End-of-Life University

Learn about breaking taboos around talking about death through a unique death education program in Australia. My guest Samantha Waite is the quirky founding director of Taboo Education who works with individuals and groups in local, national (Australia) and international communities to resolve our taboo and confusion in talking about death. She is a long-time performing arts enthusiast as well as a trained counselor and youth worker with training in thanatology, psychotherapy and public health. She discusses some of the cultural differences around death and dying between the US and Australia and what Australia is doing right in terms of end-of-life care. Learn more at her website: tabooeducation.com Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: How Samantha started Taboo Education Why she chooses to dress in Victorian mourning clothes and how it serves her message Why we sometimes wish people still wore mourning attire Cultural differences between Australia and the U.S. in the death and funeral industry Which countries have the best end-of-life care (and why some wealthy countries are failing) Why the US is 43rd globally in providing care at end of life Issues for healthcare providers around seeing death as a failure The death doula movement in Australia Links mentioned in this episode: Sign up for Patreon to get access to Q&A Session on June8th! NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to Kristina Oswath, Christine Maleck, and Patricia Cates for donating on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn how finding just one little thing to be thankful for every day can help us with grief. My guest Kelly Buckley is the author of the book and founder of the movement called Just One Little Thing that has a loyal following worldwide. She is a registered nurse who now nurtures other souls who are dealing with grief. Her own story of journeying from the depths of grief by clinging to gratitude has inspired tens of thousands of people and her writings have been featured on sites such as Maria Shriver, the Huffington Post, Open to Hope, and Hello Grief. Learn more about her work at her website: kellybuckley.com Get the book here Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: Kelly’s experience with grief after the death of her son What inspired her to start using gratitude as a practice for grief The benefits of a gratitude practice How to find gratitude on the darkest of days Why practicing gratitude is not the same as “toxic positivity” How a gratitude practice can improve self-care for healthcare professionals Advice for getting through holidays and anniversaries How to recognize signs from deceased loved ones Links mentioned in this episode: Get The Path: A Journal from Pain to Purpose NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to Erin Collins and Karen Johnston for donating on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn why it’s important to be aware of the needs of people with disabilities (and their families) when providing end-of-life and bereavement care. My guest Carrie Batt is an end-of-life doula and the founder of SEOL Care which offers disability-competent end-of-life care, support and planning for people with a disability and their families. She advocates for disability competent care and grief support after losing a loved one with a disability . She created a Facebook group To Walk a Mile in My Shoes that honors loss and disability. Learn more at her website: seolcare.ca Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: How Carrie ended up working in the deathcare community as a disability advocate Definition and categories of disability Why is there so little awareness of the needs of the disability community How end-of-life planning may differ for the disability community What disability awareness training for deathcare workers should consist of Obstacles to improving disability education Providing bereavement support to caregivers for those with a disability End-of-life resources for the disability community Links mentioned in this episode: Karen on Broken Beautiful Me Podcast – Listen here Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patrons Dawn, Rosie Ross, and Beverly. And thank you to Xu Ying Steiner for buying me 5 coffees and to Nancy Reese Jones who made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Join me for a few stories and a brief celebration of the 500th episode of EOLU Podcast! This week I’m celebrating the milestone of 500 Episodes and I hope you’ll share my joy! I’ll be answering a few questions (submitted by ChatGPT!) and telling a story or two. It has been an incredible experience being part of this ecosystem and I’m grateful to all of my guests and listeners for making this possible. Next week I’ll be back to the regular schedule of interviews. Meanwhile check out my website and YouTube Channel: eoluniversity.com YouTube Channel Listen here: This episode includes: Original vision for the podcast and how it has evolved over time What I’ve learned about the power of listening A special story of synchronicity Patterns and cultural shifts I’ve observed over time What’s next Gratitude for listeners and guests Links mentioned in this episode: Interview with Maria Hoaglund Tribute to Maria Hoaglund Interview with Gary Malkin

Learn about the value of viewing death through a spiritual lens rather than just as an ending of the physical body. My guest Felicity Warner is the founder of Soul Midwives a global movement to teach holistic and spiritual end-of-life care. She has been working with death and dying for 35 years and her work is often used in hospitals, hospices, and care homes. She also teaches on the use of sacred oils at the end of life and will share that information today along with her insights about the five energetic stages of death. Felicity is also the author of The Soul Midwife’s Handbook, which will released later this year as an updated second edition and she is currently teaching a course on sacred oils for The Shift Network. Learn more at her website: soulmidwives.co.uk Register for course Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: What is a “soul midwife” and how Felicity came to do this work The five energetic stages of death and how they show up when people are dying The role of sacred oils in supporting the dying How death can be viewed as a shift in consciousness rather than an ending How Western medicine is missing the emotional and spiritual perspective on life and death What Felicity’s course on sacred oils will consist of How we as deathcare workers can be more present to the emotional and spiritual needs of the dying Links mentioned in this episode: Pre-Order Poetry book by Andrea Werblin Reid: To See Yourself as You Vanish Register for Sacred Anointing for the Dying with Felicity Warner OR at this link: https://tinyurl.com/435wdsbp Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patrons Char Yutzy, Emma Schade-Stylli, and Wendy Getchell-Lacey who also made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn how a project making memory bears for people who are grieving is opening the door to conversation about the end of life. My guest Michelle Sebern is an RN who trained as an end-of-life doula to channel her skills and passion into more community-focused work. When she found her rural community wasn’t quite ready to receive end-of-life doula services she decided to find a more creative way to give back. She will share how she founded The Memory Bear Maker and now creates customized bears to help people in their grief and begin end-of-life conversations. Learn more at her website: thememorybearmaker.com Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: Michelle’s journey from nurse to doula and memory bear maker The challenges of introducing doula services into a community not quite ready for that step How she discovered memory bears to be the perfect blend of her passions How memory bears help with grief Why the bears are an alternate doorway into end-of-life education and conversations How grief unites people by dissolving barriers The magic of storytelling that comes with memory bear making Links mentioned in this episode: Previous interview with The Peaceful Presence Project NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patron Sue Simone, and to Caroline McClure for buying me 3 coffees! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn how doulas and chaplains collaborate to provide end-of-life care in a skilled nursing facility. My guests for this episode are Jane Whitlock and Liza Neal who both work with the Full Circle Care Program in a skilled nursing facility to support residents and their loved ones during end-of-life journeys. Jane is an end-of-life doula who also helped found the Minnesota Death Collaborative and co-founded Full Circle Care. Liza is a chaplain who has worked to develop spiritual community within and outside faith and multi-faith contexts. She joined the skilled nursing facility in order to be part of the Full Circle Care Program, which we discuss in this interview. Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: How the Full Circle Care Program came about The goals for the program and what it consists of The roles of doulas and chaplains and how they work together How they support and educate patients, families and staff around grief and end-of-life choices The community that develops within a residential facility and approaching the experience of grief for everyone in the facility The importance of teaching families and staff how to say goodbye to a dying person How this program helps fills the gaps left by today’s “modern” hospice care Obstacles that have occurred in creating this program Tips for other skilled nursing facilities that might want to start a similar program Links mentioned in this episode: 7th Annual Death Doula World Training Day – Register here Patreon Q&A Session with me on April 25th at 3 PM Pacific NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patron Trina Wacasey, and to everyone who has bought me a coffee or donated on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn how the art of Visual Storytelling can enhance end-of-life education and serve as a tool for advance care planning. My guest Jill Greenbaum is a contemplative chaplain and advocate of conscious living and dying. She completed chaplaincy training at the Upaya Zen Center and integrates her experience in psychology, education, visualization, and trauma-informed teaching into her work helping people explore their choices for end-of-life planning. She discusses how she utilizes visual storytelling in her work and why it is a powerful tool. Learn more at her website: jillgreenbaum.com Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: How Jill was drawn to visual storytelling and applying it to end-of-life planning What is visual storytelling and how is it used Why images can convey messages more powerfully than text What is “graphic medicine” Tips for more effective end-of-life planning and conversations How to incorporate visual storytelling into end-of-life education How visual storytelling can be used to create a visual obituary and a graphic recording for a celebration of life Links mentioned in this episode: 7th Annual Death Doula World Training Day – Register here Patreon Q&A Session with me on April 25th at 3 PM Pacific NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to everyone who has bought me a coffee or donated on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn how leadership skills and organizational tools can help decrease stress for family caregivers. My guest Jennifer O’Brien has been a practice management consultant to physicians for 35 years and is the author of the book The Hospice Doctor’s Widow, which was the subject of our previous interview. After providing care for her husband, a hospice and palliative care physician, at the end of his life she has focused on helping people start conversations about caregiving and end of life. She shares insights and tips from her latest book Care Boss: Leadership Strategies and Resources for Family Caregivers, which was inspired by her realization that there are profound similarities between leadership and family caregivers. Learn more at her website: jenniferaobrien.com Get the book here Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: Similarities and differences between the roles of family caregiver and CEO How leadership strategies can benefit an overwhelmed family caregiver The value of having a mission and vision statement for our end of life How to assemble a “team” as a caregiver by identifying the helpers Tips for delegating tasks to others The best time to read this book and how to use it Rethinking the idea of self-care as self-management and self-awareness Using the Intensity Assessment Tool to understand the degree of stress you are experiencing The idea of “Precious Time” and why it’s important Links mentioned in this episode: Sign up for Patreon to get access to Q&A Session on April 25th! Previous interview with Jennifer Intensity Assessment Tool for caregivers at Archangels.me “Precious Time” Implementation Guide for healthcare workers NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to everyone who has bought me a coffee or donated on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn how a hospice volunteer and doula utilizes his artistic talents to help patients and families. My guest Rich Curtis is an artist, teacher, hospice volunteer and end-of-life doula. He currently volunteers for Archbold Hospice in Thomasville GA where he has utilized his artistic talents to help patients and their families at the end of life. Rich discusses his own path as an artist and eventually becoming a doula. He shares his drawings and tips for those considering being a hospice volunteer in this conversation. View Rich’s drawings at the link below or watch the video on YouTube to see them on screen: View Rich’s drawings here Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: Rich’s spiritual journey to becoming a doula How Buddhism encourages contemplation of death The value of teaching art students about death How Rich began drawing the hands of patients Why drawings of hands are a unique and powerful remembrance Life stories as told through images of hands Art as an opening to conversations with difficult patients The power of bringing our creative talents to the bedside of hospice patients Tips for hospice volunteers How Rich is creating “Breath Poems” from the sounds of end stage breathing Links mentioned in this episode: Rich Curtis Facebook Page Rich’s Portfolio NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest supporters Tanya Archambault and Malynda Cress and thanks to Heather Jardine for buying me 3 cups of coffee! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.