Many people assume the Irish wake is just an excuse for a drinking session, but in reality, it’s so much more than that. The traditions surrounding death in Ireland run deep, woven into the fabric of the culture and community.   The dead are honoured with great reverence, and the grieving are embraced, supported, and given the space to mourn in a way that is both personal and communal. 

Every life is a collection of stories—big and small, joyful and heartbreaking, ordinary and extraordinary. These stories shape who we are and how we’re remembered.

Eastern Palliative Care runs an award-winning biography programme where their volunteers work one one-on-one with clients to allow them to record and tell their life story. 

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you had a loved one die overseas?  Or, perhaps it is their wish for their body to be transported back  to their home country?  Today I am chatting to Ghislaine from a family-run business based in Melbourne called Repatriation Solutions to discuss the implications of moving someone’s body to another country after they die.

Miscarriage occurs in one in four pregnancies.   
 Six babies are stillborn in Australia every day, with one in 120 births being a stillborn baby or a newborn death.These statistics are a reality that often leaves people unsure how to respond, creating an uncomfortable silence.Today, I am honoured to speak with Nicole Hasseldine. 

Welcome to another episode of Deadly Serious Conversations, where today we are joined by Dr. Susan Palmer from Gather My Crew, an incredible organisation dedicated to helping people rally around loved ones during times of crisis.

 Today on Deadly Serious conversations I have a wonderful chat with Danielle from Sage Executor Solutions about the role of an executor of a will and some of the things that  are important to know to make the process easier, less stressful and more efficient.

Today, I have a special episode featuring Dan from 'All about me films'- a Melbourne-based company dedicated to preserving life stories on Film for future generations.
We delve into the importance of storytelling for family history and how it gives us a sense of belonging that can shape who we are today.
This episode reminds us that we continue to exist long after we are no longer physically here, living on through the stories and memories we leave behind.
So whether you're looking to preserve your own story or would like to encourage your loved ones to document their story,  this episode will inspire you to see the value in capturing part of your family's history.

I am often asked how to support children who are grieving I am no expert but I am delighted to share this episode of the podcast, where I have a chat to Scott Andrews from the National Centre for Childhood grief.

Knowing how to support a child deal with loss and grief can feel overwhelming. It's hard to know what is the right thing to do to help them. Scott offers gentle suggestions on language to use, whether they should be involved in the process and how grief may show up for children.

Scott is incredibly experienced in this area and shares his wonderful insights on how to help children grieve in healthy ways.

This is an invaluable episode for everyone to learn what we can do to support children and help them feel less alone and isolated in their grief.

Most people are familiar with the traditional burial and cremation practices, such as using a cemetery, or storing the ashes in an urn. Some people choose to scatter their loved ones ashes but do not realise that this may be harmful to the environment.

Mornington Green Legacy Gardens in Victoria are beautiful botanical gardens situated on the Mornington Peninsula.

They offer an environmentally safe way for people to go back to nature after they die.

The cremated ashes are scientifically treated to avoid causing any harm and are infused into a carefully chosen tree in their beautifully landscaped gardens or forests.

The Legacy Gardens also offer future generations and loved ones a place to come and visit to watch as the tree grows and blossom. It also provides a beautiful space in nature for families to gather, celebrate, and connect

In this episode I chat with Luke Roberts, the co-founder of Mornington Green Legacy Gardens to hear more about this innovative practice

This episode of the podcast is one that challenges the conventional narratives surrounding end-of-life ceremonies and funerals.  

In it, I have a wonderful chat with Tim and Paul, whose mum Mary Anne decided to face her own mortality and embraced the idea of a living wake after deciding not to continue treatment for Bowel cancer.  

Often at funerals, people remark to me that it is a shame that the person who died didn’t hear all the lovely things that others had to say about them.   

But Mary Anne got the opportunity before her death, to be with her family and friends and to hear the many reasons they loved her at her living wake.  

Her loved ones shared and stories and memories and were able to express their gratitude to Mary Anne so she was able to hear how people felt about her before she died.  

Tim and Paul offer their different perspectives on this celebration of their mums’ life.  

Living wakes or funerals are certainly not for everybody, but the landscape of funerals is changing as we explore alternatives to the solemn occasions that funerals traditionally have been.   Whether you are curious about the concept, planning such an occasion for yourself or a loved one, or seeking a fresh perspective on one of life’s inevitabilities, this episode has it all.  

We hear it all the time that life changes in a second, and nothing can prepare us for it when that does happen. We all think and hope it will never happen to us.

Jacinda has been living with the loss of her son Harper and his dad Matt, when they were both killed in a freak accident.

Losing 2 people you love at the same time seems unimaginable.

In today’s episode, Jacinda shares with us a glimpse into what life after the loss of a child looks like 4 years on, the unique pain of losing two people you love at the same time, her experience of living with such a loss and learning to find hope when all hope has been lost.

As the cost for a traditional burial rises each year and as people have become more environmentally conscious about our land shortage, Cremation has become the preferred choice for many Australians, With over 70% of funerals now involving a cremation.

There is no textbook to tell you what to do in these circumstances, and suddenly you find yourself in a situation having to decide whether to cremate or bury your loved one. Subsequently, you then have to make a decision about what to do with their ashes.

Just recently there was a lot of media coverage about a fan allegedly throwing a bag containing her mum’s ashes at a Pink Concert. And it prompted a lot of people to think what they would do with their loved ones ashes.

Today I have a chat with Oliver & Yaz from the URN Collective to discuss the options on what to do with someone’s ashes.

Links:
Urn Collective

Jo Lincoln is no stranger to the podcast. In fact, she was my first ever guest and I am absolutely delighted to have her back, talking about her new book - "Is this normal?"

Grief is uncomfortable, it is complex and everyone experiences it differently.

At times it feels overwhelming and all consuming, and indeed very abnormal.

Jo is a death doula, a celebrant, a certified grief educator, a counsellor with Griefline and now a published author.

And today we have a lovely conversation, normalising grief in the early days after someone dies

Links

Is this normal?

Griefline

20 percent of women or 1 in 5 may experience a pregnancy loss in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.  

That is 1 early pregnancy loss every 5 mins in Australia.  Behind these statistics are real people.  So many people walk this lonely road, yet often we never know.  It’s such a silent and isolating grief, not being able to talk with anyone about it. And having to act like it never happened...

The chances are someone you know and love will have experienced an early pregnancy loss and it is very important that we all learn how to support grieving parents better.  

I have to admit, my experience of miscarriage or early pregnancy loss is from a professional point of view.  I have walked with many parents to honour their precious babies but I haven’t experienced this type of loss myself.  

But I do know that there isn’t enough understanding of the grief around this type of loss.  But I want to educate myself and learn more.  

In an effort to being more open to learning how we can support couples who have experienced pregnancy loss,  I have invited Karen Schlage to be a guest.   

Karen’s 2 babies – Charlie and Sophia both died in the 2nd trimester of each pregnancy.  Although it is very bittersweet, Karen is now doing incredible work in honouring them and advocating for those facing pregnancy loss.  

This is a wonderful chat and I think we can all learn something from it.  

Links
Karen's Website 
Churchill Fellowship
Pink Elephants

I believe we have a collective responsibility to continue to do death better.

Grief is a very lonely and isolating experience for those going through it.

Grief can also make us feel uncomfortable because we don't know what to say or do to offer support

Today in this episode of Deadly Serious Conversations podcast, Melinda Whyman and I discuss how to help us learn to be a better support person to someone who is grieving. Navigating how to comfort a friend or family member during such a difficult time is overwhelming — but don’t let the fear of saying or doing the wrong thing hold you back from trying to help at all.

Funerals have changed dramatically in the last decade.

Not that long ago, they followed a very standard procedure.

Often mourners wore black,

Most funerals were burials

Religion played a big part and there were very few personal touches.

In this episode of the podcast, I have a wonderful chat with Stan Commings who is almost 94 years young!

Stan dedicated his working life to working in the funeral industry. People like Stan paved the way for those of us who work in the industry now. And I really enjoyed hearing his stories.

We have so much to learn from history but it is also fascinating to see how things have changed.

This conversation was a lovely reminder to me, of how important it is to capture and preserve the thoughts and memories of our older generations. And how recording stories leaves a legacy of living history for future generations. And I would like to thank Stan for sharing his stories with me.

In this episode of the podcast, I have a wonderful chat with Rebecca Lyon

Rebecca is an Independent Funeral director based in Tasmania who works in the area of Home Based death care and family led funerals

She is also the founder of You N Taboo, a local Tasmania Initiative, dedicated to promoting and dispelling some of the taboos around death and dying to encourage a healthier culture around death and Helping to make the conversation about death and dying, just another part of life.

In this rich conversation with have a frank and honest chat about Home Based death care.

Many people don’t realise that choosing to spend time – whether that’s a short time or a longer period, with a loved one who has died, in their home, is an option available to them. Many think it’s illegal to keep a body at home and believe the process may be too difficult.

And although this option may not appeal to everyone, it is important to know that our loved ones CAN be cared for at home, after they die allowing their family to be an integral part of the death and funeral process and giving them precious time prior to their funeral.

We have a great chat about whats involved in this model of care and how a supportive funeral director may help with the more difficult parts of the process.

Rebecca’s wonderful Tedx Talk titled “three steps into the Heart of Home Funeral” provides a wonderful insight into moving death and dying back into the home – where it was common practice for hundreds of years.

And how it can change the grieving process.

Although the requirements around after-death care and Home Based death care do vary from state to state, this is a wonderful conversation. so that we can make better informed choices about the options available

I hope you find this as informative as I do.

In this episode of the podcast I talk to the lovely Dr Annetta Mallon from Gentle Death Education and Planning about Advance Care Plans.

During our conversation we discuss why Advance Care Plans are so important and how they allow you to think about and document your wishes should you be unable to make those decisions yourself.

Advance care plans are not only for the elderly or the unwell. They are important things to think about at any age.

All of us are different and we need to ensure that our values and preferences around living and dying are documented, so those preferences can be adhere to.

Dr Annetta Mallon