Episodes

  • Episode 16: “Walking Him Home: Love, Ritual, and Life After Goodbye with Mary Franz

    Episode 16: “Walking Him Home: Love, Ritual, and Life After Goodbye with Mary Franz
    Dec 26 2025
    In this deeply intimate episode of Death Demystified, Dr. Deerheart is joined by Mary Franz—retired marriage and family therapist, longtime educator, widow, and HeartWay client—for a courageous and tender conversation about love, loss, and resilience. As the one-year anniversary of her husband’s death approaches, Mary reflects on what it was like to walk beside him at the end of life—participating in sacred rituals such as bathing, anointing, and honoring his body after death. She shares how end-of-life doula support complemented hospice care, filled emotional and spiritual gaps, and allowed her to be both wife and witness, not just caregiver.

    Together, they explore grief as a living relationship, the slow unfolding of resilience, and the practices that help Mary remain grounded as she steps into a new year with meaning, hope, and love still intact. This episode is an offering for anyone who has loved deeply, lost profoundly, and is learning how to live again
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    58 mins
  • Episode15: When the Season Sparkles and Your Heart Hurts: Holding Grief with Grace with Dr Deerheart & Crystal Potter

    Episode15: When the Season Sparkles and Your Heart Hurts: Holding Grief with Grace with Dr Deerheart & Crystal Potter
    Dec 1 2025
    The holidays can be tender, complicated, and unexpectedly raw when grief is present. In this heartfelt episode, Dr. Deerheart sits down with grief companion and spiritual mentor Crystal Potter to explore how love and loss intertwine during the holiday season. Together they offer gentle practices, meaningful rituals, boundary-setting wisdom, and compassionate ways to honor those who are no longer physically with us.
    This episode is an invitation to breathe deeper, slow down, and remember that grief is not something to “get over”—it’s something we learn to walk with. Whether your heart feels heavy, hopeful, or somewhere in between, this conversation offers comfort, clarity, and community.
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    55 mins
  • Episode 14: Beyond the Funeral: Healing, Choice & Compassion in Modern Deathcare with dr deerheart & Becky Lomaka

    Episode 14: Beyond the Funeral: Healing, Choice & Compassion in Modern Deathcare with dr deerheart & Becky Lomaka
    Oct 23 2025
    In this deeply human episode of Death Demystified, Dr. Andrea Deerheart welcomes Becky Lomaka, grief educator and Director of Community and Grief Resources at O’Connor Mortuary. Together, they explore how modern deathcare can be infused with compassion, choice, and heart — helping families move through loss with dignity and grace. Becky shares how O’Connor’s unique approach blends education, ritual, and community care to honor both the dying and the living. They discuss the realities of what happens after a death, the sacred nature of ceremony, and the importance of preparing your wishes while you live.
    ✨ An episode for anyone who longs to understand deathcare as love in action — where every goodbye becomes a blessing.
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    56 mins
  • Episode 13: Walking Between Worlds: Spirit, Past Lives, & healing with Fiona

    Episode 13: Walking Between Worlds: Spirit, Past Lives, & healing with Fiona
    Sep 29 2025
    In this episode, Dr. Deerheart sits down with the luminous Fiona “Fi” Hancock—multi-sensory medium, healer, and founder of Earthmonk. Together, they explore how Spirit walks with us through life, death, and everything in between. With warmth, wit, and wisdom, this conversation reminds us that death isn’t an ending but part of a much greater journey of connection, healing, and love.
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Death Demystified Epsiode12: Sacred, Seen & Sovereign in Social Justice in End-of-Life Care

    Death Demystified Epsiode12: Sacred, Seen & Sovereign in Social Justice in End-of-Life Care
    Aug 25 2025
    In this powerful conversation, Dr. Deerheart sits down with Joél Simone Maldonado, affectionately known as The Grave Woman, to explore how race, culture, and ritual shape the way we experience death and dying. Together, they unmask the hidden biases and barriers in deathcare, while highlighting the sacred traditions that bring healing, belonging, and dignity to every community. This episode challenges us to see death through a more compassionate and culturally competent lens—one that honors diversity, affirms identity, and transforms how we walk beside the dying and their loved ones.
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    55 mins
  • Death Demystified Episode 11: Whispers from the Threshold: A Death Doula’s Guide to Living & Dying Well

    Death Demystified Episode 11: Whispers from the Threshold: A Death Doula’s Guide to Living & Dying Well
    Aug 6 2025
    Today, I’m flying solo to share deeply from my own heart and experience as an end-of-life doula, educator, yogi, and companion at the threshold. Together, let’s soften the fear, lift the veil, and allow grace to guide us toward a more sacred, peaceful death. In my work, I’ve sat beside hundreds of people as they’ve taken their final breaths. I’ve held hands, wiped tears, laughed, prayed, and simply been present. These sacred experiences have gifted me lessons that I carry every day—lessons not only about dying, but about truly living. Today, I want to share those with you."
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    55 mins
  • Episode 010|Love, Legacy & Letting Go: Maree’s Journey Through Grief and Grace at the End of Life

    Episode 010|Love, Legacy & Letting Go: Maree’s Journey Through Grief and Grace at the End of Life
    Jun 30 2025
    In this deeply moving episode of Death Demystified, Dr. Deerheart sits down with acclaimed singer-songwriter Maree McRae as she faces her own end-of-life journey with vulnerability, courage, and grace. Diagnosed with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and considering Medical Aid in Dying (MAID), Maree shares the profound loss of her daughter Stella, who died by MAID in Colorado, and how grief, legacy, and love have shaped her final chapter.Together, they explore the sacred work of end-of-life practitioners, the healing power of presence, and what it means to say goodbye with tenderness and truth.This conversation is a powerful tribute to the human spirit—and a reminder that love never dies.
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    57 mins
  • Episode 009|Your Burning End-of-Life Questions Answered

    Episode 009|Your Burning End-of-Life Questions Answered
    Jun 30 2025
    Are you curious about what really happens at the end of life? Wondering how to support a loved one or find peace in your own final chapter? In this eye-opening episode of Death Demystified, Dr. Deerheart pulls back the curtain on the top five questions she’s asked as a death doula—questions that have transformed fear into understanding and grief into connection. With powerful stories, candid insights, and a touch of humor, Dr. Deerheart will help you navigate the most profound journey we all face. Whether you're confronting mortality, caring for someone who is, or simply seeking to live more fully—this is the conversation you didn't know you needed.
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    58 mins