Seeing Death Clearly
Seeing Death Clearly is a show that challenges you to think about your beliefs about death, dying, grief, and living life. I am your host, Jill McClennen, a death doula and end-of-life coach. As a death doula, I found through first-hand experience that the more I came to terms with my thoughts and feelings about death and dying, the more present I became in my everyday life and I hope to share that with you too, how you can live a better life by having a healthier relationship with death and dying. Each episode features a guest who shares their beliefs and stories about death and dying. These are honest conversations about a topic most of us avoided talking about our entire lives. I am on a mission to change that, one conversation at a time.
Episodes
In this episode of Seeing Death Clearly, host Jill McClennen, a death doula and funeral celebrant, speaks with Marcy Shrewsbury Lopez about her extraordinary love story and journey through grief.
Marcy shares her experience being married to her husband, who was 46 years older than her, and the deep connection they shared until his death at 98 years old.
She reflects on the challenges of caregiving and her pa...
In this episode of Seeing Death Clearly, host Jill McClennen, a death doula and funeral celebrant, is joined by Ken Biery, a seasoned funeral director and founder of the Funeral Service Collective. Ken shares his journey from military service into the funeral profession and the experiences that shaped his commitment to innovation and family-centered care.
Together, they explore how the funeral industry is evolving, inc...
In this episode, I’m joined by Thomas Dixon, a Philadelphia native with a powerful and deeply personal story. Thomas shares his journey from working in psychiatry research to teaching middle school in South Korea, and the life-altering shift that followed a near-fatal accident in 2010. After being hit by a car, Thomas developed epilepsy and a permanent episodic memory disability that reshaped his daily life—and his se...
In this episode of 'Seeing Death Clearly,' host Jill McClennen talks with Christian Millward, a mother of six from Idaho, about her journey with grief and spirit communication. Christian shares how the deaths of her mother and seven-week-old daughter, Indi, led her to discover her spiritual connection and create the Indie Star Cards, a tool to help people communicate with loved ones who have passed away.
The...
In this episode, Michael Williams, the founder of Memoir Studio, discusses his transition from end-of-life planning to helping people write their memoirs. They explore the therapeutic power of storytelling, especially for older adults, and how sharing personal stories can offer emotional and historical value. Michael emphasizes the importance of acknowledging life's ups and downs, regrets, and failures in memoir ...
In this end-of-year episode of Seeing Death Clearly, host Jill McClennen sits down with her husband Steven to reflect on three years of podcasting. As the year 2025 closes, they discuss personal and professional highlights, stoicism, aging, and emotional experiences with death and grief. They delve into broader societal issues like elder care in the United States and the balance of everyday life. Jill also shares plan...
In this episode, I welcome back Barbara Karnes to discuss the journey of transitioning from 'we' to 'me' after her husband Jack's death.
Barbara shares heartfelt stories about her early days in hospice care, highlighting the value of understanding daily responsibilities and her experiences with end-of-life preparations, emphasizing the importance of discussing finances and duties early.
We als...
In this episode of 'Seeing Death Clearly,' host Jill McClennen, a death doula and funeral celebrant, welcomes Marni Blank, a former attorney turned entrepreneur and end-of-life doula. They discuss the emotional and logistical challenges families face regarding end-of-life planning. Marni shares her personal journey, including her mother's serious accident, which highlighted the importance of having esse...
In this episode of Seeing Death Clearly, Dave Roberts talks about his journey navigating grief after the death of his daughter, Janine. Roberts, an addictions counselor and psychology professor, shares his perspectives on spirituality, the afterlife, and the different ways he and his wife coped with their loss while supporting each other. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining bonds with loved ones, embracing var...
In this special Thanksgiving episode, Jill McClennen discusses the complex emotions of gratitude and grief that many people experience during the holidays. Early in the morning, Jill felt a mix of thankfulness and sadness and realized that she was not alone in these feelings. Holidays often amplify what we're already feeling, creating a paradox of joy and sorrow, especially when dealing with the loss of loved one...
In this episode of Seeing Death Clearly, Jill McClennen sits down with Tolley Casparis, a death doula from Southern California, to explore the realities of supporting people at the end of life. They discuss the emotional challenges of caregiving, the importance of community, and how conscious preparation can create healing for both the dying and their loved ones. This conversation offers insight into the compassionate...
Jonathan Foster joins the conversation to share the story behind Indigo, his book about the life and death of his daughter, Quincy. This episode explores how a parent’s grief can reshape faith, deepen compassion, and reveal new ways to heal and live consciously. It offers an honest look at love, loss, and the courage it takes to rebuild meaning after tragedy.
He explains how losing her forced him to rethink long-h...
In this episode, our guest is Princella Seymour, a social worker with decades of experience in geriatrics and dementia care. Princella shares how she was called into elder care work, why early planning is essential, and what families often struggle with when a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
Together, they explore the emotional, financial, and logistical realities of caregiving, al...
In this episodeI talk with Kimberley Mead, a grief therapist who transitioned from a career in the arts at age 40. Kimberley shares her journey into grief therapy and the development of her game, Morbid Curiosity, which has sparked transformative conversations about death. She discusses the importance of storytelling in grief therapy and how her game fosters deeper connections and meaningful conversations about morta...
In this episode of the podcast 'Seeing Death Clearly,' host Jill McClennen talks to Jo Beth Polly about her experiences with infertility and the death of her husband from brain cancer. Jo Beth shares how these profound losses shaped her life and career in helping others navigate grief.
They discuss the isolating nature of grief, the importance of genuine support, and how such intense experiences can lea...
In this podcast episode, Janet Turkula and Ryan Olivera, the founders of Give Willow, a platform designed to support families during funeral planning by allowing the community to contribute financially. Janet shares her personal story of losing her father at 21 and the struggle her family faced with unexpected funeral expenses, which inspired her to create Give Willow.
The platform works like a wedding registry, ...
Funeral director and celebrant Allyse Worland shares how her lifelong passion for funeral service began with a personal tragedy and grew into a calling to help others through death, grief, and healing. With sixteen years of experience, she offers a unique look at what it means to care for both the living and the dead—bringing compassion, artistry, and education to end-of-life care. Her story sheds light on how funeral...
Funerals in the United States have become unaffordable for many families, often forcing them into debt, fundraising, or unwanted cremations. This episode features Cheri Wallace, who shares a powerful grassroots solution: cemetery societies. By returning to community-based traditions of shared land and collective care, she believes people can reclaim death care in a way that is affordable, sustainable, and rooted in di...
In this special episode of Seeing Death Clearly, Jill reflects on three years of deep conversations about death, dying, grief, and living fully. As the podcast enters its fourth year, Jill shares what she’s learned from her incredible guests — from Holocaust survivors to hospice workers, death doulas, authors, and more.
She talks about how the podcast has evolved, the lessons it’s taught her, and the moments that ...
Grief can change the course of a life, and for Jason Tuttle, it became both a personal journey and a calling to help others. As a father and caregiver, he lived through the daily realities of hospital stays, medical decisions, and profound loss. After the death of his son in January 2022, Jason began to share his experiences with grief, end-of-life planning, and conscious living as a way to heal and to guide others th...
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