Till Death and Beyond

** TRIGGER WARNING**
On today's episode there is some discussion on mental health issues and suicide ideation. Listen with care.

Kerry has taken over the microphone for this solo episode this time and gives you some insight into what she means by 'grief journeys', her struggles with grief, her life being directed to Mediumship, the healing she has seen not only in herself but with many others, and how it all connects.

Kerry Cooke is the creator and host of Till Death and Beyond. She is an Intuitive Psychic Medium who has worked for some years honing her connection with this work, and in turn both professionally and personally has been touched by death a lot in her life. It is because of this and seeing how others are about it that made her see there was a need for something like this podcast.

Today's episode has been proudly brought to you by Finding The Happy Medium - www.findingthehappymedium.com.au

Continuing our wonderful conversation that we had with Racheal Harris in Episode 5, we have invited Racheal back to talk about so much more! Strap yourselves in for this ride as we cover so much that might well push your belief boundaries, make you feel a little uncomfortable, but hopefully most of all, make you think more about all sorts of things.

Racheal is a PhD candidate at Deakin University. Her research is focused on Spiritualism, death rituals, and afterlife beliefs relating to companion animals. She is a qualified end-of-life doula, apprentice taxidermist, and medium. Racheal’s research, like her work, seeks to change traditional grief narratives as they pertain to companion animals, by helping people navigate the death of their pets in a way that is inclusive and spiritually diverse. 

Racheal also owns and operates The Wheel Mavens, an end-of-life and afterlife care business which works with people who are facing end-of-life with their companion animals. She can be contacted via her website at www.thewheelmavens.com

Today's episode has been proudly brought to you by Finding The Happy Medium - www.findingthehappymedium.com.au

So, all of us listening are aware these days that there are End-of-life Doulas, or Deathwalkers, to make our final stage of life better, but did you know that there are ones for our companion animals too? On today's episode we sit down with Rachael Harris and discuss what is involved in being an End-of-life Doula for companion animals and how it can help so many.

Racheal is a PhD candidate at Deakin University. Her research is focused on Spiritualism, death rituals, and afterlife beliefs relating to companion animals. She is a qualified end-of-life doula, apprentice taxidermist, and medium. Racheal’s research, like her work, seeks to change traditional grief narratives as they pertain to companion animals, by helping people navigate the death of their pets in a way that is inclusive and spiritually diverse. 

Racheal also owns and operates The Wheel Mavens, an end-of-life and afterlife care business which works with people who are facing end-of-life with their companion animals. She can be contacted via her website at www.thewheelmavens.com

Today's episode has been proudly brought to you by Finding The Happy Medium - www.findingthehappymedium.com.au

On this episode I have the absolute pleasure of welcoming Benjamin Kintisch, all the way from America, to the podcast where we discuss life, death and musicals (yes, they all do relate).

Benjamin is a Cantor, a chaplain and a music teacher, but the that brings him to us today is as the creator, songwriter and script co-writer of the stage show, Life Review – The Hospice Musical.

He graduated from Brown University with concentration in Judiac Studies, went on to graduate studies at Jewish Theological Seminary including a Masters in Sacred Music along with a Cantorial degree. It was in his chaplaincy training, however, having served in both hospice and eldercare facilities that the musical took shape – with a love of singing and performing on stage since his youth, and his desire to tells the stories he felt needed to be told, Life Review – The Hospice Musical was born.

www.lifereviewmusical.com

This episode has been proudly brought to you by Finding The Happy Medium – www.findingthehappymedium.com.au

Today’s guest is Connie Ogan, Grief, Trauma and Bereavement Counsellor. 

Connie was born in the United States and migrated to Australia in 1979, and in her previous life completed a BA in Visual Arts and worked for many years as a freelance photographer.

Now Connie is a registered counsellor and psychotherapist with a special interest in working with grief, bereavement and trauma. Her counselling qualifications include training in both Transpersonal Counselling and Grief and Bereavement Counselling. Connie studied at ACGB (Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement), and she's a clinical member of PACFA (Psychotherapy & Counselling Federation of Australia and LGPA (Loss and Grief Practitioners Association).

Her approach to therapy is that of facilitator or fellow traveller assisting her diverse range of clients to find the right path according to their own personal values, beliefs and priorities by helping them to create a strong sense of self through self awareness.

Fun fact: In her spare time Connie writes, sings and plays guitar in her Band, Crumbe.

Connie’s website is www.connieogan.com.au

This episode is proudly brought to you by Finding The Happy Medium – www.findingthehappymedium.com.au

In Episode 2 of Season 1 we have a conversation with Christine Pedley. 

Christine  is a Social Worker, a Celebrant and a Deathwalker – but refers to herself as an End of Life Consultant. She commenced working in Palliative Care in 1999 and continued in various roles until 2018. She has sat with many people as they prepared to die, and also with families as they made plans. She has also provided Bereavement Counselling and a few years back, managed a Community Bereavement Service.

During her training as a  Deathwalker, she learned what it was to walk her own journey toward her death, as openly, courageously and the best way she could. Once she knew that, she also knew she could walk with, or accompany someone else in their death journey – offering guidance and care – providing information, empowering and enabling them to be as open and courageous as they can be.

Her intention is to ‘lift the lid’ on dying, by encouraging people to think about death and share discussions, in their homes, their families and their communities. By accepting death, and talking about it – only then can we learn to live fully.

 ‘Death is certain, the time of death is uncertain’  Buddhist precept

You can contact Christine about her services and workshops through her website at https://soulfulceremonies.com.au/

Episode 2 is proudly brought to you by Finding the Happy Medium - https://findingthehappymedium.com.au/

Time to get the conversations started... well, almost... in this premiere episode I'll take the time to have a little 'heart to heart' with you the listener – tell you a little bit more about me, talk about some of my experiences around death, dying and beyond, and why I have created the podcast.

Episode sponsored by Finding The Happy Medium – www.findingthehappymedium.com.au

Welcome to Till Death and Beyond... the podcast where we talk about the one thing we really don't want to talk about. Episodes starting Wednesday 1st September, 2021.