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: www.facebook.com/AshgateHospice Instagram: @ashgate_hospice The Life and Death Podcast is brought to you by Ashgate Hospice and produced by Reform Radio.

Episodes

S6 Ep6: Grief, menopause and saying the unsayable with Leslie Gray Streeter

July 13, 2025 • 39 mins

What happens when the worst thing happens, and you survive? In this funny, fearless and deeply human conversation, journalist and memoirist Leslie Gray Streeter joins host Stephen Rumford to talk about life after the sudden death of her husband Scott.

Together they explore what grief really feels like, the messiness, the humour, the fury, and the pressure to be resilient. Leslie shares how widowhood changed her, why s...

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S6 Ep5: Why end of life care needs to change with Professor Allan Kellehear

June 29, 2025 • 35 mins

Dying isn’t just a medical event, it’s a deeply social one. In this powerful episode of The Life and Death Podcast, Professor Allan Kellehear, sociologist and founder of the Compassionate Communities movement, joins Stephen Rumford to explore how we can all play a part in supporting people at the end of life.

From challenging our assumptions about what care means, to sharing stories of connection, meaning and even vis...

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S6 Ep4: What is an end of life doula?

June 15, 2025 • 38 mins

How can a doula support people who are dying and those important to them?

Dr Emma Clare, chartered psychologist, end of life doula, and director of End of Life Doula UK, joins host Stephen Rumford to unpack the often misunderstood role of the doula. Unlike a healthcare professional, a doula offers emotional, practical and human support at the end of life, simply by being there, witnessing, and walking alongside.
...

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S6 Ep3: Death, beauty and the macabre: a conversation with Joanna Ebenstein

June 1, 2025 • 38 mins

Artist, curator and writer Joanna Ebenstein joins host Stephen Rumford to explore the rich, sometimes eerie, but always fascinating ways we try to make sense of death.

Joanna is the founder of the Morbid Anatomy project and author of Memento Mori, a beautiful collection of imagery showing how death has been depicted throughout history and across cultures. Her work invites us to consider what these depictions ca...

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S6 Ep2: How doodling helped Gary Andrews find hope after his wife’s death

May 18, 2025 • 36 mins

When illustrator Gary Andrews’ wife, Joy, died suddenly from sepsis, everything changed in an instant. Left raising their two young children, aged 7 and 10 at the time, Gary picked up a pen and started doodling - not to create perfect pictures, but to let his feelings out, one sketch at a time.

Those nightly doodles became a lifeline. He shared them online, where they struck a chord with thousands of people gri...

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S6 Ep1: How different cultures deal with death and grief

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.

Erica, author of This Party’s Dead, explores how these cultures celebrate death and allow...

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S5 Ep6: Life lessons from the dying with Josefine Speyer

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...

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S5 Ep5: Coping with pet loss with Dr. Katie Lawlor

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...

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S5 Ep4: A philosopher’s guide to death with Simon Critchley

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.

Simon delves into his fascinating life story, including his early years in Hertfordshire, a life-changing accident, and his journey into philosophy. He shares insights from his book,...

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S5 Ep3: Why it’s normal to be afraid of death with Hospice Nurse Julie

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.

Julie’s journey into online education began when her young nieces introduced her to TikTok...

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S5 Ep2: Becoming an orphan in your 30s with Rebecca Soffer

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...

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S5 Ep1: Ed Byrne is laughing through grief: How the death of his brother inspired a critically acclaimed show

May 5, 2024 • 31 mins

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.

Reflecting on the moments leading up to Paul's death and the complexities of sibling relationships, Ed and host Stephen Rumford delve into the healing...

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S4 Ep6: Teenage kicks: How Amber coped with the sudden death of her mother in her teens

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 ...

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S4 Ep5: Behind the scenes of death with Hayley Campbell

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.

Hayley Campbell is a journalist, writer and broadcaster whose book, All the Living and the Dead, delivers a gripping look at the prof...

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S4 Ep4: Death rituals from around the world with photographer Klaus Bo

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...

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S4 Ep3: Tim Sullivan: My father died on my wedding day

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...

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S4 Ep2: Annie Nicholson: Dancing with death

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....

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S4 Ep1: “It’s the gift that nobody wants” - Ruth Swailes on blogging through her grief

May 7, 2023 • 35 mins

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.

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S3 Ep6: How a good funeral can be transformational in our grief.

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.

She als...

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S3 Ep5: “As harrowing as it was there was some comfort knowing that we were all on the same team.” Stacey Heale on bereavement.

June 26, 2022 • 29 mins

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...

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The Life and Death Podcast

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}S6 Ep6: Grief, menopause and saying the unsayable with Leslie Gray Streeter

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}S6 Ep5: Why end of life care needs to change with Professor Allan Kellehear

S6 Ep4: What is an end of life doula?

S6 Ep3: Death, beauty and the macabre: a conversation with Joanna Ebenstein

S6 Ep2: How doodling helped Gary Andrews find hope after his wife’s death

S6 Ep1: How different cultures deal with death and grief

S5 Ep6: Life lessons from the dying with Josefine Speyer

S5 Ep5: Coping with pet loss with Dr. Katie Lawlor

S5 Ep4: A philosopher’s guide to death with Simon Critchley

S5 Ep3: Why it’s normal to be afraid of death with Hospice Nurse Julie

S5 Ep2: Becoming an orphan in your 30s with Rebecca Soffer

S5 Ep1: Ed Byrne is laughing through grief: How the death of his brother inspired a critically acclaimed show

S4 Ep6: Teenage kicks: How Amber coped with the sudden death of her mother in her teens

S4 Ep5: Behind the scenes of death with Hayley Campbell

S4 Ep4: Death rituals from around the world with photographer Klaus Bo

S4 Ep3: Tim Sullivan: My father died on my wedding day

S4 Ep2: Annie Nicholson: Dancing with death

S4 Ep1: “It’s the gift that nobody wants” - Ruth Swailes on blogging through her grief

S3 Ep6: How a good funeral can be transformational in our grief.

S3 Ep5: “As harrowing as it was there was some comfort knowing that we were all on the same team.” Stacey Heale on bereavement.

Popular Podcasts

S6 Ep6: Grief, menopause and saying the unsayable with Leslie Gray Streeter

S6 Ep5: Why end of life care needs to change with Professor Allan Kellehear