Learn about the specialty of pediatric palliative care and how one doctor has benefitted from his relationship with his seriously ill patients.

My guest Dr. Bob Macauley is one of only a few hundred pediatricians in the U.S. specializing in palliative care for children with life-threatening illness. Uniquely Dr. Macauley attended both divinity school and medical school at the same time, which gives him a spiritual perspective on palliative care as well. He is the author of the recently published book Because I Knew You: How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor’s Soul. Learn more at his website:

robertmacauley.com

Get the book here

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If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and thank you to Yoshimi Kanagawa for buying me 5 coffees and to Kathleen Cheetham who made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn how death doulas are improving end-of-life care in our medical system by tending to things that often get ignored.

In this episode, I’m joined by Kacie Gikonyo, founder of The Death Doula Collective and Death Doula School. Drawing on more than a decade of nursing experience, Kacie shares how death doulas are helping to transform end-of-life care by addressing the emotional, spiritual, and relational needs that often go unmet by the medical system. We discuss the gaps in Western medical care, the shifts needed in how we approach dying, and how death doulas are bridging the divide with presence, advocacy, and compassion. Learn more at her website:

deathdoulakacie.com

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If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to everyone who bought me a coffee or donated on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn about making beautiful memorial art as way of navigating grief and honoring loved ones.

My guest Ian McCartor is a hospice nurse, musician, and founder of The Ash Rose, a project that transforms the ashes of loved ones into beautiful rose-shaped keepsakes. In this episode, Ian shares how his work helps individuals navigate grief by creating tangible symbols of remembrance and healing. Ian shares his journey from hospice care to creating tangible symbols of remembrance, highlighting how art and creativity can aid in the grieving process. He delves into the inspiration behind The Ash Rose, the impact it has had on individuals coping with loss, and the broader implications of integrating beauty into end-of-life rituals. Learn more at his website:

theashrose.org

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“Out of the ashes, something beautiful can still grow.”

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to Barbara Walker for donating on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn about breaking taboos around talking about death through a unique death education program in Australia.

My guest Samantha Waite is the quirky founding director of Taboo Education who works with individuals and groups in local, national (Australia) and international communities to resolve our taboo and confusion in talking about death. She is a long-time performing arts enthusiast as well as a trained counselor and youth worker with training in thanatology, psychotherapy and public health. She discusses some of the cultural differences around death and dying between the US and Australia and what Australia is doing right in terms of end-of-life care. Learn more at her website:

tabooeducation.com

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If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to Kristina Oswath, Christine Maleck, and Patricia Cates for donating on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn how finding just one little thing to be thankful for every day can help us with grief.

My guest Kelly Buckley is the author of the book and founder of the movement called Just One Little Thing that has a loyal following worldwide. She is a registered nurse who now nurtures other souls who are dealing with grief. Her own story of journeying from the depths of grief by clinging to gratitude has inspired tens of thousands of people and her writings have been featured on sites such as Maria Shriver, the Huffington Post, Open to Hope, and Hello Grief. Learn more about her work at her website:

kellybuckley.com

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If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to Erin Collins and Karen Johnston for donating on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn why it’s important to be aware of the needs of people with disabilities (and their families) when providing end-of-life and bereavement care.

My guest Carrie Batt is an end-of-life doula and the founder of SEOL Care which offers disability-competent end-of-life care, support and planning for people with a disability and their families. She advocates for disability competent care and grief support after losing a loved one with a disability . She created a Facebook group To Walk a Mile in My Shoes that honors loss and disability. Learn more at her website:

seolcare.ca

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If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patrons Dawn, Rosie Ross, and Beverly. And thank you to Xu Ying Steiner for buying me 5 coffees and to Nancy Reese Jones who made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Join me for a few stories and a brief celebration of the 500th episode of EOLU Podcast!

This week I’m celebrating the milestone of 500 Episodes and I hope you’ll share my joy! I’ll be answering a few questions (submitted by ChatGPT!) and telling a story or two. It has been an incredible experience being part of this ecosystem and I’m grateful to all of my guests and listeners for making this possible. Next week I’ll be back to the regular schedule of interviews. Meanwhile check out my website and YouTube Channel:

eoluniversity.com

YouTube Channel

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Learn about the value of viewing death through a spiritual lens rather than just as an ending of the physical body.

My guest Felicity Warner is the founder of Soul Midwives a global movement to teach holistic and spiritual end-of-life care. She has been working with death and dying for 35 years and her work is often used in hospitals, hospices, and care homes. She also teaches on the use of sacred oils at the end of life and will share that information today along with her insights about the five energetic stages of death. Felicity is also the author of The Soul Midwife’s Handbook, which will released later this year as an updated second edition and she is currently teaching a course on sacred oils for The Shift Network. Learn more at her website:

soulmidwives.co.uk

Register for course

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If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patrons Char Yutzy, Emma Schade-Stylli, and Wendy Getchell-Lacey who also made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn how a project making memory bears for people who are grieving is opening the door to conversation about the end of life.

My guest Michelle Sebern is an RN who trained as an end-of-life doula to channel her skills and passion into more community-focused work. When she found her rural community wasn’t quite ready to receive end-of-life doula services she decided to find a more creative way to give back. She will share how she founded The Memory Bear Maker and now creates customized bears to help people in their grief and begin end-of-life conversations. Learn more at her website:

thememorybearmaker.com

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If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patron Sue Simone, and to Caroline McClure for buying me 3 coffees! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn how doulas and chaplains collaborate to provide end-of-life care in a skilled nursing facility.

My guests for this episode are Jane Whitlock and Liza Neal who both work with the Full Circle Care Program in a skilled nursing facility to support residents and their loved ones during end-of-life journeys. Jane is an end-of-life doula who also helped found the Minnesota Death Collaborative and co-founded Full Circle Care. Liza is a chaplain who has worked to develop spiritual community within and outside faith and multi-faith contexts. She joined the skilled nursing facility in order to be part of the Full Circle Care Program, which we discuss in this interview.

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If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patron Trina Wacasey, and to everyone who has bought me a coffee or donated on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.