Best Life Best Death

One of my most listened-to episodes, with Hospice Nurse Julie. Tune in to hear Julie, in her characteristic practical and charismatic way, describe what really happens when we die. Key to know: we rarely die like we do in the movies. Instead, the body shuts down gradually. In this classic BLBD episode, this experienced hospice nurse walks us through what that process actually looks like. My hope is that it encourages you to say what you want to say now — today — because as someone nears the end, you can’t count on long conversations or even a moment when they are lucid to say what truly matters.For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at:Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠

Beverly Thorn knows dementia firsthand, and her book Before I Lose My Own Mind: Navigating Life as a Dementia Caregiver is an empowering, realistic guide for caregivers, friends, spouses, and anyone who will be touched by dementia. And guess what, folks? That’s pretty much all of us. Estimates that focus specifically on Alzheimer’s dementia (the most prevalent form of dementia) put the number at about 7.2 million Americans age 65+ in 2025 – meaning that around 1 in 9 seniors has Alzheimer’s dementia. Beverly shares with us her experience and her hard-won wisdom. I highly recommend this discussion and this book!For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at:Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠

How do we talk about aging in a way that actually helps us live better? In this episode of Best Life Best Death, we zoom out. Way out. Jacob Kendall and I look at aging not just as a personal experience, but as a cultural story and a national issue. What happens when we’re willing to widen the lens? Can thinking about the Big Picture get us talking more at our kitchen tables, as well as finding ways to create change in our political and medical systems? Let’s keep participating in larger cultural conversations about how we treat aging, illness, and the end of life.For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at:Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠

What is grief, really? And how do we actually work with it? In this conversation, Krista St-Germain offers a clear and humane definition: Grief is the natural human response to a perceived loss. From there, we explore how the goal isn’t to “get to the end” of grief; the goal is to integrate the loss into your life. We talk about the “dual process model” of grief, and how healing isn’t linear, but rather an oscillation between engaging with loss and stepping away from it. Another powerful part of healing is allowing the brain to update what is true now, instead of continually predicting from the past. And in a grief-illiterate culture, it’s important to say this clearly and Krista emphasizes this point: you cannot do grief wrong.For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at:Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠

Krista St-Germain knows the experience of grief, deeply. As a widow and coach, she is an expert at discussing this complex feeling. In this episode, we have a conversation about her life, her husband’s death, what it means to feel feelings, and the spiral of post-traumatic growth. She notes,“Every return to familiar emotions is an opportunity to meet them from a new level of capacity.” What does this invite you to consider in your own life? And how might it change the way you accompany friends and family through their toughest seasons?For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at:Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠

Rosanne Corcoran knows caregiving from the inside. When her mother moved in with vascular dementia, Rosanne became her primary caregiver for years, navigating the daily realities, emotional toll, and quiet endurance that so often go unseen. Today, she channels that lived experience into advocacy as a support-circle leader and podcast host with Daughterhood, a community built to reduce isolation and provide support to caregivers. With an estimated 63 million caregivers in the U.S., and 44% of them providing high levels of care, this conversation matters more than most of us realize. As Rosanne puts it: “Caregivers at the core are isolated, overwhelmed, carrying guilt, and living with grief, and almost no one recognizes any of that.” If you are a caregiver – or know someone who is – listen in, share this episode, and help make the invisible labor of caregiving visible.For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at:Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠

This episode explores the small-yet-potentially-vast world of funeral photography. When everyone we love is gathered in one place, often for the last time, what might it mean to have photographs of that moment? Is it comforting? Intrusive? Sacred? I’m joined by Nell Arbuto, founder of Minnesota Funeral Photography, who works in this niche field. Nell shares her why and her how: how she approaches families, how consent works, and what she’s learned about memory, grief, and presence. Forget the blurry group shots from Uncle Bob – what if we intentionally captured the beauty, the love, and the quiet sacredness of a funeral? And what if those images became a keepsake album, not of death, but of connection?For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at:Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠

In my view, Michelle Lapierre was fortunate: she and her mother talked openly about end-of-life choices well before those conversations became necessary. And when her mother did become terminally ill, she was clear about her choice: to use Medical Aid in Dying, which has been legal in Colorado since 2017. What led them to have such clarity? What was the experience like? How does Michelle feel about it, years later? How do states like Colorado regulate and advocate for individuals to have this medical option at the end of life? Join us to hear an intimate and educated perspective on MAiD.For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at:Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠

Giving Up the Ghost is a memoir about traumatic loss, identity, and the slow work of letting go, not just of people, but of the versions of ourselves we thought we would be. In this episode, I talk with author Samantha Rose about the transformations that accompanied the loss of her mother to su!c!de. Samantha shares insights from her lived experience, including what kind of support made a difference and how things shifted as she opened up a conversation with her mother through dreams and writing. Part practical, part mystical, this conversation made me eager to hear more from this longtime ghostwriter who brings her own voice forward in her first personal memoir.For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at:Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠

Marni Blank is an “after-loss professional.” What does that mean? Imagine someone with a legal background, lived experience of loss, a steady head for details, and the ability to step in and quarterback the team when someone in your life has died. That’s what an after-loss professional can be. I find this work both fascinating and profoundly useful. Tune in this week to hear what Marni has to say about what actually needs to happen after a death – and if you’d like a clear, step-by-step guide, you can also download my free e-book on bestlifebestdeath.com, When Someone Dies… What Do I Need to Know?For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at:Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠