Bury Me In NJ

Today Sara is joined by Lupe Diaz, an end-of-life care specialist and death doula based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Lupe moved to the Midwest in 2022 to gain a new perspective on how different communities face death, grief, and healing. Lupe brings a deeply intentional approach to death care—shaped by her experiences in close-knit Indigenous communities, and a belief that living true to our val...

In this week’s episode, we talk to historian Gabe Christy and musician Young Sam James, the duo behind The Labor Jawn podcast, which blends history, storytelling, and music to shine a light on labor movements rooted in Philly and beyond. During this conversation, they shed light on a labor movement with Jersey roots, the 1913 Paterson Silk Strike; discuss the power of solidarity among working folks through collective action; and ex...

Today, Sara speaks with Norwegian artist, storyteller, and influencer Kim Diaz Holm. Known online under the handle Den Unge Herr Holm, Kim has built a passionate following by sharing videos of the creation process behind their striking ink monsters while discussing topics ranging from mythology and music to mental health and politics.

In this episode, Sara and Kim discuss Kim’s portrait project, where they offered free custom painti...

Today, we’re sharing our conversation with Kara Perez—founder of Bravely Go, a financial education company—and author of the newly released book Money For Change: Reduce Waste, Build Wealth, and Build a Better Future for All. Kara’s work explores personal finance through the lenses of environmental sustainability and community, offering actionable steps to not only improve your financial health, but also create a more equitable, pl...

After a very, very long hiatus, we're happy to welcome you back to a new episode of Bury Me in New Jersey! This podcast is still a space for exploring grief, but we’ve spent some time reflecting on how we want to show up in these conversations—and that’s led us to a new focus, summed up in our new tagline: Grief. Resistance. Joy. New Jersey.

This season, we’ll explore the ways that people are navigating grief in all its forms—whethe...

This week, I’ll be sharing my interview with my long-time friend Kristen Fowler as we both speak candidly about our shared grief experience in a topic not often discussed: the grief that comes after divorce.

During our conversation, we discuss some of the complicated aspects of loss related to divorce that go beyond the dissolution of the marriage, including the other relationships that become collateral damage during the split; att...

This week, I’ll be sharing my interview with Laura Smothers-Chu, CEO & Founder of Befriended Heart, who speaks candidly about her fertility journey. 

During our conversation, which was recorded in October during National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, we explore the various situations she and her husband have navigated in their desire to become parents, including numerous invasive procedures and miscarriage, and the ...

This week, I’ll be sharing my interview with my long-time friend, Joyce DeStasio. During our conversation, she shares her experience giving birth to her baby girl, Alaina, at 27 weeks, and the subsequent 104 days Alaina spent in the NICU before passing away the following February.

Joyce shares how her initial documentation of her daughter’s medical care soon evolved into writing about her experience from a more personal point of vie...

This week, I’ll be sharing my interview with Jillian Ryan, my long-time friend, and fellow S. Jerseyean where we discuss her experience with losing her daughter, Isabelle, during her 8th month of pregnancy. During this discussion, Jill talks about how she handled her grief in the weeks and months immediately following the loss of her daughter; how the experience has shaped her as a mother; and the ways she’s dealt with her loss in ...

This week's episode features Effie Anolik, founder of Afterword, an online funeral planning service offering virtual and in-person memorials, as well as a combination of the two. Effie garnered inspiration for Afterword after experiencing the sudden loss of her own father, and realizing that the funeral industry offered no convenient ways to funeral plan online. Using her extensive background in eCommerce as her guide, Effie m...

This week, we're sharing our conversation with Lori LoCicero and Lisa Pahl, creators of The Death Deck, a game and conversation tool consisting of 112 cards, allowing friends and family to share thoughts, stories, and preferences about life and death in a relaxed way.

Lori and Lisa first met when Lori’s husband, Joe, was on hospice and Lisa was their hospice nurse. The two felt an immediate connection during that time, and afte...

For our Season 4 release, we spoke with Emma Payne, founder and CEO of Grief Coach, a text message-based platform that provides personalized grief support to the bereaved and people in their inner circle throughout the year.
 
During our conversation, we discuss the personal experiences that drew Emma to developing this service, the difficulties many grieving individuals face after a loved one dies, and how Grief Coach hel...

In our final episode for this season, we speak with Penny Smtih, a hospice nurse who's gained a viral following on TikTok for helping to normalize conversations about death and dying. During our conversation, we talk about what led her to pursue work as a hospice nurse, the ways helps people navigate their death experiences, and what inspired her to share her stories through social media.

Produced by Nick Rumaczyk. Th...

This week we speak with Co-Founder & CEO of GatheringUs, Noha Waibsnaider. Based on her own experiences of organizing memorials and funerals as part of a large family, Noha was determined to help other families honor their loved ones in a way that was easy and convenient. With the onset of COVID-19, and the global travel restrictions set in its wake, the need for alternative and virtual gathering options in times of mourning is...

Today's conversation is with pioneer and established thought-leader of pet death care, Coleen A. Ellis. She uses her decades of experience to assist those mourning the loss of a beloved animal companion and bring much-needed continuing education to the veterinary industry to help better guide clients through the loss of a pet.

Produced by Nick Rumaczyk. Theme music "P to the A" by Anonymous Novels. Season 3...

Today's episode features UK-based cartoonist and illustrator Gary Andrews (@garyscribbler). While a daily doodle was a way for him to record the general happenings of life, the project took on new meaning after the sudden passing of his wife, Joy. 
Through this project, Gary chronicled his grief journey, providing insights into the pain,  reflections, and perseverance that he and his two young children experienced  in the ...

This week’s episode features End-of-Life Guide, Naomi Edmonson who was first drawn to death work after a close mother figure’s battle with, and subsequent passing from, cancer. 

Upon the sudden passing of her own mother, Naomi found herself using the tools she learned about to navigate through her own unexpected grief journey while also creating a space for others to freely express their grief experiences through her Insta...

In this episode of the show, we speak with Steve Reiter, founder & president of the NEVER Alone Project. His organization is dedicated to helping pass legislation to change recently implemented visitor restrictions due to COVID-19. This initiative was started after his wife, Elizabeth, died alone in a Colorado hospital. 

Produced by Nick Rumaczyk. Theme music, "P to the A" by Anonymous Novels.