Leaving Well: Death, Grief & the Conversations We’re Scared to Have - Mon Chester

This week I’m sitting down with my beautiful friend Mon for a conversation about something we’re all going to experience — and yet most of us are absolutely terrible at talking about: death.

But weirdly, this episode isn’t really about dying.

It’s about living.

We talk about why planning for your death can be one of the greatest acts of love you give the people around you, why funerals don’t have to feel generic or disconnected from the person who actually lived, and why knowing your values, wishes and boundaries matters long before you’re old or unwell.

Mon shares what has drawn her into the death-care space, her passion for changing the way we approach grief and end-of-life conversations, and her new Leaving Well circle — a space to explore your values, medical wishes, funeral choices, what you want done with your body, and ultimately how you want to be remembered.

We also go into grief, anticipatory grief, awkward conversations, why we need to stop pretending dead people never existed, and the power of actually saying their names, sharing their stories and keeping their memory alive.

And because it’s us, there is also dark humour, funeral outfits, coffin threats, cats interrupting the conversation and a reasonable amount of inappropriate laughing.

This conversation is tender, funny, confronting and strangely life-affirming.

Because none of us know how much time we have.

And sometimes facing that truth is exactly what reminds us to stop wasting the life we’re in.

Mon’s Leaving Well Circle
Sunday 23 August
1pm–4pm
Eternal Living, Belmont
$55
Limited places available.

Ticket link - https://events.humanitix.com/living-well-leaving-well

Mon's insta - https://www.instagram.com/_hey.itsmon/