Shows / Best Life Best Death
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- Best Life Best Death
#259 From the Archives: More Real than Real: Dreams, Visions and Healing Experiences at the End of Life (Originally aired March 2022) Dr Christopher Kerr
This episode has intrigued so many people, as Dr Chris Kerr is one of those folks who has brought a research lens to what is sometimes dismissed. What if we…
Best Life Best Death#258 From the Archives: Doulas - From the First Breath to the Last: A Conversation with a Birth Doula and an End-of-Life Doula (Originally aired May 2023) – Gabby Jimenez and Claudia Peñate
This episode is a favorite with listeners, because who doesn’t want to hear a birth doula and a death doula describe what they do? The range of support they…
Best Life Best Death#257 From the Archives: The Four Things That Matter Most (Originally aired March 2023) – Dr Ira Byock
This episode is a classic, and I am eternally grateful to Dr Byock for talking with this “small potatoes” podcaster back in March of 2023. Echoing other…
Best Life Best Death#256 Signs from the Other Side – Anna and Diane Hullet, authors of The Sky Painter
This week my daughter and I talk about our recent publishing adventure of writing two children's books together. We explore the personal experiences that…
Best Life Best Death#255 Slow Down! There’s no Tiger on your Tail – Sarah Heinss, Muse Therapy
What might we do to slow down in this modern world, where so much moves at a frenetic pace? In addition to working with "burned-out creatives" in her therapy…
Best Life Best Death#254 Love Never Dies – Janell Flores Bolte, Soul Coach, Teacher, Writer
“The language of synchronicities is the language of the other side” – so says Janell Flores Bolte, author of Death, A Love Story. This conversation is a…
Best Life Best Death#253 The Guy with Stage 4 Breast Cancer — Jake Messier
Jake Messier says it like it is! As a man diagnosed with breast cancer, he’s decided to shape what that means and how that is perceived, for himself and for…
Best Life Best Death#252 Tips from Dead People, Part 2 – Mary McGreevy
My guest this week found a creative niche reading obituaries online, and this has turned out to be informative, moving, funny, and insightful! It is truly…
Best Life Best Death#251 Tips from Dead People, Part 1 – Mary McGreevy
Who would have thought that reading obituaries on social media could be so informative, moving, funny, and insightful?? Mary McGreevy tried it and found a…
Best Life Best Death#250 Too Poor to Die – Amy Shea, PhD
What does it mean to be “too poor to die”? Author and researcher Amy Shea took a deep dive into how poverty affects the end of life. What happens when you die…
Best Life Best Death#249 An Apprenticeship with Sorrow – Diane Hullet reads Francis Weller
I so appreciate the wisdom and writing of Francis Weller. His book The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief has been a…
Best Life Best Death#248 A Day in the Life of a Death Doula – Vanessa Johnston, End-of-Life Doula
Have you ever wondered what a “death doula” does? Doulas offer compassion, guidance, and information to help people better understand their options around the…
Best Life Best Death#247 Mortality Movies to See Before You Die – Gail Rubin, Author, Educator, and “The Doyenne of Death”
Gail Rubin, author of several books and articles, talks with me about her latest book, 98.6 Mortality Movies to See Before You Die: Remarkable Films and TV…
Best Life Best Death#246 Living with Grief and Sharing It All – Mark Burkholder, Writer and Content Creator
When Mark Burkholder’s wife, Paige, was diagnosed with a very rare, very aggressive form of cancer, what did they do? They dug in, pushed hard, and faced the…
Best Life Best Death#245 Meaningful Endings – Jane K. Callahan, Author, End of Life Doula
Join me and end-of-life doula and author Jane Callahan as we talk about meaningful endings. As she explains, “Because medicine has always been predicated on…
Best Life Best Death#244 Funerals, Bodies, Preplanning, Oh My! – Bob Arrington, Spokesperson for the National Funeral Directors Association
In this episode, I talk with longtime funeral professional Bob Arrington. We explore body disposition, funerals, celebrations of life, cremation, and more…
Best Life Best Death#243 From the Archives: As Good as Hospice Can Be – There Are Gaps (Originally aired Oct 2023) – Susan Elliott, End of Life Coach and Doula
One of my favorites episodes is with Susan Elliott, End of Life Coach and Doula. Susan talks candidly about her mother’s death, and about all that hospice had…
Best Life Best Death#242 Medical Aid in Dying, Part 2, What You Need to Know! – Dr Barbara Morris, Geriatrician and President of End of Life Options Colorado
This week – more about Medical Aid in Dying. The advocacy organization called End of Life Options Colorado and Dr Barbara Morris are all about education and…
Best Life Best Death#241 Medical Aid in Dying, Part 1, Myth Busting! – Dr Barbara Morris, Geriatrician and President of End of Life Options Colorado
Everyone I meet has questions about Medical Aid in Dying. What is it? Where is it legal? Who chooses this and why? What are the requirements for eligibility?…
Best Life Best Death#240 8 Conversations That Can Change Your Life, Part 2 – Janet Booth, MA, RN and Trish Rux, RN
This week, I’m again joined by Janet Booth, MA, RN and Trish Rux, RN to talk about their book Dying Matters: 8 Conversations That Can Change Your Life. In this…
Best Life Best Death#239 8 Conversations That Can Change Your Life, Part 1 – Janet Booth, MA, RN and Trish Rux, RN
What if you found a book that would truly lay the groundwork for why conversations about the end of life matter so much? What if this book could jumpstart…
Best Life Best Death#238 From the Archives: What Does Active Dying Look Like?(Originally aired April 2023) – Julie McFadden, aka Hospice Nurse Julie
One of my most listened-to episodes, with Hospice Nurse Julie. Tune in to hear Julie, in her characteristic practical and charismatic way, describe what really…
Best Life Best Death#237 Dementia and Caregiving – Beverly Thorn, Professor Emerita, End-of-Life Doula and Author
Beverly Thorn knows dementia firsthand, and her book Before I Lose My Own Mind: Navigating Life as a Dementia Caregiver is an empowering, realistic guide for…
Best Life Best Death#236 Aging Is Not a Straight Line Process – Jacob Kendall, PhD, Creator of 4D™ Aging
How do we talk about aging in a way that actually helps us live better? In this episode of Best Life Best Death, we zoom out. Way out. Jacob Kendall and I look…
Best Life Best Death#235 Feeling Grief, Part 2 – Krista St-Germain, Grief Expert, Widow, and Host of The Widowed Mom Podcast
What is grief, really? And how do we actually work with it? In this conversation, Krista St-Germain offers a clear and humane definition: Grief is the natural…
Best Life Best Death#234 Feeling Grief, Part 1 – Krista St-Germain, Grief Expert, Widow, and Host of The Widowed Mom Podcast
Krista St-Germain knows the experience of grief, deeply. As a widow and coach, she is an expert at discussing this complex feeling. In this episode, we have a…
Best Life Best Death#233 Caregiving: The Most Stressful Role We Overlook – Rosanne Corcoran, Host of Daughterhood the Podcast
Rosanne Corcoran knows caregiving from the inside. When her mother moved in with vascular dementia, Rosanne became her primary caregiver for years, navigating…
Best Life Best Death#232 Funeral Photography: What It Is and Why It Matters – Nell Arbuto, Founder of Minnesota Funeral Photography
This episode explores the small-yet-potentially-vast world of funeral photography. When everyone we love is gathered in one place, often for the last time…
Best Life Best Death#231 Medical Aid in Dying: A Daughter’s Perspective – Michelle Lapierre, MAiD Advocate
In my view, Michelle Lapierre was fortunate: she and her mother talked openly about end-of-life choices well before those conversations became necessary. And…
Best Life Best Death#230 After Traumatic Loss: Writing, Dreams, and Continuing Bonds – Samantha Rose, Author of Giving Up the Ghost
Giving Up the Ghost is a memoir about traumatic loss, identity, and the slow work of letting go, not just of people, but of the versions of ourselves we…
Best Life Best Death#229 What Do We Need to Do After Someone Dies? – Marni Blank, Founder of Begin with the End, End-of-Life Planner and Death Doula
Marni Blank is an “after-loss professional.” What does that mean? Imagine someone with a legal background, lived experience of loss, a steady head for details…
Best Life Best Death#228 How to Make Your Death Kinder to Those You Love – Marni Blank, Founder of Begin with the End, End-of-Life Planner and Death Doula
My guest this week will nudge you to think about what you’ve already taken care of – and what’s still unfinished – when it comes to end-of-life planning. Marni…
Best Life Best Death#227 What Are the Components of Aging Well? – Dr. Charlotte Grinberg, Founder of To Life Primary Care and Longevity
From her early experiences as a young birth doula, through medical school, into working in oncology and hospice, this doctor has seen beauty and denial go…
Best Life Best Death#226 Aging Well: Staying Curious, Flexible and Joy-Full – Mary Schinhofen, Writer and Nonagenarian
Join me in conversation with a dynamic woman in her nineties who founded a writing group with friends that is now a sustaining source of inspiration and shared…
Best Life Best Death#225 Words at the Threshold: What We Say as We're Nearing Death – Diane Hullet, Doula, Educator and Founder of Best Life Best Death
This week’s BLBD podcast brings something a little different: it's story time! Listen this week to hear a few of my favorite sections and ideas from this…
Best Life Best Death#224 Gaps in Care! What are they? — Dr Bob Uslander of Empowered Endings and True Palliative Care
Are you ready for some real talk about what may be missing in your healthcare experience? Dr. Bob Uslander highlights the “gaps in care” we rarely name — gaps…
Best Life Best Death#223 Navigating a Smooth Transition from Hospital to Home Care – Dr Bob Uslander of Empowered Endings
This week, Dr. Uslander and I dive into the often-overlooked transition from hospital to home. How can that shift go more smoothly? What does it really take to…
Best Life Best Death#222 Creativity, Crafting, Loss and Grief — Lauren Carroll, Co-Founder of La Mort and Deathwives
Starting in her twenties—and quickly shaped by an experience of profound love and loss—Lauren Carroll has devoted her life to the funeral profession and the…
Best Life Best Death#221 An Invitation to Slow Down – Rhea Mader, Thanatologist, End of Life Practitioner, Meditation and Yoga Nidra guide
Here with the holiday of Thanksgiving in the US in 2025, join us for a chat about Rhea’s experience as a Chaplain, and the idea of finding a bit of slower…
Best Life Best Death#220 What is the Purpose of Death? Part 2 – David Maginley Psychospiritual Specialist, Author
More from author, cancer survivor and psychospiritual specialist David Maginley! Building on our conversation from last week, David and I continue to explore…
Best Life Best Death#219 What is the Purpose of Death? Part 1 – David Maginley, Psychospiritual Specialist, Author
Ready for a deep dive? You can’t get much deeper than asking: What is the purpose of death? This episode is about Medical Assistance in Dying, yes, but that is…
Best Life Best Death#218 Dementia: Dispelling Myths and Gaining Information – Jessica Empeño, National Director of Clinical Engagement and Education for Compassion and Choices
This episode is chock-full of important information about a topic that affects so many. What is dementia? What symptoms might it include? Why does it matter to…
Best Life Best Death#217 Ghost Stories and Signs from the Other Side: Are You a Believer? – Orion Couling, Tour Guide, Storyteller, Magic-Maker
Do you believe in the paranormal, the mysterious, the supernatural, the extra-ordinary? Whether you are a believer or not, I think you’ll enjoy this week’s…
Best Life Best Death#216 “Always Offer, Never Force” - Food and Healing at the End of Life – Barbara Karnes, RN, Hospice Nurse, Author, Long-time End-of-Life Educator
One of Barbara Karnes’ recent publications is a booklet on food at the end of life. She believes that more education is needed in this area, as families often…
Best Life Best Death#215 Denial, Meaning, and Holding on at the End of Life – Barbara Karnes, RN, Hospice Nurse, Author, Long-time End-of-Life Educator
Ahh, denial. We all have it at times. How does denial play a role at the end of life? As BK says, “We’re a death-denying society, and we carry this denial…
Best Life Best Death#214 Being Mortal – Diane Hullet, Doula, Educator and Founder of Best Life Best Death
When Atul Gawande - surgeon, physician, son of a surgeon - wrote Being Mortal in 2014, I wonder if he knew what staying power it would have. This timeless book…
Best Life Best Death#213 Companioning Your Person on the End-of-Life Journey – Tracy Chalmers, Doula, Author, Educator
Tracy Chalmers has written a guidebook we can all lean on. Rooted in five principles of care, she offers practical ways to walk alongside the dying, build a…
Best Life Best Death#212 “If Nothing Else” – Little Ideas You Can Do Today – Jennifer Tadjedin and Karen Callahan, Death Doulas and Educators with The Heartwood Collective
Talking with Jennifer and Karen brings BLBD back to basics, in the best sort of way. They share several “If Nothing Else” ideas. That is, “If I am not ready…
Best Life Best Death#211 The Dementia Deck: A Conversation Starter for Better Living – Lisa Pahl of The Death Deck and Jessica Empeño of Compassion and Choices
What does a deck of cards have to do with end-of-life education? Tools like The Dementia Deck, The Death Deck, and the EOL (End-of-Life) Deck offer…
Best Life Best Death#210 What’s Possible? Make a Film, Throw a Living Funeral, Have a Green Burial – with Barry Koch and Jason Zamer, Filmmakers and Cofounders of TGBeyond
In this episode, I sit down for a conversation with the producers of a documentary film called A Butterfly Has Been Released. The website sums it up…
Best Life Best Death#209 Ruminations on Mortality – Maria Popova, Writer, Curator and Creator of The Marginalian
Maria Popova is a Bulgarian-born writer, curator, and critic best known as the creator of The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings), a long-running online…
- Best Life Best Death
#208 Lessons the Dying Teach Us about Living – Diane Button, Doula, Author, Instructor at the UVM End-of-Life Doula Certificate Program
Join me on BLBD this week, for a gorgeous conversation with Diane Button. Author of several books, Diane’s latest is with Maria Shriver’s imprint, The Open…
Best Life Best Death#207 Love, Loss, and the Life of Lueza – Jody Gelb, Mother, Actor, Author of She May Be Lying Down, But She May Be Very Happy.
Jody Gelb has written a deeply moving memoir about the life and loss of her daughter. Brain damaged at birth, life with Lueza is as complex as you imagine it…
Best Life Best Death#206 Choices Aligned with Values: Deciding about Euthanizing a Pet – Dr Sarah Kerr, Founder of the Centre for Sacred Deathcare
This week’s podcast is especially close to my heart. In the spring of 2025, my family said goodbye to our beloved 16-year-old dog, Kaya. Sarah and I explore…
Best Life Best Death#205 When Community Comes Alive Through Death – Scott Kirschenbaum, Director of The Last Ecstatic Days
Director Scott Kirschenbaum joins me to discuss the powerful documentary, The Last Ecstatic Days, and the transformative journey of making this film. Drawn by…
Best Life Best Death#204 What is a Death Café? – Karen Keeran, Coach, Doula and Facilitator
To sum up this episode, I’d say: listen to learn all about Death Cafés from a seasoned facilitator! How does it work? Who attends? What sorts of things are…
Best Life Best Death#203 Leaving a Legacy and Not a Logjam – Rachel Donnelly, Founder and CEO of AfterLight
Rachel has her MDA – Master of Death Administration! Her personal experience settling estates led her to create a business as an After Loss Professional. So…
Best Life Best Death#202 What Would It Mean to Carry Each Other Through Death? – Erin Merelli, Death Doula
Words straight from her website: “As a death doula, educator, and public speaker, Erin Merelli guides individuals, families, and communities to meet mortality…
Best Life Best Death#201 Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking, Part 3: An Update – Kate Christie, Author
Description: On BLBD episode #145, one year ago, Kate and I talked extensively about VSED, Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking. Her mother chose VSED to…
- Best Life Best Death
#200 Death-y Books that Might Surprise You – Mia Hope Adgate
Now this is a subject that I really enjoy covering: books. In this episode I chat with a teenager who is a voracious reader — and does she ever know…