The Life and Death Podcast
Honest conversations about life, death and so much more. Your host, Stephen Rumford, talks to people who have experiences of death and dying to get a deeper understanding of what life and death means to them. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up with us on our socials. Twitter: @Ashgate_Hospice Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AshgateHospiceInstagram: @ashgate_hospice The Life and Death Podcast is brought to you by Ashgate Hospice and produced by Reform Radio.
Episodes
May 4, 2025 • 40 mins
In the first episode of season six, journalist and author Erica Buist opens up about how the sudden death of her father-in-law forced her to confront her own mortality. Her quest to understand how different cultures approach death took her across seven countries, from Mexico’s Day of the Dead to Indonesia’s corpse parades.
Mark as Played
July 14, 2024 • 33 mins
Joining the final episode of the series is Josefine Speyer, a German psychotherapist based in London who has dedicated much of her life to changing the way we approach death and dying. Josefine co-founded the Natural Death Centre in 1991 with her late husband, Nicholas Albery. This educational charity has been a beacon of support, offering free and impartial advice on all aspects of dying, bereavement, and consumer rights, inc...
Mark as Played
June 30, 2024 • 27 mins
We explore a topic often overlooked—coping with pet loss. Our guest, Dr. Katie Lawlor, a psychologist based in San Francisco, shares her personal and professional experiences with the profound grief that comes with the death of a beloved animal companion.
Dr. Lawlor discusses how her journey through the loss of her rabbit, Gem, during the pandemic led her to create her Instagram page, petlossdoctor. She opens up about...
Dr. Lawlor discusses how her journey through the loss of her rabbit, Gem, during the pandemic led her to create her Instagram page, petlossdoctor. She opens up about...
Mark as Played
June 16, 2024 • 25 mins
Simon Critchley is a renowned philosopher at the New School for Social Research in New York. Simon teaches the popular course "Critchley on Tragedy," and has been recognised as one of the top 25 most influential philosophers today.
Mark as Played
June 2, 2024 • 32 mins
Julie McFadden is better known by her online persona Hospice Nurse Julie. With her background as an ICU nurse, Julie developed a passion for educating people about death and dying. For the past eight years, she has been making a significant impact as a hospice nurse, helping others face end of life issues with compassion.
Mark as Played
May 20, 2024 • 32 mins
Internationally recognised author and speaker, Rebecca Soffer, began her journey into grief unexpectedly in her early 30s after her mother was killed in a car crash and her father died of a heart attack. The weight of this loss at such a young age left Rebecca feeling untethered.
Rebecca candidly shares her deeply personal story of navigating loss and finding comfort in shared understanding. From forming a monthly di...
Rebecca candidly shares her deeply personal story of navigating loss and finding comfort in shared understanding. From forming a monthly di...
Mark as Played
Stephen chats to Mock the Week star, Ed Byrne, as he shares the deeply personal story behind his new comedy show, "Tragedy Plus Time". Ed opens up about the death of his brother Paul, and how his death became the catalyst for Ed's exploration of grief and humour.
Mark as Played
July 16, 2023 • 38 mins
When Amber’s mum died suddenly, shortly after her 19th birthday, she spiralled into a life of self-destruction. After several turbulent years and unable to find the support she needed, Amber started The Grief Gang podcast. This podcast became her outlet, a resource dedicated to people who were experiencing bereavement like she was. Seven years since her mum Sue’s death, Amber chats about the sudden death of her mother at such ...
Mark as Played
July 2, 2023 • 35 mins
Trigger Warning: Listener discretion is strongly recommended. Hayley talks quite graphically about what death looks like, including what a body might look like after death. This includes discussions of infant death as she talks about her experience of seeing a baby in a mortuary.
Mark as Played
June 18, 2023 • 40 mins
Through The Dead and Alive Project, Klaus Bo documents death rituals from across the globe. From the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico, where families clean the bones of their ancestors who may have been dead for decades, to families in the Philippines who, due to poverty and overpopulation, are literally living alongside the dead in cemeteries. Klaus takes us on a trip around the world, chatting about his interest in dea...
Mark as Played
June 4, 2023 • 30 mins
It was the 9th September 1989 when Tim’s dad died. It was also Tim’s wedding day. Tim Sullivan is a film director, screenwriter and novelist (Cold Feet, Coronation Street, Letters to Juliet) and in this episode he opens up about the events of that day, how it has shaped his life, and how it has influenced his writing.
Tim’s website: https://timsullivan.co.uk/
Follow us on Instagram @ashgate_hospice
Support res...
Tim’s website: https://timsullivan.co.uk/
Follow us on Instagram @ashgate_hospice
Support res...
Mark as Played
May 21, 2023 • 23 mins
In 2011, London-based artist Annie Nicholson suffered an unimaginable tragedy when three members of her family were killed in a tragic accident. She talks to Stephen about how the incident changed her life and how she has used her art to help navigate the complexities of grief. Through her alter-ego Fandangoe Kid, Annie uses dancing and music to help unpack her trauma and encourage others to have open and honest conversations....
Mark as Played
When Ruth’s husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she began documenting their journey through social media and a personal blog. Almost one year since Pete’s death, Ruth reflects on the last year, how the blog has helped others, and how she’s found hope in the face of adversity.
https://ashgatehospice.org.uk/resource-centre/
The Life and Death podcast is produced by Reform Radio.
https://ashgatehospice.org.uk/resource-centre/
The Life and Death podcast is produced by Reform Radio.
Mark as Played
July 24, 2022 • 29 mins
In this episode, we are joined by Progressive Funeral Director, Louise Winter who is also one half of the team behind Life. Death. Whatever, an initiative redesigning the dialogue around death and dying.
Louise talks with Stephen about her mission to get people to talk more openly about death and dying, reframing how we talk about death and what she has learned about living as a result.
Mark as Played
In this episode, we chat to former academic, turned writer and TEDx speaker Stacey Heale whose husband, Delays drummer Greg Gilbert, died from bowel cancer last year. Since Greg's death Stacey has used social media to document her family’s journey, offering an honest insight into “how to live well in the rubble of your life.”
The mother of two discusses the difference between expectation and reality of death an...
Mark as Played
June 12, 2022 • 28 mins
Acclaimed journalist and Sunday Times bestseller, Clover Stroud, joins us in this episode for a look at how death can help you see the world in vivid colour. Clover’s beloved sister, Nell died suddenly, days after having been told that even with a cancer diagnosis, she would live for years. The shock tore Clover’s life apart and led to her writing ‘The Red of My Blood’ which chronicles Clover’s fearless passage through the fir...
Mark as Played
In this episode, Stephen sits down with Mary-Frances O’Connor. Mary is an associate professor at the University of Arizona, where she leads the grief, loss and social stress (Glass) lab, investigating the effects of grief on the brain and the body. She’s also the author of The Grieving Brain: How We Learn from Love and Loss.
They discuss how neuroscience can help us to better understand grief, why grief is diff...
Mark as Played
Stephen is joined by Seamus O’Mahony, a recently retired consultant gastroenterologist. Seamus has established himself as a well-regarded commentator on modern medicine and healthcare systems. Join us as he discusses his patient experiences, the state of modern healthcare, and what needs to change.
Mark as Played
For the first episode of our new season, Stephen talks to Kimberley Greaves, a young widow and mother of two. Tragically, at just 44 years old, her husband, Andrew, died after being diagnosed with bladder cancer three and a half years before. Kimberley has spent the last 12 months coming to terms with life as a young widow. Join us as we find out what life has been like following the death of Andrew, how she’s coped, and what ...
Mark as Played
Podcast host and Ashgate’s senior physiotherapist, Stephen Rumford, sits down with Maria Conyers, whose husband died at the beginning of the pandemic, Maddie Zygmunt, who first experienced grief at just five years old and Ashgate’s Reflective Practice Manager, Simon Bell, who shares his expert view and coping strategies.
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.