Best Life Best Death

Enjoy this fast-paced conversation with hospice nurse, end-of-life doula, and conscious dying educator Gabrielle Jimenez of The Hospice Heart. Gabby has so much to offer, and we discuss some of the questions in her most recent book, "What Would Gabby Say?" She talks about the power of learning about what to expect around death, the transformation that comes in facing and sharing our grief, and her belief in the possibility of easing suffering for everyone at the end of life. Warmth and candor are the hallmarks of this lovely human.  Find Gabby on Facebook here and check out her website at www.thehospiceheart.net. For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

This week I have a striking conversation with Dana Frost of the Forced Joy Project. In the depth of her husband’s illness, Dana and Brad decided that they were going to need to find a way to “force some joy.” No matter how bad the day was, together they kept finding moments of humor, connection and yes – joy. We talk about her life experiences, why stories about the people we love matter, and how she works to support others and create community as people are in these hardest of places around grief and loss, health and illness, life and death. For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

“In the Best 3 Months course, you lead us through big picture questions that ultimately ask: Are you going in the direction you want to be going?” When my podcast guest -- Muralist and Live Artist Taylor Gallegos -- made this comment, I could not have been happier. For me, this is what it’s all about: reflecting, talking, learning from one another, and authentically clarifying: what’s my direction and how am I being fully in my life? Taylor says that his previous thinking about his work was like a light bulb shining, but now, with the reflection that the Best 3 Months course offered, that clarity feels like a laser-beam, driving him to expand both his work and life. P.S. Aren't you curious what he means by "Live Artist"? He explains! For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

Pediatric expert Bonnie Compton and I discuss the death of children. Combining years of experience as an end-of-life doula, child and adolescent therapist, and parent coach, Bonnie brings compassion and practical advice to this difficult subject. Our conversation includes: What can be done to support bereaved parents? How do such deaths affect grandparents/siblings/friends? How can support be asked for and offered? Quite simply, we talk about: How *difficult* this is for all involved, yet how we can be there for each other. www.gentleheartjourneys.com For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

In episode #56, I talk with Marcy Lindberg, Co-Owner with her husband of Stardust Memorials. Specializing in the online sales of cremation remains and cremation jewelry, Marcy shares so much dynamic and useful information on subjects like: choosing an urn; scattering ashes at land or sea; biodegradable options; selecting memorial jewelry; buying online; and the benefits of preplanning. Listen and you may just find yourself getting more curious about what products and services are available these days! For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

This week’s podcast speaks to the heart about music at the end of life. My guest, Jan Booth, says: “Music can support and bolster people, especially in hard times. It can be inspiring; it can bring people together; it can foster connection; it can change the dynamic in a room, or in a house, or in someone’s internal state. Music can bring a sacred quality to the end of life; it can shift the energy of a moment. Music speaks to the heart and the spirit. It can invoke tears, and it can bring up memories as part of a life review.” There are so many ways that music can touch us and bring us together at the end of life! Listen in to hear Jan’s thoughts on the power of music as medicine and how we can bring this resource to the bedside. For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

In this tough but very important episode, therapist Joy Redstone and I discuss several aspects of suicide. We talk about the importance of language when talking about suicide; the importance of speaking up and reducing shame; how suicide can impact suicide survivors - those who are near and dear; and how we can offer support - to those in need and those who have been left behind. My hope is that this episode will expand your understanding and give you practical steps to take when suicide enters your life. For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

This week I talk with Nicole Comach, End-of-Life Guide, Grief Companion and founder of Emerald Awakenings. We discuss: What do people fear about death? Do these fears fit into categories? How do these vary from person to person and with each situation? What can we do to work with our own fears? How can we support loved ones when they are afraid? Join us to gain new insights into your own fears and come out with ideas on how to move forward.  For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

Jamie Kramer is the founder of Beyond Forests, in the Leelanau area of Michigan. In this two-fold project, Jamie and her colleagues are: 1) seeking land to create a memorial forest, where cremated remains can rest in nature; and 2) developing technology to note the GPS markings of cremains anywhere, with corresponding pages for memorial notes and records of visits. As an article about Beyond Forests notes, they are creating “new options for this new generation of people.” For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

Best 3 Months is a course developed by the Conscious Dying Institute which is offered by myself and other graduates of CDI who love end-of-life coaching and education. I teach this course over zoom, and people often ask me to describe the class -- so here goes!  The premise of this course is that you have only 3 months to live, so in the very first class we name our up-coming date of death, 90 days from the day we start. From there, the 6-week course covers the following areas of our lives: Physical, Spiritual, Emotional, Practical and Legacy. Each week, I email class members materials for the domain we will explore that week – reflection questions, brief articles, perhaps a TEDtalk or other video. Participants spend time answering the questions in writing for themselves and then join in the 90 minute class on zoom for more about that week’s topic. We explore through additional resources and discussion, and each person creates action steps for that domain that are individualized, concrete and do-able. Bottom line: you learn what you want in these last “best 3 months” and discover what you can do to make it happen. For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath