End-of-life University

Learn about the importance of sacred rituals and practices at the end of life. This interview was recorded several years ago with Kitty Edwards, a shamanic practitioner, public speaker, published author and master teacher. She served as the director of The Living and Dying Consciously Project and as the co-founder of The No Regrets Project. Kitty’s… Continue reading Ep. 462 ARCHIVE: Creating Sacred Space for the Dying with Kitty Edwards

Learn about a helpful tool for organizing all your records and files for your later years and your loved ones. My guest Maria Fraietta is the founder of The Nokbox, which is a complete system that helps you organize all of your accounts, possessions, social media presence, communities, kids, pets, personal history, and estate plans.… Continue reading Ep. 461 The NOKbox: A Gift for Your Next of Kin with Maria Fraietta

Learn how this hospice doctor’s important research sheds light on the dreams and visions of the dying and why they are meaningful. In this interview from the archives of EOLU my guest is Dr. Christopher Kerr  who currently practices at Hospice Buffalo in Buffalo, NY. He is conducting a research project on the dreams and visions of… Continue reading Ep. 460 ENCORE: Deathbed Dreams and Visions with Christopher Kerr, MD

Learn more about the continuing bonds theory and various ways it is beneficial for grievers. This special episode is a follow-up to the previous interview with Dina Stander about the phone of the wind. I’ll take a closer look at the Continuing Bonds theory of grief to see how using a wind phone might actually… Continue reading Ep. 459 Continuing Bonds Theory of Grief: A Closer Look with Karen Wyatt

Learn how the “phone of the wind” can help us establish continuing bonds with our loved ones who have died. My guest Dina Stander is an end-of-life navigator, funeral celebrant and burial shroud maker. She is also the founder of the Northeast Death Care Collaborative, an author and a propagator of phones of the wind,… Continue reading Ep. 458 The Phone of the Wind: Connecting with Those We Grieve with Dina Stander

Learn how two creators each facing serious illness came together to produce an award-winning masterpiece. My guests Christina Holbrook and Walker Vreeland are joining me today to talk about their personal stories of serious illness and facing mortality in the midst of working on a creative project. Numerous synchronicities and little miracles came together to… Continue reading Ep. 457 Creativity and Serious Illness with Christina Holbrook and Walker Vreeland

Learn about a senior living community that is bringing end-of-life doula training to residents, thanks to the efforts of its chaplain. My guest Tom Waknitz is a chaplain and end-of-life doula who is working with Walker Methodist Senior Living Community to establish a unique end-of-life program for residents called Passages. He is certified by INELDA… Continue reading Ep. 456 Passages: An EOL Program for a Senior Living Community with Tom Waknitz

Learn about a powerful NY Times bestselling memoir that teaches how acknowledging our mortality helps us live a more authentic life. My guest Alua Arthur is the founder of Going With Grace, a death doula training and end-of-life planning organization. She is a frequent guest on television and radio and has been featured on CBS’s… Continue reading Ep. 455 Briefly Perfectly Human with Alua Arthur

Learn about an innovative model for compassionate end-of-life care that meets the needs of individuals and communities. My guest Dr. Bob Uslander is the co-founder, with his wife Elizabeth, of Empowered Endings, a unique palliative and end-of-life care model addressing the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs of patients and families. He discusses the flexible… Continue reading Ep. 454 Empowered Endings: Changing the Landscape of End-of-Life Care with Bob Uslander MD

Learn about Rosie Grant’s unique project to memorialize those who have died by cooking their special recipes. My guest Rosie Grant has a library science degree from the University of Maryland and now works at UCLA as an archivist. She is well known on social media as a “cemetery tiktoker” who researches recipes found on… Continue reading Ep. 453 Gravestone Recipes: Cooking to Honor the Dead with Rosie Grant

Learn how planning ahead for after-death care can help loved ones with grief and loss. My guest Jokotifa Alaye is a licensed funeral professional and NEDA certified end-of-life doula with a focus on grief. She created Mourning Space to fill the gaps in education and support that society requires for healthy grieving. She discusses the… Continue reading Ep. 452 Funeral Planning, After-Death Care, and Healthy Grief with Jokotifa Alaye

Learn how a physician creatively meets the needs of patients who don’t qualify for hospice services. My guest Dr. Kaishauna Guidry is an author, podcaster, healthcare advocate, mentor and educator. She came to medicine and hospice later in her career and founded Mourning Dove Medical as a private mobile medical practice, serving home-bound patients at… Continue reading Ep. 451 Filling the Gaps in End-of-Life Care with Kaishauna Guidry MD

Learn about a movement with a goal to train 1 million death doulas around the world. My guest Suzanne O’Brien RN is the founder and CEO of Doulagivers Institute and a pioneer in the global death doula movement. She was awarded Worldwide Leader in Healthcare by the International Nurse Association and named Humanitarian Ambassador for… Continue reading Ep. 450 Death Doula World Training Day with Suzanne O’Brien RN

Learn about an informative and inspirational book to help seniors find love in their lives after experiencing loss through death or divorce. My special guests this week, Drs. Gloria Horsley and Frank Powers, are a senior couple who met later in life, after experiencing loss. Gloria is a marriage and family therapist and Frank is… Continue reading Ep. 449 Open to Love: Senior Dating After Loss and Grief with Drs. Gloria Horsley and Frank Powers

Learn how the concept of human-centered design can improve how we care for people at end of life and also how we operate our businesses. My guest Isabel Knight is a human-centered designer and end-of-life guide who founded The Death Designer to provide design services for deathcare businesses and non-profits. She is also the president… Continue reading Ep. 448 Human-Centered Design for End-of-Life and After-Death Care with Isabel Knight

Learn about a powerful international model that calls for a public health approach to end-of-life care and how we are championing it in the U.S. This week I am hosting three guests who are my collaborators in a “think tank” on the Compassionate Communities Model: Elizabeth Johnson and Erin Collins of The Peaceful Presence Project… Continue reading Ep. 447 Compassionate Communities and End-of-Life Care with Elizabeth Johnson, Erin Collins and Qwynn Galloway-Salazar

Learn about THE LAST ECSTATIC DAYS, a film about a young man with brain cancer in search of community, and the hospice doctor who gives up everything to honor his dying wish. My guest Dr. Aditi Sethi-Brown is a hospice and palliative care physician, end-of-life doula, and musician. She is the founder and executive director of the Center… Continue reading Ep. 446 “The Last Ecstatic Days:” How to Die Without Fear with Aditi Sethi-Brown MD

Learn about grief from the perspective of two hospice providers on their personal experiences of loss. This week I’m happy to be speaking once again to my recurring guest Barbara Karnes RN, hospice nurse, author, thought leader and expert on end-of-life care and the dynamics of dying. Barbara is the author of “the little blue… Continue reading Ep. 445 Grief and Bereavement on the Hospice Journey with Barbara Karnes RN

Learn about contemplative practices for medical providers offered by the NY Zen Center for Contemplative Care. My guest Koshin Paley Ellison is an author, Zen teacher, and Jungian psychotherapist. He co-founded the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, which offers contemplative approaches to care through education, personal caregiving, and Zen practice. Koshin is also… Continue reading Ep. 444 Contemplative Practices for Death and Grief with Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison

Learn how an innovative curriculum is tackling loneliness and social isolation in older adults and bridging the generation gap. My guest Dr. Jeremy Holloway is Assistant Professor and Director of Geriatric Education at the University of North Dakota. He discusses his research which focuses on the social determinants of health, specifically self-efficacy, connectedness, and resiliency… Continue reading Ep. 443 Combatting Social Isolation: An Intergenerational Approach with Jeremy Holloway PhD