Gail Rubin, The Doyenne of Death, has been talking about death and dying for years - and she’s still alive.  As an award-winning death speaker, Gail uses humor and film clips to educate the public about advance care planning, funeral pre-planning, and estate planning.  She’s a Certified Thanatologist and a featured speaker at TEDxABQ, where she spoke on “A Good Goodbye”.  Gail is the author of four books on end-of-life, including A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die.  She also designed the Newly-Dead Game, a thought-provoking way to help start fu ..read more

Jennifer O’Brien is sharing details of her caregiving journey, telling the story of her husband’s life-limiting illness and how she’s learned to make the most of Precious Time.  After working 35+ years as a practice management consultant to physicians, Jennifer supported her husband Bob up to and through the end of his life.  As a hospice and palliative care physician, Bob knew what to expect from his illness.  He and Jennifer experienced all the ups and downs of serious illness and caregiving for someone who’s dying.  The art journal she kept as a form of self-care during ..read more

The story of the terminal illness and death of Kimberly Acquaviva’s wife Kathy is powerful, intense, real… and human. As a hospice social worker and LGBTQ+ community advocate, Kim knows what good end of life care looks like. During their experience with Kathy’s end stage cervical cancer, the women discovered that none of the hospice agencies where they lived had LGBTQ - inclusive non-discrimination statements. Both Kathy and Kim were determined not to settle for anything less than the best care. They made the decision not to use hospice.   In this interview, Kimbe ..read more

Senator Meg Kappel turned her experience as a caregiver for her terminally ill mother into advocacy and now works to promote hospice care in her home state.  Meg believes a true legacy - one that lasts - is a legacy of kindness. Years of working as a special education teacher taught her the importance of seeing people and meeting them where they are. As a caregiver along with her siblings, Meg experienced all the nuances of caregiving for her mom. Her mom chose hospice care when her ovarian cancer grew beyond treatment. Meg advocated for her mother and ensured her wishes we ..read more

Supporting people who are grieving is fulfilling, joyful work. Just ask Help Texts founder Emma Payne. After having a personal loss, Emma realized how much we could improve how we support grievers. She’d spent years working in the tech space. That knowledge helped launch Help Texts. Their service provides grief support for events like pregnancy loss, pet loss, and death of a loved one.   The needs of grievers came into sharp focus for Emma when she was asked to deliver a eulogy for a close friend, ten years after the loss of her husband by suicide. The funera ..read more

Joelle Johns believes telling people they’re dying gives them an opportunity to say the goodbyes, do the final things they want to do, apologize, and forgive. Joelle is a death midwife and grief counselor, as well as a pastoral thanatologist and clinical chaplain, having just completed her designation as a Board Certified Clinical Chaplain (BCC). She also holds a certificate in Death Midwifery.  As a pastoral thanatologist, Joelle supports those dying and those grieving, coaching them in healthy psychospiritual habits. Advance care plan conversations are also part of h ..read more

Death Doula Jo-Anne Haun has found growth and meaning in working with the dying.  As co-founder of Death Doula Network International, Jo-Anne works to support and educate about the work of death doulas.  Jo-Anne uses her personal gift of gentle humor in her volunteer work as a therapy clown (Code Name: Buttons). Jo-Anne’s habit of incorporating a little fun into a discussion about end of life wishes is a gentle lead-in to deeper conversations about dying and death.   You can connect with Jo-Anne Haun at eola.ca. Find Death Doula Network International at ddint.com. &nbs ..read more

Death literacy advocate and Community Doula Francesca Arnoldy is sharing the role of a death doula and how to support someone through a time of intensity.  She’s the author of The Death Doula's Guide to Living Fully and Dying Prepared, a workbook that offers the opportunity ​​to explore mortality and end-of-life care planning.  In her work as an end of life doula, Francesca focuses on end of life planning conversations.  She’s seen the benefits of exploring those EOL wishes, freeing us to live more fully and recognize the opportunities in the time that’s left.  Francesca re ..read more

Award-winning End of Life Educator Barbara Karnes takes a deep dive into the unique challenges of caring for someone with dementia at end of life.  Caregivers often find their responsibilities accumulating over time as the disease trajectory continues. They’re forced to live in the present, to see their loved one as who they are today.  The goal is to bring joy and quality of life to a beloved today, in this moment.   Hospice care for a person with end stage dementia can be tricky.  The timing of the admission is often difficult to determine, and patients are often dis ..read more

*Trigger warning - this episode contains a description of an intense death event and the death of a child.  Please make space for your self care if you find the topic overwhelming. Juli Henderson has turned the loss of her son into meaningful advocacy, sharing her wisdom with other caregivers. Juli and her husband Chris were the parents of a son, Robert. Robert had a rare mitochondrial disorder. Genetic testing revealed that he had a gene alteration that predisposed him to seizures and developmental disorders. Robert’s disease was progressive, and he was eventually diagnose ..read more