Send us a text In this week's episode, I talk with Helen Bower, host of the Heart of Hospice podcast. This is part 1 of a two-part interview. The following is a link to my guest episode of The Heart of Hospice Podcast. https://www.theheartofhospice.com/podcast/episode/23f1c2af/death-doulas-are-expert-guides-at-end-of-life As a nurse with 34 years of practice, Helen introduces her unique bond with Sonny, a 74-pound golden doodle, with whom she volunteers in hospice, offering solace to patients an...
May 05, 2024•36 min•Ep. 63
Send us a text My guest today is Sue Burns, author of the book A Common Life, A Voice from the Progressive Era where she published her great-great grandmother Mary's diary from the late 19th century Iowa farm life. We talk about the demographics of Iowa in the late 19th century., Her great great grandmother, Mary, managed to raise six children without losing any, although there might have been unrecorded miscarriages or infant deaths. Sue highlights that Mary's diary, like many others from the t...
Apr 28, 2024•46 min•Ep. 62
Send us a text Amy Flanagan has had a diverse career journey that led her to a unique role in medical education. Initially pursuing acting from a young age her passion shifted, leading her to the Uniformed Services University, the U.S. military's medical school. There, she played patients with different illnesses, aiding medical students in honing their diagnostic and communication skills. Her enthusiasm for teaching through experience propelled her to become the director of the facility, a role...
Apr 21, 2024•43 min
Send us a text My guest in this episode is Chaplain Hank Dunn. Hank is an ordained healthcare chaplain, bestselling author, and speaker who, for more than 30 years, has been helping patients and their families as they struggle with end-of-life decisions. In this episode emphasizes the importance of understanding these treatments as they may not always align with what's best at the end of life. His experience as a nursing home chaplain led to his involvement in ethical committees, especially afte...
Apr 14, 2024•43 min•Ep. 60
Send us a text Following the decision, I prioritized my aunt's comfort as we prepared to remove her oxygen support. The nurse and I made her as comfortable as possible, opting for comfort care with a touch of morphine to ease her pain. Reflecting on the day, I found solace in the serenity of the room. With all distractions muted, I held her hand, conveying love and reassurance, even reading aloud from "A Wrinkle in Time.”Despite initial hesitation, the book's themes of fear and acceptance resona...
Apr 02, 2024•45 min•Ep. 59
Send us a text In the latest episode, I share a personal experience of losing my aunt after her two-week stay in the ICU. Despite being familiar with medical procedures from my volunteer work, seeing a loved one in that setting was different. I remember walking into the ICU and hardly recognizing her. During her last days, the hospital ensured her comfort, although it was tough seeing her struggle. I had discussions with the palliative care team and understood the gravity of her condition. Refle...
Mar 24, 2024•42 min
Send us a text Marie Scott, the Creator and Founder of Happy and Healthy After Widowhood boasts an impressive resume as a best-selling author of three published books, with two more in the pipeline. She's also recognized internationally as a speaker and holds certifications as a Health and Grief Coach. Following the loss of Dave, her husband of three decades, and her mother in the same year, Marie pursued education, laying the groundwork for her life-changing program: the 7 Steps to Healing Afte...
Mar 17, 2024•42 min•Ep. 57
Send us a text Meloney, a first-generation BVI islander from Tortola in the Caribbean, shares her unique cultural background, heavily influenced by her Jamaican roots. She highlights the diverse religious and cultural landscape of Jamaica, including the presence of various ethnicities and religions. Despite being predominantly Christian, Jamaican culture is a fusion of different beliefs and practices. She delves into the intersection of Christianity and African spirituality in her upbringing, em...
Mar 10, 2024•46 min•Ep. 56
Send us a text Dr. Kim Harms has encountered numerous challenges throughout her 67 years. She endured the tragic losses of her mother, son, and husband, all to different circumstances. These losses prompted her to delve into the topic of death, exploring how individuals manage it and the impact it has on their lives. In her reflections, Kim highlights the unexpected nature of grief, especially when it comes to losing a child. She emphasizes the importance of confronting grief head-on and not all...
Mar 03, 2024•43 min•Ep. 55
Send us a text Isabel Knight, also known as The Death Designer, operates a unique business focused on end-of-life planning. She employs principles of human-centered design to assist individuals in navigating the complexities of death care. This approach involves co-creating systems and products with users to ensure they meet their needs effectively. Isabel emphasizes the importance of making death care more human-centered, aiming to alleviate the stress and confusion often associated with the pr...
Feb 25, 2024•45 min•Ep. 54
Send us a text Jen Henry was born and raised in Riverside, California, where she still resides. Her mission, which she refers to as lifestyle recovery, stems from her upbringing as an only child, where everything was handed to her without understanding the value of need or want. Despite having both parents, she felt disconnected and misunderstood, with her emotional intensity often overwhelming those around her. Tragedy struck early in Jen's life with the loss of numerous family members and frie...
Feb 18, 2024•50 min
Send us a text Meet Iris Van Nespen, a Belgian emergency room physician turned life coach. She's on a mission to help women, and people in general, reclaim their joy and self-acceptance. Iris emphasizes the importance of recognizing one's own beauty, believing that it leads to a more fulfilling life and, ultimately, contributes to world peace. Iris delves into the challenge of judgment, both self-judgment and judging others. Drawing from her experience in the emergency room, she emphasizes the n...
Feb 11, 2024•38 min•Ep. 52
Send us a text My guest this week is Deborah Grassman and for 30 years, she served as a hospice nurse practitioner within the Department of Veterans Affairs. While trained as a psychiatric nurse practitioner, her focus shifted towards hospice care, where she unearthed a unique revelation about trauma's transformation at life's end, an aspect not formally identified before. In her discussions, she shed light on the distinct challenges veterans faced during their end-of-life reflections, often lin...
Feb 04, 2024•39 min•Ep. 51
Send us a text Meet Brenda, a Londoner who, at 59, has dedicated most of her career to the charity sector, specifically working with Friends of the Earth, an environmental lobbying organization. Around four or five years ago, Brenda faced a challenging period at work, compounded by issues with her eye health and the onset of menopause. This stress took a toll on her physical health, leading to a month-long absence from work, during which she struggled to eat and experienced an undiagnosed illnes...
Jan 28, 2024•41 min•Ep. 50
Send us a text In the 1970s, Elizabeth Kubler Ross and Dame Cicely Saunders revolutionized our approach to death. While Kubler Ross emphasized the neglect of the dying in America, Saunders proposed a novel philosophy with her Hospice program. The focus shifted from mere medical treatment to a holistic approach of embracing life during the dying process. Our guest, Barbara Karnes, a registered nurse, embarked on her hospice journey driven by Saunders' vision. Inspired by the idea of creating a sp...
Jan 21, 2024•45 min
Send us a text My guests today are Kathleen McGee, Elder Care Coordinator and Director of Care Coordination at Rothkoff Law Group and Chelsea Duckers, one of the care coordinators at Rothkoff Law Group. In an ideal world, we'd all proactively plan for future challenges, especially as our needs change with age. Reality often sees us facing issues reactively. Rothkoff clients range from those in good health to those in crisis, spanning the entire spectrum. From recognizing fall risks and home modi...
Jan 14, 2024•47 min•Ep. 48
Send us a text In this episode, my guest is Narinder Bazen, founder of the Nine Keys Death Midwifery Apprenticeship. In her twenties as a Kundalini yoga and meditation teacher, Narinder found herself officiating weddings, blessing babies, and attending deaths within her community. Embracing her mystic roots, she began offering death care, grief care, and trauma care. Our discussion evolves into the challenges of death work in a society that often views it as women's work, carried out freely with...
Jan 07, 2024•43 min•Ep. 47
Send us a text In this end-of-2023 episode, my husband Stephen Wilson takes on the role of interviewer, leading a conversation where we explore our intertwined paths and how they've led us to appreciate life's impermanence. Drawing parallels with our careers in food service, we find beauty in life's temporary nature. The conversation turns personal as we discuss our polyamorous lifestyle and the complexities of navigating aging and end-of-life discussions with multiple partners, prompting intros...
Dec 03, 2023•56 min•Ep. 46
Send us a text Patricia Ayers is the Director of Clinical Services at Coras Wellness & Behavioral Health and she spent several years working for hospice and home care agencies. Eventually, she found herself teaching hospice at Stockton University for nine years, a role that she thoroughly enjoyed. In this episode we talk about how people misunderstand hospice, thinking it's a place to go rather than a program that comes to you wherever you are. Learning about hospice sparked her interest bec...
Nov 26, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Send us a text In today's episode my guest is Nancy Alterman, a therapist with a focus on helping adults navigate relationship challenges. Nancy believes that nothing matters more in life than our relationships. She brings a wealth of experience, with over 35 years dedicated to families facing medical crisis. Nancy emphasizes the immediate impact of clear objectives in the improvement process. Her expertise lies in strengthening communication and coping skills, guiding clients to address unresol...
Nov 19, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Send us a text In this podcast episode, we talk with Deb Driscoll, an author, spiritual teacher, and speaker, whose life has been a testament to the transformative power hidden within profound loss. Deb's story is about the heart-breaking tragedy of losing her 10-year-old son, Sage, a pivotal moment that shattered her world and set her on an unexpected path of healing and growth. As Deb shares her personal evolution through grief, the importance of embracing loss not merely as a source of pain b...
Nov 12, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Send us a text In this episode, I have a conversation with Eryn Johnson, a Philadelphia-based writer and facilitator, about her journey from a religious upbringing to her current spiritual beliefs. Eryn, whose work has graced publications like Well + Good, Insider, and Tilted House Magazine, brings a unique perspective to her exploration of queerness, mental health, spirituality, and healing. Eryn's background is rooted in a Southern Baptist Christian environment, where faith played a central ro...
Nov 05, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Send us a text Jeanette Sealy, a dedicated Yoga Therapist, loving mother of four, and a veteran of the United States Air Force, is on a mission to bring healing and transformation to people's lives. Her profound personal journey through complex trauma has given her a deep understanding of the healing potential of Yoga and Ayurveda. Since 1993, she has been unwaveringly committed to exploring the science of Yoga. As an Internationally Certified Yoga Therapist, Licensed Massage Therapist, and Tran...
Oct 29, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Send us a text Our guest, Sam Ruth, originally from Michigan but now in Colorado, shares her journey as a psychologist, author, and speaker. She met her husband in Michigan at 24, and they reconnected later but tragically, he passed away in Colorado at 46, just four years later. Sam turned to nature and the beauty of Colorado to heal. Sam's deep connection to spirituality emerged following her loss. In her work as a psychologist, Sam encounters many individuals dealing with practical and financi...
Oct 22, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Send us a text This week, we're deviating from our usual guest interviews due to a hectic week. Sometimes, life throws unexpected challenges our way. One such challenge happened to me recently when my minivan was struck by a drunk driver. It could have been much worse, but we're grateful that no one was hurt. This incident reaffirmed my deep appreciation for life and the importance of living in the moment. I've always emphasized the significance of mindfulness and death awareness, and this exper...
Oct 15, 2023•9 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Send us a text In this podcast episode, I'm joined by Tony Lynch, the founder of The Global Grief Network, a worldwide community of grief workers, mental health practitioners, and coaches. This community is all about raising awareness, sharing knowledge, and providing support to each other. During our conversation, Tony shares his personal journey of spiritual growth, self-acceptance, and self-discovery, all while facing the challenges of grief. We delve into the importance of self-reflection, u...
Oct 08, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Send us a text My guest this week is Casey Stevens. We had a heartwarming conversation about her incredible journey. High school was a turning point in her life, marked by a profound loss and her parents played a pivotal role in helping her navigate this grief by openly discussing death and grieving. This experience, along with her volunteer work with people at the end of life, set her on a path to a career in spiritual psychology. Casey helps others break free from unproductive patterns and und...
Oct 02, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Send us a text Nadia grew up in a family of spiritual seekers who openly discussed death. They believed that death wasn't an end but a transition to another dimension. Her mother's peaceful passing in October 2020 was a result of their many conversations about death, making it less frightening. Her goal today is to stress the importance of open conversations about death to make it less scary and traumatic. Often, society disconnects from discussions about death, grieving, and building meaningful...
Sep 24, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Send us a text In this episode, I spoke with Bryan Adler, an elder care attorney from the Rothkoff Law Group. My curiosity about elder care law grew when I began working as a death doula, and I was eager to learn more from Bryan. Bryan shared that their firm, the Rothkoff Law Group, is committed to educating the public about issues related to the elderly and the professionals who assist them. When someone reaches out to them, whether it's a family member or the individual themselves, they often ...
Sep 17, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Send us a text In this episode, we're joined by Ariell Kirylo, a dear friend of mine for over two decades. She recently reached out to me after a year of supporting her friend Stephen, who tragically passed away at the age of 51 due to a sudden brain tumor. Ariell wanted to share her experiences and insights from this journey. Many of us find it challenging to navigate end-of-life situations because it's often kept distant, hidden away in sterile hospital environments. Ariell's story is an inspi...
Sep 10, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 34
