Conversations on Death

Dr. John Troyer is the Death Studies Scholar at Large and Overlord of Death in the Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath in the UK. He's also the co-founder of the Death Reference Desk website, the Future Cemetery Project, and a frequent commentator for the BBC. His most recent book Technologies of the Human Corpse was published by The MIT Press in May 2020. On this episode, we tackle a very controversial topic - necrophilia. We talk about famous cases, laws in the US and other parts of the world, the future of these laws... all the things you've ever wanted to learn about but felt too weird to Google. Enjoy! __________________________Connect with John!Get his book!TwitterWebsite__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

ABCnews.com has called Marc Hartzman "one of America's leading connoisseurs of the bizarre" and George Noory from Coast to Coast AM said he's "as bizarre as Robert Ripley." In addition to his books about UFOs, ghosts, Mars, Oliver Cromwell's embalmed head, weird things on eBay, sideshow performers, and unorthodox messages from God, Marc has written for Mental Floss, HuffPost, AOL Weird News, AllThatsInteresting.com, The Morbid Anatomy Online Journal, and Bizarre magazine. On today's podcast we chat about ghosts, mediumship, the supernatural, haunted sites, spiritualism, the embalmed head of Oliver Cromwell, and a bunch of other goodies. Enjoy!__________________________Connect with Marc!Get his books!Twitter/XInstagramWebsite__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Ray is an acclaimed author, metaphysical teacher, theorist, and coach. He is a survivor of a near-death experience (NDE) and has dedicated his life to helping others achieve their full potential. Ray's unique approach combines scientific theories with his own life experiences to reveal how anyone can harness the power of the mind, create their own reality, and BE Limitless!Learn how his NDE completely shifted his life and the way he views and understands the universe as a result of this NDE!__________________________Connect with Paul!Get his books!InstagramTwitterYoutubeWebsite__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Paul Gambino has been an avid collector of the bizarre for over 25 years with an extensive collection of Victorian memorial photographs, antique funeria, mug shots, and vintage religious items.Paul is the author of some absolutely gorgeous books (which I recommend you get your hands on ASAP): MORBID CURIOSITIES: Collections of the Uncommon and the Bizarre, SKULLS: Portraits of the Dead and the Stories They Tell, and KILLER COLLECTIONS: Dark Artifacts from True Crime. In July of 2024 Paul will release his latest book, The Art of Gothic Living: Dark Decor for the Modern Macabre.  We chatted about collecting, got to know more about collectors, learned about dope ass collections, talked about mortality and death, the ethics of collecting, and bunch of other juicy shit you don't wanna miss! _________________________Connect with Paul!Get his books here!InstagramWebsiteFacebook__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Jackie Dent is a journalist and an author. She's been writing fiction for years, but found success with non fiction and a much more personal story about her grandparents donating their bodies to science. She's the author of "The Great Dead Body Teachers".  Her journey began when she started to dive into the reasons why her paternal grandparents had donated their bodies to a university. On this episode we cover everything from whole body donation, organ donation, who the donors are, dissection, to who the people behind making body donation possible are. Enjoy!_________________________Connect with Jackie!Get the book!WebsiteFacebookInstagram__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Today I talked to Dr. Monica Walker, the Engagement Manager at the Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret in London, which is the oldest surviving surgical theater in Europe. She sees herself as a storyteller that gets to bridge the gap between academia and the general public through the stories and collection of the museum which stands as the last remaining bastion of Old St Thomas' Hospital in its original location near London Bridge. In her spare time she is also a creative photographer and freelance writer for National Geographic: Historia. We chat about history of the museum, of the hospital, victorian surgery, anatomy and dissection, bodysnatching, and about a lil something something that happened to me when I was visiting the museum last year! ;)Enjoy! But also... go visit because it's the coolest!_________________________Connect with Monica + the Museum!Museum Website Museum InstagramMuseum XMuseum Youtube~Monica's InstagramMonica's X__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

In 2006, Natalie Sudman went to Iraq, serving as a project engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. While working in Iraq, the vehicle she was riding in was hit with a roadside bomb. Her book Application of Impossible Things vividly recounts her Near Death Experience when she went out of the body to the spirit world. There it was decided that her work on Earth was not done and with the help of spirit guides, they repaired the body so she could reenter it. Before this experience, Natalie was dubious about anything that smacked of the paranormal. This experience made her a believer. She shares her story here to demonstrate that the paranormal is normal and to assist others who have had similar experiences.*Episode recorded in 2022*_________________________Connect with Natalie!WebsiteApplication of Impossible Things (Book)BlogFacebookInformation about readings__________________________Connect with me!FacebookInstagramEmail MeSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Megan Miller, PhD, RN (she/they) is a Registered Nurse and a faculty member in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing. Megan’s work focuses on providing holistic, compassionate, and equitable palliative and supportive care. Her research examines the role of spirituality in supporting management of common cancer-related symptoms, and explores equitable, human-centered approaches to psilocybin-assisted therapy in the context of serious illness. She is the founder of the Creative Dying Project, a Death Café facilitator and a recent grad of the California Institute of Integral Studies Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research program.We chat about palliative care; psychedelic-assisted therapy as a supportive tool for facing illness, death, and grief; her preparation in working on a project (Creative Dying) to build a dying center where psychedelic therapy and other integrative therapies can be offered; and lastly, we chat about a conversation game about death that she co-created/launched. *Episode recorded in 2022* _________________________Connect with Megan!Website: https://sites.google.com/view/megan-miller-phd-rn/homeCreative Dying Game: https://www.creativedying.org/gameCreative Dying Project: https://www.creativedying.org/__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.comSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Dr. Elaine Kasket is an expert on technology’s role within our work, individual psychology, and relationships. In a tech-dominated world, she helps her audiences and clients centre their humanity, nurture their connections with others, and maximize mindful, values-aligned personal and relational agency. She's a leading cyberpsychologist, inspiring keynote speaker, effective psychological/transformational coach, and seasoned storyteller.On this episode we dive into what our digital footprint is, the implications of having such a thing, its ethical concerns, and what we can do take back control of our data.  Elaine is the author of All the Ghosts in the Machine: The Digital Afterlife of Your Personal Data (Robinson, 2019), in which she argues that what happens to our data when we die is the perfect lens for understanding the true power big tech wields over our information and our identities.Her latest book is REBOOT: Reclaiming Your Life in a Tech-Obsessed World, in which Elaine explores how we can reclaim much of that power. At this juncture, with AI growing in strength and influence, Elaine explores how we can retain our fundamental humanity and nurture our relationships at every stage of life, and live more mindfully with and through technology.*Episode recorded in 2021* _________________________Connect with Elaine!Website: https://www.elainekasket.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elainekasketauthor/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/elainekasketYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drelainekasketLinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/elaine-kasketInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/elainekasketCoaching and Therapy Practice Website: https://www.drelainekasket.com__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.comSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Podcast is coming back in December looking fresh with a new branddd! Woooo! Check out the new brand: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Check out my brand + web design stuffs: https://www.instagram.com/design.by.lorena/Alsooo say hello! Hit me up and let me know what topics or which people you wanna hear next! :) Support the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Kathy Benjamin is the author of Funerals to Die For: The Craziest, Creepiest, and Most Bizarre Funeral Traditions and Practices Ever and, her latest book, It's Your Funeral!: Plan the Celebration of a Lifetime -- Before It's Too Late. Kathy’s writing has received more than 100 million hits across some of the most popular humor and trivia websites in the world, including Mental Floss, Cracked, Grunge, The Smoking Jacket, and Uproxx. We talked about some of the gems found in her new book - the history of funerals, creative ideas for cremains, alkaline hydrolysis, cryonics, body donation, mummification, building your own coffin, renting a mourner, funeral crashers, unconventional funeral venues, and so much more! Make sure to check out her book for a fun, personalized way to help you put together your wishes while also learning about unique options outside the standard funeral, with a little humor sprinkled on top. Enjoy the episode! _________________________Connect with Kathy!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathythewriter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kabenjamin18Twitter: https://twitter.com/kathybenjaminBUY HER BOOK HERE!__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.comSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

George Deliopoulos has 30 years of experience in forensic investigations. He is certified in death investigations, homicide investigations, blood splatter, and drug and narcotics investigations among other things. George served as the Chief Deputy Coroner for 17 years in Indiana. Over his lengthy career, he processed over 3,500 death cases. In today’s episode we talked about his training, a day in the life of the Chief Deputy Coroner, challenges originating from the job, cases he was involved in, lessons learned from working with death in close proximity, as well as his new job - a flight attendant - and yes, we’re coworkers! Enjoy! Support the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Dr. John Troyer is the Director of the Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath. The Centre for Death & Society is the UK's only centre devoted to the study and research of social aspects of death, dying and bereavement. It provides a centre for the social study of death, dying and bereavement and acts as a catalyst and facilitator for research, education and training, policy development, media, and community awareness. He is a co-founder of the Death Reference Desk website, the Future Cemetery Project, and a frequent commentator for the BBC. His most recent book Technologies of the Human Corpse was published by The MIT Press in May 2020. We talked about the taboo of death, death movements in the 70s, embalming, cremation, technology & death, Facebook becoming the world’s biggest digital cemetery, the Black Mirror episode ‘Be Right Back’ and its implications, plastination, COVID, and the list goes on and on… such a fun and entertaining episode! Enjoy! _________________________Connect with John!Website: www.johntroyer.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/deathref__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.comSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Jessica Reis, also known as The Death Empath, a Death Doula who specializes in grief, loss, and shadow work. Jessica received her training through INELDA and has expansions in grief recovery, pregnancy/infancy loss, pet hospice and shadow work.We talked about suicide ideation, her experience as an empath and downloads she receives, energetic and living deaths, dancing through emotions, and many different topics surrounding grief and grieving. Enjoy this delight of a human!  _________________________Connect with Jessica!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.death.empath/__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.comSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Piero Calvi-Parisetti is a medical doctor, a long-time universitylecturer, and a member of the Society for Psychical Research and the InternationalAssociation for Near-Death Studies. His particular area of interest is appliedpsychical research, that is the practical application of research findings, inparticular for the benefit of the bereaved and the dying. He has written fourbooks on these subjects, his latest being Step into the Light: Transform Your Fear of Death by Learning About Life After Life.We discussed some of the evidence he has found of the afterlife: near-death experiences (NDEs), psychic communication, deathbed visions, reincarnation - and how gathering all this research has led him to rule out skeptics' explanations to conclude that there's indeed, undoubtedly, an afterlife. _________________________Connect with Piero!Website: https://www.drparisetti.com/__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.comSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Olivia Bareham, is a Death Midwife, Energy Healer, Ordained Interfaith Minister, Master Teacher and Founder of Sacred Crossings -The Institute for Conscious Dying and Alternative Funeral Home in Los Angeles. She holds a BA in Education from the University of London and a Bachelors in Natural Theology and Sacred Healing from the Healing Light Seminary in California. We talked about her long career as a death midwife, the history and implementation of current day home funerals, living funerals, and her lengthy offerings to help you prepare for death. _________________________Connect with Olivia!Website: http://www.sacredcrossings.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sacred-Crossings-214677251959029Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sacred_crossings/Death Care Directive: http://deathcaredirective.com/__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.comSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Dr. Karen Wyatt is the bestselling author of the book 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying, which contains stories of patients she cared for as a hospice doctor and the spiritual lessons she learned from them at the end of their lives. Dr. Wyatt also hosts the End-of-Life University Podcast, which features conversations with experts who work in all aspects of end-of-life care.In this episode, we talked about her journey into becoming a hospice doctor, common regrets of the dying, why she decided to write her book, the seven lessons learned from the dying patients she worked with, her podcast, and her upcoming book. _________________________Connect with Karen!Website: www.eoluniversity.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/eoluniversity/Twitter: https://twitter.com/spiritualmdInstagram: www.instagram.com/kwyattmd/Books: www.7lessonsbook.com__________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.comSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Dr. Joshua Black is a grief researcher, speaker, author, consultant, online course instructor, and host of the Grief Dreams Podcast. He has focused all of his MA and PhD research (in psychology) on investigating dreams in bereavement (also known as grief dreams) and continuing bonds from many types of loss (including prenatal loss and pet loss). Most of his academic research and publications have specifically been on dreams of the deceased. Dr. Black is considered one of the world’s leading academic experts in grief dreams.We spoke about his experience with grief dreams, how he got into this research, common characteristics of grief dreams and their purpose, dream re-scripting, grief dreams in popular culture, and so much more!_________________________Connect with Joshua!Websites: www.griefdreams.caInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/griefdreams/ __________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.comSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

Jessica Wertz is a ceramic artist and the founder of Spirit Vessel. Spirit Vessel provides the tools to create personalized celebration of life ceremonies - whether you're pre-planning your own ceremony, having a living memorial ceremony, or a memorial service in the comfort of your home or via webcasting services. It aims to restore the use of intimate ceremony around death by creating a guideline for meaningful connection through interaction.Jessica’s intention is to help individuals and families create a sacred space that honors our loved one’s lives while helping those who are left to grieve. We discussed all aspects of the interconnectivity between grief and ritual/ceremony. Hope you guys enjoy this lovely conversation! _________________________Connect with Jessica!Websites: www.spiritvessel.com ; www.spiritletters.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/my.spiritvessel/ __________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.comSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)

In today's episode, I spoke to Dr. Christopher Kerr, who is a hospice physician and an end-of-life researcher about end-of-life dreams and visions. These dreams and visions are significant, subjective experiences within the dying process that occur while asleep or awake. They can happen hours, weeks, or even months before a person passes and may increase in frequency as patients approach death. To date, he and his research team at Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo have published multiple studies on this topic and documented over 1,500 end-of-life events, many of which are videotaped. Although medically ignored, these near-universal experiences often provide comfort and meaning, as well as insight into the life led and the death anticipated.Hope you guys enjoy the episode!_________________________Connect with Dr. Kerr!Website: https://www.drchristopherkerr.com/Book: Death is But a Dream: Finding Hope and Meaning at Life's End TED Talk: I See Dead People: Dreams and Visions of the Dying __________________________Get in touch!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conversationsondeathpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationsondeath/Email: conversationsondeathpodcast@gmail.comSupport the podcast - donate to my tea fund here! ;)