How To Die

Sean O'Connor
  • 5.0 (3)
  • RELATIONSHIPS
  • SEMIMONTHLY SERIES
How To Die

A life-affirming Deathcast from Cape Town. How To Die is a series of conversations with people who dance on the edges of life, to discover what death can teach us. Because talking about death won’t kill you… it’s good for life.

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  1. EPISODE 1

    The Dementia Carer

    Karen Borochowitz founded Dementia South Africa over 20 years ago, after caring for her mother who had Alzheimer's Disease. She shares a lifetime's worth of wisdom and insight into how to care for someone living with a dementia, how it impacts families and what they can do, and discusses stigma and the challenges experienced in South Africa.

    56 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    The Breast Cancer Warrior

    Kirsty Horn is a Breast Cancer Warrior, no mere 'survivor.' In this episode, she shares extremely useful insight gained during her diagnosis and treatment journey, with candour, energy and a great sense of humour. Tips for self-care, family relationships, support group formation for the help with the explicit nitty-gritty... as well as insider perspective to what kind of friendship and care helps best - this is an amazing resource for anyone who is starting this journey, or who wants to support someone they love.

    50 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    The Ghana Coffin Maker

    Eric Adjetey Anang grew up playing in his grandfather's carpentry workshop in Accra, where he learnt how to make the distinctive Ghanaian abebuu adekai - or 'boxes of proverbs.' These are the fantastic customized coffins pioneered by his grandfather, Kane Kwei, who made the first one in the shape of an airplane for a neighbour who had always wanted to fly... In this episode, you'll learn why you can't just order whatever shape you like, and when and why a death can be celebrated in Ghana.

    44 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    The Anatomist

    A whopper of an episode with an extraordinary guest, outgoing Emeritus Professor of Human Anatomy at the University of Cape Town Medical School, Dr Graham Louw. We discuss body donation and what it’s like for students to apprehend their first cadaver, and take a trip under the skin, besides discussing a whole pile of other things that Graham has learnt over his long career - a career which has benefited many thousands of people.

    1h 7m

  5. EPISODE 5

    The Forensic Anthropologist

    In this fascinating episode, Warrant Officer Stephné Le Roux of the South African Police Service (SAPS) provides intimate detail of her work identifying skeletal remains. Frequently, this means determining whether these are perhaps from an ancient burial site or a more recent crime scene. In a country where endemic violence and poverty, migration, substance abuse and other factors tear families apart, many of our dead are unidentified, unclaimed. What is the story they tell? Stephné discusses the challenges she faces, sharing good ideas to improve the systems that often make her work so challenging. With consistent humour and modesty, she shares detail of the techniques she uses to analyse human remains, and speaks candidly of how her work has influenced her attitude to life.

    53 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    The Lawyer

    Rhiannon Thomas has learnt a new way of doing law. Guided by purpose and values, Integrative Law a radically different approach to the win/lose adversarial approach of traditional law. Instead, here is a process that is collaborative and reflective, integrating psychological, spiritual and cultural aspects of a person to discover what motivates their wishes and their actions. Because encountering the law is always an emotional thing - especially when it comes to those deathly bits - wills, guardianship, end-of-life care. Here's a better way to do those things...

    50 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    The Family Mediator

    Arabella Tresilian is an interpersonal mediator working in the medical care and end-of-life environment. She helps families find acceptance with each other and the challenges they face. Arabella’s nuanced understanding of how emotions manifest in people stems from an awareness of what’s at stake for people. She has a wonderful ability to integrate different stories into a bigger picture to help people move forward that is both inspiring and consoling. Discerning between empathy and the more radical effects of compassion, Arabella shares a range of insights in this episode, the tools and techniques that she uses to help people communicate deeply and arrive at a common understanding.

    1 hr
See All Season 4 (7)

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

A life-affirming Deathcast from Cape Town. How To Die is a series of conversations with people who dance on the edges of life, to discover what death can teach us. Because talking about death won’t kill you… it’s good for life.

Information

  • Creator
    Sean O'Connor
  • Episodes
    38
  • Seasons
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All content copyright Sean O'Connor
  • Show Website
    How To Die

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