MORTAL

This week Gabriella speaks with artist Freny Pavri. Freny grew up in the Zoroastrian tradition in India; a religion with a very different way of life and approach to death and dying. Gabriella speaks to Freny about Zoroastrian funeral practices, known as sky funerals. She explains the role of sound and mantra in the ceremonies; supporting the soul of the dead person and how bodies are left out to be touched by the sun, and historically eaten by vultures.Freny also tells Gabriella about her own grandmother’s funeral, attended by thousands of people. And what it felt like to experience such a personal loss amongst so many others.Gabriella and Freny are two women who share a curiosity about death, and in this conversation they discuss living alongside it in their own lives and through their work.We hope you enjoy this episode 🦋__Content note: MORTAL contains conversations around death, bereavement and loss 🕊️__Mentions & LinksFreny’s website: https://anahat.uk/teachers/__For signposting to support for any of the topics covered in this episode 🌀 https://linktr.ee/MortalPodcast__Follow us on:👉🏽 Instagram @themortalpodcast 👉🏽TikTok @mortalpod👉🏽 YouTube @mortal-pod—Created by: Gabriella Wilde & Olivia PercivalAudio Producer: Alexandra Quinn Editors: Olivia Percival & Alexandra QuinnMusic composed by Robert Logan Comms: Jordan Maxwell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Philosopher and psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist joins Gabriella this week. Through the lens of his seminal work, The Master and his Emmisary, and the role of the two hemispheres in the brain, Iain talks to Gabriella about how the brain approaches mortality. How does having purpose and meaning change how we feel about our lives being finite? How does the way we pay attention to the world change what we find in it?Iain explains how in his view death is not the opposite of life but is actually part of the fulfilment of life.They also discuss: the role of suffering, finding meaning in things that cannot be put into words, his relationship with faith and why beauty is important.We hope you enjoy this episode 🦋__Content note: MORTAL contains conversations around death, bereavement and loss 🕊️__Mentions & LinksIain’s Website https://channelmcgilchrist.com/home/__For signposting to support for any of the topics covered in this episode 🌀 https://linktr.ee/MortalPodcast__Follow us on:👉🏽 Instagram @themortalpodcast 👉🏽TikTok @mortalpod👉🏽 YouTube @mortal-pod—Created by: Gabriella Wilde & Olivia PercivalEditors: Olivia Percival & Alexandra QuinnMixed by Dan King at AudioAceMusic composed by Robert LoganComms: Jordan Maxwell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week is a very special, tender episode. Gabriella speaks with actor Anna Chancellor about the life and death of her extraordinary daughter, Poppy Chancellor.Poppy was an artist: funny, vibrant, creative and full of life; even after being diagnosed with Leukaemia and throughout treatment, she did a dance a day ~ a joyful act of defiance.In this conversation Anna shares her experience of Poppy dying: the difficulty of being a mother watching her daughter becoming increasingly unwell, but also the beauty of their relationship and the creative, truly inspiring way they approached Poppy’s death.Poppy had begun to work in grief, prior to her diagnosis and so she was able to guide her mother through her own dying process. Anna’s description of the magic they created together through art and ceremony as Poppy was dying as well as after she had died is remarkable.Anna also speaks to Gabriella about being witnessed in her grief, how Poppy’s death has changed her, as well her continuing relationship with Poppy after her death.We want to thank Anna so much for this incredibly intimate conversation about unthinkable loss, fierce love and creating beauty amongst it all. 🦋__Content note: MORTAL contains conversations around death, bereavement and loss 🕊️__Mentions & LinksLadysmith Black Mambazo, This Little Light of MinePoppy’s platform Griefcase: https://www.instagram.com/thegriefcase/?hl=en-gbFor signposting to support for any of the topics covered in this episode 🌀 https://linktr.ee/MortalPodcast__Follow us on:👉🏽 Instagram @themortalpodcast 👉🏽TikTok @mortalpod👉🏽 YouTube @mortal-pod—Created by: Gabriella Wilde & Olivia PercivalEditors: Olivia Percival & Alexandra QuinnMusic composed by Robert LoganComms: Jordan Maxwell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gabriella is joined on MORTAL this week by coach & author Donna Lancaster. Donna has spent more than three decades supporting people through grief and the many losses and changes that shape a life. She is the co-founder of The Bridge Retreat and author of The Bridge and Wise Words for Women.Donna speaks to Gabriella about why she’s always been drawn to what she calls the ‘unsexy stuff’; ‘grief and loss and now death and dying’. Donna talks about grief beyond bereavement; the many heartbreaks we all encounter in a life, and how she believes these can ultimately be gifts.They also discuss ageing consciously, making peace with the impermanence of life, the vulnerability of losing control and the beauty Donna experienced in caring for her mother. We hope you enjoy this episode 🦋—Content note: MORTAL contains conversations around death, bereavement and loss 🕊️__Mentions & LinksDonna Lancaster: www.donnalancaster.comDonna’s books: https://www.donnalancaster.com/booksAndrea Gibson: https://andreagibson.orgRam DassStephen JenkinsonSobonfu SoméFor signposting to support for any of the topics covered in this episode 🌀 https://linktr.ee/MortalPodcast__Follow us on:👉🏽 Instagram @themortalpodcast 👉🏽TikTok @mortalpod👉🏽 YouTube @mortal-pod—Created by: Gabriella Wilde & Olivia PercivalEditors: Olivia Percival & Alexandra QuinnMusic composed by Robert Logan Comms: Jordan Maxwell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A mid-season catch up from Gabriella & Olivia 🦋__Content note: MORTAL contains conversations around death, bereavement and loss 🕊️__For signposting to support for any of the topics covered in this series 🌀 https://linktr.ee/MortalPodcast__Follow us on:👉🏽 Instagram @themortalpodcast 👉🏽TikTok @mortalpod👉🏽 YouTube @mortal-pod—Created by: Gabriella Wilde & Olivia PercivalEditors: Olivia Percival & Alexandra QuinnMusic composed by Robert Logan Comms: Jordan Maxwell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.