A week before this conversation, my mom graduated from this plane. She left her body with peace and with ease at 94 years old, after a long life of loving fiercely and generously. And as divine timing would have it, I already had a conversation scheduled with someone who has spent the last decade helping individuals and families navigate death and meaningful goodbyes. In this deeply personal episode of Solving for Joy, I’m joined by death care specialist and death doula Madison Kuebler for a conversation about grief, death, ritual, and what it means to be held through loss. I share some of my own experience of my mom’s final years and the sacredness I felt in her passing, including the eight hours my wife and I spent sitting with her body, the rituals that helped us say goodbye, and why this particular loss has felt, at least for now, more sacred than sad. Madison shares what a decade working in death care has taught her about grief, presence, trauma-informed care, meaningful goodbyes, and the possibility of a “good death.” We talk about why grief is much more of a scribble than a line, the unexpected places joy and laughter can appear after loss, and why there is no single right way to grieve or remember someone we love. We also explore the relationship between death and birth, the importance of ritual, alternatives to traditional burial and cremation including human composting, and the ways our choices around death can reflect who we are and what we value. Because perhaps being willing to look at death doesn’t diminish the joy of being alive. Maybe it reminds us just how precious it is. And maybe, if we are very lucky, a life spent loving can leave us becoming more and more love. In This Episode What a decade in death care has taught Madison about grief and being present with familiesWhy death is not always tragedy and what can make a death feel peaceful or “good”Grief as something nonlinear, personal, and allowed to include peace, joy, laughter, and even absurdityThe sacred experience of spending time with a loved one’s body after deathHow ritual can help us create meaningful, deeply personal goodbyesHuman composting, green death care, and having more choices for what happens to our bodiesWhat being close to death can teach us about gratitude, presence, and being alive Chapters 00:00 Grief, Joy, and a Different Kind of Conversation01:20 Meet Madison Kuebler: A Decade in Death Care03:01 How Madison Found Her Way to Funeral Service06:52 Presence, Trauma-Informed Care, and the Small Things That Matter09:11 Chrissie Shares the Story of Her Mom’s Final Years15:00 Permission to Let Go and Becoming Love16:37 When Grief Feels More Sacred Than Sad19:26 A Good Death and the Connection Between Birth and Dying20:33 Sitting With the Body: The Sacredness of a Final Goodbye25:32 4:44 and a Final “Love, Love, Love”26:18 Human Composting and Returning Our Bodies to the Earth30:22 Creating New Ways to Remember the People We Love32:19 The Emotional Reality of Working in Death Care35:01 What Makes a Goodbye Meaningful?37:38 Finding Joy in the Business of Death41:38 Gratitude, Legacy, and What Remains About Madison Kuebler Madison Kuebler is a funeral director, death doula, and theatre artist based in Denver, Colorado. With 10 years of experience in the funeral industry, she helps individuals and families navigate death and create meaningful goodbyes. Outside of death care, Madison directs plays and creates soundscapes for local theatre companies and is passionate about telling stories for and by the LGBTQIA+ community. She recently received a Colorado Henry Award for Excellence in Theatre. Connect with Madison Kuebler LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-kuebler-819b4bb5 Learn More About Human Composting Earth Funeral: https://earthfuneral.com/ About Dr. Chrissie Ott Dr. Chrissie Ott is a multi-board certified integrative physician, Professional Certified Coach (PCC), speaker, and founder of Joy Point Solutions. Through Solving for Joy, she explores the science and practice of living with greater meaning, alignment, and delight. Her work helps physicians and other high-achieving humans reconnect with themselves so they can build lives that feel deeply authentic, purposeful, and joyful. Stay Connected with Chrissie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissieottmdPodcast: https://www.solvingforjoy.comWebsite: www.joypointsolutions.com For Physician Coaches & Healthcare Leaders Physician Coaching Collective: https://www.physiciancoachingcollective.comPhysician Coaching Summit: https://www.thephysiciancoachingsummit.com This episode explores grief and joy, death and dying, good deaths, death care, funeral planning, death doulas, meaningful goodbyes, grief rituals, human composting, green burial alternatives, trauma-informed death care, end-of-life conversations, nonlinear grief, memorial rituals, loss, legacy, and finding meaning and joy after the death of a loved one.
