The Art of Dying Well

The Art of Dying Well
  • 4.8 (13)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Bimonthly

Our podcast aims to make death and dying something we can talk about openly without discomfort or fear. Presented by James Abbott, our award-winning show features James in conversation with a guest on a key topic related to the Art of Dying Well, taking in everything from being at the bedside of a dying loved one, to receiving a terminal diagnosis. Coping with grief, bereavement, death, dying, and much more are all under discussion.

  1. Bringing Death Back Into Life | Episode 50

    3d ago

    Bringing Death Back Into Life | Episode 50

    Send us Fan Mail On this episode of The Art of Dying Well podcast we're bringing you a fascinating, wide-ranging conversation with Dr Libby Sallnow about death, dying, and the growing global movement to bring communities back into the heart of end-of-life care. Dr Sallnow is a palliative care doctor and academic who is Associate Professor and Head of Department of the Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department at University College London.  She continues to practise clinically in community settings for the NHS in London, and has spent her career asking a deceptively simple question: why do we treat death as a shocking event that couldn't be anticipated, when it is one of the few truly universal human experiences? "Death - dying - will affect all of us in our own mortality," she says. "It will affect many of us through caring and grief and bereavement. The fact that there's not more discussion, preparation, thought, acknowledgement really has always shocked me." Today we're talking about new public health approaches to end-of-life care, compassionate communities and social approaches to death, dying and loss.  Dr Sallnow also discusses her role as the first author of the Lancet Commission on the Value of Death: bringing death back into life. As you can tell, we've lifted the subtitle of that commission for our podcast.

    34 min
  2. The Art (and Music) of Dying Well | Episode 49

    Mar 31

    The Art (and Music) of Dying Well | Episode 49

    Send us Fan Mail It's Holy Week for the world's 2.4 billion Christians. As such, it's a great time for us to meditate on how sacred music and sacred art accompany us on the road to Calvary to the foot of Christ's Cross and beyond. The life, Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus have provided rich and provoking subject matter for composers and artists for many hundreds of years, so for this 'Art of Dying Well podcast', we're joined by priest and art afficionado Father Patrick van der Vorst. Where do we start with the ebullient Fr Patrick? Three years a priest, but in a former life he was a head auctioneer, entrepreneur, Belgian TV personality, and an investment-securing Dragons' Den contestant! He is also the founder of the bewilderingly good Christian.art. For this podcast episode, we're covering four main areas. Sacred music and how it serves as a soundtrack to life, death and everything in between, the auction room and mortality - an extraordinary segment that includes the extraordinary valuation of a painting that was found in a convent dining room - beauty, faith and art and how it links to a life beyond this one, and finally what us Catholics call that solemn and holy period - the Sacred Triduum, the incredible drama of Christ's journey to the Cross, his Passion, death, and Resurrection. All this and more on the first 'Art of Dying Well' podcast of Spring. Suggested links to the art and music mentioned on this podcast. Music Stabat Mater Sir James Macmillan St Matthew Passion Johann Sebastian Bach Artwork La Pietà Michelangelo St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City Massacre of the Innocents Peter Paul Rubens Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto Scenes from the Passion of Christ Hans Memling Galleria Sabauda, Turin The Descent from the Cross Rogier van der Weyden Museo del Prado, Madrid The Stations of the Cross Pray with us - Fourteen 'Tableaux Vivants'

    49 min
  3. Dying to Live | Episode 48

    Jan 7

    Dying to Live | Episode 48

    Send us Fan Mail For this, the first episode of 2026, our 'Art of Dying Well' podcast steps away from the usual interview format to bring you a special interfaith panel discussion titled 'Dying to Live'. Contributors from six major faith traditions - Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Christianity - shared their insights on dying, death, and bereavement. Moderated by Associate Professor Maggie Doherty, Lead at the Centre for the Art of Living and Dying Well at St Mary’s University, this discussion not only explored how different religious and cultural practices are observed in end-of-life settings, but also presented findings from their recent community-based participatory research on death literacy and end-of-life care. You'll hear from Ruth Jacobs representing the Jewish community, Shamim Merali from the Muslim community, Shobha Sharma from the Hindu community, Simon Romer from the Buddhist community, Harr-Joht Kaur from the Sikh community, and Christina Ronayne from the Christian community.  The Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Reverend Bernard Longley, opens our discussion, and the Right Reverend Patrick McKinney, Bishop of Nottingham and Lead Bishop for Interreligious Dialogue for the Catholic Church in England and Wales, offers concluding reflections. Whether you're a healthcare professional, someone supporting a loved one through their final journey, or simply interested in how different traditions approach this universal human experience, this conversation offers wisdom, compassion, and practical insights.

    55 min
  4. Consolation Through Grief | Episode 47

    10/30/2025

    Consolation Through Grief | Episode 47

    Send us Fan Mail When a loved one or close friend dies, there are many practical matters to deal with – giving notice of death, funeral arrangements, and all manner of things that are very emotional and sometimes quite jarringly 'clinical'. More often than not, you're shell-shocked, not quite yourself. It's a very difficult time. At the Catholic parish of Our Lady Star of the Sea in Whitley Bay near Newcastle, they have developed something special: a Consolation Team that walks alongside grieving families during one of life's most challenging moments. For this 'Art of Dying Well' podcast, we talk to parish priest Monsignor Andrew Faley whose primary concern is to best meet the needs of his parishioners at this difficult time. He is very collaborative with the lay people in his community and sidesteps the common approach of "Leave it to Father" when it comes to funeral planning and accompaniment. The Consolation Team grew naturally from the parish's pastoral care work, and we're delighted to be able to talk to two skilled parishioners from the team who work closely with Fr Andrew - Joe and Pauline. Parishioners tend to have been in parishes rather longer than priests, and relationships have often built up which can be very helpful in supporting grieving families.

    36 min
  5. Values-driven Medical Training | Episode 46

    09/05/2025

    Values-driven Medical Training | Episode 46

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Professor Sonia Kumar, founding Executive Dean of Medicine at St. Mary’s University's new School of Medicine, shares her vision for a more compassionate, values-driven approach to medical education.  She discusses the importance of human connection, spirituality, and supporting both patients and doctors through death, dying, and grief.  With moving stories from her career as a GP, Professor Kumar explains how the new school will prepare future doctors to care for the whole person — body, mind, and spirit — during and at the end of life.

    41 min
  6. Super-aged Asian societies and the D-word | Episode 45

    04/14/2025

    Super-aged Asian societies and the D-word | Episode 45

    Send us Fan Mail The world is aging rapidly. People are living longer. Everyone wants their death to be calm, peaceful and reconciled - ideally at home, and in the presence of family and loved ones. End of life care, and in particular, specialised palliative care, is increasingly important and can radically enhance quality of life for both patients and their families. But how can you explain the merits of this compassionate care when in some countries, the sheer mention of the D-word is so taboo it can be interpreted as wishing ill on the very person you want to help? This is the case in parts of East and South East Asia. Many countries have reached, or will soon reach, super-aged status. That is the UN definition for a country where over 20% of its population is aged 65 or older. Singapore is projected to become a super-aged society in 2026, so extolling the virtues of palliative care in a culture that would, perhaps, rather not have the conversation about death and dying is a significant challenge. For this Art of Dying Well podcast, we speak to Dr Su Lin Yeo, an Associate Professor of Communication Management at Singapore Management University. Professor Yeo has conducted ground-breaking research on palliative care communication in Singapore. We have a fascinating discussion about how cultural taboos in Asian societies about death and dying can make for difficult end-of-life conversations. We talk about how Professor Yeo's research has provided valuable insights that have improved communication strategies on this tricky subject. We also investigate how knowledge, attitude, and receptiveness can inform public health communication and advance the understanding of palliative care in Singapore.

    36 min
  7. Caring for Pa | Episode 44

    01/24/2025

    Caring for Pa | Episode 44

    Send us Fan Mail Understanding the shock, pain, and anxiety that comes after a terminal diagnosis is often best articulated through first-person stories. For the first Art of Dying Well podcast of 2025, we're speaking to Matt Parkes about how he cared for his dad, Jeff, at the end of his life. Jeff became aware something was seriously wrong health-wise in 2011. Something had changed. Something felt different. He had a number of episodes where he would lose his balance, and eventually he was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a rare brain condition that causes problems with movement, vision, speech, and swallowing. Not wanting to 'diminish', Jeff decided he wanted to end his life and was initially actively suicidal. Matt, a Catholic, managed to steer him away from that course of action - with his wife’s loving help - and spent many years as Jeff's primary carer. This was obviously a very difficult time, but in those final years, there were remarkable, poignant moments of love and reconciliation that never would have experienced had he followed his initial desire to end his life.

    36 min
  8. Art and the Afterlife | Episode 43

    11/25/2024

    Art and the Afterlife | Episode 43

    Send us Fan Mail Since the dawn of time, people have been asking those huge existential questions: What comes next? What happens to us after we die? These questions have preoccupied artists, writers, thinkers, medics, teachers, religious leaders – pretty much all of us at one time or another.  Art and the Afterlife was an event held at The Exchange, a theatre in Twickenham run by St Mary’s University. It was part of an ongoing project exploring the many ways people understand and reflect on death and the afterlife with a view to improving our shared literacy around death - particularly in end-of-life contexts. This 20-minute podcast was recorded just before the three panelists stepped out on stage. We spoke to ebullient art historian Lynne Hanley, former Sotheby’s auctioneer and founder of the brilliant christian.art website, Father Patrick van der Vorst, and the knowledgeable, and ever-wise Baroness Sheila Hollins who, as well as discussing her series of marvellous word-free picture books, also shared her granddaughter’s award-winning and poignant artwork that looks through Mary's eyes as she mourns Jesus on the cross.

    21 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Our podcast aims to make death and dying something we can talk about openly without discomfort or fear. Presented by James Abbott, our award-winning show features James in conversation with a guest on a key topic related to the Art of Dying Well, taking in everything from being at the bedside of a dying loved one, to receiving a terminal diagnosis. Coping with grief, bereavement, death, dying, and much more are all under discussion.

Information

  • Creator
    The Art of Dying Well
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    50
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Art of Dying Well
  • Show Website
    The Art of Dying Well

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