Life, Death, Grief, Unscripted | Unfiltered Discussions on Living and Dying

Christina Holohan - Celebration of Life Event Planner, End-of-Life Doula, and Grief Coach

”Life, Death, Grief, Unscripted” breaks the silence around death and focuses on understanding grief, celebrating legacies, end-of-life planning, and providing families with a roadmap of support, practical resources, and emotional guidance when needed. More than a podcast - we’re your partner in navigating life’s most profound transitions with dignity, love, and purpose.

  1. 1d ago

    Epi 24 - Grieving Is the Price of Love: Pet Hospice and Pet Loss with Jenny Gott

    Episode Overview What does it mean to walk beside an animal, and the family who loves them, through the last chapter of life? In this episode, I sit down with Jenny Gott, founder of Animal Intuition and of Emily’s Path, a pet hospice program named for her own dog, Emily. Jenny shares Emily’s story, the gap families face in the months before and after an animal’s death, and what animal communication and Reiki can offer during that time. We also talk about grieving an animal without apology, caring for our animals through their golden years, and why staying present with them matters so much. Timestamped Highlights 00:45 — Introduction 02:20 — Jenny’s path to this work 08:28 — Emily’s story 19:58 — The gap around an animal’s death 34:11 — Animal communication and Reiki 43:23 — Grieving an animal without apology 56:22 — Golden years, not crisis calls 01:03:22 — Three questions 01:09:00 — Where to find Jenny Guest Bio Jenny Gott, CMTA, is an animal wellness practitioner and the founder of Animal Intuition in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, where she has worked with cats, dogs and horses since 2005. A Reiki Master and Certified Massage Therapist for Animals, she offers animal communication, bodywork and holistic support alongside an animal’s veterinary care. She founded Emily’s Path, a pet hospice program named for her own dog, to support people through an animal’s last chapter. Resources Mentioned Animal Intuition and Emily’s Path: animal-intuition.com Instagram: @animalintuitionmn Facebook: com/Animal.Intuition LinkedIn: Animal Intuition Hospice, animal communication, and Reiki sessions are available nationwide by phone or Zoom. Listener Challenge This week, spend ten unhurried minutes with an animal in your life, or with the memory of one you’ve lost. No phone, no agenda. Just be present with them, and notice what that time brings up for you. Connect with Christina Celebration of Life, Colorado celebrationoflife-colorado.com information@celebrationoflife-colorado.com 720-792-7774 About the Podcast Life, Death, Grief, Unscripted | Unfiltered Discussions on Living and Dying is hosted by Christina Holohan, Certified Death Doula, Thanatologist, and founder of Celebration of Life, Colorado.

  2. Oct 28

    Epi 23 - Dying Together: Community Death Care with Lee Warren

    Episode Overview For most of human history, caring for the dying was something we did together. In this episode, I sit down with death educator and author Lee Warren to talk about her new book, Dying Together: The Art of Community Death Care. Lee shares what she learned during “The Death Years” at Earthaven Ecovillage, when six community members died over the course of two years, and how caring for one another at the end of life brought a depth of closeness nothing else had. We talk about death literacy and what it means to prepare for death long before a crisis, the role of ritual in grief, what families can do themselves through home funerals and green burial, and how to begin building a village when you don’t live in an intentional community. Lee also reflects on what her somatic practice has taught her about meeting death in the body, and what she now believes makes a good death. Timestamped Highlights [Placeholder — timestamps pending from Ger] 00:45 — Welcome and introduction 01:55 — Lee’s path to this work and life at Earthaven 08:55 — Death literacy and death preparation 20:50 — The Death Years at Earthaven 23:10 — Ritual, remembrance, and grief 29:17 — Home funerals and green burial 34:11 — “I don’t have a village”: where to begin 38:13 — Death as a teacher and what makes a good death 44:36 — Three questions I ask every guest 46:59 — Where to find Lee, listener challenge, and sign-off Guest Bio Lee Warren is a death educator, somatic practitioner, and end-of-life preparation guide with more than 30 years of experience living in intentional, land-based communities. Drawing on decades of work in community caregiving, grief ritual, green burial practices, and death education—including her years at Earthaven Ecovillage—she helps people develop a more conscious, compassionate relationship with mortality. A cultural pioneer and leading voice in reimagining intimacy with death as a pathway to ecstatic aliveness, Lee is the founder of ReclaimingWisdom.com and QueenofDeath.org. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina, and has been featured on The Heart of Hospice and Therapist Uncensored. Book Details Dying Together: The Art of Community Death Care Publication date: December 1, 2026 352 pages | ISBN 9781774060384 US$24.99 / CA$29.99 Through real-life stories, soulful practices, and a community-building toolkit, Dying Together shows how preparing ourselves, and each other, for death can turn fear into closeness and reconnect us with one another. Resources Mentioned Lee Warren / Reclaiming Wisdom: https://reclaimingwisdom.com Queen of Death: https://queenofdeath.org Free 7-day End-of-Life Preparation mini-course — available through Reclaiming Wisdom Dying Together: The Art of Community Death Care — available December 1, 2026 Listener Challenge Write down the names of three people you would want near you at the end of life, and three people who might one day need you near them. That short list is the start of your village. Contact Celebration of Life, Colorado celebrationoflife-colorado.com information@celebrationoflife-colorado.com 720-792-7774 About the Podcast Life, Death, Grief, Unscripted | Unfiltered Discussions on Living and Dying is hosted by Christina Holohan, Certified Death Doula, Thanatologist, and founder of Celebration of Life, Colorado.

  3. Oct 21

    Epi 22 - Advance Directives Beyond the Drawer, with End-of-Life Doula Keri Winchester

    Episode Overview Advance care planning isn't just about filling out a document and putting it in a drawer. In this episode, Christina sits down with Keri Winchester, end-of-life doula, founder of Living and Leaving, and Death Doula Director with Doula Villages. Drawing on more than 30 years as a medical speech pathologist, Keri shares what she witnessed in hospitals, cancer centers, and hospice, and how walking her own family through the end of life shaped the way she serves families today. Together, they explore why so many of us put these conversations off, the difference between having an advance directive and having a plan that is known and accessible, why these conversations can be hard for healthcare providers to start, and what it could look like if providers, doulas, and families stepped out of their separate lanes and worked together. Episode Highlights [00:45] Welcome [02:40] Keri's path to this work [10:18] What happens when families aren’t prepared [12:18] How is language important when families are making decisions [15:09] A document in a drawer vs. a plan that is known [24:03] Healthcare providers and the hesitancy around these conversations [31:16] Doula Villages and the need behind it [47:50] Practical takeaways for listeners [54:06] Three signature questions [58:11] Where to find Keri, listener challenge, and sign-off Guest Bio Keri Winchester has been practicing as a Death Doula since 2021. In addition, she has been practicing 30+ years as a medical speech pathologist. Her Death Doula training started with Going with Grace. She holds proficiency with National End of Life Doula Alliance. She has also completed Grief Educator Training with David Kessler, EOL Doula Specialist and Certified Life Planning with International Doula Life Movement and is an ambassador with Opus Peace after completion of their Soul Injury Institute. She is the Death Doula Director with Doula Villages and serves on the board for Arizona Bioethics Network. Most recently she has co-founded the Metro Phoenix End of Life Professional Network. She is a life-long Arizona resident. She and her husband Shawn, have two grown children and have also brought the world to them over the years, hosting 10+ foreign exchange students. As a practicing death doula, she works with individuals and their constellation to support, empower and advocate as they navigate life and contemplate death. She believes the best gift we can give those that we leave behind is having a plan in place. Resources Mentioned Connect with Keri Winchester Living and Leaving: livingandleaving.com Instagram: instagram.com/living.leaving LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/keri-winchester Facebook:  facebook.com/keri.livingandleaving Organizations Doula Villages: doulavillages.com Metro Phoenix End of Life Professional Network: https://phxeol.com Artwork Referenced Julian Hoke Harris, Keeping Away Death Listener Challenge Find your advance directive, or start one if you don't have one yet, and tell one person you trust where it lives. Then think of two people who would not only speak for you if you can't speak for yourself, but who would also support your wishes. Connect with Christina Celebration of Life, Colorado celebrationoflife-colorado.com information@celebrationoflife-colorado.com 720-792-7774 Join a Good Life Good Death Café — two live gatherings a month in Colorado, plus one virtual gathering monthly. Details at celebrationoflife-colorado.com/events-list. About the Podcast Life, Death, Grief, Unscripted | Unfiltered Discussions on Living and Dying is hosted by Christina Holohan, Certified Death Doula, Thanatologist, and founder of Celebration of Life, Colorado.

  4. Oct 14

    Epi 21 - We Felt Like We Were Losing Her - A Conversation About Substance Use, Family, Grief, and What Came After

    Episode Overview *Content Note: This episode includes candid discussions about substance use, addiction, and suicide.  If this is a sensitive topic for you, please listen with care.  What happens when a family feels like they are losing someone who is still here? In this personal episode, Christina sits down with her sister, Charlene Bargas, for an open conversation about substance use, family, grief, and what came after. Two sisters who lived through the same years in different ways make room for both perspectives. Together, they explore the words we use and the labels that can miss the person behind them, what changed and what didn’t, ambiguous loss, and how love, boundaries, and forgiveness can live side by side. Charlene also shares the life she is building today, from finishing the degrees she started to her hope of helping others find their way forward. This episode also marks the start of a new tradition on the show: three questions Christina will ask every guest. Episode Highlights [00:45] Content warning [00:57] Opening: why we’re sharing this conversation [06:20] Two sisters, one history, two experiences [09:51] What was happening beneath the surface [13:28] What our family experienced [15:57] The language we use matters [35:47] What changed, and what didn’t [47:32] What came next [49:11] Who Charlene is today [54:18] What Charlene wants people to understand [59:37] Three questions I ask every guest [01:02:33] Closing reflection and sign-off Guest Bio Charlene Bargas is a mother of four, writer, legal professional, and lifelong learner. She has spent more than two decades in the legal field, with additional experience in behavioral health, crisis response, and peer support. Charlene holds a Master of Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Science from Metropolitan State University of Denver, focused on Holistic Approaches to Human Change. She is passionate about social enterprise, and her writing explores motherhood, family, identity, and what it means to understand our past without letting one chapter explain an entire person. She brings to this conversation not a finished story, but the full range of her own experience. Connect with Charlene Instagram: @charlyrayne76 Facebook: Charlene on Facebook LinkedIn: Charlene Bargas, MS Resources If You or Someone You Love Is Struggling SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Free, confidential, 24/7, 365 days a year, in English and Spanish, for individuals and families facing mental health and/or substance use concerns. gov/find-help/national-helpline Find help near you: Text your ZIP code to 435748 (HELP4U), or search the online treatment locator at gov Listener Challenge: Give It a Name This week, think about someone you may be grieving while they are still here. A person, a relationship, or a version of someone you love. You don’t have to fix anything or reach out. Just give that feeling a name, and notice that love and grief can live in the same place. Share This Episode If you know someone who is loving a person through a hard season, please share this episode with them. You never know who needs to hear that they’re not alone. Connect with Christina Celebration of Life, Colorado celebrationoflife-colorado.com information@celebrationoflife-colorado.com 720-792-7774 Join a Good Life Good Death Café — two live gatherings a month in Colorado, plus one virtual gathering monthly. Details at https://www.celebrationoflife-colorado.com/event-list About the Podcast Life, Death, Grief, Unscripted | Unfiltered Discussions on Living and Dying is hosted by Christina Holohan, Certified Death Doula, Thanatologist, and founder of Celebration of Life, Colorado.

  5. Sep 30

    Ep 20 - Grief Coaching and Living with Loss | Blooming Through Loss with Eryn Elder

    A Conversation with Eryn Elder, MA Grief and Loss Coach, Author, and Founder of Roots and Wings Grief and Loss Coaching Episode Overview What if grief is not something to fix, finish, or leave behind, but something we learn to tend? In this episode, I sit down with Eryn Elder, grief and loss coach, author of Blooming Through Loss, and founder of Roots and Wings Grief and Loss Coaching in Longmont, Colorado. Eryn shares the personal experience that led her to this work, walks us through her BloomPath® framework, and explains how grief coaching differs from therapy and support groups. We also talk about the many kinds of loss that deserve to be named as grief, the healing power of community through the Longmont Grief Collective, and what it looks like to live wholeheartedly alongside loss, with room for love, meaning, and even joy. Timestamped Highlights [00:45] — Introduction [03:45] — Eryn's path to grief work [10:05] — The BloomPath® framework and Blooming Through Loss [18:25] — What grief coaching is, and how it differs from therapy [27:57] — Loss beyond death: why every loss counts [35:05] — Community and the Longmont Grief Collective [39:35] — Living wholeheartedly alongside grief [44:23] — Where to find Eryn Guest Bio Eryn Elder, MA is a grief and loss coach, educator, author, and podcaster who helps people navigate the experiences that change them, especially the ones that cannot simply be fixed, solved, or left behind. As the founder of Roots and Wings Grief and Loss Coaching, Eryn brings together twenty years of experience in coaching, education, leadership, and grief support. She is a Certified Grief and Loss Support Specialist, an ICF-trained coach and coach trainer, and holds a master's degree in education. She has coached hundreds of individuals and led a coaching program at a tier-one research university. After the unexpected death of her first-born daughter, Evelyn, Eryn experienced firsthand how difficult it can be to find meaningful support after loss. That experience led her to understand grief not as something to overcome, but as something we can learn to tend, carry, and integrate into a life that still holds love, meaning, connection, and even joy. This perspective became the foundation for her BloomPath® framework. Her work includes individual coaching, group facilitation, professional education, writing, and community-building through the Longmont Grief Collective. She is also a co-host of the Coaching as Benevolence podcast. Book Details Blooming Through Loss: Tending to Grief with the BloomPath® Eryn's book invites readers to slow down, make sense of what they are experiencing, reconnect with what matters, and discover how to live wholeheartedly alongside what has changed. Resources Mentioned Roots and Wings Grief and Loss Coaching: rootsandwingsgriefcoaching.com Blooming Through Loss: Tending to Grief with the BloomPath® by Eryn Elder Longmont Grief Collective Coaching as Benevolence podcast, co-hosted by Eryn Elder, and Host L’Shawn Howard Listener Challenge This week, name one loss in your life you have never given yourself permission to grieve. It may be a job, a friendship, a home, or a version of yourself. Give it five minutes of your attention. Write it down, speak it aloud, or simply sit with it. Grief that is named has room to be tended. Connect with Christina Celebration of Life, Colorado celebrationoflife-colorado.com information@celebrationoflife-colorado.com 720-792-7774 Join a Good Life Good Death Café — two live gatherings a month in Colorado, plus one virtual gathering monthly. Details at celebrationoflife-colorado.com/events-list. About the Podcast Life, Death, Grief, Unscripted | Unfiltered Discussions on Living and Dying is hosted by Christina Holohan, Celebration of Life Event Planner, Certified Death Doula, Thanatologist, and founder of Celebration of Life, Colorado.

  6. Sep 23

    Ep 19 - So... What Actually Happens at a Death Café?

    Episode Overview What happens when you walk into a Death Café? In this episode, Christina traces the model back to its origins with Jon Underwood and Sue Barsky Reid, breaks down what the research says about why these conversations matter, and introduces its lesser-known cousin — the Doulagivers-inspired Good Life Good Death Café, the model Christina trained in and now hosts herself. She walks through what to expect in each kind of room, and what it takes to start a Death Café of your own. Episode Highlights [00:46] Cold open: two flyers, two very different rooms [01:16] The death-positive movement, and where these cafés fit in it [02:21] What the research says about talking about death [04:42] Death Café's origins: Jon Underwood, Sue Barsky Reid, and Bernard Crettaz [06:08] Why Death Café is a trademarked name [06:33] Good Life Good Death Café and the Doulagivers model [08:19] Side by side: what to expect walking into each room [09:25] Why both model’s matter [10:36] How to start a Death Café of your own [14:24] Listener challenge and sign-off Resources Mentioned Death Café Resources Death Café — official guide and how to host your own Research Referenced “Talking about death and dying: Findings from deliberative discussion groups with members of the public” — Wilson, Caswell, Turner & Pollock (2024), Mortality: https://doi.org/10.1080/13576275.2022.2136515 “What a ‘Good Death’ Can Teach Us About Living Well” — Camille Preston, Ph.D., Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-health-in-the-workplace/202411/what-a-good-death-can-teach-us-about-living-well Doulagivers Institute Free End-of-Life Doula & Family Caregiver Training (also the path to training as a certified death doula): https://event.webinarjam.com/4kv5v/register/mzl4li79?webinar_id=43 Listener Challenge: Find the Room for You Look up whether there is a Death Café, or a community death conversation built on that same spirit, happening near you. You don’t have to attend — just find it, notice which kind of room you’re drawn to, and ask yourself why. Connect with Christina Celebration of Life, Colorado celebrationoflife-colorado.com information@celebrationoflife-colorado.com 720-792-7774 Join a Good Life Good Death Café — two live gatherings a month in Colorado, plus one virtual gathering monthly. Details at celebrationoflife-colorado.com/events-list.

  7. Sep 16

    Ep 18 - Advance Care Directives Explained: Don't Make Your Family Guess

    What happens if you can't speak for yourself? In this episode, Christina walks through what an advance care directive is the three documents Colorado law recognizes, and how they're different from a MOST form. She traces two of the most well-known end-of-life cases in American history, Terri Schiavo and Nancy Cruzan, to show what happens when a family is left to guess. And she shares a story that could belong to any of our families: a grandmother whose wishes were never written down, and the years of not knowing that followed. The episode closes with a ten-minute challenge anyone can do tonight. Episode Highlights [00:47] Cold open the three questions no one prepares you for [02:22] What is an advance care directive, and Colorado's three legal documents [05:30] The Terri Schiavo case [08:28] The Nancy Cruzan case [11:08] A grandmother's story the risk every ordinary family faces [13:58] The conversation before the document [15:55] Don't just fill it out tell someone [18:37] The ten-minute conversation challenge Resources Mentioned Case Law Referenced Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health, 497 U.S. 261 (1990) Story Referenced "Without Advance Directives: A Life They Could Not Have Predicted" https://youtu.be/5vIXTTlTKZs Listener Challenge: The 10-Minute Conversation Sit down with someone you trust and ask them one question: "If I couldn't speak for myself, what would you need to know about what matters most to me?" You don't have to solve your whole plan tonight you just have to start the conversation. Connect with Christina Celebration of Life, Colorado celebrationoflife-colorado.com information@celebrationoflife-colorado.com 720-792-7774 Join a Good Death - Good Life Café two live gatherings a month in Colorado, plus one virtual gathering monthly. Details at celebrationoflife-colorado.com/events-list Christina also works one-on-one with clients to complete their advance care directive walking through each document and the conversations behind it, so nothing gets left unsaid or unsigned

  8. Sep 9

    Ep 17 - What Is a Death Doula? More Than Bedside Support

    Life, Death, Grief, Unscripted | Unfiltered Discussions on Living and Dying Episode Overview What does a death doula do and when does that work start? In this solo episode, I break down what a death doula (or end-of-life doula) is, why this kind of community support around dying is far older than the modern title suggests, and why so much of this work happens years before anyone is near a bedside. I walk through what hospice care does and doesn't cover, the most common misconceptions I hear, how to find and vet a doula, and what this looks like specifically here in Colorado, where the profession remains unlicensed and unregulated. Timestamped Highlights 00:47 Cold open 02:47 What a death doula is 04:19 Why hospice can't fill every gap 06:05 My path into this work 08:14 What doulas do 11:23 Common misconceptions 14:01 How to find and vet a doula 15:52 A Colorado-specific note 16:57 Close Resources Mentioned Hospice & Advance Care Planning Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Hospice. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/fee-for-service-providers/hospice National Institute on Aging. (n.d.). Advance care planning: Advance directives for health care. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/advance-care-planning/advance-care-planning-advance-directives-health-care Doula Training Programs Doulagivers Institute https://doulagivers.com/ INELDA (International End-of-Life Doula Association) https://inelda.org/ University of Vermont End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate https://learn.uvm.edu/program/end-of-life-doula-certificate/ NEDA (National End-of-Life Doula Alliance) https://nedalliance.org/   Colorado Doula Directories Colorado End-of-Life Collaborative https://coeolcollaborative.org/ Ever Loved Colorado Death Doula Directory https://everloved.com/death-doulas/CO/ Dying Matters Colorado Death Doula Directory https://dyingmattersbook.com/colorado-death-doula-directory Good Death Good Life Cafe Virtual gathering, first Wednesday of every month, 6:00–8:00 PM MST. Details and in-person events: celebrationoflife-colorado.com/events Questions to Ask a Provider Where did you receive your training? What is your philosophy of support? What services do you provide and what do you not provide? Do you offer a free consultation? Listener Challenge This week, take one small step toward your own advance care directive. It doesn't have to be the whole document. Just write down one wish and tell one person what it is. Contact Celebration of Life, Colorado celebrationoflife-colorado.com information@celebrationoflife-colorado.com 720-792-7774 About the Podcast Life, Death, Grief, Unscripted | Unfiltered Discussions on Living and Dying is hosted by Christina Holohan, Certified End-of-Life Doula, Thanatologist, Event Producer and founder of Celebration of Life, Colorado.

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About

”Life, Death, Grief, Unscripted” breaks the silence around death and focuses on understanding grief, celebrating legacies, end-of-life planning, and providing families with a roadmap of support, practical resources, and emotional guidance when needed. More than a podcast - we’re your partner in navigating life’s most profound transitions with dignity, love, and purpose.

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