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In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with Andrew Gordon of the Marshall Allen Project to talk about one of the most stressful parts of healthcare that families are rarely prepared for, medical billing. 

When someone is sick, aging, caregiving, or facing end-of-life decisions, the last thing families should have to worry about is fighting confusing bills, navigating insurance denials, or figuring out whether they were overcharged. But for many people, that becomes part of the experience. 

Together, Traci and Andrew talk openly about how the healthcare billing system works, where patients are most vulnerable, and what people can do to better protect themselves and the people they love. 

This conversation covers: 

• Why medical bills are often confusing and difficult to understand  
• The difference between hospital pricing and independent facilities  
• What questions to ask before tests, procedures, or surgeries  
• Why “Never Pay the First Bill” became such an important message  
• What itemized bills, coding errors, and upcoding actually mean 
• How appeals, negotiations, and collections really work  
• When patients should ask for cash pricing, even with insurance 
• How AI tools are helping people fight billing errors and denials  
• Financial assistance programs, charity care, and patient advocacy resources  

Andrew also shares practical steps families can take right now to avoid getting overwhelmed by medical bills and explains why persistence, documentation, and asking questions matter so much in today’s healthcare system. 

This episode is for patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and anyone who has ever opened a medical bill and thought, “How am I supposed to figure this out?” 

Links/Resources 

• Guest: Andrew Gordon, Marshall Allen Project - https://www.marshallallenproject.org 
• Marshall Allen’s Book: Never Pay the First Bill  
• Fair Health Consumer - https://www.fairhealthconsumer.org 
• Dollar For -  https://dollarfor.org 
• Goodbill - https://www.goodbill.com 
• Claimable - https://www.getclaimable.com 
• Fight Health Insurance - https://www.fighthealthinsurance.com 
• Host: Traci Arieli – https://www.comfortingclosure.com 

If this conversation helped you better understand medical bills, healthcare advocacy, or protecting yourself and your family in the healthcare system, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. Your support helps normalize conversations around illness, caregiving, aging, dying, and grief. 

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In this episode of Comforting Closure – Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli looks at how technology is reshaping the way we remember the people we love. Joined by architect and CEO Alex Josephson, founder of Cumulus, they discuss the shift from physical memorials to digital legacy, and what that means for future generations. 

Together, they discuss the difference between being seen and being truly remembered, the role of design in creating meaningful digital spaces, and how platforms built for connection often fall short when it comes to honoring a life. They also talk about the growing role of AI in legacy, and the ethical questions that come with it. 

Key takeaways include: 

• Why digital legacy is becoming essential as our lives move online  
• The limitations of social media in preserving memory  
• How intentional design can create more meaningful remembrance  
• The emotional and practical impact of building a legacy while still alive  
• How digital memorialization can support grief and connection across generations  

This conversation invites you to think differently about legacy, not as something created at the end of life, but as something you build over time.  

Links/Resources 

• Guest: Alex Josephson - https://www.cumulus.world  
• Host: Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com  

 
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In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli speaks with Trish Rux and Jan Booth, nurses, end-of-life doulas, and co-authors of Dying Matters: 8 Conversations That Can Change Your Life. 

Together, they discuss the conversations most families avoid and why those conversations matter more than any document. Drawing from decades of bedside experience, Trish and Jan share ways to talk about end-of-life care, values, comfort, relationships, and what truly matters before a crisis happens. 

Key takeaways include: 

• Why advance directives alone are not enough without conversation  
• How to start end-of-life conversations with family  
• What makes a strong healthcare proxy  
• How to define comfort and quality of life in your own terms  
• Why unresolved relationships often matter more than medical decisions  
• What “community death care” looks like and how to build support before you need it  

This conversation is grounded, practical, and accessible for anyone, whether you are healthy, caregiving, or working in end-of-life care. It will help you move from avoidance to clarity and give you a starting point for conversations that can change how you live. 

Links/Resources 

• Guests: Trish Rux and Jan Booth -  https://www.deathdoulas.com, [email protected]   
• Book: Dying Matters: 8 Conversations That Can Change Your Life - https://deathdoulas.com/dying-matters-book
• Conscious Dying Collective - https://www.consciousdyingcollective.com
• Host: Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com  
• Hospice and palliative care information - https://getpalliativecare.org  
• Caregiving and support resources- https://www.caringbridge.org  

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In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with Dan Fischer, founder of the One Last Wave Project, to talk about grief, connection, and what it means to carry on a relationship with someone you love after they die. 

After losing his father to pancreatic cancer, Dan found himself searching for a way to process his grief. What started as writing his father’s name on a surfboard and paddling into the ocean became something much larger. Today, the One Last Wave Project honors loved ones by carrying their names into the water on handcrafted boards around the world  

In this conversation, Traci and Dan talk about: 

• What grief feels like when you are in it  
• How nature can support emotional healing  
• Continuing bonds and staying connected after someone dies  
• The story behind the One Last Wave Project and how families participate  

This episode offers something many people need but rarely hear. Permission to grieve in their own way, and to find their own path forward. 

Whether you work in end-of-life care or are navigating loss yourself, this conversation brings both personal experience and practical understanding to the grieving. 

Links/Resources 

• Guest:Dan Fischer, One Last Wave Project - https://onelastwaveproject.com/  
• Host: Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com  

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In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli explores a question more people are beginning to ask: does AI have a place in grief? 

Joined by Traci Gwozdz, grief educator and advisor to Reflekta, this conversation looks at how artificial intelligence is being used to preserve memories, support grief, and maintain connection after loss. Drawing from her own experience of losing both parents and her son, Traci G shares how grief evolves, what it means to integrate loss, and how tools like AI reflections are being used in real life.  

Together, they discuss the emotional and ethical questions surrounding AI in grief, including what these tools can offer, where their limits are, and how to approach them in a way that supports healing rather than avoidance. 

Key takeaways include: 

• What “grief integration” means and why grief doesn’t follow a timeline  
• How AI tools are being used to preserve memories and support connection  
• When someone might be ready, or not ready, to engage with tools like this  
• How to approach new technology in grief with awareness and intention  

This episode is designed to open a conversation. Whether you’re curious, skeptical, or somewhere in between, it offers a grounded look at how people are navigating grief in a changing world. 

 Links/Resources 

• Guest: Traci Gwozdz - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracigwozdz/  
• Reflekta: https://www.reflekta.ai  
• Host: Traci Arieli's Website - https://www.comfortingclosure.com  
• David Kessler (Grief Educator): https://www.grief.com  

 
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In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with Peter Abraham, BSN, RN, to talk about the real experience of hospice care, beyond what most families are told. 

They walk through what hospice nursing looks like today, including heavy caseloads, time pressure, burnout, and the limits nurses face at the bedside. Peter shares firsthand stories about where care breaks down, what families are often unprepared for, and why gaps in education and support still exist.  

You’ll also hear about the growing role of end-of-life doulas, how they support families in ways hospice often cannot, and why collaboration between doulas and hospice teams is still evolving. 

Key takeaways include: 
• What hospice nurses wish families understood before starting care 
• How staffing shortages and time constraints impact patient experience 
• Why families must advocate for their loved ones 
• The emotional toll on hospice professionals 

• How doulas help fill critical gaps in time, education, and support 

This conversation is direct, grounded, and important. If you’ve ever wondered how hospice really works, or how to better support someone at the end of life, this episode will give you a clearer picture. 

Links/Resources 

• Peter Abraham, BSN, RN: https://compassioncrossing.info  
• Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com  
• The Hospice Journey Handbook (by Peter Abraham, available on Amazon)  

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What actuallhttps://www.hjertehagen.nety happens in a shamanic journey, and can it really shift the way we experience grief? 

In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli looks at the role of shamanism in grief, death, and the unknown. Joined by Lisa Cox, a death midwife and shamanic practitioner, this conversation looks at shamanism as a grounded, experiential practice rather than something abstract or performative. 

Together, they discuss what a shamanic journey is, how it differs from meditation or visualization, and why direct experience can change the way we hold grief. The episode also explores the role of ancestry, anticipatory grief, and how engaging with non-ordinary reality can change our relationship with death. 

If you are navigating grief, working in end-of-life care, or simply curious about how we relate to death and what may lie beyond it, this episode offers a grounded and thoughtful place to begin. 

Links/Resources 

• Guest: Lisa Cox – https://www.hjertehagen.net 
• Host: Traci Arieli – https://www.comfortingclosure.com  

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In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli explores funeral planning and why it matters long before a death occurs. 

She is joined by Dan Ford, President of Alderson-Ford Funeral Homes and President of the National Funeral Directors Association. Drawing from his experience working with families, Dan shares what happens when no plans are in place and how that affects loved ones during an already difficult moment. 

Together, they talk about when families typically reach out to a funeral director, what people wish they had done earlier, and why leaving no guidance often leads to confusion, conflict, and rushed decisions. The conversation also touches on funeral costs and debt, the pressure families face when decisions are made in crisis, and the balance between honoring someone’s wishes and supporting those left behind. 

They also discuss the role of ritual and cultural practices in grief, even for those who do not identify as religious, and discuss how funeral directors and end-of-life doulas can work together to better support families before, during, and after a death. 

This episode is for anyone who wants to make things easier for the people they love and begin thinking about funeral planning before it becomes urgent. 

Links/Resources 

• Dan Ford - https://www.fordfh.com  
• Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com  
• National Funeral Directors Association - https://nfda.org 
• Resources: National Funeral Directors Association consumer resources - https://nfda.org/consumer-resources 

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In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with Michael A. Light, Clinical Social Worker at Harborview Medical Center, to talk about what happens when someone is seriously ill and has nowhere to go. 

In the United States, many people assume care will be there when it’s needed. But that is not the reality for everyone. For people experiencing homelessness, serious illness often unfolds across the street, shelters, and hospital systems that are not built to support them. Many die decades earlier than the general population. 

Michael shares what this looks like in practice. What happens when someone is discharged from the hospital without a home. And why we need to bring care to people, instead of expecting them to come to the system. 

The conversation also explores how trust is built after repeated harm, how relationships become the care itself, and what it means to show up for someone in a way that honors their humanity. 

Links/Resources 

• Harborview Homeless Palliative Care Program – https://www.uwmedicine.org/specialties/palliative-care/homeless-care  
• Palliative Care Training Center, University of Washington – https://pctc.uw.edu 
• Host: Traci Arieli – https://www.comfortingclosure.com  

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In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli explores grief, connection, and a little-known practice called the psychomanteum. Joined by Dr. Irene Blinston, researcher, author, and grief practitioner, they talk about what this experience actually looks like, how it is used in grief work, and what people report during and after a session. 

This conversation breaks down the structure of a psychomanteum, including the controlled environment, altered state of consciousness, and guided process. Dr. Blinston discusses her research, including measurable reductions in grief symptoms and the importance of preparation, screening, and debriefing.  

Key takeaways include: 

• What a psychomanteum is and how it works  
• What people experience, beyond expectations of “contact”  
• Why healing can occur even without seeing or hearing a loved one  
• The role of environment, ritual, and altered awareness in grief processing  
• Who this work is and is not appropriate for  

Whether you approach this topic from a psychological, spiritual, or curious perspective, this episode offers a grounded look at how people process grief and maintain connection after loss. It opens the door to conversations that are often avoided, while keeping safety, ethics, and personal meaning at the center. 

Links/Resources 

• Dr. Irene Blinston: https://portaltohealinggrief.com  
• Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com 
• Get a free copy of Dr. Blinston’s eBook, “Gazing into the Afterlife" at https://freebook.portaltohealinggrief.com

 
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