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Are you curious about death, dying, and the funeral industry in Australia?
Join us as we chat and learn from experts from funeral directors, to embalmers, from those who create floral arrangements to photo presentations and so many more. We will gain insights and have open and important conversations about this topic that is so often shrouded in mystery.
Hopefully you will come away enlightened and have a deeper understanding of this essential part of life!
14 Episodes
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Send us a text Choice at the end of life isn’t abstract—it’s practical, emotional, and shaped by real laws, real timelines, and real families. We sit down with VAD Care Navigator Laurie Draper to walk through how voluntary assisted dying works in Victoria, what the safeguards look like, and why so many people feel a profound sense of calm simply by unlocking the option. From the first assessment to the final permit, Laurie explains the steps and the four‑to‑six week path that leads to pharmac...
Send us a text Death isn't a topic most of us eagerly discuss over dinner, yet Mark Sui, owner of Coffin and Casket Victoria, brings a refreshing perspective to this universal experience. His journey into the funeral industry wasn't planned—it began when his family migrated from Hong Kong and formed an unexpected partnership with an Italian stonemason. What started as building monuments evolved into supplying coffins, caskets, and funeral accessories across Australia. Mark pulls back the shr...
Send us a text What happens when you die without a will? Who decides where your possessions go, who raises your children, or even what happens to your remains? The answers might surprise—and disturb—you. Estate planning specialist Nadya Volishina joins Robyn O'Connell to pull back the curtain on what happens when we fail to plan for the inevitable. With alarming clarity, Nadia reveals that half of all Australians currently have no valid will, leaving their families vulnerable to painful disp...
Send us a text Death appears in whispers and shadows throughout our lives, yet we rarely make space to truly understand it. In this enlightening conversation, Robyn O'Connell speaks with her nephew Luke O'Connell about his transformative journey as a hospice volunteer in Busselton, Western Australia. Luke's path into end-of-life care began with personal experiences that subtly guided him toward this sacred space, what started as curiosity evolved into a calling that has fundamentally changed...
Send us a text What does it truly mean to die with dignity? Behind the clinical terminology and medical frameworks lies a deeply human experience that most healthcare systems aren't equipped to honour. In this powerful conversation, Callie Watt takes us through her 31-year nursing odyssey from remote indigenous communities to emergency departments, and finally to founding Wattletree Health Group – a private nursing service determined to transform end-of-life care. The reality Cal...
Send us a text In this candid conversation, cemetery veteran Shane Freeman takes us inside his world as Senior Supervisor of Funeral Services at Lilydale Memorial Park. With refreshing honesty and occasional humour, he walks us through the mechanics of cremation—addressing the questions most people are afraid to ask. From the technical details to the emotional realities, Shane demystifies the process while maintaining the dignity it deserves. Beyond the mechanics, this episode explores...
Send us a text From the moment four-year-old Ellese Templeton announced to her aghast mum that she wanted to become a mortician, a remarkable journey began. Twenty years later, Ellese owns Templeton Family Funerals, a thriving boutique funeral home where perfection isn't just a goal—it's a calling. Ellese's path was anything but conventional. Breaking into the male-dominated funeral industry as a young woman proved challenging, leading her to work night shifts handling coroner's transfers wh...
Send us a text Jason Khune from Still Moments in Time reveals the art and impact of creating photo tributes for funeral services. This conversation explores how modern technology and thoughtful design transform personal photographs into meaningful visual memorials that celebrate a person's life journey. From his Perth-based studio, Jason reveals the meticulous process behind each tribute – carefully editing photos, selecting complementary backgrounds, and synchronising meaningful music to cre...
Send us a text Have you ever wondered what happens after we die? For Sharon Lee, psychic medium with over 50 years of experience, the answer is crystal clear – our souls continue on a never-ending journey while our physical bodies do not. Sharon takes us deep into her world of spiritual communication, revealing the profound differences between being a psychic and a medium. While psychics read your energy field offering guidance about life's path, mediums like Sharon create a direct connection...
Send us a text Death may be universal, but what happens afterward remains shrouded in mystery for most of us. Terry Clifton, with his 38 years in the funeral industry, provides a rare glimpse behind the curtain in this fascinating conversation about the misunderstood art of embalming. "I work with a scalpel, not a wand," Terry explains, dispelling the notion that embalmers perform magical transformations. Instead, he walks us through the science and compassion that guide his work. We also ex...
Send us a text What truly happens behind the scenes of a funeral ceremony? Brisbane's renowned celebrant Suzie Philp unveils the shroud of the life of a funeral celebrant. Suzie dispels common misconceptions about her work, revealing the 10+ hours that go into each personalised ceremony. Through candid conversation, Suzie offers wisdom for celebrants and those that don't know about the industry. Yet her philosophy resonates beyond funerals: "Whatever you do, as a celebrant or otherwis...
Send us a text What if flowers could tell a life story better than words? We sit down with funeral florist Jamie Shrouders of GrandiFlora to unpack how tribute flowers become anchors of meaning at the hardest moment. Jamie traces her family’s journey from postwar Dutch growers to a Melbourne studio dedicated solely to funeral flowers. She shares how personalisation actually happens: casket sprays built from a loved one’s garden cuttings, or a delicate rainbow for a children accompanied by bu...
Send us a text Grief doesn’t arrive with instructions, and it rarely follows a neat timeline. We sit down with Liam, 14, and Toan, 22, to explore how losing a father at the age of eight years old, reshapes identity, school, friendships, and the rhythm of home. Their losses are different—motor neurone disease in one family, alcoholism in the other—but their insights echo: funerals make reality land, support matters most when it’s quiet and consistent, and rituals help turn pain into presence. ...
Send us a text Step into the world that many fear to discuss—death, grief, and the stories that intertwine them. This episode features Robyn O'Connell, affectionately known as the Lady of Death, who brings over two decades of experience as a funeral celebrant to our ears. In a warm and engaging conversation, Robyn encourages us to unpack the often-taboo topic of death, sharing lessons and experiences that provide solace and understanding. With personal anecdotes from her life, particul...
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