grief, death, & the afterlife

Exploring the Shared Death Experience (SDE) with author Sharon Prentice, PhD

In the throes of heartbreaking loss, my guest Sharon Prentice had a profound experience that transformed her. She refers to this expansive transpersonal encounter as a Shared Death Experience, or SDE, and in her book Becoming Starlight (and this episode) she shares the intimate details of her experience to help us understand that death is nothing to be afraid of.


A Conversation with Psychic Medium Karen Docherty

In this episode Karen Docherty shares how she’s been connecting with the spirits of folks who’ve died for a long time to help grieving loved ones bring a sense of calm and clarity to their lives. We talk about her work and how she mentors others to develop their understanding of psychic connections, self development, spirit communication and the mechanics of mediumship itself.


Reimagining Death with Author William J. Peters

William J. Peters is a licensed psychotherapist who is passionate about eliminating the stigma around end of life experiences. He’s recognized by many as the world’s leading authority in the field of shared death studies. In this episode he shares what his research team discovered about this surprisingly common phenomenon.


Swimming in the Deep End with Nina

We cover a lot of ground in this conversation. Nina Thompson talks about the birth, and death, of The Wake Up to Dying Project, which uses the power of story to explore death, dying, and life. Nina shares her perspective on why we tend to avoid the topic of death and how, in doing so, we're actually doing ourselves a disservice. Nina talks about the now thriving Death Positive Movement and how this is changing the way we talk about death. 


Embracing the Mystery with Jeff Spiess, MD

Dr Jeff Spiess is the perfect person to talk with about preparing for the end of life. He's cared for the seriously and terminally ill for over three decades, first as an oncologist, then as a hospice physician. But what’s more evident in this episode is that he truly cares. He wants all of us to know that learning how to die teaches us how to live.


Life Takes Courage with Author Barron Steffen

This episode is like two podcasts in one. In the first half my guest Barron Steffen talks about the gifts he received when tragedy unexpectedly struck and he received a phone call informing him that his wife had died in a car accident. In the second half of our conversation Barron talks about his passion for sharing simple techniques to help us become the gardeners of our minds through what he calls The Yoga of Mindset.


“The Story I’d Always Been Looking For”

Author Martha Hunt Handler has had a special connection with wolves since she was a child. In the first episode of Season 3, I talk with Martha about the tragic incident that inspired her to write her debut novel, Winter of the Wolf. We also talk about her ability to communicate with those who’ve died and how hearing the unlikely sound of wolves howling outside her house in New York enabled her to bring her life long passion for wolves full circle.


Bringing the Hereafter to the Here-Now with author Jacob Cooper

When Jacob Cooper was three years old, he had a near death experience that left an indelible mark on his life. In this episode we discuss his new book, Life After Breath, and how coming to terms with his NDE shaped his view of what it means to be human.