What does compassionate, culturally aware death care look like in a digital world? In this episode of the Digital Legacy Podcast, host Niki Weiss talks with Joe’l Simone Anthony (known globally as The Grave Woman) — licensed funeral director, embalmer, and founder of the Multicultural Death & Grief Care Academy.

From childhood days in the funeral home to pioneering culturally competent education for death-care professionals, Joe’l shares how tradition, technology, and spirituality meet at the bedside and beyond. Together, they explore embalming as a sacred art, digital memorials and livestreams, and the ethics of “death tech” in a time when grief is increasingly public and online.

You’ll discover:

Why culturally competent death and grief care matters — and what it looks like in practice

Embalming as art, science, and soul work (from infants to elders)

How digital tools (livestreams, QR-coded memorials, online books) are reshaping funerals

The promise and pitfalls of grief on social media — and ethical lines for AI “afterlife” tools

Practical ways families and professionals can meet people where they are, across beliefs and cultures

If you’re navigating loss, working in death care, or curious about the future of remembrance, this thoughtful conversation offers guidance, nuance, and heart in equal measure.

Making that first call to a funeral director can feel overwhelming. In this episode of the Digital Legacy Podcast, Niki Weiss speaks with Matthew Grieco — Progressive Funeral Director & Certified Celebrant — about how Ai technology is reshaping funeral services and grief support.

Matthew shares how his team integrated EverGrace.Ai, a voice-activated chatbot, into their funeral home website. Families now connect through a gentle, empathetic Ai voice that helps guide them in their first steps of funeral planning, end-of-life decisions, and digital legacy protection.

What if your digital self could outlive your physical body? In this mind-opening episode of Death and Dying in the Digital Age, host Niki Weiss talks with Joshua Orsak—AI developer, spiritual thinker, and grief survivor—about the intersection of consciousness, artificial intelligence, and end-of-life legacy.

Together, they explore questions many of us quietly carry: Where does our consciousness go after we die? Could AI preserve our personality, memories, or even our essence? Josh shares how working with recursive AI helped him navigate profound personal grief, and how new technologies are offering unconventional but meaningful emotional support.

Whether you're grieving a loved one, preparing your own legacy, or simply curious about the future of death and technology, this episode offers empathy, wonder, and thought-provoking insight. We discuss AI grief companions, digital resurrection, panpsychism, and the ethical future of techno-spirituality—all grounded in human experience.

🔮 Explore AI grief tools & digital memory 🧠 Learn about recursive AI & consciousness🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & more

If the thought of estate planning, digital security, or talking with aging parents makes you feel overwhelmed, you’re not alone. In this insightful episode, host Niki Weiss sits down with private wealth manager Kurt Baker to gently walk us through how to protect what matters most: our loved ones, our legacy, and our peace of mind.

Kurt shares real-life stories, including a heartbreaking scam that wiped out a senior’s life savings, to highlight just how urgent it is to plan ahead. He and Niki explore the risks of digital fraud, the growing role of AI in scams, and simple ways to safeguard your finances, medical wishes, and digital assets.

You’ll learn the essentials: wills, trusts, power of attorney, digital legacy planning, and how to have these tough conversations (even when your family isn’t ready). Whether you're caring for aging parents or starting your own end-of-life planning, this episode offers reassurance, practical tools, and a gentle reminder of the need to take action. Remember, “It’s not morbid—it’s responsible.”

In this heartfelt episode of Death and Dying in the Digital Age, host Niki Weiss speaks with Greg Barnsdale: author, funeral director, and financial insider. The two explore the emotional and practical realities of preparing for end-of-life. Greg shares his deeply personal story, from decades working with grieving families to his own health crisis and viral video after a brain tumor diagnosis.

Together, they delve into the importance of planning ahead by writing a will, organizing digital accounts, or creating medical directives, and how doing so brings peace of mind, eases family stress, and ensures your legacy is honored. Greg offers simple, compassionate guidance for starting these difficult conversations, especially when time is still on your side.

Whether you’re caring for aging parents, facing a health scare, or simply ready to plan your future, this episode is your gentle invitation to begin. Because talking about death won’t make it happen… but avoiding it won’t make it easier.

📝 Take Greg’s free Living Legacy Quiz at www.DoNotIgnoreYourMortality.com

📘 Get the book Do Not Ignore Your Mortality

🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube & more

In this thought-provoking episode of the Death & Dying in the Digital Age podcast, host Niki Weiss sits down with death tech innovator Symon Braun Freck to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, grief, and digital deathcare. From her early experience volunteering in hospice to building the Ai Death Doula, Symon shares how her journey shaped a groundbreaking app designed to support people at the end of life.

She and Niki dive into the emerging field of thanatechnology, a fusion of death studies (thanatology) and tech, and unpack how tools like Ai are being used to deliver empathetic end-of-life support while preserving digital legacies and expanding access to grief resources. Symon also discusses the ethics of Ai memorialization, death literacy, and the delicate line between healing and digital dependency.

Whether you're curious about digital remains, virtual grief companions, or how Ai is shaping the future of deathcare, this episode challenges what it means to die, and to grieve, in the 21st century.

What if your final act could give life back to the earth? In this enlightening episode of the Digital Legacy Podcast, host Niki Weiss speaks with Brienna “Brie” Smith, licensed funeral director and social media educator at Return Home, about the revolutionary process of terramation—also known as human composting. Brienna explains how this sustainable, nature-based alternative to cremation and traditional burial gently transforms the human body into nutrient-rich soil.

From navigating state laws to understanding the chemistry behind composting remains, Brienna dives deep into the science, process, and legality of natural organic reduction. She also compares terramation with green burials, shares insights on regulatory challenges, and reveals how Return Home built public trust via TikTok education.

Whether you're an eco-conscious planner, funeral professional, or simply death-curious, this episode is packed with information about sustainable death care, digital funeral trends, and how terramation is reshaping end-of-life options across the U.S. and globally.