Season 1 Episode 15
Arlene Hoag is a hospice volunteer for the Living Dying Project and co-chairman of the committee that presents "Mountains of Courage", an annual conference in Bozeman, MT.  This conference, in its 12th year, provides a venue for conversations with the living about death and dying.  Arlene, recognizing the advantages of living with an awareness of our mortality, is working to help bring about a more positive view of death into our western culture.  She is the mother of five children.

Mountainsofcourage.com
Livingdying.org

Season 1 Episode 3
Reverend Bodhi Be ‘Warrior of the heart, protector of the sacred’.

Reverend Bodhi Be is an ordained interfaith minister and teacher in the Sufi lineage of Samuel Lewis and Hazrat Inayat Khan. 

He is the founder and executive director of Doorway Into Light, a nonprofit organization in Maui.  Doorway Into Light has operated Hawaii’s only nonprofit funeral home since 2012. 

Rev. Bodhi is a funeral director, an end-of-life and bereavement counselor, and educator; he is continuing the work Ram Dass helped birth in the fields of conscious dying in America.

Brie Smith, the longest-standing employee at Return Home, shares her experiences with traditional funeral practices and the challenges she faced in providing meaningful support to grieving families. Bree also talks about her role at Return Home, where she focuses on empowering families and offering alternative options such as terramation. She emphasizes the importance of education and resources in helping people make informed decisions about end-of-life care. In this conversation, Brienna Smith discusses the lack of support and resources for professionals in the funeral industry. She shares how she has created a community and support system through her work at Return Home and the Death Darlings group. Brienna also talks about her own fears about the end of life and the importance of being informed about donation programs. She emphasizes the need for education and self-care in the industry and expresses her passion for her work with both humans and animals.

Season 3 Episode 4
Deborah Grassman is the author of three books: Peace at Last, The Hero Within, and Soul Injury, a contributing author for four textbooks, and has 25 published articles. However, none of these achievements have taught her as much as the 10,000 dying veterans she took care of as a VA hospice Nurse Practitioner for 30 years: “If anyone wants to learn how to achieve inner peace, ask a veteran who has successfully struggled to find it for the rest of their lives after they returned from war.” 

The lessons she learned culminated into a concept known as “Soul Injury,” a wound that separates a person from their own sense of self. Deborah now provides presentations and workshops that can help anyone recover their loss of self-worth by healing their relationship with themselves. There will be links to all of her work in our podcast notes.

Season 2 Episode 17

Dr. Kimberly Harms has been around the block in life.  She has served as a Commissioned Officer in the United States Public Health Service, a dental school professor, a grief counselor, and a death doula.  She is an award-winning, best-selling author and international speaker on the topics of grief, conflict, and legacy planning. Her latest book, Are You Ready, How to Build a Legacy to Die For. 

Dr Harms has also suffered many personal losses, including the deaths by suicide of her mother and son and the death by broken heart of her husband after their son’s death.  Her most important role now is mother to her two surviving children and grandmother to 6 precious grandchildren.

Season 3 Episode 10

Dr. Tamara MacIntyre is an end-of-life doula, retired chiropractor, and doctor of natural medicine with over 20 years of experience in holistic healthcare. Now, as a death educator and funerary artisan, she weaves her expertise to increase death literacy and inspire upstream conversations about aging, illness, and end-of-life planning. 

As the creator of handwoven willow coffins, Tamara blends artistry and sustainability to reimagine after-death practices. Her mission is to empower individuals to approach mortality with clarity, confidence, and compassion—transforming how we live by rethinking how we prepare for death.

Duane is an award-winning author of eleven full-length plays. His plays often delve into end of life themes. The two most recent productions were a premiere of Abacus in Seattle, September, 2024 and the play Patrimony in Tulsa, Oklahoma October, 2024. Abacus tells the story of a synthetic human replicant that experiences unexpected concerns as she cares for a man who suffers the indignities of old age and cognitive decline.

His plays, which often delve into end of life themes, were produced at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022 and 2023. Duane is also writing a history book about the American West, titled Journeys to Zion. 

Season 3 Episode 16

Fran Parker is a writer who loves Earth and the diversity of life on planet Earth. Her awe of humanity's potential, her communication with God, and her journeys in dreams and meditations led her to write the book God's Gift to Gaia: Guidance for Awakening Humans. 

Messages from Jesus led to a book sequel, Jesus Joins the Dialogue. Fran has a Ph.D. in Intercultural Education. In her podcast episode she shared stories of her communications with close deceased relatives--her mother and father (who died in 1997) and her daughter Cathy (who died in 2020).

Season 3 Episode 12

Gail Rubin is a pioneering death educator who uses humor, film clips, and outside-the-box activities to teach about end-of-life topics. An award-winning speaker, she knocked them dead at Tex X ABQ in 2015 with her talk, A Good Goodbye. She's also the author of four books on end-of-life issues, and we will put links to all of those in the podcast notes.

Gail is also a certified Thanatologist, an advocate for planning ahead, and the host of the Doyenne of Death podcast and Mortality Movies TV series. She also coordinates the Before I Die New Mexico Festival. 

Season 1 Episode 18
Gary Sturgis, a grief specialist, speaker, and bereavement facilitator, shares his personal experience with loss and his journey to support others through grief. He discusses the importance of providing resources and support for the LGBTQ+ community, who often face unique challenges in their grief. Gary emphasizes the need for understanding and respect when supporting someone who is grieving and encourages seeking help and connection during the grieving process. He also shares information about his books and online grief coaching services.

Season 1 Episode 17
Professor Harald Walach is a clinical psychologist, philosopher of science, and researcher at the interface between medicine, psychology and consciousness studies. He is a professorial research fellow with the Next Society Institute at Kazimieras Simonavicius University in Vilnius, Lithuania. He is founding director of the Change Health Science Institute in Basel, Switzerland, where he lives as a freelance scientist and author. He is author of more than 200 peer reviewed
papers, 14 books, and 100 book chapters. He is one of the 100.000 most highly cited scientists worldwide. His recent work focuses on the role of spirituality and consciousness within science, for our health system and our culture at large.
https://harald-walach.info
Quote: "I think death is an important part of life and it is actually the, let's call it the coronation of life, the final crown of life."

Premium Episode

This conversation delves into the multifaceted role of end-of-life doulas, exploring their training, the importance of community education, and the business aspects of their work. The speakers emphasize the importance of finding a personal path in this field and the necessity of educating the community about the value of doula services. This conversation delves into the multifaceted role of death doulas, exploring the challenges and rewards of providing end-of-life care. They discuss the importance of transparency in pricing, the emotional complexities of discussing fees, and the necessity of promoting doula services within the community. Personal stories highlight the profound impact of compassionate care and the significance of medical aid in dying. The conversation emphasizes the need for humility, support, and love in navigating the sensitive terrain of death and dying.

Season 2 Episode 16
Jamie's calling is to help people be less afraid of death. By arranging for them to provide their loved ones with a planned and funded funeral or memorial service, she helps them create a path for bereavement, long before it's needed. And by facing their mortality, her clients can live better, more meaningful lives.

Jamie is a seasoned speaker who brings deep experience in death care to a broad range of audiences around the country, sharing insights and approaches on how to have those difficult conversations and how to address sensitive issues. Extending well beyond death and dying, her message resonates across industries and individuals, bridging her passion to demystify death while enlightening communicators on overcoming challenging conversations.

Jane Ellen Nickell is enjoying retirement, after serving 16 years as Chaplain of Allegheny College, which followed a career in performing arts management and marketing. A native of West Virginia, she currently lives in Meadville, Pennsylvania, with two feline companions. In retirement, she keeps busy gardening, cooking, doing yoga, making music, reading, and writing. She also works with Third Act Faith, a group of activists over age 60 who are addressing climate and democracy.

For a college chaplain, death is a relatively rare occurrence, but it is often unexpected and involves losing someone at a young age. The job also involves counseling students who have lost family members.

Season 1 Episode 20
Dr. Janice Lundy, a grief support specialist and educator, shares her journey of becoming a grief companion after experiencing personal loss. She emphasizes the transformative power of grief and the importance of companioning others through their grief journeys. Jan explains that a grief companion walks alongside a grieving individual, offering deep listening, presence, and unconditional love. She distinguishes between grief companioning and grief counseling, highlighting the role of each in supporting those who are grieving. Jan also discusses the sacred nature of grief and the impact of grief work on our understanding of death.

Season 1 Episode 10
Jeffrey Reid has his Masters and PhD in agriculture and has been working in food security in Sub-Saharan Africa for over 20 years.  He is currently Program Coordinator for an agricultural development project at the World Food Programme and works in Togo and Ethiopia and remotely from an island near Seattle.
Stephanie Garlichs has her Masters in Animal Science and her doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. When not caring for animals, she volunteers at a local nonprofit that supports senior citizens and at a nonprofit called Reading with Rover that helps kids gain confidence in reading by bringing her dog Kip to libraries and classrooms so that kids feel relaxed.
They were co-directors of a health center in Ethiopia from 2002-2004 and started and continue to operate a nonprofit called the Ethiopian Education Fund that enables girls and boys in Ethiopia to complete their education.

Season 1 Episode 13
Jill McClennen is a certified death doula. She offers comprehensive support, preparation, and deep soul healing to her clients and their families, whether in person or through virtual sessions, as she works as a death doula and end-of-life coach.
In her virtual practice, Jill helps people prepare themselves and their loved ones for the end of life, offering guidance and emotional support, regardless of physical
distance.
Jill is also the host of the "Seeing Death Clearly" podcast, available on all major
podcast platforms. Through her podcast, she talks with guests and they share
valuable insights and stories related to end-of-life matters, further extending her
mission to promote understanding and compassion about this important stage of life.

Season 3 Episode 5 
Joél Simone Maldonado is also known as The Grave Woman. Joe’l is a licensed funeral director, embalmer, pre-planning specialist, award-winning deathcare educator, sacred grief practitioner, and proud founder of The Multicultural Death & Grief Care Academy.  She specializes in educating professionals about the importance of Cultural Competency,  Inclusion, and Diversity in end-of-life, death, and grief care. Joél has worked in the death care industry since 2010 and also has over 15 years experience in the healthcare industry.  She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Compassion and Choices, is co-chair of the boards Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee and volunteers with the organizations African American Leadership Council. 

Season 1 Episode 16

Julie Lockhart, a retired academic and former executive director of a grief support organization, shares her personal experiences with death and grief. She discusses the impact of childhood experiences, the loss of her ex-husband, and a miscarriage, on her writing and work. Julie highlights the importance of telling stories and supporting children and teens in their grief. She also emphasizes the need for adults to understand grief and trauma, navigate family dynamics, and create memorials to remember loved ones. It discusses the development of a new relationship with the deceased and the significance of finding personal resources, such as nature and supportive relationships. The chapter concludes with a reflection on the fear of leaving loved ones behind and the importance of embracing grief as a full-body process.

Season 3 Episode 15

Karen Carlisi comes to Doula work following 40 years as an English Language educator, cross-cultural trainer, textbook author, writing coach, and meditation coach. She has studied and embraced multiple spiritual and cultural traditions and is prepared to honor the practices and rituals of those she serves. She completed Doula training with INELDA (International End of Life Doula Association) in 2020 and has been actively practicing as a Death Doula since November 2023. She is a founding member of Pacific Death Doula Collaborative - a collective of death doulas sharing resources, education, and services. As a member of the Threshold Choir, she provides comfort singing to the terminally ill and dying. As a published author and writing coach, she also specializes in memoir writing for those who are consciously nearing their closing chapters with a desire to tell their stories.

Season 1 Episode 12
Kate Schuyler is an active student of life, the self, and the heart. She is a mother, grandmother, partner, and loyal friend. She is a world traveler, a hiker, a backpacker, a community volunteer, a gardener, a poetry lover, and a musician and singer. She has been a Licensed Massage Therapist since 1982, and a member of the Sufi Community since 1994. She has sung with the Portland Threshold Singers, an affiliated chapter of Threshold Choir International, since June 2012, eleven and a half years ago.

Season 1 Episode 14
Laura Davis, author of The Burning Light of Two Stars, The Courage to Heal, and 4 other books. In addition to writing books that inspire, the work of Laura’s heart is to teach. For over twenty years, she’s helped people find their voices, tell their stories, and hone their craft. She teaches online and at retreat centers. She's a featured speaker for The National Association of Memoir Writers and a popular craft teacher at The San Miguel Writer's Conference. She leads a Writing as a Pathway Through Grief, Loss, Uncertainty, and Change retreat regularly. You can learn about Laura’s retreats, workshops, and classes, and read the first five chapters of her memoir at www.lauradavis.net.
Writing as a Pathway Retreat - https://lauradavis.net/writing-as-a-pathway/

Laura transitioned from teaching philosophy to end-of-life care

after losing both parents. Trained as an end-of-life doula and hospice

volunteer, she regularly provides ongoing support and education to the

peer caregivers at the Central California Women’s Facility. As the Director

of Communications (and program facilitator) for the Humane Prison

Hospice Project, Laura is also a trauma-support specialist and advocate for

compassionate, dignified end-of-life care. A mother of one child and three

dogs, she enjoys exploring how privilege affects access to a “good death”

and learning from others’ stories.

Season 3 Episode 3
LiElla Kelly is a nationally recognized NEDA (National End-of-Life Doula Alliance) Proficient End-of-Life Doula and After-Death Care Educator. She is the founder of Leaving Well, a groundbreaking business that serves individuals and families seeking to navigate end-of-life transitions with grace, dignity, and peace. Her clients understand the importance of planning and wish to approach death with openness and preparedness—those who believe that we can “do death” better. 

Season 1 Episode 6
Margaret Johnson has lived a rich and varied life. She was a homemaker,  wife, and mother 

Season 3 Episode 5

Michael Erard is a writer, a linguist, a parent, and an immigrant. His work has been mostly about language and languages and the people who use and study them. For the last five years, he has been working on a book about the first words of babies and the last words of the dying as linguistic phenomena, personal curios, and objects of cultural interest. “Bye Bye I Love You: The Story of Our First and Last Words” comes out in February 2025.

Season 3 Episode 13

Mike Reagan is the CEO of  The Natural Funeral, an End-of-Life Doula, a Hospice Volunteer, and a Grief Facilitator.
Mike’s journey in end-of-life care started during his high school years as a cemetery laborer and apprentice at a family-owned funeral home in Medfield, Massachusetts. Mike has served hundreds of patients during their final stage of life and accompanied many of them during their passing through his work as a hospice volunteer and end-of-life doula. These experiences have enriched his understanding of the profound impact of presence and compassion during life’s most sacred transitions. Mike is committed to revolutionizing the funeral industry. He envisions a future where families are empowered with dignified and ecological deathcare options, aiming to enhance The Natural Funeral’s impact on our planet and communities.

Season 3 Episode 14

Mirabai Starr is an award-winning author of creative non-fiction and contemporary translations of sacred literature.

She taught Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos for 20 years and now teaches and speaks internationally on contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialog. She is a certified bereavement counselor who helps mourners harness the transformational power of loss. Her book, WILD MERCY: Living the Fierce & Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics, was named one of the “Best Books of 2019”. She lives with her extended family in the mountains of northern New Mexico.

Myra Daniel is a death doula and folk artist living in Los Angeles, California, as MODA Myra and as a founding member of the deathcare collective, Pacific Death Doula Collaborative, a group of death care providers working together all along the West Coast. She provides end-of-life care, photography, and music, as well as legacy project planning and services, plus support for MAiD and VSED clients. Myra works bedside, with families, and after death, helping the dying and their loved ones navigate end-of-life challenges, including medical, legal, and insurance forms and communication, familial and spiritual support, and memorial preparation. Myra is especially interested in grief and grief support work as part of a larger effort to explore the nature of grieving and how we can shift culturally to a more comprehensive model of death care. 

Neshia Alaovae is a Black and Samoan disabled mama, poet, and death worker. She cares deeply about connecting cultural wisdom, ancestral resilience, and BIPOC joy to create new, empowered possibilities for how we live and die. Her first experience of what many refer to as death doula work was in 2012 as a “Compassionate Companion” at a residential hospice in Washington, DC, that serves homeless or housing-insecure people dying of AIDS or cancer. 

She has worked as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion trainer for faith organizations, non-profits, and institutions like the Washington Department of Health. She is also a licensed mental health counselor who has spent over a decade helping people navigate trauma, grief, and cultural identity. Currently, she runs A Thoughtful Death, a deathcare practice that offers end-of-life consultation and support for people wanting a more intentional experience with dying.

Season 3 Episode 18

Pamela Belyea is a licensed architect and co-founder of Seattle’s Gage Academy of Art, where she served as director for 23 years. After losing six family members in 15 months, Pamela channeled her grief into founding the Grievers Library—a volunteer-run bibliotherapy nonprofit providing free grief books to children, teens, and adults through book boxes in and around Seattle. 

The organization’s website also offers unique online resources – “Global,” a directory of grief books available in public libraries worldwide; “EZreads,” a directory of short, meaningful excerpts from grief books; and a list of Crisis Hotlines.

Calling the Grievers Library her “ComPassion Project,” Pamela is dedicated to keeping it refreshingly non-commercial. The library is supported by the generosity of community businesses, donors, and volunteers.

Patty Bueno is a certified Grief Counselor, Dying Consciously teacher, and creator of the AMORTE podcast on Death and Grief Education. She is currently training to become a Somatic Experiencing facilitator.

Having accompanied three of her grandparents and later her mother through their dying process as a primary caregiver was an initiation and powerful call to serve and assist others in her community.  She is the mother of two beautiful men who are married and she just became a grandmother. 

She lives in Mexico City. She has been supporting terminally ill patients and their families on their dying and grieving journey for the last fifteen years. She offers workshops, teaches Death Rites and offers one on one bereavement sessions.

Season 1 Episode 19
Paul Minor's work involves transpersonal spiritual counseling and Thanatology, the study of death, dying, and bereavement. He emphasizes the importance of addressing death anxiety and grief in a holistic and sacred way. Paul faces challenges in breaking through societal taboos and misconceptions around death and spirituality. He strives to be a companion and create space for the mystery of death in his work.  He explores various practices and resources that can support individuals in facing these fears, such as the Five Wishes document and the nightly hospice practice. Additionally, Paul expresses his interest in working with end-of-life dreams and visions and their potential for healing and connection.

Phoenix is an alchemist, change agent, and spiritual midwife—aka “freedom doula,” a term she coined in 2019—who is passionate about personal freedom and collective liberation. Her practice is approached from a multidisciplinary lens, weaving ideologies from areas such as Transpersonal, Depth, and cultural psychology. She operates daily from the guiding principle of “life as a ceremony,” which acknowledges the sanctity of our life journey and the integral component of community witnessing as a gateway to transformation. 

Season 1 Episode 2
Rev. Ayah Shakur Sévigny (SAY-vee-nee) has been studying and practicing what he calls “Applied Mysticism” for over 30 years. He is ordained as a Healing and Life Transitions Minister in the Inayati (in-EYE-ah-tee) Sufi Spiritual Order. He works as an inpatient Palliative Care Chaplain at a large inner-city Hospital in Seattle Washington, and for over 20 years, has maintained a Spiritual and Bereavement Care Practice with home-based Hospice programs in Washington, Oregon, and Ohio.

Season 1 Episode 4
John Mabry is a United Church of Christ pastor and a spiritual director. He is a novelist and songwriter.
He lives with his veterinarian wife and 3 boxers in the foothills of the Catsko Mountains In upstate New York.
We met John a few years ago. We were both at a seminary in Berkeley, California training as spiritual directors.

Season 1 Episode 11
Rev. Judith Laxer is a modern-day mystic who believes that beauty, humor, and the wonders of nature make life worth living. The founding Priestess of Gaia’s Temple, Judith is a keynote and TEDx speaker, teacher of the magickal arts and mysteries, and author of Along the Wheel of Time: Sacred Stories for Nature Lovers. Judith dedicates her work to the rise and cultural integration of the Divine Feminine in all Her magnificence and wisdom. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram as Judith M Laxer and Gaia’s Temple Seattle.

Season 3 Episode 8

In the early 2000s, Rich was asked, “Have you ever been out of your body?” This question drove home the point that if you can leave your body, then you’re not your body. He relocated from Michigan to California to study philosophies, religions, processes, and methods for coaching and counseling.  

When Covid hit, Rich developed an entire series of individual coaching procedures called “Achievements”. These Achievements are like philosophical processes that people can actually do on themselves.

In 2000, Rich supported a client who was caring for his dying grandmother. He wrote out steps for his client, which they found very valuable. That prompted Rich to write a book on the subject, “When It’s Time.”  

His website contains accounts and stories of everyday people who have had out-of-the-ordinary experiences. 

Season 2 Episode 15

Rodney Diffendaffer, a clinical compounding pharmacist and certified functional medicine practitioner, discusses his work in the field of medical aid in dying (MAID). He shares his personal experiences with death growing up on a farm and how it shaped his perspective. Rodney talks about his role at Flatirons Family Pharmacy, where he helps people with their end-of-life journey and develops formulations to make the process more comfortable. He also highlights the challenges he faced in spreading awareness about MAID in Colorado.

Season 3 Episode 11

Russ has been a member of Columbine United Church since 2017 and a volunteer at Nourish Meals on Wheels since 2016. He is also an Uncle to two nieces in Littleton, Co, where he currently lives.

We first heard about wind phones when Ira Glass reported on this in his series, This American Life.  “One Last Thing Before I Go” was a tribute to  Itaru Sasaki, a Japanese man devastated by the loss of his cousin. In 2010, he set up an old-fashioned phone booth with a nonworking rotary phone in his garden. Calling his cousin on the Kaze No Denwa, translated as The Telephone of the Wind. In a manner, moving his grief through a telephone. We asked Russ to join us when we heard that he was the one who installed the local wind phone in Littleton, CO.

Season 2 Episode 20
Teresa Yung is an activist for life, healing, and consciousness. She partners with master plant teachers and other plant teacher carriers to bring access to these deep teachings to those who seek them. She works with people 1-1 and in group settings, holding space for people to remember their true nature. Her teachers include Ayahuasca, Iboga, Wachuma, and Mushrooms. She uses presence, song and sound to guide people in their awakening journeys, remembering the wisdom of the heart, spirit., and the great mystery.  Her own healing journey through grief and childhood sexual trauma led her to seek advanced healing modalities like yoga, medication and plant medicines and they have changed her life. She believes that the time for the species to awaken is now and dedicates her life to that path.

Season 3 Episode 6

Tiana (she/her/elle) a queer, white Leatherdyke, parent, and lover of the land, currently living and working on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Peoples, colonially known as Ottawa, Ontario. She is the founder of Queer Community Deathcare. She consults with end-of-life care practitioners and organizations of all types to support them in offering 2SLGBTQIA+-competent care, teaches end of life care students through the Institute of Traditional Medicine, and facilitates monthly online discussion groups for 2SLGBTQIA+ people on all topics surrounding death, dying, and grief. She's committed to empowering the 2SLGBTQIA+ community with knowledge, resources, and supportive relational experiences for end of life. Her aim is to revolutionize deathcare, ensuring inclusive, personalized, and compassionate care for all. 

Season 1 Episode 7
Yanna Hanson is a death doula and currently specializes as a volunteer with End of Life Washington, helping terminal patients navigate the medical aid in dying process. She is often present when they take life-ending medications. Yanna also helps educate patients about another life-ending choice, that of VSED, which is voluntarily stopping eating and drinking.

After raising her own 5 children Yanna became an RN, providing post-op care for pediatric patients, but she often felt called to hospice nursing. When she retired she became a hospice volunteer. Four years ago she completed a death doula training with Bodhi Be, and since then has been supporting patients through her association with End of Life WA