Designing Your End of Life | Maddy Roche & Zeena Regis, MDiv

Mar 12, 2026

Zeena Regis, Director of Priority Populations at Compassion & Choices and former hospice chaplain with nearly 20 years of end-of-life experience, joins to discuss medical aid in dying as one option within end-of-life care. She explains legal safeguards and who it serves. They cover disparities in access, why planning and proxies matter, and practical ways to document wishes and reduce risks for childfree adults.

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INSIGHT

People Die In Character

People tend to 'die in character' meaning their personality and humor often persist through the end of life.
Zeena found hospice conversations were sacred, often funny, and reflected who people were their whole life.

ANECDOTE

Funny Hospice Moments About Heaven

Zeena recounts hospice conversations that were unexpectedly humorous, like patients asking if there will be marijuana or 'titties' in heaven.
These moments showed to her that end-of-life talks can be candid, human, and funny.

INSIGHT

Authorization Improves Care For Everyone

Legalizing medical aid in dying tends to improve overall end-of-life care, even for people who never use the option.
Zeena cites research and organizational experience that more options lead to more conversations and better care statewide.

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In this episode, Maddy Roche sits down with Zeena Regis, MDiv, Director of Priority Populations at Compassion and Choices, to explore one of the most requested, and most avoided, conversations in the Childfree community: medical aid in dying.

Zeena brings nearly 20 years of end-of-life experience, beginning as a hospice chaplain and evolving into a national advocate for equitable access to end-of-life options. She and Maddy unpack what medical aid in dying actually is, who it's for, and why having open conversations about death leads to better care for everyone, whether or not medical aid in dying is ever something you'd personally choose.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

Why medical aid in dying is one option within a broader spectrum of end-of-life care, and what the legal safeguards around it actually look like
How Childfree adults face unique risks when no healthcare proxy or estate documents are in place.
How community, storytelling, and even art can open the door to death planning conversations that feel impossible to start alone
Why having a healthcare proxy who truly knows you and is prepared to advocate for your wishes makes a difference in the quality of your final chapter

Join a Live Q&A with Zeena Regis:

Title: Designing Your End-of-Life: A Live Q&A with Zeena Regis, MDiv

Date: 4/1/2026 Time: 5 PM Eastern

Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_g-AYE_5GR1O2nRM-7l9tCg

Episode Host:

Maddy Roche: Chief Growth Officer at Childfree Trust® and responsible for all sales and marketing initiatives.

Episode Guest:

Zeena Regis, MDiv serves as the Director of Faith Engagement and Priority Populations at Compassion & Choices, improving care, expanding options, and empowering everyone to chart their end-of-life journey. Prior to her role with Compassion & Choices, Zeena served as a chaplain and grief care specialist for over a decade. Zeena also serves on the faculty of Columbia Theological Seminary's Older Adult Ministry Certification program and was selected as a 2024 American Society on Aging Fellow. Zeena is also a playwright, and her latest work, A Free Black Woman's Guide to Death & Dying, was selected for the Synchronicity Theatre's arts incubator project.

Learn more about Compassion and Choices: https://compassionandchoices.org/

About Childfree Insights

Childfree Insights is a trusted resource for life planning without children. It explores financial planning, estate planning, relationships, and long-term decisions for adults building a future without kids. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®.

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