Claim OwnershipWhat Now? On the threshold of life, death, and grief.
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© 2026 What Now? On the threshold of life, death, and grief.
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Presented by palliative and bereavement health care professionals Julie Brown, Red Keating and David Kennedy. Dying is one of the few experiences we will all share, yet little is done in our culture to prepare us for this inevitability and it's resulting bereavement and grief. Drawing on their vast knowledge and experience each episode is a conversation meant to enlighten and demystify the often difficult and emotional experiences of dying, death and bereavement. Presented in partnership with Hospice Peterborough.
63 Episodes
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We are honoured to welcome Dr. John Beamish back to the podcast for a thoughtful conversation about the physical process of dying and the bodily needs of those at the end of life. With his customary ability to speak knowledgeably and compassionately, Dr. Beamish helps families and caregivers understand what is happening in the body during the dying process. Focusing on appetite and hydration, he explains why our instinct to encourage eating and drinking may not always align with the body’s na...
We are honoured to speak with best selling ghost writer Samantha Rose about her mother’s death by suicide and the bewildering yet healing journey of grief that followed. That journey is at the heart of her memoir, Giving Up the Ghost: A Daughter’s Memoir. In this open and honest discussion Samantha shares the initial shock of her mother’s death and the complexity of losing someone to a death by suicide. Samantha guides us through the initial shock of her mother’s death, how her mother c...
In this episode, co-hosts Julie and Red sit down with Dr. Joshua Black, a leading researcher on grief dreams, to explore the powerful ways our minds process loss while we sleep. Dr. Black explains what grief dreams are, why they’re so common after losing someone we love, and how these dreams can range from deeply comforting to emotionally unsettling. We discuss the emotional meaning people often attach to dreams and why dreaming of loved ones who have passed can feel incredibly real. Dr...
In this returning episode of The Written Word, the co-hosts revisit a familiar and much-loved format—this time in conversation with Dr Natalie Whiting. Having explored the power of the written word together before, they now welcome Natalie, a palliative physician, to share some of her own writing and reflections from the edges of lived experience. Together, they explore how poetry and lyrics can speak where ordinary language falters. When life becomes too complex or tender to expl...
In this podcast we are delighted to welcome Dr Jan Hux, a retired physician and past CEO of Diabetes Canada. Jan’s husband Edwin died in 2020 and she shares with us her journey of grief as a widow. Jan reflects on the past 5 years and candidly explores the challenges of spousal death and the transition to a life in which Edwin is physically absent. She shares with clarity some of the surprises, both difficult and healing that she encountered along the way. What shines through is the genuine l...
As the What Now? podcast closes out 2025, the hosts are offering a compassionate tool for the season. Recognizing that the holidays can carry many experiences, Julie guides a “compassionate friend” meditation for listeners who may be grieving, feeling alone, or needing extra support as we navigate the holidays. This practice is an invitation to pause, breathe, and receive kindness—imagining a wise, loving presence who sits with you in whatever you're carrying. In a se...
In this episode, co-hosts Julie and Red interview author and psychotherapist, Kelley Raab about her latest work, Who Am I Now? Reflections on Spirituality and Grief. The conversation examines how bereavement unsettles personal identity, why spiritual frameworks can both support and complicate the grieving process, and how the death of a parent can create profound emotional and existential disorientation. Kelley offers insights from both her research and lived experience, providing liste...
In this episode we have the great honour and privilege of speaking with Kathryn Rhoden. You will remember our soulful conversation with her husband Chris Rhoden in the previous podcast episode: What Does It Mean To Live A Meaningful Life (S3E16). Kathryn joins us to speak about her life and experiences since Chris’ death on April 25th, 2025. With grace and genuine humanity Kathryn speaks candidly about her grief, the ups and downs, the love and loneliness that have been constant compan...
What if a tattoo could carry more than a memory — what if it held a piece of someone you loved? In this episode, we sit down with artist Kerri Parnell, who’s redefining the meaning of memorial art through her deeply personal cremation tattoos. These aren’t your average tattoos. Kerri blends a trace of a loved one’s ashes into the ink — creating designs that are both beautiful and intimate. But how did she start doing this? What does it mean for those who choose to carry their loved one in thi...
Red and Julie are delighted to welcome colleagues and friends (and past What now? guests) Dr. John Beamish and Dr. Kaetlen Wilson. The foursome gathered for a robust conversation about some of the unique aspects of grief with a MAiD (medical assistance in dying) death. They discuss how MAiD can be disenfranchised grief: grief that is not recognized or supported in a culturally normative manner. They also delve into how family dynamics, secrecy, contrasting emotional responses, and the ...
This episode was sparked by an email from a listener who had been the primary care provider to a person who was not family, but over the course of many years became a dear friend, leaving them to feel as if their grief was unrecognized or disenfranchised after the friend's passing. It caused us to stop and take a moment to consider situations and relationships when particular losses are not acknowledged or supported by our cultural norms and standards and how these circumstances impact ...
Dr. Robert Macauley helps us kick off Season 4 with his powerful book Because I Knew You – How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor’s Soul. At first glance, a book about children living with and dying from terminal illness might sound unbearably heavy, but listeners will find this episode surprisingly uplifting. Through his words and stories, Dr. Macauley reminds us of the deep goodness and resilience in our world. His personal journey spans from Episcopalian priest to medical ethicist, ...
In this lively short wrap-up to the season the co-hosts take the opportunity to give "shout outs" and thank yous to those who have supported and offered feedback (so listen up, you may hear your name). Julie surprises Red and David with a "lightning round" of questions as a way to reflect and discuss this jam-packed season. It's a short episode and worth a listen: it may prompt you to go back to episodes past and/or remind you of insights and learnings. Thanks for your ongoing support for thi...
Regular listeners will remember back in season 2 when Mary-Frances O’Connor joined us to discuss her groundbreaking book The Grieving Brain. For those who haven’t had the chance to hear this episode (S2E9) it is worth the time. In this episode, we are very pleased to have Mary-Frances return to discuss her follow-up book, The Grieving Body. In this conversation, we explore how grief is experienced in our bodies—specifically the heart and cardiovascular system, the immune and endocrine s...
In this episode we have the great privilege to speak with Christopher Rhoden. We recorded our conversation on April 4th 2025. Twenty-one days later, on April 25th, Chris died of glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer of the brain. We are so honoured to have met Chris and share this time with him and we offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends. At this point in Chris' journey his cancer was quite advanced and can be evident as our conversation floats and meanders in and out of...
We're thrilled to welcome grief expert, trauma psychotherapist, and author Meghan Riordan Jarvis to the podcast. In 2024, Meghan released her book Can Anyone Tell Me? Essential Questions about Grief and Loss. Developed from both personal and professional experience—especially after the heartbreaking loss of her mother—Meghan set out to find a book that could answer the many questions grief brings. When she couldn’t find one that fit, she wrote it herself! In this episode, we dive into the man...
We are thrilled to once again have the opportunity to speak with Dr. MaryCatherine (MC) McDonald. Listeners will remember MC from Season 2 Episode 2, When Grief and Trauma Meet, when we spoke with her about her book Unbroken, The Trauma Response is Never Wrong. MC is back to speak with us about her soon-to-be-published second book, The Joy Reset, Six Ways Trauma Steals Happiness and How to Get it Back. MaryCatherine speaks about cultivating true joy, a joy that is very different from the "pos...
The relationships we have with our pets has changed over the past several decades. The attachment we share with our pets has elevated their position to where they are often considered a valued member of the family. In this episode we speak with Dr. Lianna Titcombe, Palliative Veterinarian and Melanie Savage, Registered Social Worker specializing in pet loss. Lianna and Melaine are both pioneers in their respective fields. Lianna specializes in supporting her patients to have a pain and...
We are honoured to be speaking with Dr. Sheldon Solomon, one of the founders of Terror Management Theory (TMT). TMT suggests that the dawning of the awareness of our own existence is quickly followed by the awareness of our eventual and inevitable demise. This awareness of being alive and knowing it, creates a state of awe and wonder. Conversely, the awareness of our mortality also causes us to experience dread, anxiety and terror. TMT suggests that we use culture as a buffer to soothe and pr...
The death of a child is a traumatic event for any parent and a death by suicide carries its own unique challenges. As Sharon MacLeod shares her story, we hear a difficult journey of a family’s struggle to support, manage and seek help for their exceptional yet complex son Alexander. We are honoured to have Sharon join us and thank her for her openness and courage. We hope this recording honours Alexander’s life; as David Kennedy often says, a person should be remembered for their life in its ...
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