult subject. Learn more at the website:

This episode includes:

How Toby’s desire to practice “slow medicine” led to his interest in oncology and palliative care
Challenges faced by families in organ donation situations
Recognizing that some healthcare decisions are more for the future than for the present moment
How the dying process differs when organs are being donated
Rituals that might occur in the setting of organ donation
Why our feelings about organ donation need to be discussed as part of our end-of-life planning
How organ donation can end up helping donor families with their grief
Tips for having difficult conversations including building rapport, responding to emotion, eliciting values and priorities

Links mentioned in this episode:

Register for Q&A Session with Shelby Forsythia about Of Course I’m Here Right Now
Get tickets for May 9th Life Review: The Hospice Musical
Support the Kickstarter Campaign for Life Review
A Year of Reading Dangerously reading group
Get Wild and Holy on Amazon or Bookshop
Latest post on Substack: Rethinking the Bucket List
What Really Matters Podcast
View my Patreon tier for Soul Supporters and receive extra reflections as a special bonus
NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving
Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death
Get EOLU Podcast Merch here
Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here
Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Souloin the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal

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 my latest donor Joy Fletcher. And thanks to Cathy Duke for making a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Ep. 544 The Queer Grief Club and Inclusive End-of-Life Care with Jamie Thrower

April 27, 2026April 23, 2026 kwyattmd

Learn how to better serve the needs of the LGBTQ+ community in grief and at the end of life.

My guest Jamie Thrower is a queer death doula, end-of-life educator and community grief tender serving the LGBTQ+ community in life and in death. She is the founder of Queer Grief Club and the co-creator of The Dementia Deck. We discuss how to offer more inclusive services in our end-of-life care and grief support spaces. Learn more at Jamie’s website:

jamiethrower.com

This episode includes:

Jamie’s story of becoming parentless at age 28
How she discovered that grief connected her to others in a beautiful way
Why children need to be involved in death and funerals
The many layers of grief experienced by a queer person
How our systems need to change to become more inclusive
What we can do as individuals to make our care more welcoming to the queer community
Hidden bias in our paperwork and forms for people in the LGBTQ+ community
The importance of advance directives for queer people

Links mentioned in this episode:

Jamie’s Etsy shop (support her work!)
A Year of Reading Dangerously reading group
Get Wild and Holy on Amazon or Bookshop
Latest post on Substack: Rethinking the Bucket List
What Really Matters Podcast
View my Patreon tier for Soul Supporters and receive extra reflections as a special bonus
NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving
Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death
Get EOLU Podcast Merch here
Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here
Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Souloin the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal

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 Wayne for buying me a coffee and Rick DiTullio and Dawn Dayter for making a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Kickstarter Campaign for Life Review

Ep. 543 A Hospice Musical to Teach About Life’s Grief and Joy with Benjamin Kintisch

April 13, 2026 kwyattmd

Learn how to experience and support a fantastic musical comedy about hospice care, grief, and finding meaning in life.

My return guest Benjamin Kintisch is a trained chaplain, music teacher, and Cantor in the Jewish synagogue. He is the creator, lyricist and playwright of “Life Review: The Hospice Musical,” a musical comedy that focuses on the lessons a young rabbi learns when he is assigned to be a chaplain for patients in a residential hospice. Ben discusses the upcoming full performance of the musical and album recording on May 9th and the real life origin of the stories and songs in Life Review. Visit the website and support the Kickstarter campaign at the links below:

lifereviewmusical.com