Dr. Joshua Black is a grief researcher, speaker, author, consultant, online course instructor, and host of the Grief Dreams Podcast. He has focused all of his MA and PhD research (in psychology) on investigating dreams in bereavement (also known as grief dreams) and continuing bonds from many types of loss (including prenatal loss and pet loss). Most of his academic research and publications have specifically been on dreams of the deceased. Dr. Black is considered one of the world’s leading acad...
May 04, 2021•1 hr 9 min
Jessica Wertz is a ceramic artist and the founder of Spirit Vessel. Spirit Vessel provides the tools to create personalized celebration of life ceremonies - whether you're pre-planning your own ceremony, having a living memorial ceremony, or a memorial service in the comfort of your home or via webcasting services. It aims to restore the use of intimate ceremony around death by creating a guideline for meaningful connection through interaction. Jessica’s intention is to help individuals and fami...
Apr 06, 2021•48 min
In today's episode, I spoke to Dr. Christopher Kerr, who is a hospice physician and an end-of-life researcher about end-of-life dreams and visions. These dreams and visions are significant, subjective experiences within the dying process that occur while asleep or awake. They can happen hours, weeks, or even months before a person passes and may increase in frequency as patients approach death. To date, he and his research team at Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo have published multiple stu...
Mar 24, 2021•30 min
Dr. Bruce Greyson is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the UVA School of Medicine . He served on the medical school faculty at the Universities of Michigan, Connecticut, and Virginia. He was a co-founder and President of the International Association for Near-Death Studies, and Editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies . Most recently, he penned AFTER based on nearly five decades of research about near-death experiences (NDEs). In this week's episode, we look at ...
Mar 09, 2021•44 min
In this episode, I speak to Christina Andreola, founder of New Narrative Memorials, about virtual funerals - how the industry is booming, her experience as an event planner, horror stories, and about families she has helped. Christina also shares some of her favorite resources and people in the death-care space. _________________________ Connect with Christina! Website: https://www.newnarrative.ca/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newnarrativememorials/ __________________________ Get in touc...
Feb 23, 2021•50 min
Tiffany Hopkins began studying mediumship after moving into her great-great grandmother's cottage in Lily Dale, which is the world's largest community of Spiritualists. Spiritualism is a religious movement that began in the 19th century based on the belief that the spirits of the dead exist and we can communicate with them. In today's episode, Tiffany takes us on a historical journey beginning with how the movement was started and ending with modern-day spiritualist churches and communities. If ...
Feb 10, 2021•58 min
In today's episode I speak to Christina Pratt, who is a practicing shaman. She's also the author of the two volume Encyclopedia of Shamanism , runs The Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing , and is the host of the Why Shamanism Now Podcast. She is pioneering new shamanic techniques to deal with the illnesses of our times. Her current focus is on the healing of our ancestral lines to release the growing burden on the living of the unresolved energies of the dead and the initiation of our young i...
Jan 26, 2021•1 hr 13 min
Tina “Kat” Courtney, The AfterLife Coach , is a traditionally trained Ayahuasquera + Huachumera and plant medicine guide. She works as a psychedelics integration coach, helping people make sense of transformative experiences such as doing Ayahuasca. Tune in and learn how Kat helps people prepare for and make sense of altered spaces, spiritual breakdowns, and even death itself (ego death). Fascinating conversation looking at death through a completely different lens! Don't miss out! _____________...
Jan 12, 2021•36 min
Megan Carmichael is an independent funeral consultant whose main focus is building awareness around professional deathcare and encouraging others to join this line of work. She is part of the Dive Into Death collective ( https://www.diveintodeath.com/ ) and a co-founder of DeathcareConnect ( https://www.deathcareconnect.com ). We spoke about her journey into the deathcare space and her solutions to finding different gaps within the industry. We also talked about her many projects to connect peop...
Dec 30, 2020•1 hr 3 min
After a 3 month pause, I'm back with bi-weekly episodes! In this episode, Kelly and I talk about the ins & outs of post mortem photography, spirit photography & the history of spiritualism and seances, as well as photography of the dead during The Civil War. Kelly Christian is a Chicago based writer and future archivist. She is interested in the intersection of technology and systems of power in relation to death and mourning in American culture. Her graduate work explored post-mortem ph...
Dec 16, 2020•56 min
In this episode, I talk to Erica Buist, a journalist and writer from London, England. After finding her father-in-law dead after a week, she decided to visit seven death festivals - one for every day they didn't find Chris. From Mexico to Nepal, Sicily, Thailand, Madagascar, Japan and finally Indonesia, Erica chronicles her experiences in her first book, This Party's Dead , which comes out in February 2021. We discussed the lessons learned from visiting all seven death festivals, her journey wit...
Sep 10, 2020•1 hr 4 min
On this episode, I talk to Karen McDonnell Hilligoss, author of How Dr. Wayne W. Dyer Taught Me That Life Is Worth Living. In 2015, shortly after the death of Dr. Dyer, Karen started to experience miracles surrounding him. These experiences helped Karen spiritually evolve into accepting several serious diagnoses involving her children's health that had previously caused her to lose her faith. Join me as Karen tells us about how these signs from Dr. Dyer taught her that there is no such thing as ...
Sep 01, 2020•1 hr 7 min
On today's episode, I spoke to Marisa Meddin, who, aside from being a coach, is also a medium. A few years ago, Marisa discovered she's a psychic medium who had the gift of communicating with those who had passed on through written format. That's right - she writes letters with words and messages from those who have passed on. We really let our conversation flow on this episode. We talked about mediumship, signs, quantum physics, reincarnation, her travels, past lives, her ayahuasca journey, and...
Aug 25, 2020•57 min
On today's episode I talked to Lisa Nisleit, founder of MVP Castings. She specializes in all types of life casting including babies, couples and families and, most importantly, in end-of-life castings. We talked about her story, her passion, and the lessons learned from working closely with death. _________________________ Connect with Lisa! Website: http://mvpcastings.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MVPCastings/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Mvp_life_castings ____________________...
Aug 18, 2020•52 min
On today's episode, I talked to the lovely Shaina Garfield, founder of Leaves With You, which was founded by Shaina to help others feel more connected to one another and the Earth when they or a loved one are at the end of their life. Shaina draws on her design background and meditation practice to hold space for the families with whom she co-creates coffins and rituals. Shaina and I talked about her story, the importance of the weaving ritual, traditional coffins, rituals in other cultures, the...
Aug 04, 2020•50 min
On today's episode, I talked to Vivencia's founder, Mariana Bandera. She's an Anthropologist & Archaeologist who has an affinity to the past, shaping who we are and who we want to be. She has a deep connection to the ceremony of death throughout all cultures and how memories are preserved. We discussed her Mexican culture and its relationship to death, her work with archeology, and the importance of connecting to our ancestors through ritual. We also talked about her amazing company, Vivenci...
Jul 28, 2020•49 min
This one's a little different! Here I present to you guys a recording of my event with 'Reimagine: Life, Loss & Love', where a group of us played The Death Deck and got into some interesting conversations surrounding death, dying, and the afterlife. Reimagine Festival is going on until September 1st and they have a packed schedule with amazing speakers and workshops. To access the schedule of events, check out the link below. Enjoy! _________________________ Reimagine: https://letsreimagine....
Jul 21, 2020•1 hr 23 min
Today I talked to Cathy Byrd, author of 'The Boy Who Knew Too Much: An Astounding True Story of a Young Boy's Past Life Memories'. At the age of two, Cathy's son, Christian, began sharing vivid memories of being a baseball player in the 1920s and ’30s. From riding cross-country on trains, to his rivalry with Babe Ruth, Christian described historical facts about the life of baseball legend Lou Gehrig that he could not have possibly known at the time. Join me as Cathy recounts her journey from ske...
Jul 14, 2020•52 min
Emily Cross is an end-of-life doula, musician, and artist. She's also the founder of Steady Waves Living Funeral Ceremonies , a transformative, immersive experience intended to spur serious reflection about mortality and life priorities. On today's episode, Emily talks to us about a virtual living funeral ceremony, which is an experiential meditation on mortality. The ceremony is an invitation to connect deeply with the mystery and richness of one’s life as well as an opportunity to reflect on t...
Jul 07, 2020•35 min
Wendy Rose Williams is a Certified Spiritual Teacher, a hypnotherapist specializing in past-life regression, a Reiki Master Energy Healer, author, and speaker. She helps people release energy that no longer serves them so that they can lead a happier, healthier life filled with purpose. On this episode we talk about so much juicy stuff! We get into her near-death experience (NDE), recall of her past lives, life between lives, past life regressions, and even soulmates and soul contracts. I wouldn...
Jun 30, 2020•1 hr 7 min
Ian’s life was dramatically changed when both his sister aged 28 and his mother aged 57 passed away in the space of two years. Neither his sister or mother had spoken with the family about what they would like to happen in the event of their deaths, so the family was left asking questions during a time when they were struggling with the grief of losing a loved one. This is what led Ian to found Once I’ve Gone, an industry leading platform that makes it easy for you to record details of your impo...
Jun 23, 2020•34 min
On this super fun episode, I spoke to Lori LoCicero, a freelance writer, and Lisa Pahl, a Hospice Social Worker and ER Crisis Interventionist. They're both the creators of The Death Deck, a game and tool that allows friends and family members to open up and share thoughts, stories and preferences about life and death in a non-threatening and surprisingly fun way. We talked about the birth of their friendship, what went into The Death Deck's creation, some of our favorite cards, and how their liv...
Jun 16, 2020•54 min
Corey L. Kennard is a Pastor of Amplify Christian Church and also serves as an activist in the field of healthcare with over a decade of experience in the areas of Palliative Care and Hospice. On today's episode we discuss advance care planning which is a process that enables individuals to make plans about their future health care, particularly at the end of life, in the event that they're not able to communicate those decisions themselves. We discuss: Faith and spirituality at the end of life ...
Jun 09, 2020•56 min
On June of 1985 while dying in a hospital in Paris, Howard Storm had a near-death experience. On this episode, he tells us about his 'descent into death' - how he was tormented by beings in hell, saved and taken to heaven after having called out to Jesus, given a life review and had all of his questions answered by God. Despite having been an atheist his entire life, his NDE changed his perspective and he is now a Christian pastor. Join me as Howard tells us about his fascinating journey and all...
Jun 02, 2020•1 hr 16 min
Alica Forneret is a writer and facilitator creating spaces for people to explore their grief. She's committed to making sure there's more conversation around grief, death, and dying - whether that’s at home, at work, or with strangers on the bus. She's the founder and host of the Dead Moms Club, a space where those who have lost their mom can connect in-person and virtually through events, storytelling, and more. On this episode, we talk about: Her story Misconceptions around stages of grief How...
May 26, 2020•46 min
Bre Martel is a Death Doula, Death Educator & Holistic Living Advocate bringing the Revolution of Death to the forefront of people’s minds. With a background in Mental Health, Mindfulness and a passion for bridging international cultures, she binds wisdom and knowledge to deepen the doors of perception around Death Culture. She views herself as an energetic gatekeeper between the human realm and the beyond - opening people to the deeper dimensions of death, and bringing light to how that act...
May 19, 2020•53 min
On today's episode I talk to Arielle Friedtanzer, an end-of-life consultant, about Jewish customs and rituals surrounding death and mourning. We talk about: The impact of her grandparents' deaths on her family Value-based end of life work Jewish customs around death, funerals & mourning Jewish law & suicide Judaism & grief __________________________ Connect with Arielle! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EndofLifeQuestions/ LinkedIn: http://www. linkedin.com/in/ariellefriedtanzer229...
May 12, 2020•1 hr 10 min
Welcome to the first episode of My Dance with Death series! On this episode, I talk to David Ditchfield, who is a near-death experience (NDE)-inspired artist, composer, and author. In 2006, he was dragged under a speeding train in a freak accident. As the surgeons fought to save him, he had a profound NDE. When he woke up in the hospital, he had acquired astonishing new abilities. He found he could paint dramatic paintings of what he had seen in the Afterlife, far beyond any artistic ability he ...
May 05, 2020•53 min
On today's episode, I speak to Dawn Whelan, an end-of-life doula. We talk about: What an end-of-life doula is Why death is considered taboo How to combat the fear of death The importance of a 'bucket list' aka Dawn's Dash List Dash Parties The Unspoken Project Unspoken Project http://its-your-dash.com/index.php/unspoken-project/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/768553413672930/ Websites: www.mylastgift.com and www.its-your-dash.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyLastGiftLLC/ https://www.fac...
Apr 28, 2020•42 min
Just a quick little introduction - letting you know who I am, how this podcast came about, and what it's about. Check out Fiama Lore , my brand & web design studio for disruptors in sex-positive and death-positive spaces 🖤
Apr 24, 2020•6 min
