In this episode of Dead on Earth, we sit down with Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique (QHHT) practitioner Shivani Mistry. Shivani opens up about the profound loss of her grandfather, Ishwar. She shares her raw journey through grief and the beautiful complexity of preserving Indian traditions in America. Tune in for a moving conversation on love, loss, and the timeless threads that connect us to where we come from.

This week on Dead on Earth, hosts Sarah Lipscomb and Kerrith McDowell sit down with Stephanie Tracy for a profoundly raw and honest conversation about facing grief amidst family upheaval. Stephanie shares the devastating loss of her mother to ovarian cancer. She describes her mother as someone who remained the ultimate source of support for her and her sister and wore the crown of the world's best grandparent. She opens up about the painful, complicated family dynamics that unfolded alongside her mother's diagnosis. Stephanie reveals how she and her sister anchored themselves during the storm, and honored the bulletproof legacy of their mother's love despite the chaos around them.

In this special bonus episode of Dead on Earth, hosts Sarah Lipscomb and Kerrith McDowell turn the microphones on themselves to answer the ultimate listener question: "Why did you make this podcast?" Sarah and Kerrith walk you through Dead on Earth's origin story, sharing a magical adventure in New Orleans that involved tattoos, voodoo, and signs from the other side that ultimately sparked the initial idea for the show. They open up about their deep motivations for creating this space, the challenges of launching an independent podcast, and the shared determination that kept them moving forward—despite their tendency to talk about creative projects and then never follow through.

This week on Dead on Earth, host Kerrith McDowell sits down with Christine Council for a deeply moving and courageous conversation about compound loss and genetic illness. Christine shares her heartbreaking journey navigating the loss of her mother and two of her sisters to Huntington’s disease. Because her mother’s symptoms began before Christine was born, she only ever knew her mother with cognitive impairment. Christine opens up about her childhood, detailing the complex family dynamics as they all navigated the brutal realities of the disease.

This week on Dead on Earth, hosts Sarah Lipscomb and Kerrith McDowell are joined by Dr. David Fisher for a profoundly insightful and moving conversation about medicine, faith, and the reality of personal loss. Dr. Fisher shares the story of his father's battle with prostate cancer. Despite his extensive professional background as a practicing geriatrician and a hospice medical director, Dr. Fisher unpacks the unexpected complexity of navigating grief when the patient is your own parent. Guided by a deep Christian faith, his father faced the end of his life without fear—ultimately teaching his son how to look at mortality with peace. Dr. Fisher opens up about how this devastating loss shifted his perspective, teaching him how to truly see death from the other side of the bedside.

This week on Dead on Earth, hosts Sarah Lipscomb and Kerrith McDowell sit down with William English for a deeply personal and vital conversation about family, systemic barriers, and profound loss. William opens up about his journey through grief following his aunt’s battle with breast cancer. Living next door to him his entire life in rural Alabama, she was a constant, nurturing presence who helped raise him. William shares what it was like to step into the role of her fierce advocate as she navigated treatment as an African American woman in the Southern healthcare system. He candidly explores the devastating reality of losing a part of himself when she passed, and the unique weight of mourning a lifelong anchor

This week on Dead on Earth, Kerrith McDowell sits down with Maria Principe-Falcione for an incredibly moving conversation about maternal bonds, major life pivots, and the realities of caregiving. Maria opens up about the devastating loss of her mother to ovarian cancer. She shares how her mother fiercely supported her when she became pregnant at 18—a life-altering moment that changed Maria's trajectory from pursuing a career as a professional ballerina to embracing young motherhood. Maria beautifully illuminates the bittersweet reality of cancer treatment, exploring both the immense struggles and the profoundly beautiful, intimate moments that exist during a loved one's final days.

This week on Dead on Earth, hosts Sarah Lipscomb and Kerrith McDowell are joined by Jill Santos Hutcheson for a raw, beautiful, and deeply resonant conversation about sibling loss. Jill opens up about the complex grief of losing her older brother, Tom, unexpectedly to health issues after becoming clean from Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Growing up together in New York City, Tom’s past struggles created a unique set of challenges that never broke their family bond. Jill candidly explores the heavy, tangled emotions of mourning a sibling as a young adult while learning how to carry the memory of a beloved brother forward.

This week on Dead on Earth, hosts Sarah Lipscomb and Kerrith McDowell sit down with Jennifer Martin for an incredibly honest conversation about compound loss and emotional barriers. Within just a few short years, Jennifer experienced a devastating trilogy of grief, losing her mother, her grandmother, and her aunt. She bravely unpacks the messy, conflicting emotions that came with her mother’s death, while also sharing her profound, pure sadness over losing her grandmother, a woman she deeply admired and loved.

This week on Dead on Earth, hosts Sarah Lipscomb and Kerrith McDowell welcome Tara Coleman for a raw and deeply necessary conversation about the complex nature of sibling loss. Tara opens up about losing her older brother to substance use disorder. She shares the heartbreak of watching someone you love struggle. Tara also pulls back the curtain on her own emotional coping mechanisms, diving into the immense difficulty of expressing grief when you are someone who typically bottles up your emotions.