Advertise on podcast: Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. How does losing a parent in childhood shape the rest of your life? And is it ever possible to truly feel at home after profound loss?  In this episode of Comforting Closure: Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with author Jacque Gorelick to discuss her memoir, Map of a Heart. Together, they explore the lifelong impact of childhood grief, the search for belonging, and how early loss can influence our relationships, parenting, and sense of identity well into adulthood.  Jacque shares her deeply personal story of losing her mother as a child, navigating an unstable childhood, and later facing another life-changing crisis when her husband, Ed, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. Their conversation offers an honest look at how grief evolves over time, the importance of chosen family, and what healing can look like when life doesn't unfold the way we expected.  Whether you've experienced childhood loss yourself, support someone who has, or simply want to better understand how grief shapes our lives, this conversation offers compassion, insight, and hope.  Key topics include:  The lifelong impact of childhood grief  How early loss influences relationships and identity  Finding belonging after trauma and family disruption  Chosen family, friendship, and the meaning of home  Parenting while carrying unresolved grief  Healing without forgetting the past  Living through a loved one's sudden cardiac arrest and recovery    Links/Resources  Jacque Gorelick - https://www.jacquegorelick.com  Traci Arieli, Comforting Closure - https://www.comfortingclosure.com  Map of a Heart - https://vineleavespress.myshopify.com/products/map-of-a-heart-by-jacque-gorelick Dr. Joanne Cacciatore: https://www.joannecacciatore.com    If this conversation resonates with you, please like, share, and subscribe to help normalize conversations about grief, caregiving, aging, and end-of-life. Your support helps these important discussions reach more people who may need them.

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. How do you explain dementia to a child? More importantly, how do you help them continue building a meaningful relationship with someone they love? In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli is joined by author and actor Evan Bass Zeisel to discuss his children's book, How to Play with a Grandma. Together, they explore practical ways families can help children stay connected with grandparents and other loved ones living with dementia. Drawing on his background in improv, interactive theater, and dementia care, Evan shares why he believes personality persists despite dementia, how small changes in communication can reduce fear and frustration, and why play, curiosity, and emotional connection are often more powerful than memory. Whether you're caring for a parent, supporting a grandparent, raising children, or working in healthcare, hospice, senior living, or dementia care, this conversation offers a hopeful perspective on maintaining relationships through every stage of dementia. In this episode, you'll learn: • How to talk with children about dementia in an honest, age-appropriate way • Why emotional connection often lasts longer than memory • Simple communication techniques that can improve interactions with someone living with dementia • How improv and interactive theater can help dementia care • Why meeting people where they are can transform relationships If you've ever wondered how to preserve connection after a dementia diagnosis, this conversation offers practical guidance, encouragement, and hope. Links/Resources Evan Bass Zeisel - https://www.evanbass.com Book: How to Play with a Grandma - https://www.howtoplaywithagrandma.com How You Are to Me, Dementia Communication Training - https://howyouaretome.com Host: Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com If you found this conversation helpful, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. Your support helps more families, caregivers, and professionals discover practical conversations about aging, dementia, grief, and end-of-life care.

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. Can travel help you heal after the loss of someone you love?  In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli is joined by Janice Waugh, founder of Solo Traveler, for a conversation about grief, healing, identity, and finding your way forward after loss.  After the death of her husband Ron, Janice found herself facing a question that many grieving people eventually ask: Who am I now? What followed was not just a physical journey, but a journey back to herself. Through solo travel, meaningful connections, and stepping outside of familiar routines, she discovered new confidence, purpose, and a renewed sense of identity.  Together, Traci and Janice discuss why healing doesn't always happen by standing still, how travel can become a powerful tool for processing grief, and why moving forward doesn't mean leaving your loved one behind. They also share practical advice for anyone considering traveling after a significant loss, including affordable travel ideas, staying safe while traveling alone, overcoming fear, and taking that first step.  Whether you're grieving the death of a spouse, navigating another significant life transition, supporting someone who is grieving, or simply looking for hope after loss, this conversation offers encouragement, practical guidance, and a reminder that healing can take many different forms.  Topics discussed include:  • Healing after the death of a spouse  • Solo travel after loss  • Rediscovering your identity through travel  • Loneliness versus solitude  • Finding purpose after loss  • Safe and affordable solo travel  • Building confidence one step at a time  If you've ever wondered what life can look like after profound loss, this conversation may help you see new possibilities.  Links/Resources  Janice Waugh from Solo Traveler - https://solotravelerworld.com Solo Travel Society (Facebook) - https://www.facebook.com/groups/SoloTravelSociety Traci Arieli from Comforting Closure - https://www.comfortingclosure.com Home Exchange - https://www.homeexchange.com International Greeters (Global Greeter Network) - https://internationalgreeter.org If this conversation encouraged you or someone you know, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. Your support helps us continue normalizing conversations about aging, serious illness, death, grief, and healing.

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. What if the most important part of end-of-life care isn't medical at all?  In this episode of Comforting Closure – Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli sits down with Kari Sims Anthon, co-founder of the Peaceful Presence Project, to explore the growing movement of community deathcare.  Drawing from her personal experiences caring for both of her parents during their final months, Kari shares how those journeys inspired her to help build compassionate communities that better support people facing serious illness, caregiving, death, and grief.  Together, Traci and Kari discuss why families are often unprepared for the realities of hospice, what community deathcare really means, the "95/5 Rule" of end-of-life care, why community support matters, and practical ways friends, neighbors, and local organizations can help ease the burden of caregiving. They also explore why normalizing conversations about death can help us live more intentionally and build stronger, more connected communities.  Whether you're caring for a loved one, working in hospice or palliative care, serving as an end-of-life doula, or simply want to be better prepared for life's most difficult moments, this conversation offers practical insights, hope, and inspiration.  Links/Resources  Peaceful Presence Project: https://thepeacefulpresenceproject.org Compassionate Communities USA: https://compassionatecommunities.us Comforting Closure: https://www.comfortingclosure.com Public Health Palliative Care International: https://phpci.org If this conversation helped you think differently about caregiving, community, or end-of-life care, please like, share, and subscribe. Every conversation helps normalize discussions about aging, serious illness, death, and grief so that more people feel prepared and supported when these experiences become part of their lives.

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. What role does creativity play in healing? Can music, art, storytelling, and community help people navigate grief and loss?  In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with Brad Wolfe, founder of Reimagine, for a conversation about grief, creativity, connection, and the ways people find meaning after loss.  Brad shares how music became a source of healing while supporting a close friend through cancer, how his family's Holocaust history shaped his understanding of grief, and how those experiences ultimately led him to create Reimagine. What begins as a conversation about music expands into a broader discussion about creativity, community, post-traumatic growth, and the importance of sharing our stories.  Traci and Brad discuss why creative expression can help people process difficult emotions, how community supports healing, and why some of life's hardest experiences can also lead to deeper connection and purpose.  Whether creativity shows up through music, art, knitting, writing, movement, or conversation, this episode offers an honest look at how people can move through grief while staying connected to themselves and others.   In this episode, they discuss:  • Creativity and grief  • Music as a healing practice  • Community and emotional connection  • Post-traumatic growth  • Transforming pain into purpose  • End-of-life conversations  • Storytelling and meaning-making  • Reimagining how we approach grief and loss    Links/Resources  Guest: Brad Wolfe - https://www.bradwolfe.com Reimagine - https://letsreimagine.org Host: Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com  What role has creativity or community played in your own healing journey? Share your thoughts in the comments below.   If you found this conversation meaningful, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. Your support helps continue important conversations about grief, aging, caregiving, death, and healing.

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. What could end-of-life care look like if healthcare professionals and death doulas worked together?  In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli talks with returning guest Kacie Gikonyo, RN, death doula, author, educator, and founder of Death Doula School, about the gaps that still exist between healthcare and death care.  Doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, hospice professionals, and death doulas all have important roles to play. But many healthcare professionals receive very little education about death, dying, and grief. At the same time, heavy caseloads, documentation requirements, and limited time can make it difficult to have the conversations patients and families need.  Traci and Kacie discuss what can happen when those conversations are delayed, including families feeling unprepared for death and patients undergoing treatments without fully considering how those choices may affect their quality of life.  They also talk about how death doulas can complement healthcare teams by providing additional time, education, emotional support, and presence for patients and families.  In this conversation:  • Why healthcare professionals need more education about death, dying, and grief  • Why quality of life needs to be part of medical decision-making  • What families may experience during the active dying process  • What Kacie means by “laboring out of life”  • How death doulas can work alongside hospice, social workers, chaplains, nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals  • Why death doulas should complement healthcare rather than replace existing professionals  • How better collaboration could create more human-centered end-of-life care  Kacie also shares the purpose behind the LaborOut Conference, an in-person gathering bringing death doulas, caregivers, healthcare professionals, educators, and other end-of-life professionals together to learn, connect, and strengthen end-of-life care.   Whether you work in healthcare or death care, are caring for someone you love, or simply want to better understand what happens at the end of life, this conversation offers a different way to think about how we care for people as they approach death.  Links/Resources  • Guest: Kacie Gikonyo, Death Doula Kacie - https://deathdoulakacie.com/  • LaborOut Conference - https://deathdoulakacie.com/laborout  • Laboring Out of Life by Kacie Gikonyo https://deathdoulakacie.com/  • Host: Traci Arieli, Comforting Closure - https://www.comfortingclosure.com  If this conversation helped you think differently about death, healthcare, or end-of-life care, please like, share, comment, and subscribe to Comforting Closure: Conversations with a Death Doula. Sharing these conversations helps make death, dying, and grief easier to talk about.  #DeathDoula #EndOfLifeDoula #EndOfLifeCare #DeathCare #DeathLiteracy #HospiceCare #PalliativeCare #Healthcare #GriefSupport #DeathAndDying

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. What does it really look like to date again after losing a spouse?  In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with author and relationship coach Abel Keogh to talk about life, love, and moving forward after loss. After losing his first wife to suicide, Abel found himself facing questions many widows and widowers struggle with: When is the right time to date again? How do you handle feelings of guilt? What do you say to family members who don't understand? And how do you build a new relationship while still honoring the person you've lost?  Drawing from both personal experience and years of helping others navigate widowhood, Abel shares practical advice and reassurance for anyone wondering what comes next.  In this conversation, we discuss:  • How to tell if you're ready to start dating again  • Why guilt often shows up when moving forward after loss  • Common misconceptions about dating in widowhood  • Navigating conversations with children, family, and friends  • What it's like to date a widow or widower  • Setting healthy boundaries in new relationships  • Taking things slowly and finding your own path forward  Whether you're widowed yourself, in a relationship with someone who has lost a spouse, or supporting a loved one through grief, this episode offers thoughtful guidance and real-world perspective.  Links/Resources  Guest: Abel Keogh -  https://www.abelkeogh.com  Books by Abel Keogh - https://www.abelkeogh.com/books  Host: Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com    Have you dated after losing a spouse, or supported someone who has? We'd love to hear about your experience. Share your thoughts in the comments below.    If you enjoyed this conversation, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who may find it helpful.

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. What if the skills we use to support someone through grief could also help us navigate conflict, disagreement, and division?  In this episode of Comforting Closure: Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli sits down with Liz Vogel, Executive Director of New Pluralists, to discuss the connection between grief, empathy, identity, and human connection.  Drawing from her work in Pluralism and her training as an end-of-life doula, Liz shares how the practices of presence, curiosity, deep listening, and honoring another person's experience can help us build stronger relationships, even with people who see the world very differently than we do.  Together, Traci and Liz discuss why grief is one of the few universal human experiences, how unattended grief can turn into grievance, and what end-of-life care can teach us about connecting across differences while people are still alive.   In this conversation, you'll learn:   • What Pluralism is and why it matters today  • How grief can help us build empathy and understanding  • Why relationships matter more than politics, money, or status at the end of life  • Practical communication skills for navigating difficult conversations  • How curiosity can strengthen connection across differences  • The role grief plays in community, belonging, and social healing  • Why presence may be one of the most important skills we can practice   Whether you're a caregiver, healthcare professional, death doula, grief supporter, community leader, or simply someone trying to better understand the people around you, this conversation offers practical insights and hopeful perspectives for living and relating more intentionally.   Links/Resources  New Pluralists https://www.newpluralists.org Comforting Closure - https://www.comfortingclosure.com The Dinner Party - https://www.thedinnerparty.org People's Supper - https://www.wearetrustlabs.org/#resources Resetting the Table - https://www.resettingthetable.org INELDA (International End of Life Doula Association) - https://www.inelda.org Anderson Cooper's "All There Is" Podcast - https://www.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/all-there-is-with-anderson-cooper What stood out to you most from this conversation?  Share your thoughts in the comments below. If you found this episode helpful, please like, share, and subscribe. Your support helps normalize conversations around aging, death, grief, and the human experiences that connect us all.

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli discusses one of the most emotional and difficult decisions many older adults and families face: should you age in place or move?  Joined by Kim Costa, Realtor and author of Live in Your Wheel House, they discuss how decisions around home, independence, caregiving, safety, grief, and community are deeply connected to quality of life as we age.  Together, they talk about the fear many people feel about leaving the familiar, the reality of caregiving inside the home, and what can happen when these conversations are delayed until crisis hits. They also explore practical ways to evaluate whether a home still supports someone’s physical, emotional, social, and financial needs.  Topics discussed include:  Aging in place vs moving into a residential community  Fear of losing independence  How adult children can support aging parents  Signs a home may no longer be safe or sustainable  Caregiver overwhelm and deferred home maintenance  Community, belonging, and quality of life  Financial and health considerations when planning ahead  How to approach these conversations before a crisis occurs  This episode is for older adults, caregivers, adult children, healthcare professionals, death doulas, and anyone navigating aging, caregiving, grief, or major life transitions.  Links/Resources  Kim Costa: https://lifestylefoundations.com Book: Live in Your Wheel House by Kim Costa  Host: Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com  Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to stay updated with our latest episodes. If this conversation resonated with you, please share it with someone navigating aging, caregiving, or housing decisions for themselves or a loved one.

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli speaks with Jared Walker, founder of Dollar For, about the hidden side of medical bills, hospital financial assistance, and why so many patients never hear about the programs that may help them.  Most people assume that when a medical bill arrives, the number is final. But many hospitals offer charity care and financial assistance programs that patients never hear about. Jared shares how he went from raising money to pay hospital bills to helping families reduce or even eliminate medical debt by accessing programs already built into the healthcare system.  Together, they discuss how financial stress impacts caregiving, serious illness, and end-of-life care, why so many people avoid treatment because of cost, and what families can do before draining savings or putting bills on credit cards. Jared also explains how to check if you qualify for hospital financial assistance, what to ask for when reviewing a bill, why itemized bills matter, and how patients can negotiate medical bills directly with hospitals.  Key topics include:  Charity care and hospital financial assistance  Medical debt and caregiving stress  Negotiating hospital bills  Itemized bills and billing errors  Financial pressure during serious illness  What families should know before paying a bill  Why patients often do not hear about available programs  Practical steps people can take right now  This conversation is for caregivers, healthcare professionals, end-of-life doulas, patient advocates, and anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by the cost of medical care.  Links/Resources  Guest, Jared Walker: Dollar For - https://dollarfor.org Dollar For Hospital Financial Assistance Screener - https://dollarfor.org/help Host, Traci Arieli: Comforting Closure - https://www.comfortingclosure.com If this conversation helped you better understand medical bills, charity care, or patient advocacy, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. Your support helps normalize conversations around caregiving, serious illness, dying, and grief.

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure: Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli welcomes registered nurse, death doula, educator, and Death Doula School founder Kacie Gikonyo for an honest conversation about what death doulas really do and why this work is gaining so much attention.  Together, they discuss the relationship between hospice and death doulas, the importance of planning ahead, common misconceptions about end-of-life doulas, and why preparing for death can help us live with greater intention. Kacie also shares her journey from nursing to death care, the inspiration behind her upcoming book Laboring Out of Life, and why she believes death is a deeply human experience that deserves more than medical care alone.  Whether you're a death doula, hospice professional, caregiver, healthcare provider, or someone planning ahead for yourself or a loved one, this conversation offers practical insights and compassionate guidance for navigating the final chapter of life.  Topics discussed include:  • What a death doula really does  • How death doulas and hospice work together  • Common myths about end-of-life doulas  • Why advance care planning matters  • Supporting families before, during, and after a death  • The importance of quality of life and personal choice  • Building a sustainable career in death care  • Kacie's upcoming book, Laboring Out of Life  Links/Resources  Kacie Gikonyo - https://www.deathdoulaschool.com Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com Laboring Out of Life: A Death Doula's Approach to Intentional End-of-Life Care - https://www.wiley.com/en-us/shop/general-introductory-religion-theology/laboring-out-of-life-a-death-doula's-approach-to-intentional-end-of-life-care-p-9781394355730 If this conversation resonated with you, please like this video, share it with someone who could benefit from it, and subscribe for more thoughtful conversations about aging, caregiving, grief, hospice, and end-of-life care. Every share helps normalize these important conversations.

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with Christy Bork, National Program Manager at Pet Peace of Mind, for an important conversation about what happens to pets when someone becomes seriously ill, enters hospice, or dies.  For many people, pets are family. But when end-of-life planning begins, pets are often overlooked. This episode explores the emotional and practical realities families face when there is no clear plan in place for beloved animals.  Together, Traci and Christy discuss how hospice organizations are helping patients stay connected with their pets through the end of life, how volunteers support both patients and animals, and why planning ahead can reduce anxiety for everyone involved.  They also talk about:  How Pet Peace of Mind partners with hospices across the United States  What happens when there is no plan for a pet after death  The emotional bond between people and their pets at end of life  Practical pet care planning steps people can take today  Financial planning for pets after death  How doulas, attorneys, healthcare workers, and families can start these conversations earlier  The free My Pet Placement Plan resource  Whether you work in hospice, healthcare, elder care, estate planning, or simply love your animals deeply, this conversation offers practical guidance and compassionate insight into an often-overlooked part of end-of-life planning.  Links/Resources  Pet Peace of Mind - https://www.petpeaceofmind.org  Comforting Closure - https://www.comfortingclosure.com  My Pet Placement Plan - https://www.petpeaceofmind.org/pet-placement-plan Thank you for listening. If this conversation resonates with you, please like, share, comment, and subscribe to help normalize conversations around aging, dying, grief, caregiving, and end-of-life planning.

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with Andrew Gordon of the Marshall Allen Project to talk about one of the most stressful parts of healthcare that families are rarely prepared for, medical billing.  When someone is sick, aging, caregiving, or facing end-of-life decisions, the last thing families should have to worry about is fighting confusing bills, navigating insurance denials, or figuring out whether they were overcharged. But for many people, that becomes part of the experience.  Together, Traci and Andrew talk openly about how the healthcare billing system works, where patients are most vulnerable, and what people can do to better protect themselves and the people they love.  This conversation covers:  Why medical bills are often confusing and difficult to understand  The difference between hospital pricing and independent facilities  What questions to ask before tests, procedures, or surgeries  Why “Never Pay the First Bill” became such an important message  What itemized bills, coding errors, and upcoding actually mean How appeals, negotiations, and collections really work  When patients should ask for cash pricing, even with insurance How AI tools are helping people fight billing errors and denials  Financial assistance programs, charity care, and patient advocacy resources  Andrew also shares practical steps families can take right now to avoid getting overwhelmed by medical bills and explains why persistence, documentation, and asking questions matter so much in today’s healthcare system.  This episode is for patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and anyone who has ever opened a medical bill and thought, “How am I supposed to figure this out?”  Links/Resources  Guest: Andrew Gordon, Marshall Allen Project - https://www.marshallallenproject.org Marshall Allen’s Book: Never Pay the First Bill  Fair Health Consumer - https://www.fairhealthconsumer.org Dollar For -  https://dollarfor.org Goodbill - https://www.goodbill.com Claimable - https://www.getclaimable.com Fight Health Insurance - https://www.fighthealthinsurance.com Host: Traci Arieli – https://www.comfortingclosure.com   If this conversation helped you better understand medical bills, healthcare advocacy, or protecting yourself and your family in the healthcare system, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. Your support helps normalize conversations around illness, caregiving, aging, dying, and grief.

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure – Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli looks at how technology is reshaping the way we remember the people we love. Joined by architect and CEO Alex Josephson, founder of Cumulus, they discuss the shift from physical memorials to digital legacy, and what that means for future generations.  Together, they discuss the difference between being seen and being truly remembered, the role of design in creating meaningful digital spaces, and how platforms built for connection often fall short when it comes to honoring a life. They also talk about the growing role of AI in legacy, and the ethical questions that come with it.  Key takeaways include:  Why digital legacy is becoming essential as our lives move online  The limitations of social media in preserving memory  How intentional design can create more meaningful remembrance  The emotional and practical impact of building a legacy while still alive  How digital memorialization can support grief and connection across generations  This conversation invites you to think differently about legacy, not as something created at the end of life, but as something you build over time.   Links/Resources  Guest: Alex Josephson - https://www.cumulus.world  Host: Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com    Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to stay updated with our latest episodes.

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli speaks with Trish Rux and Jan Booth, nurses, end-of-life doulas, and co-authors of Dying Matters: 8 Conversations That Can Change Your Life.  Together, they discuss the conversations most families avoid and why those conversations matter more than any document. Drawing from decades of bedside experience, Trish and Jan share ways to talk about end-of-life care, values, comfort, relationships, and what truly matters before a crisis happens.  Key takeaways include:  Why advance directives alone are not enough without conversation  How to start end-of-life conversations with family  What makes a strong healthcare proxy  How to define comfort and quality of life in your own terms  Why unresolved relationships often matter more than medical decisions  What “community death care” looks like and how to build support before you need it  This conversation is grounded, practical, and accessible for anyone, whether you are healthy, caregiving, or working in end-of-life care. It will help you move from avoidance to clarity and give you a starting point for conversations that can change how you live.  Links/Resources  Guests: Trish Rux and Jan Booth -  https://www.deathdoulas.com, [email protected]   Book: Dying Matters: 8 Conversations That Can Change Your Life - https://deathdoulas.com/dying-matters-bookConscious Dying Collective - https://www.consciousdyingcollective.comHost: Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com  Hospice and palliative care information - https://getpalliativecare.org  Caregiving and support resources- https://www.caringbridge.org   Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to stay updated with our latest episodes!