Send us a text In this episode of Seeing Death Clearly, Holocaust survivor Ben Lesser shares his incredible journey of survival, resilience, and hope. At 96 years old, Ben recounts his story with remarkable detail, leaving no need for questions during this one-and-a-half-hour conversation. His experiences, detailed further in his memoir Living a Life That Matters: From Nazi Nightmare to American Dream , are both harrowing and inspiring. Born in Kraków, Poland, in 1928, Ben was one of seven famil...
Dec 08, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 93
Send us a text In this episode, Liz Fiedler shares her remarkable journey of resilience, transformation, and finding joy after profound loss. Raised on a cattle farm in Southwest Minnesota, Liz cultivated a love for agriculture, leadership, and flowers. Life took a pivotal turn when she married Josh, a man deeply connected to farming, and together they purchased 40 acres of his family’s original farmstead. Tragedy struck in 2020 when Josh unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack, leaving Liz...
Dec 01, 2024•46 min•Ep. 92
Send us a text David Edey, a certified executive advisor with over 35 years of experience, joins the podcast to share insights from his book Executor Help: How to Settle an Estate, Pick an Executor, and Avoid Family Fights . Inspired by his seven-year struggle to settle his parents' estate—despite them having a will—David provides practical guidance to help families avoid the legal battles, financial burdens, and emotional turmoil he endured. David explains three essential steps for end-of-life ...
Nov 24, 2024•43 min•Ep. 91
Send us a text In this episode, Kate Carson, a love, sex, and relationship coach, shares her transformative journey from scientist to a supportive guide for couples navigating grief and intimacy. After losing her baby at eight months pregnant, she faced the impact of profound loss on her relationships and sexuality, and she soon recognized a gap in resources for others experiencing similar struggles. Kate joined a peer support group and quickly noticed the lack of guidance addressing how grief a...
Nov 17, 2024•46 min
Send us a text Adam Zuckerman has a unique and varied background, holding both a law degree and an MBA. His path took a different turn that led him to his current work, which revolves around estate planning and end-of-life organization. Despite his accomplishments in law and business, Adam uses his expertise in a less conventional but deeply impactful way through his company, Buried in Work . The service focuses on helping people simplify and organize their estate information, ensuring a seamles...
Nov 13, 2024•46 min•Ep. 89
Send us a text In this episode my guest is Naila Francis, a grief coach, poet, interfaith minister, and community grief tender dedicated to providing compassionate, holistic support for those navigating grief, loss, and dying. Born in Barbados and raised across several Caribbean islands, she moved to the Philadelphia area as a child. Her early career as a journalist and greeting card writer offered her unique insights into the human experience, but her path shifted as she felt called to work mor...
Nov 03, 2024•47 min•Ep. 88
Send us a text Whitney Chew, born and raised in California, recently moved to New York. As a physician, she completed her residency during the pandemic. However, less than a year after finishing, Whitney realized that being a physician wasn’t her long-term calling. During this time, she witnessed immense death and dying, not only in her role as a physician but also on a personal level with the loss of loved ones. This experience gave her unique insight into both sides of the healthcare system—bo...
Oct 27, 2024•37 min•Ep. 87
Send us a text Dr. Bob Uslander, based in San Diego, runs a medical practice called Empowered Endings with his wife and partner, Elizabeth. Their work focuses on supporting people through difficult end-of-life journeys and providing personalized in-home care, including palliative care, dementia care, geriatric care, and more. With a holistic, high-touch approach, their team of compassionate professionals ensures patients and their families receive the support they need during these challenging t...
Oct 20, 2024•46 min•Ep. 86
Send us a text Kelly Butler, based in Ottawa, Ontario, has lived in various parts of Canada and the U.S. She’s a mother of five and has worked in the realm of death and dying for 30 years, starting with hospice work in Atlanta, Georgia. For Kelly, the cycle of birth and death reflects life itself—beginnings and endings intertwined in a continuous flow. Her work has spanned decades, and she recently completed her master’s in health sciences. Kelly is the founder of Community Deathcare Ottawa, a c...
Oct 13, 2024•39 min•Ep. 84
Send us a text Jill Bodak, an osteopath in Toronto, Ontario, shares the deeply personal story of her father’s stroke in 2020, which flipped her world upside down. His stroke happened unexpectedly while skiing on the other side of the country, and what followed was an intense two-year journey of caregiving. Initially told that he wouldn’t survive, her father defied the odds but was left in a severely compromised state, requiring Jill to become his primary caregiver. Over time, her father expresse...
Oct 06, 2024•40 min•Ep. 84
Send us a text In this episode, David Downie shares his profound journey, reflecting on his life and health as he nears the end of his time. Now in his 70s, he opens up about his long battle with heart issues, including multiple valve surgeries, and the challenges he's faced in managing his condition. David candidly discusses the reality of doctors losing interest when patients can no longer be "fixed." He explains his decision to stop pursuing further treatments, choosing instead to focus on co...
Sep 29, 2024•32 min•Ep. 83
Send us a text This episode is the first part of a two part episode where I had a deeply personal conversation with my friend David Downie, a former nurse who worked during the early days of the HIV pandemic. As someone who grew up in the 80s, I was aware of the epidemic but didn’t understand the full scope of what it was like for those on the frontlines. A few weeks ago, while on a phone call with David, I learned more about his powerful story, and I knew I had to invite him to share his experi...
Sep 22, 2024•31 min•Ep. 82
Send us a text Dr. Viola Pierce, or Dr. V, has had a truly remarkable journey in the nursing profession, from starting as an LPN to becoming a doctorally prepared nurse with extensive experience in the emergency department. Her passion for nursing and education is evident in her commitment to helping other nurses not only survive but thrive in their careers. Through her work as a nurse business coach, Dr. V empowers nurse coaches and consultants to build successful businesses that allow them to ...
Sep 15, 2024•42 min•Ep. 81
Send us a text Rose Luardo is a vibrant, multifaceted artist living in South Philadelphia, where she engages in various odd jobs, art projects, and gigs. She's a person who's always been intrigued—and admittedly a bit obsessed—with the concept of death. In this episode of Seeing Death Clearly , Rose reflects on the human condition and our relationship with mortality, presenting a perspective that challenges conventional views of human exceptionalism. She questions why humans consider themselves ...
Sep 08, 2024•37 min•Ep. 80
Send us a text Rose Luardo is a vibrant, multifaceted artist living in South Philadelphia, where she engages in various odd jobs, art projects, and gigs. She's a person who's always been intrigued—and admittedly a bit obsessed—with the concept of death, a curiosity that began in her childhood, possibly sparked by watching The Exorcist too young. This fascination with the unknown led her to create a coffin for a 2017 exhibition at Practice Gallery, an object she couldn't part with and eventually ...
Sep 01, 2024•33 min•Ep. 79
Send us a text Indra Rinzler is an astrologer who has been on a spiritual journey for over 50 years, specializing in Vedic astrology and the Enneagram of Personality. His work focuses on helping people discover their true selves, beyond who they think they are. With a unique perspective shaped by his extensive time in India and a deep commitment to spiritual growth, Indra shares his insights on life, happiness, and the inevitable journey toward death. Moving to California, he started a commune w...
Aug 25, 2024•41 min•Ep. 78
Send us a text Stephanie Chevrier, an artist based in Vancouver, Canada, has found herself deeply immersed in the exploration of death, reality, and what it means to be human. As an artist, she primarily works as a tattoo artist and illustrator, with a strong affinity for black ink. However, her curiosity extends far beyond her artistic pursuits, as she delves into the mysteries of consciousness and the afterlife. Stephanie’s journey into the death space began with a fascination for near-death e...
Aug 18, 2024•44 min•Ep. 77
Send us a text Rev. Christine Davies, the director of pastoral care at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, shares her journey into hospital chaplaincy. As an ACPE supervisor and seminary professor, she teaches the art of hospital chaplaincy and educates clergy. Christine’s path began with a deep connection to her local Presbyterian church, a passion for helping others, and an early career as an EMT. This combination of experiences led her to shift from a pre-med...
Aug 11, 2024•44 min•Ep. 76
Send us a text Yvonne Caputo, from Southeastern Pennsylvania, is deliciously semi-retired after a varied career. She began in education, moved to the area, and leveraged her second master's degree in clinical psychology to work in employee assistance. Eventually, she became the vice president of human resources for a retirement community, which was her last full-time job. Her experience in the retirement community provided deep insights into aging, observing both the grace and struggles of resid...
Aug 04, 2024•50 min•Ep. 75
Send us a text In this episode, George Ackerman, also known as “Sharon's son George”, shares his deeply personal journey of caring for his mother, who battled Parkinson's disease. He lost his mother, Sharon Riff Ackerman, on 1/1/2020 due to Parkinson's Disease. To honor his mother and continue helping in the Parkinson's awareness cause, George started TogetherForSharon® as a family initiative to keep Sharon Riff Ackerman's memory alive and to spread the message of Parkinson's Awareness and hope ...
Jul 28, 2024•37 min•Ep. 74
Send us a text Dr. Marie Gasper Hulvat, hailing from Canton, Ohio, originally grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. She is a human design specialist, an intuitive EFT practitioner, and a trained Reiki master teacher in the Tibetan Usui tradition. Her journey began with Reiki, where during her Reiki One training, she encountered disembodied souls for the first time, an intense and sometimes painful experience. Throughout her practice, Dr. Hulvat has encountered various souls, from children afraid of going ...
Jul 21, 2024•35 min•Ep. 73
Send us a text Sean Lynch has been writing his whole life. His first poetry book was published over a decade ago in 2013; since then, he's released four more. His latest book, “Halo Nest: poems on grief” is a deeply personal collection about grief, began nearly seven years ago after his mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2016. Sean's mother battled the disease for about a year before passing away at 59. The new poetry book is intimately tied to places, Sean often visited his mother at O...
Jul 07, 2024•40 min•Ep. 72
Send us a text Shelby Forsythia helps grieving people move through the pain and overwhelm of loss to experience peace, purpose, and joy again. She believes everyone deserves a good life, even if it’s not the one they thought they’d be living. Shelby Forsythia (she/her) is a grief coach, author, and podcast host. In 2020, she founded Life After Loss Academy, an online course and community that has helped dozens of grievers grow and find their way after death, divorce, diagnosis, and other major l...
Jun 30, 2024•46 min•Ep. 71
Send us a text Dr. Jeffrey Sankoff, originally from Montreal, Quebec, Canada moved to Denver over two decades ago, where he has been practicing as an emergency physician while raising their children. Outside of medicine, Dr. Sankoff is an avid triathlete and triathlon coach, hosting a podcast on the sport. He shares how early-career doctors often grapple with feelings of failure when a patient dies, a process complicated by the litigious nature of the medical environment. Laws allowing physician...
Jun 23, 2024•44 min•Ep. 70
Send us a text Lisa Pahl is a licensed clinical social worker in LA, she has extensive experience in community mental health, domestic violence, and supporting survivors of torture. Early in her career, she worked at the Florida Center for Survivors of Torture, and after moving to LA, she worked in community mental health for several years. She then switched to working in hospice care, where she found her true calling. In 2018, she co-created The Death Deck with her business partner, Lori. The i...
Jun 16, 2024•39 min•Ep. 69
Send us a text In this episode of Seeing Death Clearly, I spoke with my friend Ashley Holmes, a Holistic Fertility Coach dedicated to supporting women struggling with infertility by bringing mind, body, and spirit into balance. Her journey began from personal experience, facing her own fertility challenges, which inspired her to help others. Ashley noticed the widespread, unspoken grief and suffering that comes with infertility and miscarriage. To provide a supportive community, she created a Fa...
Jun 09, 2024•45 min•Ep. 68
Send us a text My guest in this episode is Stephanie Jones. One significant childhood memory involves the first time she remembers discussing death. This incident led to a brief conversation about death, spurred by her grandmother's passing soon after. Growing up as a Jehovah's Witness, death was framed within the context of resurrection and an afterlife, which provided some comfort but also left her with many unanswered questions. Leaving the Jehovah's Witness faith at 22 was a pivotal moment. ...
Jun 02, 2024•41 min•Ep. 67
Send us a text In this episode, my guest is Dr. Brendan Kwiatkowski, an educator, researcher, and speaker focused on the social-emotional development and well-being of boys and men. Brendan, who earned his Ph.D. in Education from the University of Edinburgh in 2023, conducted an in-depth study on the emotions, masculinities, and schooling experiences of teenage boys. His interdisciplinary research merges psychology, sociology, and education to humanize and empower participants by giving voice to...
May 26, 2024•44 min•Ep. 66
Send us a text In this episode, my guest is Ashley Oppon, host of "Dine with the Divine." Ashley, a registered nurse from New Jersey, describes her nursing job as her "muggle job," revealing her love for theology and religion. Growing up Catholic, Ashley's curiosity led her to explore various faiths, finding something meaningful in each. This exploration shaped her understanding of human belief systems and the cultural significance of faith worldwide. Ashley's professional journey in oncology fo...
May 19, 2024•45 min•Ep. 65
Send us a text In this week's episode, I talk with Helen Bauer, host of the Heart of Hospice podcast. This is part 2 of a two-part interview. Over the years, she's observed a profound inward shift in patients as they approach death, noticing changes in their communication and socialization long before their bodies begin to shut down. In describing the dying process, she emphasizes the profound stillness she's witnessed at the moment of death, reflecting on the sacredness and emptiness of the phy...
May 12, 2024•33 min•Ep. 64
