Embracing Your Mortality

How good are you at listening to others? In this final episode of Series Four, Sue Brayne speaks with Ruth McCarthy, who is on a mission to help us to develop good listening skills to transform our thinking,  encourage engagement, and transform how we relate to each other.  

What can we learn from crop circles? Author Sue Brayne is joined by Karen Alexander, a renowned crop circle researcher, lecturer, and artist. Among her work, she produces paintings of crop circles to help understand the connection between crop circles and human consciousness through their geometry and symbolism. She also shares her thoughts on orbs, and their apparent attraction to crop circles. 

Could UFOs help explain whether there is life after death? This week Sue Brayne speaks with Frederik Uldall, who is fascinated by the possible existence of UFOs and what their advanced technology could teach us. He is also an avid academic researcher into Near Death Experiences, and offers insights into what he has discovered about them.  

Claire and Chris Sandys began The Silent Why podcast in response to the loss they experienced as a result of childlessness. They share their story with Sue, and explain how it became a catalyst for them to find 101 different experiences of loss and grief - as well as discovering the hope in each of the stories they've heard. 

This week Sue Brayne is joined by Maggie La Tourelle  author of The Gift of Alzheimers, an extraordinarily moving account of how she cared for her mother and recorded her journey through Alzheimers, which Maggie says was a transcendent experience for them both. Maggie's book has now been adapted into an audio play starring Juliet Stevenson and Jane Lapotaire. 

Author Sue Brayne meets The Business Gardener, Mark Rendell, to delve into our profound connection with the land. Mark promotes the importance of soil health, the impact of nature on our mental health, and the incredible mathematical links our DNA has with the building blocks of the Universe. 

This week Author Sue Brayne meets Meghan Kelly, an experienced family constellation facilitator, who is passionate about helping people to heal ancestral wounds to they can heal themselves. Meghan explains how family constellations by-pass the rational brain, enabling people to access deep knowing and profound connection to their lineage.

Sue Brayne speaks to Chloe Goodchild, inspirational international singer, composer, innovatory educator, author, and founder of The Naked Voice, which she has taught to thousands of people around the world. http://www.chloegoodchild.comResearched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

John Lennon's messages of peace left a lasting imprint on the world, and to launch series four of Embracing Your Mortality, Author Sue Brayne is back with an inspiring story of finding beauty within the broken. The musician's Sgt Pepper's Circus Waggon, which was lost for decades, is being lovingly restored by the partner of Samantha Koshare Edouardes, from peacingtogether.org. She shares the vision she and her partner have for the wagon that will soon deliver stories and messages of love and peace around the world, with children at the heart of their vision. Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Author Sue Brayne is back with Series Four of Embracing Your Mortality.  Her quest to encourage us all to live more consciously for a better world sees her meeting the person restoring John Lennon's Gypsy Caravan as a space for children, a gardener fascinated by earth energies and a fellow podcast host exploring experiences of loss and grief. Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

You're in for an early Christmas treat by joining Sue as she talks with world renowned neuropsychiatrist Dr Peter Fenwick. Sue was Peter's honorary researcher for one of the  first research studies into end-of-life experiences. They share insights about their study and Peter talks about his  understanding of consciousness and the dying process. Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Author Sue Brayne is joined by the founders of Essence Medicine, Rosie Ellis and Lauren McDonald. Psychiatrist Lauren and palliative care nurse Rosie discuss their vision to improve end of life care by helping people to ease their fear around death. They also share fascinating and initiative research concerning the use of psychedelics at the end of life following Lauren's own personal journey with stage four cancer. Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Sue is joined by Michael, an Earth Medicine man, who talks about holding Sacred Fire ceremonies and using plant medicines to help access deeper awareness and connection with universal consciousness. The use of plant medicines is only legal in certain countries.  Michael explains why he would like to see this change and how he became inspired to work with them. Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Hospice director Michelle Smith joins Sue to talk about how to manage sensitive conversations around death and dying. Michelle reflects on what it was like to lead a team of hospice nurses through the Covid-19 pandemic, and the impact it's had on her. She now works with businesses and organisations, and shares thoughts on how managers can support employees facing serious illness, death and loss. Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

A feisty conversation with funeral director Angela Ward about how Covid has impacted the way funerals are held and how it has changed the way we say our farewells. Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Sue is joined by spiritual midwife, Mandy Preece, who initiated a volunteer bedside companion scheme at an NHS palliative care unit in 2013. She now helps hospices set up similar schemes to offer support for people during their final moments. Mandy was awarded the Princess Royal Training Award for her work and also  won the NHS Unsung Hero Volunteer of the Year in 2019.  She is the author of Being Rock, on how to listen and be present at the bedside of the dying. Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Ken Ross, acclaimed nature photographer and son of the famous Swiss psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler Ross, joins author Sue Brayne to discuss the development of the EKR foundation, how he is carrying on his mother's work of living with love, not fear, and what it was like to grow up as the son of the famous ‘Death Doctor.' Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Sue is joined by Sisse Budolfsen, founder of the Himalayan Hermitage. She talks about the role that Buddhism has played in her understanding of life and death, the importance of mindfulness and mindstreams, and how sacred pilgrimages are  journeys  for the  heart and spirit. For more information about Sisse's pilgrimages please go to: himalayanhermitage.com Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Author Sue Brayne is back with her third series of Embracing Your Mortality. Her first guest is Terry Le Page, an American pastor, talking about consciousness, the major changes we are all facing and how to engage with deep adaptation to support ourselves.Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Author Sue Brayne returns with another series of inspiring and thought-provoking guests as she discusses death, dying and consciousness in her quest to encourage us to live more consciously for a better world. She talks with leading thinkers, sages and scientists about  their thoughts on  mortality and how this  influences their relationship with life and death. Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

The Womanlogist Dion Johnston talks with Sue about how her facial disfigurement has inspired her to empower women to take their place in the world and to speak up with dignity and courage for what they want and who they are. Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

As a child Jacqui Gray was told she would never amount to much. She talks with Sue about the devastating impact this had on her as she grew up and how it motivated her to become an author and workshop leader helping children to understand and manage their feelings. Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Misha Norland has been practicing homeopathy for the past forty years. He speaks with Sue  about how homeopathy changed his life, the subtilty of homeopathy and the profound affect it can have our health and welfare. Misha is the founder of the School of Homeopathy. Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Colin Gilbert speaks to Sue about living with stage 4 cancer, and how this had led him on an increasingly profound inner journey which has helped him to overcome his fear of death and deepen his understanding of the transition that awaits us all. Colin died on Monday 7th September 2020 shortly following this interview.Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Johanna Lunn is a Canadian award-winning documentary film maker. She speaks to Sue about her new film, which explores our relationship with death and dying, and how addressing our relationship with mortality helps us to reduce our fear of death. www.whenyoudie.orgResearched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

This week, Sue Brayne speaks to Duncan Still, a holistic GP, who is passionate about nutrition and the role of the natural world in helping us all to maintain optimum health. He talks with Sue about his integrative work with Penny Brohn cancer charity and teaching holistic medicine to medical students. www.ncim.org.ukResearched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Sue is joined by Pete Lawrence who talks about how we can all contribute to making this world a better place by bringing together music, nature and people in creative communities which focus on giving back to each other, to society, and to the Earth. This interview happened just before the 2020 online Campfire Summer Solstice. Pete has now launched his new Campfire Convention website. Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Sue Brayne's guest is Justine Corrie, who works as a Core Process psychotherapist, group facilitator and Positive Deep Adaptation facilitator.  She speaks with Sue about her profound personal experiences of death and dying and how this has affected her life and vocation. Sue's interview with Justine took place during the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Author Sue Brayne returns with her second series of Embracing Your Mortality. This week, Sue speaks with Toby Nowlan award-winning journalist, explorer and biologist. She speaks with him about his work as a wildlife film producer, and he how sees the role of nature is here to teach us about wonderment, consciousness and community. Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Victor Olliver is an award winning journalist who started his working career training as a lawyer. But all this changed when around the age of 40, as he says, ‘my astrological chart started calling to me.' He is now one of the UK's leader astrologers, astrological columnist for The Lady magazine and editor of the highly acclaimed Astrological Journal.Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Sue Brayne speaks with Clara Apollo, who describes herself as a life-long curious scholar, who has been searching for answers about life and mortality since experiencing a profound awakening as a child. During her search for her own truth, she has been a ballet dancer, nurse, nanny, singer and performer and costume designer for stage and screen. She is now a Qigong teacher and host of Chi Time TV, where she interviews many prominent spiritual thinkers and teachers.Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Sue Brayne is joined by Jamie Catto, the founder member of Faithless, the highly successful world music band. Jamie is also a life-challenging personal coach and business coach who believes everyone one of us is ‘a wise guru in charge of a mental patient.' His workshops are designed to shake up our life and confront the perceptions of who we think we are. One participant describes him as a ‘foul-mouthed, passionate, present, witty, musical wizard!' Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Ten years ago, Jazmine Wolf's husband died suddenly of an undiagnosed heart condition. He was only in his mid-forties. Jazmine talks candidly about coming to terms with the shock and grief of losing her soul mate, how his death opened her up to look at life very differently and how her grieving process has made her value the simplicity, fragility and vulnerability of life.Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Join Sue in conversation with journalist and author Alan Pearce, who has covered some of the world's most harrowing conflicts as a BBC war correspondent. He says he often witnessed ‘the worst and the best of humanity all in the same day.' Due to being constantly exposed to violence and death, he developed post-traumatic stress disorder which has impacted the way he perceives his own mortality. Currently he is researching his next book that explores extraordinary accounts from coma patients.Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Author Sue Brayne is joined by Jane Morell and Simon Smith. They set up Green Fuse Funerals in Totnes twenty years ago after Jane had a vision of opening a flowers shop with coffins in it. As Simon says, ‘we couldn't understand why funerals had to be so boring and drab.' Green Fuse took off immediately and now they have trained over 500 people in different aspects of working with funeral directing. They are also co-authors of We Need to Talk About the Funeral.Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Clare Dubois is the courageous, passionate and dedicated founder of TreeSisters. Her journey to set up TreeSisters is both remarkable and quite terrifying, yet also magical and mystical. TreeSisters is now rated in the top 20% of most relevant and inspiring organisations on the planet and so far with the help of sponsors, has funded the planting of over 15 million trees right across the globe, including being chosen to create a legacy forest for the late Captain Sir Tom Moore.Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Dr Alan Hugenot experienced an NDE following a serious motorbike accident. When he told doctors about it, they dismissed him out of hand. However, his NDE convinced him that consciousness survives after death. He talks with Sue Brayne about his NDE and how it has impacted his life and work as a spiritualist and medium, and about extraordinary research that is taking place in some of the world's leading paranormal research institutes.Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.

Writer and performer Liz Rothschild joins Sue Brayne to talk about her new book, Outside the Box, which has been inspired by her work as a life and death funeral celebrant. She also started Westmill Woodland Burial Ground and is the founder of the Kicking the Bucket Festival held in Oxford. She talks about how she became a celebrant and how her book can help people from all walks of life to feel more at ease with death, dying and bereavement. Researched and recorded by Sue Brayne.Produced and edited by The Podcast Den.