Best Life Best Death

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

“Saying Goodbye: Preparing for Death" is the second film in the When You Die documentary trilogy -- 3 feature-length films about various aspects of the end of life. “Through stories from professionals who have spent their careers at the bedside, 'Saying Goodbye' opens the door to good conversation about what is possible as we pass from this life.” In this podcast episode, I talk with Director Johanna Lunn about this film and how it explore questions that many of us avoid: "What is a good death? Could we possibly heal old emotional wounds as death approaches? Where do we want to die? What quality of life is enough for you? What is a conscious death? Could we do it?”   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

Dr Harvey Max Chochinov, Canadian psychiatrist and expert in issues around palliative care, chats with me about misperceptions, unconscious biases, and the effect on patient care. He notes, “These issues of bias aren’t just about palliative care – they are relevant to *anyone* who becomes a patient at some point in their life!”  I found Dr Chochinov’s insights and research intriguing, and you can look him up at dignityincare.ca or read his work here https://liebertpub.com/doi/epdf/10.1089/jpm.2022.0075 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

A 4th generation Delaware funeral director, Todd Harra is one of the foremost experts on the history (and future) of burial rites in the United States. In his latest book, Last Rites: The Evolution of the American Funeral (coming August 2, 2022), Todd takes readers on a fascinating exploration of American funeral customs — where they came from, what they mean, and how they are still evolving. Listen in as Todd and I discuss the book, plenty of history, and some nitty gritty about what Americans are doing these days at the end of 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

In this episode I talk with the author and artist who created "Headland," Kate Schneider. Her vision for this graphic novel was to portray an internal experience that none of us can know, in order to generate compassion for those with brain differences. How poignant that her own subsequent diagnosis and treatment for a brain tumor further opened her mind to the wonder of changes in the brain. She says, “There’s beauty and there’s terror and there’s all in between!”  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 episode, I talk with Day Schildkret about his life, work, books and art. As Day says, “We need mechanisms in our daily, monthly, annual lives – and our personal and collective lives – that help us remember who and where we are. Life is crazy, and we can lose ourselves. Rituals help us to remember.” You may come away inspired to mark a change, take new notice of what you already do, or create something special for an occasion.   For more about Day visit morningaltars.com and dayschildkret.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

On this episode, I interview author Amy Bloom, whose husband Brian Ameche was told by doctors that he had Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive, neurodegenerative disease characterized by memory loss. Amy said in our interview: “After a weekend of processing and crying together, Brian said, ‘I’m not here for the long goodbye. You know how I am. I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees. And we're going to have to find a way for me to end my life while I still have the capacity to consent to ending my life.’ That was the beginning of the journey and the beginning of the book.”  Amy's New York Times best-selling book about their experience is called "In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss." It is a gorgeous, stunning read, and this is a not-to-be-missed conversation. 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