Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula

Traci Arieli
  • 4.9 (9)
  • Education
  • Updated Daily

Join host Traci Arieli for "Comforting Closure," a podcast where the often silent topics of aging, death, and grieving are explored with compassion and clarity. Each episode features guests who share practical advice, emotional insights, and spiritual perspectives to illuminate these natural yet seldom discussed aspects of life. Dive into tender conversations designed to demystify and destigmatize these experiences, offering solace and understanding to those navigating life's final chapters. Grab a warm drink and find a moment of peace amidst profound transitions with "Comforting Closure."

  1. 1d ago

    Community Deathcare: Why End-of-Life Care Belongs to All of Us

    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.

  2. Oct 1

    Creativity, Grief, and Healing: Why Community Matters

    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.

  3. Sep 24

    Death Doulas and Healthcare: Working Together for Better End-of-Life Care

    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

  4. Sep 17

    Dating in Widowhood: How to Know You're Ready

    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.

  5. Sep 10

    What Grief Teaches Us About Bridging Divides

    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.

  6. Sep 3

    Stay or Move? Aging, Independence, and Home

    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.

  7. Aug 27

    Hospital Bills, Charity Care, and Hidden Help

    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.

  8. Aug 20

    Death Doulas, Hospice, and the Human Side of End-of-Life Care with Kacie Gikonyo

    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.

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4.9
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Join host Traci Arieli for "Comforting Closure," a podcast where the often silent topics of aging, death, and grieving are explored with compassion and clarity. Each episode features guests who share practical advice, emotional insights, and spiritual perspectives to illuminate these natural yet seldom discussed aspects of life. Dive into tender conversations designed to demystify and destigmatize these experiences, offering solace and understanding to those navigating life's final chapters. Grab a warm drink and find a moment of peace amidst profound transitions with "Comforting Closure."

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