Best Life Best Death

Jan 29 2025 178 ep. 26 mins 21

Best Life Best Death Podcast artwork

Conversations about mortality -- life, death and what matters most.

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#178 Pregnancy Loss: What We All Need to Know – Amy Wright Glenn, Founder of The Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath, and Death

Jan 29 2025 25 mins

This episode delves into a subject that many find deeply uncomfortable: pregnancy loss. Whether through miscarriage, abortion, stillbirth, accident, or medical necessity, countless women, their partners, and families carry this profound pain. How can we, as a culture, become more literate and compassionate about pregnancy loss? How do we honor this vulnerability instead of silencin

#177 Postal Service for the Dead – Janelle Ketcher, Founder & Director

Jan 22 2025 27 mins

As Sarah Kerr puts it, “Grief is a feeling; grieving is an action.” This week, I speak with Janelle Ketcher, an artist and archivist who envisioned a unique way to take action in grief and honor those we’ve lost. What is the Postal Service for the Dead? How does it function, and why is it significant? Could this “simple action” offer a powerful way to process our grief? A

#176 Grief Improv Theater: a Creative and Compassionate Approach to Grief-Related Topics – Erin Whalen, Founder of Compassionate Coaching

Jan 15 2025 28 mins

[Note to listeners: Sorry for the not-so-great sound on this one. I had issues.] Erin Whalen has spent years as an actor and acting coach, and she’s now discovered her true calling: Compassionate Coaching. Through improvisational theater with groups of all sizes, she creates space for grief to flow and growth to flourish. But what does that really mean? How did Erin find her way

#175 The Real Deal about Hospice with Dr G — Dr Kaishauna Guidry, Founder of Mourning Dove Medical

Jan 08 2025 30 mins

In this episode, Dr Kaishauna Guidry and I take a look at some myths about hospice, and you’ll hear Dr G’s heart-filled point of view as she busts some of these common misconceptions, including: Hospice is only for the very end of life. All hospices are the same. Hospice is a place you go. It’s expensive and only for the privileged. Calling hospice means giving up h

#174 What Is VitalTalk? Clinicians and Hard Conversations – Dr James Tulsky, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Jan 01 2025 29 mins

Dr. James Tulsky is passionate about enhancing communication between clinicians and patients. Why are words so vital in the medical field? What do patients and families need most during critical conversations? And what are the key moments where navigating communication effectively can make all the difference? (Spoiler: delivering difficult diagnoses, discussing changes in care or p

#173 Bringing Compassionate Presence to Difficult Experiences – Amy Wright Glenn, Founder of The Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath, and Death

Dec 25 2024 23 mins

Some people possess the rare gift of weaving together knowledge from multiple fields, using it to chart new and inspiring directions. Amy Wright Glenn is one of those remarkable individuals. In this conversation, Amy and I talk about birth, breath and death, and about “holding space” for difficult experiences. What does she mean by that phrase? What are threshold experiences in

#172 Dementia: Reframing for a Creative and Positive Approach – Ashley Bright and Heather MacLeod, Instructors with the Conscious Dying Collective

Dec 18 2024 28 mins

When someone is living with dementia, challenges abound. Join me for a conversation with Ashley Bright and Heather MacLeod, experienced instructors of a course designed to provide a deeper understanding of dementia. They’ll share a practical framework for navigating the journey, along with actionable tips to ease daily life for caregivers and families. How can we learn to “ente

#171 How to Hold Space for Suicide Talk – Cait Maddan, Doula and Founder of Aware Care Library

Dec 11 2024 28 mins

Cait Maddan’s free downloadable guide called “How to Hold Space for Suicide Talk” is just one key part of all the work that she does. As a doula with a focus on suicide, suicide ideation and the grievers who are left in the wake of a death, Cait does work that matters to us all. Where can we go to talk, in addition to 988 the suicide hotline? Why does it matter to make space

#170 The Latest on Terramation: “It Just Makes Sense” – Mike Reagan, End-of-Life Doula, Hospice Volunteer, and CEO of The Natural Funeral

Dec 04 2024 32 mins

Terramation, Natural Organic Reduction, Human Composting – whatever you call it, let’s get down in the dirt to discuss this body disposition option! In this earth-shattering episode, I talk with Mike Reagan about how a Colorado company is taking this innovation in body disposition in a different, yet down-to-earth direction. Mike says, “We want to enable existing funeral home

#169 The Value of Service, Silence and Presence at the End of Life – Mike Reagan, End-of-Life Doula, Hospice Volunteer, and CEO of The Natural Funeral

Nov 27 2024 20 mins

Enjoy this conversation with end-of-life doula Mike Reagan. How can we embrace opportunities to “serve” at the end of life? What does it mean to “show up” when someone is dying? Is it possible to engage with all that death presents us with? Mike shares some meaningful insights and experiences from his service of sitting with people at “the 11th hour” as a hospice volunt