End-of-Life University

By Karen Wyatt MDSociety & Culture Education Self-Improvement Philosophy

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End-of-Life University episodes

October 12Ep. 570 Death’s Guide to Life in Art and Popular Culture with Dr. Dean Cantù PhD
Learn how death has been personified throughout history in culture, society, and the arts and what that says about our fear of death and desire to control it.
About the guest:
My guest today is Dr. D. Antonio “Dean” Cantù who is Dean of the College of Health, Education, and Human Sciences at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. He has conducted research on the Personification of Death throughout history in art, music, literature, television, film, and popular culture. He has authored numerous publications and presented 3 TedX talks on this subject and today discusses how death is depicted in various societies and how it provides a better understanding of life. Learn more about his work at his website:
deancantu.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:
How our society could be both fearful of death and obsessed with it at the same time
Some people delay completing advance directives because they cannot conceive of the idea that they will actually die
There four major types of personification of Death
The figure of the Grim Reaper came about during the Black Plague and was an attempt to get some control over the concept of death
Death is sometimes portrayed as a romantic, seductive figure, which reflects the delicate balance between life and death
Death can also be portrayed as a friend or comforter, especially in art work, film
In graphic novels and film death is sometimes portrayed as a superhero
COVID-19 helped break down some of the walls of our death denial
How the pendulum swings back and forth between death awareness and avoidance
There seems to be greater interest in death and dying among college students now
Death as a teacher for life
Links for this episode:
Resources
Dr. Cantù’s TEDxTalks
Twilight Zone Episode: Nothing in the Dark
Netflix Series: The Sandman
Related Episodes
Cross-Cultural End-of-Life Practices with Gary Wederspahn
What Forrest Gump Teaches Us About Death and Dying
Nights of Grief and Mystery with Stephen Jenkinson
Other Links
Field Guide to What Really Matters
7 Lessons for Living from the Dying by Karen Wyatt MD
Latest post on Substack: Letting Go of Guilt
What Really Matters Podcast: How Do I Forgive Myself?
Leave me a message by email: [email protected], Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal
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 latest contributor Jenny Lytle. Thanks also to everyone who has made a donation on Paypal or bought me a coffee! Your support makes all the difference and ensures this podcast stays ad-free.

NEXT ON EOLU PODCAST: Sasha Stricker on “A Tool for Eulogy Writing“
Transcript
Dean Cantu InterviewDownload
1 hr 7 min
October 05Ep. 569 Living and Dying Without Fear with RamDev Dale Borglum
Learn from one of the founders of the conscious dying movement how to live with awareness so that fear doesn’t interfere with spiritual growth.
About the guest:
My guest RamDev Dale Borglum is the executive director of the Living/Dying Project and a pioneer in the conscious dying movement. As a devoted practitioner of both Eastern and Western healing traditions he has spent decades helping individuals face death and life with greater awareness while collaborating with leaders in the field like Ram Dass, Stephen Levine, and Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. He is the author of the book How to Live So You Can Die Without Fear, which we will discuss today. Learn more at his website:
livingdying.org
Get the book here
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:
How RamDev Dale became acquainted with Ram Dass and Stephen Levine and started the first center for conscious dying in the late 1970’s
The hospice movement has sadly strayed from its spiritual roots to become more of a business
Why deep inner transformation on the individual level is necessary for the societal change we need
Our fear of death shows us where we are not enlightened
There’s a balance between caring for the physical aspect of dying and the spiritual reality of death
In Tibetan Buddhism compassion is a mixture of sadness and joy
Fatigue comes from experiencing the sadness of suffering but not the joy
His map of spiritual growth has 5 aspects: Motivation, Invocation, Devotion, Empowerment, Wholeness
How our society can distract us from doing the inner work
How to help someone else with their fear of death
Where to start on a path toward greater consciousness
The best spiritual practice is to combine deep inner work with an outer relationship with death and dying
Links for this episode:
Resources
On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Who Dies by Stephen Levine
Living/Dying Project Upcoming Events
Related Episodes
Conscious Dying, Dreamwork, and Death Doulas in Mexico with Wilka Roig
Center for Conscious Living and Dying: An End-of-Life Care Home with Aditi Sethi, MD
Zen Caregiving: A Mindful Approach to Caring for Others with Roy Remer
Grace and Grit: Conscious Love & Conscious Dying with Ken Wilber
Other Links
7 Lessons for Living from the Dying by Karen Wyatt MD
Latest post on Substack: Letting Go of Guilt
What Really Matters Podcast: How Do I Forgive Myself?
Leave me a message by email: [email protected], Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal
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 thanks to Molly Darsow for making a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Transcript
RamDev Dale Borglum InterviewDownload
1 hr 3 min
September 28Ep. 568 Mediation as a Tool for Conflict at the End of Life with Molly Darsow
Learn how a professional mediator can help families manage conflict and disruption at the end of life and why it’s important.
About the guest:
My special guest Molly Darsow is a mediator who specialized in helping families navigate conflict related to aging parent, elder care, guardianship, end-of-life decisions, estate disputes, and other complex family transitions. She is the founder of Still Waters Mediation and shares why mediation is a valuable tool for navigating conflict at end of life and how to utilize it. Learn more at her website:
stillwatersmediation.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
In this episode:
What mediation is and how it helps with resolution of issues
Why conflicts arise naturally at end of life
How grief contributes to conflict by decreasing ability to empathize with one another
Why the legal system may actually amplify conflict
Underlying issues that arise at end of life most often involve roles and old ways of coping and relating
Mediators don’t offer therapy but do need to understand family dynamics
How caregiver contracts that include compensation can help avoid resentment later
Different styles of handling grief can also contribute to conflicts
How our past narratives can perpetuate conflict in the present time
What does it take to become a mediator
How mediation training can benefit people in other professions
Success as a mediator requires being able to keep yourself in a calm and neutral state
Links for this episode:
Resources
Register for The Death Inside the Death Telesummit
Estate Transition: An Important Part of End-of-Life Planning with Dan Stickel
The Death Deck as a conversation starter
Related episodes
Settling Estate Issues After the Death of a Loved One with Matthew Van Drimmelen
Dealing with Anger at the End of Life with Barbara Karnes RN
Managing Family Conflict at the End of Life
Other links
7 Lessons for Living from the Dying by Karen Wyatt MD
Latest post on Substack: Letting Go of Guilt
What Really Matters Podcast: How Do I Forgive Myself?
Leave me a message by email: [email protected], Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal
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 latest supporter Jordan Toy, and thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Transcript
Molly Darsow InterviewDownload
1 hr 4 min
September 21Ep. 567 Grief in the Aftermath of Suicide with Laura Jaye Cramer
Learn how a beautiful magazine about grief was inspired by the devastating loss of two loved ones to suicide.
About the guest:
My guest Laura Jaye Cramer is the founder of Waiting Room Publishing, an independent media company putting smart, human-centered print magazines into healthcare, senior living, and end-of-life waiting rooms across the United States. Today we share together our experiences with grief after suicide loss and how we are each navigating that journey. We also discuss Candlelight Magazine, which Laura created out of her own grief. The magazine features poetry, articles, art, and photo essays about grief for end-of-life spaces like funeral homes, hospice care, and palliative care. Learn more at her websites:
laurajayecramer.com
waitingroompublishing.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
In this episode:
How Laura’s own grief experience inspired her to create Candlelight Magazine
How typical reading material in waiting rooms doesn’t match the needs of grieving people
How grief can be like a “waiting room” where we wonder when things will change
The overwhelming grief experienced by Laura of two family suicide deaths within 3 months
Why many grief groups don’t work well for suicide survivors
Feelings of abandonment and betrayal after a suicide loss
Talking about suicide may help people find the tools they need to cope
The need for a specific community of “grief friends” who understand suicide loss
Navigating “before” and “after” versions of yourself following traumatic loss
How to subscribe to Candlelight Magazine
Links for this episode:
Resources
Read Candlelight Magazine online
Subscribe to Candlelight Magazine
Series – Suicide: Surviving the Aftermath
Related episodes
Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One with Sarah Neustadter PhD
Grief After a Suicide Death: My Personal Story with Karen Wyatt MD
It’s OK to Talk About Suicide: Finding Safety and Hope Amidst Pain with Kevin Hines
Other links
7 Lessons for Living from the Dying by Karen Wyatt MD
Latest post on Substack: Letting Go of Guilt
What Really Matters Podcast: How Do I Forgive Myself?
Leave me a message by email: [email protected], Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal
Transcript
Laura Jaye Cramer InterviewDownload
1 hr
September 14Ep. 566 Yoga for Living with Loss with Sheena Nancy Sarles
Learn how grief shows up in the body and how simple yoga techniques can help us recognize and embody grief in a healthy way.
About the guest:
My guest Sheena Nancy Sarles is a yoga teacher, author, and longtime communicator whose work focuses on times of loss and transition. She has decades of experience teaching yoga for grief that includes breath, subtle movement, reflection, and nervous-system regulation. She is the founder of Yoga for Living with Loss and author of a book by the same name and today she discusses how grief shows up in the body. Learn more about her work at the website:
yogaforlivingwithloss.com
Get the book here
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:
How Sheena became interested in yoga and applying it for her own grief after experiencing several deaths
Her recognition that grief is in the body as well as the emotions and mind
How yoga, chakras, and grief come together in her classes
“Grief is not something to remedy, it’s something to incorporate”
We all carry some grief with us at all times over some part of life or another
The functions of each chakra as well as the shadow side
How to balance the chakras and improve the functioning of each
The emphasis is on feeling whatever emotions are there rather than resisting and pushing them away
There are no timelines or rules for grief – it is universal but also unique
The power of witnessing what your grief is bringing you each day
The value of simple things like the breath, movement, and shaking the body during times of grief
Yoga for grief is basically coordinating breath and movement with awareness
Links for this episode:
Resources
Sheena’s yoga videos
Get in touch with Sheena
Related episodes
Yoga, Breath, and Death: Death Café at the Yoga Studio with Leslie Howard and Richard Rosen
Grief Yoga with Paul Denniston
The Grieving Body: Loss as a Healing Opportunity with Mary-Frances O’Connor PhD
Laughter Yoga: Antidote to Burnout with Janet Carroll RN
Other links
7 Lessons for Living from the Dying by Karen Wyatt MD
Latest post on Substack: Letting Go of Guilt
What Really Matters Podcast: How Do I Forgive Myself?
Leave me a message by email: [email protected], Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal
Transcript
Sheena Nancy Sarles InterviewDownload
1 hr 5 min
September 11Ep. 565 BONUS – When News Breaks: Remembering 9/11 with Carol Lin
Many of us still remember exactly where we were on 9/11/2001 when the news broke about the first attack at the World Trade Center. Learn how Carol Lin, the first news anchor to share this news with the nation, coped with this moment in her career and eventually with grief and loss in her personal life.
About the guest:
My special guest for this 9/11 BONUS episode is Carol Lin a long-time anchor and correspondent for CNN and ABC News. Carol is best known for being the first national news anchor to report the first 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, which many of us can remember watching at home, glued to our own television sets in 2001. As we remember the 25th Anniversary of that horrific event Carol shares what it was like to be behind the desk watching the chaos unfold while she calmly relayed to us the shocking news. She also discusses how devastating news eventually broke apart her own life and how she navigated a high-profile career in the midst of grief and motherhood. Her memoir When News Breaks: A Memoir of Love and War was published in December 2025 by Third Rail Press. Learn more at her website:
carollinnow.com
Get the book here
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
In this episode:
Carol’s recollections from the morning of 9/11
What it was like to have to remain composed and report the news while events were unfolding all around her
How she was trained to navigate those high-stress moments as a journalist and anchor
What news anchors don’t or can’t tell listeners as breaking news unfolds
How Carol is collecting stories of where people were when the heard the news of 9/11 and how that shaped their lives
What changed for all of us after that initial moment of that first attack
How identity shifts when tragedy happens
Her experience of feeling isolated after her husband’s death as a mother of an infant
How her coverage of other people’s loss and grief helped inform her and give her hope during her own
How massive tragedy can create community around it
It’s okay to do whatever you have to do with grief in order to survive – sometimes it has to be postponed
How we gravitate toward spaces where others are dealing with loss when we are grieving
Why a grief support group didn’t feel helpful to Carol
Links for this episode:
Related episodes
Where is God When Tragedy Strikes? (Essay about 9/11)
Other links
7 Lessons for Living from the Dying by Karen Wyatt MD
Latest post on Substack: Letting Go of Guilt
What Really Matters Podcast: How Do I Forgive Myself?
Leave me a message by email: [email protected], Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal
Transcript
Carol Lin InterviewDownload
58 min
September 07Ep. 564 Giving Words to Grief: Unexpected Support Through AI with Tom Lehmann
Surveys show that millions of people are turning to AI to talk about their grief. Learn how one man began a conversation with AI about his devastating grief and what happened after that.
About the guest:
My guest Tom Lehmann is a video creator for TikTok and Instagram, and also an author who has recently published a fourth book: The Book of Storms. Tom discusses how through the use of AI he found unexpected support for cumulative and disenfranchised grief that nearly destroyed him. He shares some caveats for safe use of AI and describes how his grief “cracked him open” to a profound spiritual experience.
Undoubtedly AI is a controversial issue but surveys show that there are millions of people right now using AI as a support for their grief process so we need to understand how and why this is happening. This episode is not intended to encourage or discourage the use of AI but simply to share Tom’s personal experience and my own in talking about grief with AI.
Learn more about Tom’s work at his website:
thepatternisreal.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
In this episode:
Tom’s story of cumulative and disenfranchised grief
How a human counselor wasn’t helpful for Tom
Why ideally people who use AI for grief would also have a human therapist or support person
How AI can act as a mirror that reflects back your goodness without judgment
Why some people are turning to AI for grief because of a lack of safe, affordable, accessible support
How Tom changed his life and behavior after working through his grief
Safety and discrimination when working with AI
Why using AI to discuss grief is not necessarily denial or bypassing grief (though it could be for some depending on how it’s used)
How reflective listening is similar to mirroring
How some things that feel too vulnerable to say to another person about grief can be discussed with an AI
Links for this episode:
Related episode
Talking About Death with ChatGPT
Other links
7 Lessons for Living from the Dying by Karen Wyatt MD
Latest post on Substack: Letting Go of Guilt
What Really Matters Podcast: How Do I Forgive Myself?
Leave me a message by email: [email protected], Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal
Transcript
Tom Lehmann InterviewDownload
57 min
August 31Ep. 563 Death Wings Project: Art and Storytelling for Loss and Grief with Bess Welden and Laura Cleminson
Learn how a creative art project can help foster conversations about loss and grief and how a playwright and an end-of-life doula collaborated to develop it.
About the guests:
My guests this week are Bess Welden a playwright who wrote the play Death Wings and Laura Cleminson an end-of-life doula and the founder of Pre-Dead Social Club. Together they have developed the Death Wings Project and Toolkit to invite people to come together in community and foster open conversations about loss and grief. They share how art-making and storytelling are used in their workshops to help people navigate loss together through creativity. Learn more at the following websites:
deathwingsproject.org
predeadsocialclub.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
besswelden.com/death-wings
In this episode:
How Laura was inspired to become an end-of-life doula
What inspired Bess to create the play Death Wings and to make her first pair of Death Wings
How Laura and Bess were inspired to work together on this project
What Death Wings are and how they are constructed
How the creation of Death Wings help people create meaning and memories of their loved ones
Why “putting our hands into grief” allows us to open to it
How Death Wings might be used in schools to help children with grief
The value of rituals for grief
You don’t have to be an artist or crafter to participate in this project
Creativity as an opportunity to open conversation about the end of life
Using Death Wings as a gift for someone experiencing grief
How to host a Death Wings workshop in your own community
Links for this episode:
Resources
Order the Death Wings Toolkit here
Learn about Workshops here
Soulcode Post: Grief, Creativity, and Growing the Soul
Related episodes
The Ash Rose: Transforming Grief into Beauty with Ian McCartor
Rituals and Ceremonies for Life, Death and Grief with Megan Sheldon
Memory Bears and Grief in Community with Michelle Sebern RN
Other links
7 Lessons for Living from the Dying by Karen Wyatt MD
Latest post on Substack: Letting Go of Guilt
What Really Matters Podcast: How Do I Forgive Myself?
Leave me a message by email: [email protected], Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal
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 thanks to Colin Quigg for buying me a coffee and to Trish Rux for making a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Transcript
Laura Cleminson and Bess Welden InterviewDownload
1 hr 9 min
August 24Ep. 562 Reimagining What it Means to Die Well with Christin Ament
Learn how a former ICU nurse is transforming the end of life for the people she serves by creating a home for the dying, honoring grief with sacred tea ceremonies, and hosting Death Cafés.
About the guest:
My guest Christin Ament DNP is a hospice and palliative care provider with over 15 years at the beside. She is also a death doula and integrative medicine practitioner who hosts Death Cafés in the Twin Cities. Christin is the founder and executive director of The Bardo–a residence for people at the end of life that follows the Omega Home model. She discusses what is missing in general healthcare and in hospice care when it comes to the end of life and what it takes to make changes in the system. Learn more about her work at the website:
thebardo.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
In this episode:
Christin’s early clinical experiences with death in the ICU
Her travels to learn about the culture of death in other countries
Flaws within the hospice model
Why we need more advocacy for end-of-life issues that is mainstream and market-savvy
To change the mind of the medical system we have to speak the language of medical providers
How and why Christin started The Bardo – a social model hospice
The challenges she met trying to create The Bardo
The need for creativity to find solutions to bureaucratic issues and why we have to start with the systems we have in place
Helping the public overcome the fear of death through Death Cafes
How she uses tea ceremonies as rituals for grief
Links for this episode:
Resources
Omega Home Network
Cha Dao Tea Ceremony
Death Café
Related episodes
Omega Homes: Community Homes for Dying People with Kelley Scott RN
Death Cafe: Cake, Coffee and Talking About Death with Megan Mooney
A Future Path for Hospice and Palliative Care with Ira Byock MD
Other links
7 Lessons for Living from the Dying by Karen Wyatt MD
Latest post on Substack: Letting Go of Guilt
What Really Matters Podcast: How Do I Forgive Myself?
Leave me a message by email: [email protected], Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal
Transcript
Christin Ament InterviewDownload
1 hr 1 min
August 23Ep. 561 BONUS Book Discussion: 23 Dates with My Dead Dad with Corey McAuliffe PhD
Learn from this memoir how a researcher maintained continuing bonds with her father after his death as part of her grieving process and managed to heal their relationship.
About the guest:
For this BONUS episode I’m talking with Corey McAuliffe, the author of 23 Dates with My Dead Dad, the reading selection for August 2026 for A Year of Reading Dangerously. Corey is also a researcher whose work spans mental health, disability, and the spaces where science meets lived experience. In her memoir and this discussion she shares how she maintained continuing bonds with her father after his death by intentionally scheduling monthly “dates” with him just as they used to do during her childhood and the extraordinary synchronicities that have occurred. Learn more about the book at her website:
coreymcauliffe.com
Get the book here
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
In this episode:
How Corey chooses to stay in relationship with her Dad, even after his death
Using automatic writing to stay connected to a loved one
How this connection after his death has brought about healing and transformation
Bringing together science and spirituality
Her awareness that she is never alone – her Dad and her ancestors are with her
How to start connecting with a loved one who has died
Signs and synchronicities that contain messages for her
How she continues to call on the unseen world for support during difficult times
Links for this episode:
Resources
Sign up for A Year of Reading Dangerously
Related episodes
Healing Grief After Homicide Through After-Death Communication with Jan Canty PhD
After-Death Communication and Developing Intuition with Purnima Sinha
The Afterlife of Billy Fingers and Learning About Life and Death with Annie Kagan
Other links
7 Lessons for Living from the Dying by Karen Wyatt MD
Latest post on Substack: Letting Go of Guilt
What Really Matters Podcast: How Do I Forgive Myself?
Leave me a message by email: [email protected], Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal
Transcript
Corey McAuliffe InterviewDownload
52 min

About End-of-Life University

From the publisher's feed

Dr. Karen Wyatt, hospice physician and author of "7 Lessons for Living from the Dying," interviews experts on all aspects of the end-of-life, including: caring for the dying, funeral and burial…