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Jill McClennen, a death doula and funeral celebrant, hosts Seeing Death Clearly and talks with Ralf Ellervee about preserving life stories as a lasting legacy that supports grief, healing, and conscious living. Ralph shares how interviewing his grandfather—an Estonian surgeon deported to Siberia at age nine—showed him how easily memories can be lost, especially with dementia, serious illness, or unexpected death. 

He explains why long audio recordings often go unused, while a printed book with photos becomes a timeless keepsake families reread and pass down. Ralph describes how his company, Ethos Books (ethosbook.co), evolved from in-person interviews and writers into an app that guides storytelling, lets users skip or edit answers, and can use AI to identify old photos and add context. 

Jill also connects this work to her funeral and end-of-life planning conversations, and offers a complimentary 30-minute call for support.

00:00 You Die Twice

01:56 Meet Ralph Ellervee

03:34 Grandfather’s Siberia Story

04:59 School Project Spark

07:20 Why Books Beat Audio

09:23 Hard Memories Matter

12:28 From Service to App

15:06 Don’t Wait for Dementia

18:00 Family Voices Together

21:43 Photos and AI Context

24:59 Timeless Power of Books

29:05 Every Life Matters

32:19 Stories at End of Life

37:20 Legacy and Second Death

41:16 Where to Find Ethos

42:03 Closing and Next Steps

 Homepage: http://ethoslifestories.com/

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theethosbook

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ethos.book/

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Don’t forget to check out my free workbook Living a Better Life. 

[email protected] 

https://www.endoflifeclarity.com/end-of-life-planning to learn more about End of Life Care planning and schedule a free 30-minute call.

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