Shows / Best Life Best Death
Episodes
Best Life Best Death#79 Dr Ira Byock - Palliative Care Physician and Author - The Four Things that Matter Most
Dr Ira Byock - leader in palliative care, advocate for patients, and author - joins me this week. We discuss: What might it mean to “die well”? Why is the…
Best Life Best Death#78 Rachel Donnelly - Founder and CEO of Black Dress Consultants - What Is an After Loss Professional and How Can They Help?
After Loss Professionals such as Rachel Donnelly play a unique role for all there is to be done after someone has died. Different from an attorney, more…
Best Life Best Death#77 C.C. Boyce - Woodworker and Founder, Boyce Studio - Urns as Art
The range of unique urns is as wide as the artists who are making them! This week I talk with woodworker C.C. Boyce, who developed a two-part wooden urn…
Best Life Best Death#76 Samatha Trad - Natl Director of Care Advocacy, Compassion and Choices - Charting Your Own End of Life Journey Part 2
In Part 2 of our conversation, Sam and I talk further about compassionate options at the end of life. How have various state Medical Aid In Dying laws been…
Best Life Best Death#75 Samantha Trad - Compassion and Choices, National Director of Care Advocacy - Charting Your Own End of Life Journey, Part 1
This week and next, Sam and I dive and digress into several aspects of the end of life. How do we die? How did the organization Compassion & Choices come to…
Best Life Best Death#74 Kayla Nakano - Co Founder, Rainbow Bridge Connection Podcast - Beloved Animals, Death and Grief
This week I talk with Kayla Nakano, one of the founders of a podcast about pet loss. Kayla and I talk about these loving relationships and the complex grief…
Best Life Best Death#72 Kim Mooney - Founder, Practically Dying - How Do We Die? Part 2
This week Kim Mooney (thanatolgist and founder of Practically Dying) and I continue our conversation about “exit ramps.” Listen to learn about: palliative…
Best Life Best Death#71 Kim Mooney - Thanatologist, End-of-Life Educator and Founder of Practically Dying - How Do We Die? Part 1
This week I talk with Kim Mooney, long-time end-of-life educator and expert in the field. If you want to hear a couple of high-energy, fast-talking women…
Best Life Best Death#70 Dr Rob Colbert - Transformation through Psychedelic- and Ketamine-Assisted Therapies
Rob and I discuss drugs like psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine. How are they impacting the therapeutic world and the end-of-life world? What can come from…
Best Life Best Death#69 Avani Dilger - Founder of Natural Highs Community - Neuroscience, Connection and Addiction
Avani Dilger's career and calling in working with addiction, trauma, connection, and the existential questions that we all seek to explore began early in her…
Best Life Best Death#68 - Diane Hullet - What Is Storyworth?
One of many online “story capturing” programs, I gave my dad a gift of Storyworth last Christmas. How did it work, what did he have to do, how did it all come…
Best Life Best Death#67 Scott Ginsberg and Joshua Siegel - Founders - What Is Titan Casket?
Today’s conversation is with the two of the Founders of Titan Casket, Scott Ginsberg and Joshua Siegel. As they say on the Titan website: “Titan Casket was…
Best Life Best Death#66 Brother James Patrick Hall - Rocky Mountain Refuge for End of Life Care - Care for Our Un-Housed Neighbors
The mission of the Rocky Mountain Refuge for End of Life Care is "to offer a dignified alternative to dying alone on the street for those with terminal…
Best Life Best Death#65 Barbara Karnes - RN, End-of-Life Educator - The Holiday Season - A Time of Joy and Grief
Barbara Karnes, RN and I talk about the ins and out of the holiday season – the awkwardness at times, group gatherings, being alone. What things can be helpful…
Best Life Best Death#64 Barbara Karnes - RN, End-of-Life Educator - Caring for Caregivers
This podcast is all about the role of being a caregiver: what situations put us in this role, who is finding themselves doing the bulk of caregiving, why does…
Best Life Best Death#63 Greg Dale - Owner, Artful Ashes - Beauty for Remembrance: Glass Art from Cremated Remains
Greg Dale of Artful Ashes (Seattle, WA) says simply: ”We create beautiful, tangible treasures. Something that people can hold and remember the good times.” How…
Best Life Best Death#62 Theresa Brown - RN, Author - When a Nurse Becomes a Patient
Theresa and I run the gamut in this conversation, from her many experiences as a nurse to her sudden role as a breast cancer patient. Her book -- Healing: When…
Best Life Best Death#61 Seth Viddal - Chief Operating Officer and Co-Owner - What Services Are Offered at The Natural Funeral?
“We kind of are a ‘just say yes’ funeral home!” says Seth Viddal of The Natural Funeral. Seth is full of information about what they offer at their location in…
Best Life Best Death#60 - Peter Mayer - Singer/Songwriter - Miracles in the Everyday
What does a singer/songwriter have to do with Best Life Best Death? Just listen, as Peter Mayer offers an uplifting reminder of the beauty in the everyday and…
Best Life Best Death#59 Alexandra Jo - Director of Education and Outreach, Parting Stone - Stones from Ashes: Another Option for Cremated Remains
Alexandra Jo and I dig into the work of Parting Stone, a company which creates beautiful, solid, rock-like pieces from cremation remains. We talk about what…
Best Life Best Death#55 Gabrielle Jimenez - Hospice Nurse, End-of-Life Doula, and Conscious Dying Educator - What Would Gabby Say?
Enjoy this fast-paced conversation with hospice nurse, end-of-life doula, and conscious dying educator Gabrielle Jimenez of The Hospice Heart. Gabby has so…
Best Life Best Death#58 Dana Frost - Founder, The Forced Joy Project - What Is the Forced Joy Project?
This week I have a striking conversation with Dana Frost of the Forced Joy Project. In the depth of her husband’s illness, Dana and Brad decided that they were…
Best Life Best Death#57 Taylor Gallegos - Muralist and Live Artist - From Bright Light to Laser Beam: How a Best 3 Months Course Inspired an Artist
“In the Best 3 Months course, you lead us through big picture questions that ultimately ask: Are you going in the direction you want to be going?” When my…
Best Life Best Death#57 Bonnie Compton - Doula, Therapist, Founder of Gentle Heart Journeys - The Death of a Child
Pediatric expert Bonnie Compton and I discuss the death of children. Combining years of experience as an end-of-life doula, child and adolescent therapist, and…
Best Life Best Death#56 Marcy Lindberg - Co-Owner of Stardust Memorials - What Can I Do with Cremated Remains?
In episode #56, I talk with Marcy Lindberg, Co-Owner with her husband of Stardust Memorials. Specializing in the online sales of cremation remains and…
Best Life Best Death#54 Jan Booth - Music at the End of Life
This week’s podcast speaks to the heart about music at the end of life. My guest, Jan Booth, says: “Music can support and bolster people, especially in hard…
Best Life Best Death#53 Joy Redstone - The Complexity of Suicide
In this tough but very important episode, therapist Joy Redstone and I discuss several aspects of suicide. We talk about the importance of language when…
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#52 Nicole Comach - Fear of Death
This week I talk with Nicole Comach, End-of-Life Guide, Grief Companion and founder of Emerald Awakenings. We discuss: What do people fear about death? Do…
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#51 Jamie Kramer - Beyond Forests
Jamie Kramer is the founder of Beyond Forests, in the Leelanau area of Michigan. In this two-fold project, Jamie and her colleagues are: 1) seeking land to…
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#50 Diane Hullet - Best 3 Months: What is It?
Best 3 Months is a course developed by the Conscious Dying Institute which is offered by myself and other graduates of CDI who love end-of-life coaching and…
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#49 Johanna Lunn - Feature Film - "Saying Goodbye: Preparing for Death"
“Saying Goodbye: Preparing for Death" is the second film in the When You Die documentary trilogy -- 3 feature-length films about various aspects of the end of…
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#47 Dr Harvey Max Chochinov - The Platinum Rule: A New Standard of Person-Centered Care
Dr Harvey Max Chochinov, Canadian psychiatrist and expert in issues around palliative care, chats with me about misperceptions, unconscious biases, and the…
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#46 Todd Harra - Last Rites: The Evolution of the American Funeral
A 4th generation Delaware funeral director, Todd Harra is one of the foremost experts on the history (and future) of burial rites in the United States. In his…
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#45 Kate Schneider - Exploring the Altered States of Strokes and Brain Cancer
In this episode I talk with the author and artist who created "Headland," Kate Schneider. Her vision for this graphic novel was to portray an internal…
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#44 Day Schildkret - How Rituals Can Help Us to Change When Life Changes
In this episode, I talk with Day Schildkret about his life, work, books and art. As Day says, “We need mechanisms in our daily, monthly, annual lives – and our…
Best Life Best Death#43 Amy Bloom - Accompanied Suicide - "I am Not Here for the Long Goodbye"
On this episode, I interview author Amy Bloom, whose husband Brian Ameche was told by doctors that he had Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive, neurodegenerative…
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#42 George Frankel - What Are Eternal Reefs?
Join me as I chat with George Frankel, CEO of Eternal Reefs, and find out how this organization combines the cremated remains of loved ones with an…
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#41 Jessica Wertz - Sacred Vessels: Creating Personalized Ceremonies Around Loss and Death
Jessica Wertz - ceramic artist + author of the Spirit Vessel Ceremony Guide Book - and I talk about road trips, small towns, ceremony, grief, and sacred time…
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#40 - Mary Anne Oglesby-Sutherly - Dementia Part II, We Can't Handle This in Isolation, So What Do We Do?
Mary Anne Oglesby-Sutherly is the founder and executive director of a day care program for people with dementia. We discuss a variety of things, including: how…
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#39 Mary Anne Oglesby-Sutherly - Dementia Part I, Finding Joy and Compassion on the Journey
Mary Anne Oglesby-Sutherly talks about dementia -- the challenges of getting a diagnosis, the challenges of medication, and the challenges of day-to-day living…
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#38 Hannah Fowler - Conscious Dying Feature Film: The Last Ecstatic Days
Hannah Fowler and I talk about how she became involved in the making of the movie “The Last Ecstatic Days,” and what she has taken away from this profound…
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#37 Kilie Crowley - What Is Cremation?
*Note - Solace is no longer in business. Join Kiley Crowley from Solace Cremation as she and I discuss cremation. How does it work and where does it happen?…
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#36 Dr. Sara Zeff Geber - Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers - and Anyone!
Dr. Geber's book, Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers: A Retirement and Aging Roadmap for Single and Childless Adults lays out 6 essential elements…
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#36 Rachel Brougham - Widowland: I'm Fine, Except I'm Not Fine
“I’m fine. That’s what grievers often say when people ask how they are doing. Except they’re not fine.” When Rachel Brougham was a young wife, her dynamic…
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#35 Shannon Lee Dawdy - American Afterlives - What Are Our Ceremonies, Practices and Beliefs?
Anthropologist Shannon Lee Dawdy set out to interview 100s of people in the U.S. over 5 years, in order to better understand American death practices. What she…
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#34 Emily Nelson - What Is Aquamation?
Continuing my exploration of body disposition options, on this podcast I talk with Emily Nelson of Be a Tree Cremation to get the details on "aquamation" or…
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#33 Kate Hoepke - What Is the Village Movement California?
What is the so-called “Village Movement," in California and nation-wide? A way for people to help people, intentionally create community, and keep elders…
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#32 Jackie Schuld - Grief Is a Mess
Artist and art therapist Jackie Schuld and I discuss what prompted her to write “Grief is a Mess” and how creating these drawings and texts was helpful in a…
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#31 Dr Chris Kerr - Part II - What Can We Learn from One of the First Hospices in the US?
In Part II of this conversation with Dr Christopher Kerr, he and I get into some nitty-gritty about what it would take to have more of us choose hospice sooner…
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#30 Dr Chris Kerr - Part I - More Real than Real: Dreams, Visions and Healing Experiences at the End of Life
Dr. Christopher Kerr – of Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo – studies and works daily with people who are at the end of their lives. After realizing that many…
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# 29 Brie Smith - Human Composting?!
Brie Smith - funeral director at Return Home - and I discuss Natural Organic Reduction aka “Terramation.” Get a look behind the sensational headlines of “human…
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#28 Barbara Karnes - Part II - Sticky Questions for a Hospice Pioneer
In Part II of our conversation, Barbara Karnes, RN and I move into talking about some harder questions that come up in the end-of-life arena, including: When…
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#27 Barbara Karnes - Part I - Knowledge about Death Reduces Fear
Barbara Karnes, RN – hospice pioneer in the US and end-of-life educator extraordinaire – joins me to discuss her background, share her experience, and offer a…
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#26 Preston Zeller - 365 Paintings, a Documentary Film, and a Brother's Grief
After the sudden death of his brother, Preston Zeller decided to dive into his grief and his creativity by painting every day for a year. He made a gorgeous…
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#25 Maria Fraietta - Next of Kin Box: Organizing for Your Next of Kin
Join me and Maria Fraietta to hear more about how the Nokbox - or Next of Kin box - could save you a lot of time and effort. These 14 folders and corresponding…
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#24 Jamie Sarche - Why Plan a Funeral in Advance?
Jamie Sarche, Director of Pre-Planning at Feldman Mortuary, a family-owned funeral business in Denver, CO discusses the advantages of planning a funeral in…
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#23 Emily Miller - A Natural Burial Preserve in Colorado
Learn about green burial and how licensed funeral director Emily Miller has turned 80 acres of high, pristine prairie lands into a fully natural burial site…
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#22 cianna stewart - How to Make Your Death Kinder to Those You Love
cianna stewart is the creator of the Dying Kindness podcast, "a podcast for people who are going to die someday." Her wry sense of humor and practical advice…
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#21 Gene Zimmerman - How Poetry Became Healing Work
As his wife slowly succumbed to a drawn-out illness, businessman, spouse and father Gene Zimmerman found himself writing poetry as a way to make sense of each…
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#20 Diane Hullet - Swedish Death Cleaning
Clutter! Help! What is so-called "Swedish Death Cleaning” and how can these principles help us take charge of the clutter in our homes? Join me for some…