ENCORE: Briefly, Perfectly Human

Politicology

For the full and ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus

Alua Arthur (Death Doula) joins host Ron Steslow to discuss the importance of embracing mortality, talking about death, and her new book, Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life and Getting Real About the End. 

Segments to look forward to:

(02:31) What is a death doula? 

(05:39) Alua’s journey and embracing mortality 

(07:28) The impact of avoiding conversations about death 

(10:33) Practical ways to approach contemplating death 

(26:00) Having conversations about death with your loved ones 

(28:10) Supporting loved ones facing end-of-life challenges 

(30:30) Reframing our language about death and disease 

(32:19) The desire for “more time” at the end of life 

(38:10) The importance of quality of life in end of life care

(40:00) Assisted Suiceide and personal autonomy 

(43:40) Meaningful rituals for death 

(47:14) Mourning people with troubled legacies 

(51:10) Being briefly, perfectly human

Read Briefly Perfectly Human: https://bit.ly/4a5UYJb

Check out Going With Grace: https://goingwithgrace.com/

Follow Ron on X (formerly Twitter):

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

Email your questions to podcast@politicology.com or leave us a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬ 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosts & Guests

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada