The Dead Desk

One person's death often allows another person to live on. Organ and tissue donations are critical within the medical world, but how do they work — and who are the people who make it all happen? Pamela Albert, senior director of TDS resource development at New England Donor Services, joins the show to share her experiences within the organ and tissue donation industry.

You know about fire cremations, but what happens when a body is cremated using water? How is that even possible? Emily Nelson, founder of Be A Tree Cremation, joins The Dead Desk to share her journey into the death industry and reveal the surprising secrets behind the emerging burial option that is quickly becoming the preferred choice for people all over the world.

"Death doula" may sound like a scary title, but it's quite the opposite. Doulas are kindhearted people who help others during the end-of-life transition with practical assistance born from centuries of real-world wisdom. Suzanne O'Brien, founder of Doulagivers and a doula herself, joins the show to talk about her experiences working in hospice, people's most common deathbed regrets, and the surprising magic that can happen in our final moments.

When unexpected or violent deaths occur, medical examiner investigators take the field to discover the truth. Jasmine Sebro, medical examiner investigator (or "death investigator," as she's sometimes known) joins the show to share how she found a passion for her unusual job, stories of strange cases, and tips on how not to become the subject of one of her investigations.

A tattoo lasts a lifetime — or several lifetimes, if you solicit the services of one Kyle Sherwood. The co-founder of Save My Ink Forever, Kyle has perfected a process to remove and preserve the tattooed skin of the recently deceased. His methods are a closely guarded secret, but today, he joins the show to discuss the fascinating world of postmortem tattoo preservation.