End-of-Life University

Learn about effective, personalized grief support that arrives via text message and how this innovation is a game changer for caregivers, healthcare workers, and the bereaved.

My guest Emma Payne is the founder and CEO of Help Texts, which provides private grief, caregiver, or mental health support via personalized text messages. On this episode, Emma’s second guest appearance, she will discuss what’s new on the Help Texts platform and the data they’ve been gathering about the efficacy of grief-informed texting. You need to know about this tool if you work anywhere in the end of life as a means of offering support to people who are grieving, caregivers and healthcare workers. This is a game-changer! Learn more at the website:

helptexts.com

Get a discount with this link

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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 Molly Byock for making a donation through Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn about palliative medicine from a physician who is also a popular content creator on social media.

My guest Dr. Matthew Tyler is a board certified physician in internal medicine as well as hospice and palliative medicine. He is the creator of How to Train Your Doctor, a coaching platform designed to help patients and caregivers make medical decisions related to serious illness and end of life. He specializes in creating short videos for social media that cover a variety of topics related to hospice and palliative medicine. Learn more at this website:

howtotrainyourdoctor.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 latest supporter Monica Park, and to Dana Tuttle for buying me 3 coffees! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn about a helpful book for grieving teens by grief counselor and thanatologist Dr. Korie Leigh … and why you should have it on your bookshelf.

My guest Dr. Korie Leigh is a grief counselor and an Associate Professor and Program Director of the Thanatology Program at Marian University. She has spent 20 years working with children and families experiencing grief and loss. She is the author of two books including What Does Grief Feel Like? and It Won’t Ever Be the Same: A Teen’s Guide to Grief and Grieving. Learn more about her work at the website:

korieleighphd.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, especially my latest supporter Pam, and to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation through Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn how grief is a major theme of Alexander Hamilton’s life as portrayed in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit musical Hamilton.

Today I’m joined once again by my co-host Benjamin Kintisch for another episode of the Death & Grief in Pop Culture Series. Ben is a cantor, hospice and eldercare chaplain, music teacher, and the creator of Life Review: The Hospice Musical. Together we talk about all the interesting ways death shows up in culture, what we might learn about death and grief through the lens of pop culture, and how we can utilize popular references to death and grief to increase death literacy for ourselves and others. This week we are discussing the Broadway musical “Hamilton” Learn more about Ben’s work at his website:

lifereviewmusical.com

View lyrics 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, especially my latest supporters Bonnie and CJ, and to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation through Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn how an astrologer uses death charts to provide insights and solace for people who are grieving.

My guest Moon Zlotnik is an astrologer who has been practicing and teaching astrology full-time for over 40 years. Her practice of modern astrology includes a focus on both psychology and spirituality. She discusses her discovery of the helpfulness of astrological “death charts” for grief after the death of her twin sister and how she uses the charts now in her work with bereaved clients. She is the author of the book Star Sisters: An Astrologer’s Memoir of Twin Loss and is currently working on a second book about death charts. Learn more at her website:

astrologybymoonrabbit.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. Also thank you to everyone who has joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn from an expert about the dynamics of the dying process and the most common concerns of caregivers as their loved one approaches death.

This week I’m welcoming once again my recurring guest Barbara Karnes RN who is a hospice nurse, author, thought leader and expert on end-of-life care and the dynamics of dying. She is the author of Gone from My Sight: The Dying Experience, also known in the hospice world as “the little blue book,” which remains the leading resource on the market today educating families on the signs of approaching death. She discusses the most common questions and concerns that arise for caregivers as their loved one goes through the final stages of life. Learn more about Barbara’s work and books at her website:

bkbooks.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, especially my latest supporter Jim Schultz and to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation through Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn about a beautiful, sustainable option for disposition of ashes after death at the base of a memorial tree.

My guest Gillian Nye has served at the Forest Memorials Manager at Better Place Forests for the past 6 years. She helps families create meaningful, nature-centered ceremonies that honor their loved ones in a unique and sustainable manner. She will tell us how and why to choose a special tree as a memorial for ourselves or those we love. If you love trees (as I do) and want to learn about sustainable options for disposition after death don’t miss this conversation! Learn more at the website:

betterplaceforests.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. Also thank you to James M. Schultz for buying me a cup of coffee and to Sue Julian who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn about a unique postgraduate program in Scotland that offers a global and cultural context to end of life studies for a diverse group of students.

My guest Marian Krawczyk is a medical anthropologist interested in the culture of health, illness and medicine, particularly in relation to the end of life. She is the Lead Convenor for the End of Life Studies Program at the University of Glasgow and will discuss what this program offers and what makes it unique in the field of end-of-life education. We will set the stage for future interviews with some of the graduates of the program where they will share their original research projects. Marian is also the founder of the End-of-Life Doula International Research Group, which you can learn more about at the following website:

eold.org

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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 to Kitty for increasing your pledge, and to Roberta Cummins for joining the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn how a funeral director who is also an end-of-life doula merges “head and heart” in her work to help people prepare for the end of life.

My guest Christa Ovenell is a licensed funeral director, an end-of-life doula, and the founder of Death’s Apprentice Education & Planning. She shares how she helps people think about, talk about, and prepare for the end of life and what comes after. Her work highlights the importance of planning how to live fully during our last days so that we don’t waste any of our precious time, and how to navigate all the transitions of life as we age. Learn more at her website:

deathsapprentice.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. Also thank you to everyone who has joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn why you should start a death collaborative in your community and tips for getting started.

My guests this week are members of the Minnesota Death Collaborative and will share how the collaborative was created, including tips for others who might like to start a similar collaborative in their community or state. Michelle Kolling is a hospice volunteer and end-of-life doula who serves as secretary of the collaborative and Nina Guertin is an end-of-life doula, death educator and a co-founder of the original collaborative. They share their personal experiences and the benefits and challenges of collaborating with others. Learn more about each guest and the MN Death Collaborative at the links below:

Michelle Kolling: heldoula.com

Nina Guertin: tendingthespirit.care

MN Death Collaborative: mndeathcollaborative.org

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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. Also thank you to Anonymous for buying me a cup of coffee and to everyone who has joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.