Conversations on Death

On this episode I talked to Barb Higgins who is a mother, author, podcaster, coach, and teacher. We chat about her life story - of losing children, her grief journey and how she was able to find joy and meaning in the face of tragedy. Beautiful yet difficult story worth listening to. Enjoy!__________________________Connect with Barb!WebsiteMolly B. Foundation Instagram Podcast BookCheck out Fiama Lore, my brand & web design studio for disruptors in sex-positive and death-positive spaces

On this episode, I chat with Ryan Matthew Cohn and Regina Marie Rossi about their upcoming book, The Witch's Door: Oddities & Tales from the Esoteric to the Extreme, and their experience collecting oddities and curiosities. We talk about how they met, their beginnings of collecting, some of their favorite items, potentially haunted dolls they owned, Ryan's involvement in the reality TV show Oddities, Regina's Oddities Flea Market, and much more. This is a fun one! Enjoy!__________Connect with Ryan & Regina!Oddities Flea Market WebsiteOddities Flea Market InstagramRyan's InstagramRegina's InstagramCheck out Fiama Lore, my brand & web design studio for disruptors in sex-positive and death-positive spaces

Stephanie Rodriguez is a certified Grief Counselor with specializations in Child and Adolescent Grief and Animal Companion Loss Support. She has been a practicing Grief Counselor, Support Group Facilitator, Death Midwife, and End-of-Life Speaker and Educator since 2004. We chat about pet hospice, decision making process for euthanizing your pet, disenfranchised grief, rituals for honoring your pet, adapting to a new loss, and  navigating your grief.Hope this episode helps you or a loved one! Enjoy!__________________________Connect with Stephanie!WebsiteTiktokYouTubeFacebookInstagramCheck out Fiama Lore, my brand & web design studio for disruptors in sex-positive and death-positive spaces

Jennifer Muldowney, also known as The Glam Reaper, is a modern memorial planner, author, and speaker dedicated to transforming the funeral industry with a focus on personalized planning, digital legacies, and environmental impact. Through her business, Muldowney Memorials, Jennifer helps families create meaningful and unique farewells for their loved ones. We chat funeral industry, her work as a celebrant, and digital legacies! She is so freaking fun - enjoy! __________________________Connect with Jennifer Muldowney! WebsiteInstagram (Jennifer's)Instagram (Muldowney Memorials')TwitterLinkedInTEDx TalkCheck out Fiama Lore, my brand & web design studio for disruptors in sex-positive and death-positive spaces

Dr Dan O'Brien is a historian of death in eighteenth century England. His research focuses on the development of the funeral trade and the funerals which it performed. He has also focused on funerary journeys and the exciting topic of death at sea. And these are all the cool things we talk about on this episode! Enjoy!__________________________Connect with Dr.  O'Brien!TwitterInstagramThreadsBlueskyCheck out Fiama Lore, my brand & web design studio for disruptors in sex-positive and death-positive spaces

Marie Carter is a writer, tour guide, and tour guide developer. Her Scottish upbringing is responsible for her fascination with macabre, strange, forgotten, and ghostly histories. Combining that with her passion for New York City, she became a licensed tour guide, as well as researcher and developer with Boroughs of the Dead over nine years ago.Her most recent book, Mortimer and the Witches: A History of 19th-Century Fortune Tellers, was released this year and that's what we talk about on this episode along with 19th century NYC dealings with death, spiritualism, fortune tellers, Mortimer's Thomson's obsession to bring these “witches” down, NYC cemeteries, The General Slocum Disaster, super cool ghost tours at Boroughs of the Dead AND Roosevelt Island's dark history.__________________________Connect with Marie!InstagramWebsiteBoroughs of the Dead Tours__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeCheck out Fiama Lore, my brand & web design studio for disruptors in sex-positive and death-positive spaces

Candice Johnson is a transformational coach, but she's also an alternative cancer treatment advocate and concierge nurse and death doula. Her vision in the clinical industry is for patients and family members to understand what other options outside of the pharmaceutical fear complex are available for them and their treatments.On this episode, she shares with us her experience as a nurse and the what and how behind her advocacy towards a different way of tackling cancer and the dying process as a whole. __________________________Helpful LinksBook: A World Without CancerDeath CafesConnect with Candice!FacebookYoutubeInstagram__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Aoife is a doctoral researcher at the University of Bradford in archaeological and forensic sciences. Her research focuses on the display and acquisition of 18th-19th century anatomical specimens, and how they are viewed in museums today. She runs a blog called Pathological Bodies Project and an online magazine called Mortiferous Muse. She is also a trustee of the Victorian era Undercliffe Cemetery.We chatted about the history of anatomical specimens, the different types that exist, their uses of the past and today, and also chatted about celebrity deaths (particularly Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Amy Winehouse, and celebrity ship Titanic). Enjoy! __________________________Connect with Aoife!InstagramBlogX__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

K. Krombie is the author of "Death in New York: History and Culture of Burials, Undertakers and Executions", a freelance writer, journalist, and founder of boutique NYC walking tour company Purefinder New York. She's a fucking blast, full of knowledge based on deep research, and gives some amazing tours! On this episode, we chat about all things NYC and death! If you love this episode and wanna go even deeper, there's thousands on things we didn't get to cover that you'll find more of in her book Death in New York! Also... another book coming out soon: The Psychiatric History of New York.__________________________Connect with Joanna!WebsiteInstagramPurefinder New York (Tour Company)Death in NY (Book)__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Joanna Ebenstein is a Mexico-based author, photographer, curator and designer. She is the founder and creative director of Morbid Anatomy, an organization that has been exploring the interstices of art and medicine, death and culture, since 2007. She traces her lineage back to Judah Loew ben Bezalel, credited with creating the Golem in 16th century Prague. She is also a proud member of The Order of the Good Death.Her books include Anatomica, Death: A Graveside Companion, The Anatomical Venus, The Morbid Anatomy Anthology, (with Colin Dickey) and Walter Potter's Curious World of Taxidermy (with Dr Pat Morris). Her writing and photography have appeared in The New York Times, K48, Women's Studies Quarterly, and V Magazine.On this episode, we talk about Joanna's view on death, her upcoming book Memento Mori: The Art of Contemplating Death to Live a Better Life, Morbid Anatomy, and a ton of other juicy death related things that will make you think and wanna dig into these topics more! Joanna is full of knowledge, so enjoy! __________________________Connect with Joanna!Morbid Anatomy WebsiteInstagramUpcoming Book__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

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 life transitions.Following her mother's death in 2013, Shelby began calling herself a “student of grief” and now devotes her days to reading, writing, and speaking about loss. Through a combination of mindfulness tools and intuitive, open-ended questions, she guides her clients to welcome grief as a teacher and create meaningful lives that honor and include the heartbreaks they've faced. Her work has been featured in Huffington Post, Bustle, and The Oprah Magazine.On this episode, we mainly dive into Shelby's framework on how to build a life after loss. Extremely helpful episode! Plus, you'll get to hear Jiji, Shelby's cat, chat with us too! :) __________________________Connect with Shelby!Free workshopWebsiteInstagramBook:Your Grief, Your Way__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Chris Woodyard is a writer and historian based in Ohio. She studies death and the supernatural.  In addition to nine books on Ohio ghost-lore, as well as three volumes of historical ghost stories, she is the author of The Victorian Book of the Dead, on the popular and material culture of Victorian mourning and death, as well as A is for Arsenic: A Little Book of Victorian Death, a guide to the basics of Victorian mourning traditions and artifacts. This episode is alllll about Victorian era mourning rituals (and there was a lot to discuss). Freaking fascinating! Enjoy!__________________________Connect with Chris!Podcast - Boggart and Banshee: A Supernatural Podcast (with Dr Simon Young)Facebook Group - Haunted Ohio by Chris Woodyard Facebook Group - A Victorian Book of the DeadFacebook Group - Mrs DaffodilBlogTwitterBook - A is For Arsenic: An ABC of Victorian Death Book - The Victorian Book of the Dead__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Elyse Neiman Seiter is an Emmy-Award winning TV producer/director with over 20 years experience producing shows for various networks including MTV, Food Network, HGTV, and Travel Channel. She became interested in death and dying after her own brush with cancer as a young mom, which woke her up to what was truly important in her own life. Elyse founded Mindful Films, a boutique production house dedicated to producing films/TV and digital content about stories of awakening, and is passionate about bringing this type of narrative medicine to the world. In 2023, Elyse completed a year-long course at the NY Zen Center on contemplative care and end-of-life, and is a regular hospice volunteer. On today's episode, we talked about documenting the end-of-life process through film and about Riding Home, a documentary about Caryl, a dynamic Vermont horse trainer who confronts end-of-life with honesty, grace, and an irreverent sense of humor.__________________________Connect with Elyse!InstagramKickstarterWebsiteMore about RIDING HOMEEmails directed to hello@mindfulfilms.orgResourcesNY Zen Center's Contemplative Care ProgramEnd-of-life planning resources and end-of-life options by state__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Dr. John Troyer is the Death Studies Scholar at Large and Overlord of Death in the Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath in the UK. He's also the co-founder of the Death Reference Desk website, the Future Cemetery Project, and a frequent commentator for the BBC. His most recent book Technologies of the Human Corpse was published by The MIT Press in May 2020. On this episode, we tackle a very controversial topic - necrophilia. We talk about famous cases, laws in the US and other parts of the world, the future of these laws... all the things you've ever wanted to learn about but felt too weird to Google. Enjoy! __________________________Connect with John!Get his book!TwitterWebsite__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

ABCnews.com has called Marc Hartzman "one of America's leading connoisseurs of the bizarre" and George Noory from Coast to Coast AM said he's "as bizarre as Robert Ripley." In addition to his books about UFOs, ghosts, Mars, Oliver Cromwell's embalmed head, weird things on eBay, sideshow performers, and unorthodox messages from God, Marc has written for Mental Floss, HuffPost, AOL Weird News, AllThatsInteresting.com, The Morbid Anatomy Online Journal, and Bizarre magazine. On today's podcast we chat about ghosts, mediumship, the supernatural, haunted sites, spiritualism, the embalmed head of Oliver Cromwell, and a bunch of other goodies. Enjoy!__________________________Connect with Marc!Get his books!Twitter/XInstagramWebsite__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Ray is an acclaimed author, metaphysical teacher, theorist, and coach. He is a survivor of a near-death experience (NDE) and has dedicated his life to helping others achieve their full potential. Ray's unique approach combines scientific theories with his own life experiences to reveal how anyone can harness the power of the mind, create their own reality, and BE Limitless!Learn how his NDE completely shifted his life and the way he views and understands the universe as a result of this NDE!__________________________Connect with Paul!Get his books!InstagramTwitterYoutubeWebsite__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Paul Gambino has been an avid collector of the bizarre for over 25 years with an extensive collection of Victorian memorial photographs, antique funeria, mug shots, and vintage religious items.Paul is the author of some absolutely gorgeous books (which I recommend you get your hands on ASAP): MORBID CURIOSITIES: Collections of the Uncommon and the Bizarre, SKULLS: Portraits of the Dead and the Stories They Tell, and KILLER COLLECTIONS: Dark Artifacts from True Crime. In July of 2024 Paul will release his latest book, The Art of Gothic Living: Dark Decor for the Modern Macabre.  We chatted about collecting, got to know more about collectors, learned about dope ass collections, talked about mortality and death, the ethics of collecting, and bunch of other juicy shit you don't wanna miss! _________________________Connect with Paul!Get his books here!InstagramWebsiteFacebook__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSHARE & LEAVE A REVIEW IF YOU DIG WHAT YOU HEARD! ;)

Jackie Dent is a journalist and an author. She's been writing fiction for years, but found success with non fiction and a much more personal story about her grandparents donating their bodies to science. She's the author of "The Great Dead Body Teachers".  Her journey began when she started to dive into the reasons why her paternal grandparents had donated their bodies to a university. On this episode we cover everything from whole body donation, organ donation, who the donors are, dissection, to who the people behind making body donation possible are. Enjoy!_________________________Connect with Jackie!Get the book!WebsiteFacebookInstagram__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSHARE & LEAVE A REVIEW IF YOU DIG WHAT YOU HEARD! ;)

Today I talked to Dr. Monica Walker, the Engagement Manager at the Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret in London, which is the oldest surviving surgical theater in Europe. She sees herself as a storyteller that gets to bridge the gap between academia and the general public through the stories and collection of the museum which stands as the last remaining bastion of Old St Thomas' Hospital in its original location near London Bridge. In her spare time she is also a creative photographer and freelance writer for National Geographic: Historia. We chat about history of the museum, of the hospital, victorian surgery, anatomy and dissection, bodysnatching, and about a lil something something that happened to me when I was visiting the museum last year! ;)Enjoy! But also... go visit because it's the coolest!_________________________Connect with Monica + the Museum!Museum Website Museum InstagramMuseum XMuseum Youtube~Monica's InstagramMonica's X__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSHARE & LEAVE A REVIEW IF YOU DIG WHAT YOU HEARD! ;)

In 2006, Natalie Sudman went to Iraq, serving as a project engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. While working in Iraq, the vehicle she was riding in was hit with a roadside bomb. Her book Application of Impossible Things vividly recounts her Near Death Experience when she went out of the body to the spirit world. There it was decided that her work on Earth was not done and with the help of spirit guides, they repaired the body so she could reenter it. Before this experience, Natalie was dubious about anything that smacked of the paranormal. This experience made her a believer. She shares her story here to demonstrate that the paranormal is normal and to assist others who have had similar experiences.*Episode recorded in 2022*_________________________Connect with Natalie!WebsiteApplication of Impossible Things (Book)BlogFacebookInformation about readings__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSHARE & LEAVE A REVIEW IF YOU DIG WHAT YOU HEARD! ;)

Megan Miller, PhD, RN (she/they) is a Registered Nurse and a faculty member in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing. Megan's work focuses on providing holistic, compassionate, and equitable palliative and supportive care. Her research examines the role of spirituality in supporting management of common cancer-related symptoms, and explores equitable, human-centered approaches to psilocybin-assisted therapy in the context of serious illness. She is the founder of the Creative Dying Project, a Death Café facilitator and a recent grad of the California Institute of Integral Studies Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research program.We chat about palliative care; psychedelic-assisted therapy as a supportive tool for facing illness, death, and grief; her preparation in working on a project (Creative Dying) to build a dying center where psychedelic therapy and other integrative therapies can be offered; and lastly, we chat about a conversation game about death that she co-created/launched. *Episode recorded in 2022* _________________________Connect with Megan!Website: https://sites.google.com/view/megan-miller-phd-rn/homeCreative Dying Game: https://www.creativedying.org/gameCreative Dying Project: https://www.creativedying.org/__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.comSHARE & LEAVE A REVIEW IF YOU DIG WHAT YOU HEARD! ;)

Dr. Elaine Kasket is an expert on technology's role within our work, individual psychology, and relationships. In a tech-dominated world, she helps her audiences and clients centre their humanity, nurture their connections with others, and maximize mindful, values-aligned personal and relational agency. She's a leading cyberpsychologist, inspiring keynote speaker, effective psychological/transformational coach, and seasoned storyteller.On this episode we dive into what our digital footprint is, the implications of having such a thing, its ethical concerns, and what we can do take back control of our data.  Elaine is the author of All the Ghosts in the Machine: The Digital Afterlife of Your Personal Data (Robinson, 2019), in which she argues that what happens to our data when we die is the perfect lens for understanding the true power big tech wields over our information and our identities.Her latest book is REBOOT: Reclaiming Your Life in a Tech-Obsessed World, in which Elaine explores how we can reclaim much of that power. At this juncture, with AI growing in strength and influence, Elaine explores how we can retain our fundamental humanity and nurture our relationships at every stage of life, and live more mindfully with and through technology. _________________________Connect with Elaine!Website: https://www.elainekasket.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elainekasketauthor/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/elainekasketYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drelainekasketLinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/elaine-kasketInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/elainekasketCoaching and Therapy Practice Website: https://www.drelainekasket.com__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.comSHARE & LEAVE A REVIEW IF YOU DIG WHAT YOU HEARD! ;)

Podcast is coming back in December looking fresh with a new branddd! Woooo! Check out the new brand: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Check out my brand + web design stuffs: https://www.instagram.com/design.by.lorena/Alsooo say hello! Hit me up and let me know what topics or which people you wanna hear next! :) 

I shall return soon! Meanwhile, enjoy listening to episodes you haven't checked out yet! 

Kathy Benjamin is the author of Funerals to Die For: The Craziest, Creepiest, and Most Bizarre Funeral Traditions and Practices Ever and, her latest book, It's Your Funeral!: Plan the Celebration of a Lifetime -- Before It's Too Late. Kathy's writing has received more than 100 million hits across some of the most popular humor and trivia websites in the world, including Mental Floss, Cracked, Grunge, The Smoking Jacket, and Uproxx. We talked about some of the gems found in her new book - the history of funerals, creative ideas for cremains, alkaline hydrolysis, cryonics, body donation, mummification, building your own coffin, renting a mourner, funeral crashers, unconventional funeral venues, and so much more! Make sure to check out her book for a fun, personalized way to help you put together your wishes while also learning about unique options outside the standard funeral, with a little humor sprinkled on top. Enjoy the episode! _________________________Connect with Kathy!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathythewriter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kabenjamin18Twitter: https://twitter.com/kathybenjaminBUY HER BOOK HERE!__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

George Deliopoulos has 30 years of experience in forensic investigations. He is certified in death investigations, homicide investigations, blood splatter, and drug and narcotics investigations among other things. George served as the Chief Deputy Coroner for 17 years in Indiana. Over his lengthy career, he processed over 3,500 death cases. In today's episode we talked about his training, a day in the life of the Chief Deputy Coroner, challenges originating from the job, cases he was involved in, lessons learned from working with death in close proximity, as well as his new job - a flight attendant - and yes, we're coworkers! Enjoy! 

Dr. John Troyer is the Director of the Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath. The Centre for Death & Society is the UK's only centre devoted to the study and research of social aspects of death, dying and bereavement. It provides a centre for the social study of death, dying and bereavement and acts as a catalyst and facilitator for research, education and training, policy development, media, and community awareness. He is a co-founder of the Death Reference Desk website, the Future Cemetery Project, and a frequent commentator for the BBC. His most recent book Technologies of the Human Corpse was published by The MIT Press in May 2020. We talked about the taboo of death, death movements in the 70s, embalming, cremation, technology & death, Facebook becoming the world's biggest digital cemetery, the Black Mirror episode ‘Be Right Back' and its implications, plastination, COVID, and the list goes on and on… such a fun and entertaining episode! Enjoy! _________________________Connect with John!Website: www.johntroyer.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/deathref__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

Jessica Reis, also known as The Death Empath, a Death Doula who specializes in grief, loss, and shadow work. Jessica received her training through INELDA and has expansions in grief recovery, pregnancy/infancy loss, pet hospice and shadow work.We talked about suicide ideation, her experience as an empath and downloads she receives, energetic and living deaths, dancing through emotions, and many different topics surrounding grief and grieving. Enjoy this delight of a human!  _________________________Connect with Jessica!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.death.empath/__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

Piero Calvi-Parisetti is a medical doctor, a long-time universitylecturer, and a member of the Society for Psychical Research and the InternationalAssociation for Near-Death Studies. His particular area of interest is appliedpsychical research, that is the practical application of research findings, inparticular for the benefit of the bereaved and the dying. He has written fourbooks on these subjects, his latest being Step into the Light: Transform Your Fear of Death by Learning About Life After Life.We discussed some of the evidence he has found of the afterlife: near-death experiences (NDEs), psychic communication, deathbed visions, reincarnation - and how gathering all this research has led him to rule out skeptics' explanations to conclude that there's indeed, undoubtedly, an afterlife. _________________________Connect with Piero!Website: https://www.drparisetti.com/__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

Olivia Bareham, is a Death Midwife, Energy Healer, Ordained Interfaith Minister, Master Teacher and Founder of Sacred Crossings -The Institute for Conscious Dying and Alternative Funeral Home in Los Angeles. She holds a BA in Education from the University of London and a Bachelors in Natural Theology and Sacred Healing from the Healing Light Seminary in California. We talked about her long career as a death midwife, the history and implementation of current day home funerals, living funerals, and her lengthy offerings to help you prepare for death. _________________________Connect with Olivia!Website: http://www.sacredcrossings.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sacred-Crossings-214677251959029Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sacred_crossings/Death Care Directive: http://deathcaredirective.com/__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

Dr. Karen Wyatt is the bestselling author of the book 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying, which contains stories of patients she cared for as a hospice doctor and the spiritual lessons she learned from them at the end of their lives. Dr. Wyatt also hosts the End-of-Life University Podcast, which features conversations with experts who work in all aspects of end-of-life care.In this episode, we talked about her journey into becoming a hospice doctor, common regrets of the dying, why she decided to write her book, the seven lessons learned from the dying patients she worked with, her podcast, and her upcoming book. _________________________Connect with Karen!Website: www.eoluniversity.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/eoluniversity/Twitter: https://twitter.com/spiritualmdInstagram: www.instagram.com/kwyattmd/Books: www.7lessonsbook.com__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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 academic experts in grief dreams.We spoke about his experience with grief dreams, how he got into this research, common characteristics of grief dreams and their purpose, dream re-scripting, grief dreams in popular culture, and so much more!_________________________Connect with Joshua!Websites: www.griefdreams.caInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/griefdreams/ __________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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 families create a sacred space that honors our loved one’s lives while helping those who are left to grieve. We discussed all aspects of the interconnectivity between grief and ritual/ceremony. Hope you guys enjoy this lovely conversation! _________________________Connect with Jessica!Websites: www.spiritvessel.com ; www.spiritletters.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/my.spiritvessel/ __________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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 studies on this topic and documented over 1,500 end-of-life events, many of which are videotaped. Although medically ignored, these near-universal experiences often provide comfort and meaning, as well as insight into the life led and the death anticipated.Hope you guys enjoy the episode!_________________________Connect with Dr. Kerr!Website: https://www.drchristopherkerr.com/Book: Death is But a Dream: Finding Hope and Meaning at Life's End TED Talk: I See Dead People: Dreams and Visions of the Dying __________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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 NDEs through the lens of Dr. Greyson's research - how culture is related to each experience, skeptics' criticisms (lack of oxygen, drugs, electrical activity in the brain, DMT release at the moment of death, mental illness, etc.), how NDEs affect people's lives after their encounter, and what NDEs can teach us about living._________________________Connect with Bruce!Website: https://www.brucegreyson.comBook: After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about Life and Beyond __________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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 touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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 you're interested in history and/or mediumship, this episode is for you! _________________________Connect with Tiffany!Website: https://www.nobox.us/unseenInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/unknowitall/Circle: https://nobox.as.me/circleSpiritualist Book Club: https://www.nobox.us/mediumship-events/spiritualist-book-club-februaryPodcast: https://anchor.fm/ms-piff__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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 into spiritual adulthood.We talked about her journey, shamanism, soul loss, soul retrieval, reincarnation, being stuck as a ghost, and so much more! Enjoy!_________________________Get 10% off your AFTR gravesite camera system with code DEATH-10 at checkout. Go visit https://www.aftr.live_________________________Connect with Christina!Website: https://lastmaskcenter.org/__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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! _________________________Connect with Kat!Website: https://www.afterlife.coach/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theafterlifecoach/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afterlifecoach__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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 people to resources as well as her ash scattering service. Lastly, we spoke about her kids and loss blog. Additional resources:Dive Into Death collective: https://www.diveintodeath.com/Rocio Navarro: https://www.rocionavarro.org/ Stefanie Elkins: https://www.bepresentcare.com/ Amber Carvaly: https://www.greystokemedia.com/Jill Schock: https://www.deathdoulala.com/Writing about kids&loss: https://dailylifeanddeath.substack.com/DeathcareConnect stories: https://www.deathcareconnect.com/submission-guidelines_________________________Connect with Megan!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daily.life.death/Website: https://www.dailylifeanddeath.com/CalScatter: https://www.calscatter.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/deathcareconnect__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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 photography and related visual representations of grief and their cultural ramifications. She has written on such topics as the life insurance industry in early 20th century Chicago, the troubling legacy of lynching photography, and the relationship between colonialism and taxidermy. Kelly continues to explore the more macabre moments in American history, and how they resurface in the contemporary social landscape. She is also a contributing member of The Order of the Good Death. _________________________Connect with Kelly!Website: http://www.kellyachristian.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellybakeswell/__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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 with trying to understand how other cultures deal with death anxiety; how people move past the knowledge that they're going to die in order to live happily day-to-day and how they celebrate rather than shy away from the topic of death. We also talked about transhumanism, the death positive movement, and Santa Muerte. Super fun & interesting episode! Enjoy, deathlings!_________________________Connect with Erica!Website: https://www.thisisnotajourney.com/Instagram: @ericabuist & @thispartysdeadFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericabuistwriterTwitter: @ericabuist & @thedeathtivalsPreorder 'This Party's Dead': https://unbound.com/books/this-partys-dead/__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.comGlobal Death Doula Summit: https://www.doulagiversinstitutefhl.com/death-doula-summit/

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 death and that love is eternal. _________________________Connect with Karen!Website: http://www.karenmcdonnellhilligoss.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/McDonnellHilligossYoutube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Gui_Kgm0moXtMQeXBvAQQ__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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 much much more. Hope you enjoy it!If you're interested in seeing an example of a letter written by Marisa, you can do so here: www.marisamedium.com/conversationsondeath_________________________Connect with Marisa!Website: www.marisamedium.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlmeddinView a sample of one of her medium letters!www.marisamedium.com/conversationsondeath__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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 __________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

This podcast episode is very different from others. It’s with one of my best friends, Tristan Velez, where he tells us about losing his best friend, Chris Williams, to a motorcycle accident at the age of 28. Tristan and I discuss the intricacies of handling the unimaginable, from the legal aspect, to the funeral planning, and even navigating his relationship with the parents who lost their only child. We get a glimpse into what it's like to deal with an unexpected death both physically, mentally, and emotionally. We rarely get to hear about how the lives of those ‘left behind’ are altered after a sudden death. This is one of those stories.Christopher Benjamin WilliamsJUNE 1, 1991 – AUGUST 25, 2019_________________________Connect with Tristan!Email: tristan_velez@hotmail.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tris_velez/Chris' Obituary: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/tampa-fl/christopher-williams-8835032__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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 origins of Leaves With You, and many other things. Really fun and insightful episode! Hope you guys enjoy! _________________________Connect with Shaina!Website: www.leaveswithyou.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/leaveswithyou__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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, Vivencia, where you can commemorate your life story so that your legacy can leave a lasting impact for future generations. I am obsessed with this woman's work so I highly recommend you give this episode a listen as it has lots to learn from and reflect on._________________________Connect with Mariana!Social Media: Website: https://www.vivenciaproject.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivencia_org/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vivenciaproject/Free Resources: Life Letter to Your Loved Oneshttps://www.vivenciaproject.org/lifeletterBridge Meditation: Connecting to Your Ancestorshttps://www.vivenciaproject.org/meditation__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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.org/worldwide/scheduleCo-Host: https://www.instagram.com/deathpositivenyc/Death Deck: https://thedeathdeck.com/_________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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 skeptic to believer as she not only navigated Christian's past life memories, but also hers as Lou Gehrig's mom. _________________________Connect with Cathy!Website: www.cathy-byrd.comGet the Book 'The Boy Who Knew Too Much': https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much-ebook/dp/B01MZ9BA07/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1UAZVIN3RX34C&dchild=1&keywords=the+boy+who+knew+too+much&qid=1594620153&sprefix=the+boy+who+knew+%2Caps%2C179&sr=8-1Christian on the Dr. Oz Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHy9Nly6VVk__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.com

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 the past, evaluate the present and prepare for the future, all leading to a life-altering experience. Stay tuned to learn about the founder, Emily, as well as what virtual living funeral ceremonies consist of! __________________________Connect with Emily!Websites: www.steadywaveseol.comwww.virtuallivingfuneral.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/steady_waves_eol/__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.comReimagine Event: https://letsreimagine.org/3780/conversations-on-death-death-deck-edition