Death is in the cards, so why not deal yourself a hand and have a laugh? That's what the Death Deck is about. Created by Lisa Pahl and her business partner Lori LoCicero, The Death Deck offers a creative way to have those difficult conversations. As a Hospice and Emergency Medicine Social Worker, Lisa saw first hand how people avoid the topic of de…

Hospice physician, Dr. Karen Wyatt has been widely recognized for her compassionate presence with patients and her deep understanding of the spiritual aspect of health, illness and dying. In this episode, Johanna Lunn talks with Hospice physician Dr Karen Wyatt about Seven Lessons for the Living from the Dying, a beautiful book about Dr Wyatt's ent…

Carol Reid and her husband were looking forward to spending their retirement together. But when Jim was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia , Carol found that although she had worked as a palliative care nurse, it did not prepare her to deal with the gradual loss of her own loved one.

Michael Brooke is a skateboarding historian and publisher who worked as an Assistant Funeral Director during the Covid pandemic. These experiences inspired his recent book Endless Wave: Skateboarding, Death and Spirituality and the creation of Time for My Story which works with individuals to record stories and memories of their life though words a…

Briana Simmons is a lifecycle facilitator for black and LGBTQIA+ communities. She is also the founder of Unearthing Tradition, and works to reclaim dignified life cycles, and offering lifecycle support that creates unapologetic healing spaces for black folks.

When Nefertiti Moor first began her work in death care, she had originally planned to focus on being a Death Doula. But within her community she saw a need for so much more. It was because of this need that Nefertiti founded Dearly Bereaved, where she can help people in many aspects, from green burial support, grief support and home funeral guiding…

Alica Forneret's work focuses on how we can support each other through death-related loss and the grief sparked by, and before, end-of-life experiences. She is the Executive Director of PAUSE which supports Communities of Color through grief and end of life by hosting a mentorship/incubator program for individuals, business owners, artists, and con…

Nicola Nuttall's daughter Laura was just starting University when she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. We talk about how the family has been living with this diagnosis, their drive to help others and the gratitude they feel for the many people have come forward to help Laura fulfill her bucket list - which includes driving a tank, a plane …

Day Schildkret is internationally renowned as an author, artist, and teacher behind the Morning Altars movement, inspiring tens of thousands of people to make life more beautiful and meaningful through ritual, nature and art. Ritual is a powerful way to make meaning in times of grief and times of joy. More than ceremony, rituals can mark our experi…

Grief is both emotional and felt experience. If we have the courage to really feel grief, feel our humanness, then we can process it more fully - even though we don't really know when it will end. Rev Olivia was trained in the 80's as a Death Midwife during the AIDS crisis and has been supporting people at the end of life ever since. She is founder…

Our animal companions mean the world to us. They are part of our family and our support system. Letting them go is never easy, but it is necessary. Veterinarian Dr. Emily Reiner knows that compassion for pets at their end of life is crucial, for them and for their humans. She operates Forever Loved, a vet service that focuses on end-of-life care an…

Death Doulas are important members of the team that make up, “Last Responders.” Jude Higgins is an Educator, Spiritual Care Coordinator, and Clinical Chaplain at Quality Home Health & Hospice in Salt Lake City, UT. As such, she has much insight into the role Death Doulas play in end-of-life care.

When we talk about the role of end of life doulas we primarily think that they offer support to prepare for death, provide comfort, help with grief. But there's an aspect that we don't often realize is necessary and that is advocacy within the health care system. When facing death, many feel helpless and unsure of what steps to take. In her work, D…

Art and movement therapy can be a powerful ally on the grief journey. Integrating the death of a loved one can be overwhelming, but somatic movement and art therapy can often help.

In this episode host Johanna Lunn and Barbara discuss the future of dying. How hospice has changed. How to pick a hospice (not all hospices are the same.) The important role of end-of-life workers, and so much more.

Dr. Penny Sartori PhD is a skilled intensive care nurse, educator, and leading world expert on near death experiences. She has authored a number of books including The Wisdom of Near Death Experiences and also appears in the When You Die Trilogy.

Joél Simone Anthony, better known as The Grave Woman, is a licensed funeral director and embalmer, a sacred grief practitioner, end-of-life educator, and so much more. We talk about the sacred nature of death care and the impact culture has on our views on death, grief, family roles, and our awareness of the cycle of life. Joél can be found at: the…

In At Heaven’s Door (Simon & Schuster 2022), William shares his research on the many ways the living can and do accompany the dying on their journey into the afterlife. He is the Founder of the Shared Crossing Project, whose mission is to raise awareness of the profound and healing experiences that can be available to the dying and their loved ones…

Is it possible that our fear of death prevents us from living fully? For over 20 years Sue Brayne has been helping people to transform their relationship with mortality as a therapist specializing in trauma, as well as through her end-of-life research, workshops and books on spirituality, consciousness, and dying.…

Since 1993, The Sharing Place in Salt Lake City has had a mission to “provide a safe and caring environment for grieving children, teens, and their families to share their feelings while healing themselves.” Program director Jill MacFarlane talks to us about the value of this process and how telling the truth is the most important thing you can do …

After experiencing the devastating loss of their one-year-old baby boy, James and Catie Morgan found comfort in surrounding themselves with other couples who have also gone through the loss of a child. As a way of helping others, James devised the Buddys app, which allows people to connect with those who have had similar experiences.…

For most of us, our own funeral is an afterthought or, even worse, something we avoid thinking about altogether. For Kathy Benjamin, the very thought of her own impending death brought on crippling fear. So she decided the best way to remedy that was to deal with it the best way she knew how. By writing something funny.…

Loaded with resources, and easy to use tools for end of life planning, Farewelling is a one-stop online shop that lets users create meaningful memorial websites and live-stream ceremonies. Today I am delighted to be talking with the co-founders. Karen Bussen who came to the project with a solid career as a successful celebrity event planner. And El…

Julie McFadden has been working as a hospice nurse for the past five years, and prior to that she worked in Intensive Care for close to a decade. Julie is passionate about educating people on what happens as we die. Her wonderful TikToc videos have made waves with over half a million followers, making her a viral sensation. She can be found on TikT…

Johanna Lunn speaks with Death Doula, Jill Schock, about what it means to be a death doula and death worker in the time of COVID-19.

Jill Chandler handled many roles in her life: performer, wife, mother. But when her husband Donald died, Jill became a young widow. She spoke with us about grief, loss, healing and the fact that life does go on.

Francesca has written a richly illustrated book for children that introduces the importance of memories of those we love who have died. Children are one of the most vital aspects of our society, and yet they are often the ones left out of important conversations, particularly about death. WYD speaks with Francesca about her new book. Find out more …

The role of a funeral director is all-encompassing and ever-changing. But when you are part of a small community, you not only provide the services required, you also grieve with them. Andre Roupp talks about his life in the death business.

Michael Hebb and Johanna Lunn talk about Death over Dinner.

In conversation with Johanna Lunn, Barbara Karnes shares insights on self care best practices for frontline workers, and straight talk on end of life care. PROMO CODE FOR BARBARA'S BOOKLET: For every purchase of "NEW RULES for End of Life Care" a complementary copy of Barbara's grief booklet, "My Friend, I Care: The Grief Experience" will be added …

Sheree Fitch is known for many things: an author of witty and wonderful children's books, an award-winning poet, a bookstore owner and a teller of stories. But in 2018 she became known as something else—a mother grieving the loss of her son.

Sheree Fitch is known for many things: an author of witty and wonderful children's books, an award-winning poet, a bookstore owner and a teller of stories. But in 2018 she became known as something else—a mother grieving the loss of her son.

Dale Jackson—a licensed embalmer and funeral director with 46 years of experience and counting—shares his story (SPOILER: and his own near-death experience at 13:13) and lessons learned from his time helping families through the loss of a loved one.

WYD Podcast in conversation with Death Doula Francesca Arnoldy, the author of Cultivating the Doula Heart: Essentials of Compassionate Care. She is the course developer, facilitator, and program director of the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate Program. www.contemplativedoula.com…

Deborah is one of the facilitators of the Halifax Nova Scotia Death Café, and leads Death Matters workshops in the area. She acts as an end of life concierge, assisting during the transition, and post-mortem experience. Deborah has a passion for bringing people together around difficult conversations, like death and dying.…

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Katrina Spade is popularizing the idea of 'Recomposition', a green burial method that converts human remains into soil. It's among the most promising eco-friendly options that may be available in the near future. She discusses this unorthodox alternative to cremation and how it's rise could change our approach to saying goodbye.…

Mandy Benoualid and Jeremy Cohen from TalkDeath.com and qeepr.com recap the 2018 Boston Death Salon — America's premier #DeathPositive gathering and death conference.

As the 2018 Endwell Symposium: Design for the End of Life Experience approaches, we're revisiting last year's recap podcast from #Endwell 2017 with our favorite death doula.

Cambia Health Foundation President Peggy Maguire talks about the ins and outs of palliative care and what the rest of the healthcare system could learn from it.

Dr. Jessica Zitter, author of 'Extreme Measures' and star of the Netflix doc 'Extremis' on what she calls the 'End of Life Conveyor Belt' most Americans wind up on and how introducing Death Ed in schools could change a death-phobic culture in one generation.

Funeral Director Shawn LaValleur-Adame of DIY Dying discusses unorthodox burial methods like sending ashes to the moon, a volcano summit and the bottom of the ocean.

'Complicated Grief' with Charley Rosicky: Longtime hospice worker, grief counselor and meditation teacher, Charley Rosicky, discusses 'complicated grief' and shares stories of working with the dying and those left behind. ​

Gay Dillingham, producer/director of ‘Dying to Know’ the documentary that chronicles Tim Leary and Ram Das’s friendship in the final days of Leary’s life shares her own tale of pouring her own loss and grief into the award-winning film.

Death Doula LA Jill Schock and host Kelly MacLean recap the 2017 Seattle Death Salon and discuss themes from the world's leading #deathpositive conference.

Jocelyn Roth, Co-owner of Resting Waters, Washington's first aquamation site, explains the growing trend of water cremation - legalized in California in October 2017. Kelly and Jocelyn discuss this and other "green burial" practices making their way into the mainstream.