DEAD Talks

By David FerrugioSociety & Culture Health & Fitness Mental Health Religion & Spirituality Spirituality

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DEAD Talks episodes

August 31 9/11 Kids: Losing Our Fathers and Growing Up With Grief with Katie Pereira (#277)
David sits down with Katie Pereira for a deeply personal conversation between two people who both lost their fathers on September 11, 2001.
Katie was just seven years old when her father, Franco Lalama, was killed in the World Trade Center. David was twelve when he lost his father that same morning. Twenty-five years later, they compare what it was like growing up as “9/11 kids,” living with such a public loss, watching the footage, approaching the anniversary each year, and grieving all the memories with their fathers they never got to make.
They also talk about childhood trauma, dark humor, the strange guilt and gratitude that can coexist with grief, how losing a parent changes the way you see life, and why Katie still finds herself watching 9/11 footage hoping she might somehow catch one last glimpse of her dad.
Katie also shares how Comfort Zone Camp helped give her childhood back after loss—and how she eventually turned that experience into a career helping grieving children.
A raw conversation about 9/11, losing a parent, childhood grief, resilience, and what it means to keep living after the day that changed everything.

For more on the incredible organization for grieving children check out Comfort Zone Camp here: https://comfortzonecamp.org/

📖 You're Not Dead Yet: How Grief and Loss Can Teach You to Live Learn more and order the book at ⁠⁠DeadTalks.net/Book⁠⁠
Sign Up For E-Mail Updates Here: ⁠https://www.deadtalks.net/signup⁠

Support the Show:
Join the ⁠DEAD Talks Patreon⁠ for just $2 to support the mission—and get episodes early & ad-free: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/deadtalks⁠

Hats, Shirts, Hoodies + More: ⁠https://cottonbureau.com/people/dead-talks⁠

Exclusive Discounts⁠10% off Neurogum⁠ – powered by natural caffeine, L-theanine, and vitamins B6 & B12 to boost focus and energy: ⁠https://neurogum.com/deadtalks⁠

About DEAD Talks
DEAD Talks with David Ferrugio approaches death differently. Each guest shares raw stories of grief, loss, or unique perspectives that challenge the “don’t talk about death” taboo. Grief doesn’t end—it evolves. After losing his father on September 11th at just 12 years old, David discovered the power of conversation. Through laughter, tears, and honest dialogue, DEAD Talks helps make it a little easier to talk about death, mourning, trauma, and the life that continues beyond it.

Connect with DEAD Talks (@deadtalkspodcast)⁠YouTube⁠ | ⁠Facebook⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠TikTok⁠ | ⁠www.deadtalks.net⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
August 24 Des Bishop: Can You Ever Really Get Over Grief? (#276)
Comedian Des Bishop opens up about losing both parents, why their deaths affected him so differently, and the complicated idea of ever truly “getting over” grief.
Des talks about using humor to process death, recording his thoughts in the raw days after his mother died, sobriety and recovery, anxiety, masculinity, complicated family relationships, and the moment he realized that constantly turning grief into material may have kept him from fully sitting with it. He also reflects on generational patterns, love, vulnerability, and what he hopes to do differently if he becomes a father.

Des Bishop's comedy special Bridge and Tunnel is available now on Hulu and YouTube.

DEAD Talks Podcast — Episode 276

📖 You're Not Dead Yet: How Grief and Loss Can Teach You to Live Learn more and order the book at ⁠DeadTalks.net/Book⁠
Sign Up For E-Mail Updates Here > https://www.deadtalks.net/signup

Support the Show
Join the DEAD Talks Patreon for just $2 to support the mission—and get episodes early & ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/cw/deadtalks

Hats, Shirts, Hoodies + More: https://cottonbureau.com/people/dead-talks

Exclusive Discounts
10% off Neurogum – powered by natural caffeine, L-theanine, and vitamins B6 & B12 to boost focus and energy: https://neurogum.com/deadtalks

About DEAD Talks
DEAD Talks with David Ferrugio approaches death differently. Each guest shares raw stories of grief, loss, or unique perspectives that challenge the “don’t talk about death” taboo. Grief doesn’t end—it evolves. After losing his father on September 11th at just 12 years old, David discovered the power of conversation. Through laughter, tears, and honest dialogue, DEAD Talks helps make it a little easier to talk about death, mourning, trauma, and the life that continues beyond it.

Connect with DEAD Talks (@deadtalkspodcast)
YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | www.deadtalks.net

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 2 min
August 17He's The Conjuring Investigators' Grandson — And He Doesn't Believe In Demons | Chris McKinnell (#275)
Chris McKinnell, grandson of legendary paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, has spent more than 40 years investigating ghosts, hauntings, consciousness and the unexplained.
But after growing up inside the world that inspired The Conjuring films, Chris came to a surprising conclusion: he doesn’t believe in demons.
In this episode of Dead Talks, Chris shares terrifying firsthand paranormal encounters, what he learned from Ed and Lorraine Warren, why he believes fear can shape paranormal experiences, and his evidence for consciousness surviving death.
We also explore ghosts, poltergeists, manifestation, near-death experiences, the power of belief, quantum physics, the afterlife, and deeply personal encounters Chris says he had with his deceased fiancée, grandmother and great-grandfather.
In this episode:
Ed & Lorraine Warren and the real Warren legacy

Why Chris McKinnell no longer believes in demons

The paranormal cases that terrified him as a teenager

Ghosts, poltergeists and unexplained phenomena

Consciousness and life after death

His fiancée visiting him after she died

Whether fear and belief can influence paranormal experiences

What The Conjuring gets people thinking about—and what Chris sees differently
Learn more about Chris McKinnell and the Warren Legacy Foundation:
www.chrismckinnell.com
www.warrenlegacyfoundation.com
@warrenfiles on IG

📖 You're Not Dead Yet: How Grief and Loss Can Teach You to Live Learn more and order David's book at ⁠DeadTalks.net/Book⁠
Sign Up For E-Mail Updates Here: https://www.deadtalks.net/signup

Support the Show
Join the DEAD Talks Patreon for just $2 to support the mission—and get episodes early & ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/cw/deadtalks

Hats, Shirts, Hoodies + More: https://cottonbureau.com/people/dead-talks

Exclusive Discounts
10% off Neurogum – powered by natural caffeine, L-theanine, and vitamins B6 & B12 to boost focus and energy: https://neurogum.com/deadtalks

About DEAD Talks
DEAD Talks with David Ferrugio approaches death differently. Each guest shares raw stories of grief, loss, or unique perspectives that challenge the “don’t talk about death” taboo. Grief doesn’t end—it evolves. After losing his father on September 11th at just 12 years old, David discovered the power of conversation. Through laughter, tears, and honest dialogue, DEAD Talks helps make it a little easier to talk about death, mourning, trauma, and the life that continues beyond it.

Connect with DEAD Talks (@deadtalkspodcast)
YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | www.deadtalks.net

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 10 min
August 10 Retirement & Longevity: How Purpose and AI Can Transform Your Second Act | Jay Samit (#274)
What happens when you retire, lose your career, lose someone you love, or simply realize the life that once gave you purpose no longer does?
Entrepreneur and author Jay Samit joins DEAD Talks to explore why purpose may be one of the most important factors in how we age, how we rebuild after loss, and what we do with the second act of our lives.
We discuss retirement, longevity, identity, grief, motivation, and finding purpose later in life, plus how artificial intelligence is changing the future of work. Jay explains how AI can help people start businesses, create new careers, pursue meaningful projects, and use decades of experience rather than feeling pushed aside by technology.
We also get into losing your identity after retirement or grief, the importance of social connection, entrepreneurship, mindset, legacy, and why your most meaningful chapter may still be ahead of you.
Jay Samit is the author of The Second Act Advantage Here

📖 You're Not Dead Yet: How Grief and Loss Can Teach You to Live:
Learn more and order David’s book at ⁠DeadTalks.net/Book⁠
Sign Up For E-Mail Updates Here: https://www.deadtalks.net/signup

Support the Show
Join the DEAD Talks Patreon for just $2 to support the mission—and get episodes early & ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/cw/deadtalks

Hats, Shirts, Hoodies + More: https://cottonbureau.com/people/dead-talks

Exclusive Discounts
10% off Neurogum – powered by natural caffeine, L-theanine, and vitamins B6 & B12 to boost focus and energy: https://neurogum.com/deadtalks

About DEAD Talks
DEAD Talks with David Ferrugio approaches death differently. Each guest shares raw stories of grief, loss, or unique perspectives that challenge the “don’t talk about death” taboo. Grief doesn’t end—it evolves. After losing his father on September 11th at just 12 years old, David discovered the power of conversation. Through laughter, tears, and honest dialogue, DEAD Talks helps make it a little easier to talk about death, mourning, trauma, and the life that continues beyond it.

Connect with DEAD Talks (@deadtalkspodcast)
YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | www.deadtalks.net

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 12 min
August 03 Jeff Arcuri: The Lie He Told Himself to Stay "Strong" for His Wife (#273)
He told himself he had to be strong for her. His therapist told him that was the problem.
Comedian Jeff Arcuri sits down to talk about the year his wife's health scare changed how he understood what "being there" actually means — and the moment a therapist called out the one thing he was doing wrong.

https://www.jeffarcuri.com/

Watch Jeff Arcuri’s new Netflix special: https://www.netflix.com/title/82032506

📖 You're Not Dead Yet: How Grief and Loss Can Teach You to Live:
Learn more and order David’s book at ⁠DeadTalks.net/Book⁠
Sign Up For E-Mail Updates Here: https://www.deadtalks.net/signup

Support the Show
Join the DEAD Talks Patreon for just $2 to support the mission—and get episodes early & ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/cw/deadtalks

Hats, Shirts, Hoodies + More: https://cottonbureau.com/people/dead-talks

Exclusive Discounts
10% off Neurogum – powered by natural caffeine, L-theanine, and vitamins B6 & B12 to boost focus and energy: https://neurogum.com/deadtalks

About DEAD Talks
DEAD Talks with David Ferrugio approaches death differently. Each guest shares raw stories of grief, loss, or unique perspectives that challenge the “don’t talk about death” taboo. Grief doesn’t end—it evolves. After losing his father on September 11th at just 12 years old, David discovered the power of conversation. Through laughter, tears, and honest dialogue, DEAD Talks helps make it a little easier to talk about death, mourning, trauma, and the life that continues beyond it.

Connect with DEAD Talks (@deadtalkspodcast)
YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | www.deadtalks.net

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 2 min
July 27 3 Psychic Sisters Reveal How They Actually Got Their Powers (#273)
One thought she was losing her mind. One heard a voice standing in a Dollar Tree. One started dreaming the future at age seven — and all three became psychics and mediums.
Erika, Jasmine, and Candace join me for one of the most unexplained conversations I've ever had on this show. We go deep on their origin stories, the voices they've been hearing since childhood, what Archangel Michael actually revealed, and what the spirits have shared about what happens the moment you die.
Believer or skeptic — this one is hard to explain away.
👁️ Haven't seen Part 1 yet? 918,000 people already have.
Watch it here → https://youtu.be/SaNwAY_GJzk
For more on the @TrinityOracles : https://trinityoracles.com/

📖 You're Not Dead Yet: How Grief and Loss Can Teach You to Live:
Learn more and order David’s book at ⁠DeadTalks.net/Book⁠
Sign Up For E-Mail Updates Here: https://www.deadtalks.net/signup

Support the Show
Join the DEAD Talks Patreon for just $2 to support the mission—and get episodes early & ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/cw/deadtalks

Hats, Shirts, Hoodies + More: https://cottonbureau.com/people/dead-talks

Exclusive Discounts
10% off Neurogum – powered by natural caffeine, L-theanine, and vitamins B6 & B12 to boost focus and energy: https://neurogum.com/deadtalks

About DEAD Talks
DEAD Talks with David Ferrugio approaches death differently. Each guest shares raw stories of grief, loss, or unique perspectives that challenge the “don’t talk about death” taboo. Grief doesn’t end—it evolves. After losing his father on September 11th at just 12 years old, David discovered the power of conversation. Through laughter, tears, and honest dialogue, DEAD Talks helps make it a little easier to talk about death, mourning, trauma, and the life that continues beyond it.

Connect with DEAD Talks (@deadtalkspodcast)
YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | www.deadtalks.net

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 14 min
July 20 Jaimie Alexander Was Dying When a Voice Asked Her to Choose: Stay or Go (#271)
In 2018, Jaimie Alexander's ruptured appendix nearly killed her. During her near-death experience, a voice spoke to her — and asked her to choose: stay or go.
Most people know Jaimie from Blindspot and Thor. But this episode isn't about Hollywood. It's about the night her body started failing — and the spiritual encounter that changed the rest of her life.
She's rarely opened up about this publicly. The voice she heard. The choice she was given.
The reason she chose to stay — and what a doctor told her immediately after that she was completely unprepared for.In this conversation, we go deep on:
→ How she almost didn't make it to the hospital in time
→ The near-death experience she had during emergency surgery
→ What the voice said — and why she answered the way she did
→ How coming that close to dying led to her sobriety
→ What death taught her about how to actually live
For more on Jaime Alexander: @jaimiealexander

📖 You're Not Dead Yet: How Grief and Loss Can Teach You to Live:
Learn more and order David’s book at ⁠DeadTalks.net/Book⁠

Sign Up For E-Mail Updates Here: https://www.deadtalks.net/signup

Support the Show
Join the DEAD Talks Patreon for just $2 to support the mission—and get episodes early & ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/cw/deadtalks

Hats, Shirts, Hoodies + More: https://cottonbureau.com/people/dead-talks

Exclusive Discounts
10% off Neurogum – powered by natural caffeine, L-theanine, and vitamins B6 & B12 to boost focus and energy: https://neurogum.com/deadtalks

About DEAD Talks
DEAD Talks with David Ferrugio approaches death differently. Each guest shares raw stories of grief, loss, or unique perspectives that challenge the “don’t talk about death” taboo. Grief doesn’t end—it evolves. After losing his father on September 11th at just 12 years old, David discovered the power of conversation. Through laughter, tears, and honest dialogue, DEAD Talks helps make it a little easier to talk about death, mourning, trauma, and the life that continues beyond it.

Connect with DEAD Talks (@deadtalkspodcast)
YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | www.deadtalks.net

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 15 min
July 13 Rabbi says that God needs YOU, not the other way around | Rabbi Manis Friedman (#270)
What if nothing bad has ever happened? Not once. Not to anyone.
Rabbi Manis Friedman made that claim — and then I told him about
losing my dad on 9/11. What followed changed how I think about
everything.
Rabbi Manis Friedman — one of the most respected Jewish thinkers
alive — joins the show for the second time and argues that God is not all-powerful and self-sufficient.
He's infinitely vulnerable. And He desperately needs YOU. This
isn't theology for theologians. It's a reframe that hits grief,
depression, purpose, and the question everyone asks after loss:
why did this happen?
If you've ever asked what happens when you die, why God allows
suffering, or whether your life actually matters — this
conversation is for you.

Missed our first conversation? Watch or listen here:
YouTube:
https://youtu.be/z9Y8egUuQXc?si=8s8AE5G7zBU04Dhx
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-judaism-really-says-about-death-heaven-reincarnation/id1498553334?i=1000758295415
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0xPv39S9nU6opV40UjUYxB?si=9c94e51fc3e0497b

🔗 Rabbi Manis Friedman:
Website:
https://itsgoodtoknow.org/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/rabbimanisfriedman/
Book — Divinely Vulnerable: Why God Needs Us: https://store.itsgoodtoknow.org/books/

📖 You're Not Dead Yet: How Grief and Loss Can Teach You to Live:
Learn more and order David’s book at ⁠DeadTalks.net/Book⁠
Sign Up For E-Mail Updates Here: https://www.deadtalks.net/signup

Support the Show
Join the DEAD Talks Patreon for just $2 to support the mission—and get episodes early & ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/cw/deadtalks

Hats, Shirts, Hoodies + More: https://cottonbureau.com/people/dead-talks

Exclusive Discounts
10% off Neurogum – powered by natural caffeine, L-theanine, and vitamins B6 & B12 to boost focus and energy: https://neurogum.com/deadtalks

About DEAD Talks
DEAD Talks with David Ferrugio approaches death differently. Each guest shares raw stories of grief, loss, or unique perspectives that challenge the “don’t talk about death” taboo. Grief doesn’t end—it evolves. After losing his father on September 11th at just 12 years old, David discovered the power of conversation. Through laughter, tears, and honest dialogue, DEAD Talks helps make it a little easier to talk about death, mourning, trauma, and the life that continues beyond it.

Connect with DEAD Talks (@deadtalkspodcast)
YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | www.deadtalks.net

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 6 min
July 06 Hours From Death, She Saw the Other Side — And Learned What's Killing Us | Anita Moorjani (#269)
Everyone knows Anita Moorjani's near-death story. This conversation is about what almost no one asks — what she actually understood in that coma, and why she says fear, not cancer, was killing her.
In our first episode together, Anita walked through her NDE in full — the 30-hour coma, the 360° awareness, meeting her late father on the other side. This time we go deeper: past the event and into the realization that reshaped how she lives. If you've ever wondered what happens when you die — or what it should change about how you're living right now — this one goes somewhere the retellings don't.

▶️ LISTEN TO PART ONE — Anita's full NDE story:
On Youtube - https://youtu.be/FAXaLVk53Hs⁠
On Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/3G0igZP7qVAbB2a01Ky941?si=30718214a3894691
Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-near-death-experience-that-changed-everything/id1498553334?i=1000758295416

For more information on Anita Moorjani check her links out here: https://linktr.ee/anitamoorjani?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=9aa5070c-6531-42b4-af2b-d2e0c7b2ebab

📚 Grab David's book You're Not Dead Yet: www.deadtalks.net/book
Sign Up For E-Mail Updates Here > Submit Your Email

If you're looking for Grief Support check out our new Grief Journey App
www.studio.com/griefjourney

Support the Show
Join the DEAD Talks Patreon for just $2 to support the mission—and get episodes early & ad-free!

Hats, Shirts, Hoodies + More: Shop Here

“Dead Dad Club” & “Dead Mom Club” – Wear your story, honor your people.

Exclusive Discounts

10% off Neurogum – powered by natural caffeine, L-theanine, and vitamins B6 & B12 to boost focus and energy.

About DEAD Talks

DEAD Talks with David Ferrugio approaches death differently. Each guest shares raw stories of grief, loss, or unique perspectives that challenge the “don’t talk about death” taboo. Grief doesn’t end—it evolves. After losing his father on September 11th at just 12 years old, David discovered the power of conversation. Through laughter, tears, and honest dialogue, DEAD Talks helps make it a little easier to talk about death, mourning, trauma, and the life that continues beyond it.

Connect with DEAD Talks
YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | www.deadtalks.net

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 8 min
June 29 I Discovered I'm a Psychic Medium with the help of two mediums (#268)
I never planned to become a psychic medium. But when I closed my eyes and said whatever came up — an apple, a pixel, ice cubes — two professional mediums couldn't explain what I was seeing. Then one time on the way home, something happened that I still can't fully rationalize. A stranger screamed my name in the street.
The hosts of Medium Curious Podcast Jane Morgan and Sarah Rathke join the show to talk mediumship, afterlife and how we can all tap into this. I was on their podcast as a guest where they asked me to do a cold reading on them. In this podcast we break that down.

Check out their show here: www.mediumcurious.com

My first book “You’re Not Dead Yet”: https://www.deadtalks.net/book
Sign Up For E-Mail Updates Here > Submit Your Email

If you're looking for Grief Support check out our new Grief Journey App
www.studio.com/griefjourney

Support the Show
Join the DEAD Talks Patreon for just $2 to support the mission—and get episodes early & ad-free!

Hats, Shirts, Hoodies + More: Shop Here

Exclusive Discounts
10% off Neurogum – powered by natural caffeine, L-theanine, and vitamins B6 & B12 to boost focus and energy.

About DEAD Talks
DEAD Talks with David Ferrugio approaches death differently. Each guest shares raw stories of grief, loss, or unique perspectives that challenge the “don’t talk about death” taboo. Grief doesn’t end—it evolves. After losing his father on September 11th at just 12 years old, David discovered the power of conversation. Through laughter, tears, and honest dialogue, DEAD Talks helps make it a little easier to talk about death, mourning, trauma, and the life that continues beyond it.

Connect with DEAD Talks
YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | www.deadtalks.net

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 4 min

About DEAD Talks

From the publisher's feed

DEAD Talks with David Ferrugio is a podcast about death, grief, loss, and what it means to truly live. After losing his father on 9/11, David created a space for honest, emotional, and sometimes funny conversations about the one thing we all face but rarely talk about.