I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with Gary Kisela, founder of Murial, to explore how storytelling, especially before death, can transform legacy, connection, and grief. Together, they discuss how Murial is helping families create collaborative, living legacies through stories, photos, and memories shared before a person passes. From life review to digital obituaries, this c...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli speaks with archaeologist and museum lecturer Ellen Marie Næss from the Museum of the Viking Age in Oslo. Together, they discuss how Norse communities approached death, burial, grief, and legacy. From funeral rituals and fate-driven beliefs to the poetry of grief and the legacy of honor, this conversation reveals how the Norse faced death and what we ...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli speaks with Ruby Cohen Love, founder of Cafe Mortel, about reimagining what a funeral can be. Ruby shares her journey from struggling with fear of death and bipolar disorder to creating deeply personal and artistic memorials that reflect the true essence of a life. Together, they explore how funerals and memorials can move beyond tradition, why planni...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli explores pediatric palliative and hospice care with Shekinah Eliassen, CEO of George Mark Children’s House. They talk about what makes George Mark one of the few places in the country offering whole-person care for seriously ill children and their families at no cost. This episode covers: The difference between pediatric palliative care and hosp...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli sits down with music-thanatologist Catharine DeLong to talk about the powerful role of music at the end of life. With decades of experience bringing harp and voice to the bedside of those who are dying, Catharine offers a moving perspective on how music can provide comfort, connection, and peace during life’s final chapter. Together, they discuss...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli sits down with Dr. Chrissy Salley, pediatric psychologist and Director of Clinician Engagement and Outreach at Courageous Parents Network, and Blair Young, a Parent Champion with the organization and mother to Bubba, who died in 2024. Together, they discuss what it’s like to raise a child with complex medical needs, and to do so in a syste...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In Part 2 of this two-part conversation on Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli continues her discussion with Vince Crisostomo, longtime HIV/AIDS activist and Director of Aging Services at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. During the episode, Traci and Vince talk about the grief of surviving, the essential role of chosen family, and the emotional labor of holding space for a generation that is aging, and ...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this first of a two-part episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli speaks with longtime HIV/AIDS activist Vince Crisostomo about his decades-long journey living with HIV. Diagnosed in the 1980s, Vince shares what it was like to receive a death sentence and then outlive it. Together, they discuss the early years of the AIDS crisis, the trauma of surviving when so many didn’t, and what end-of-life c...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with veteran death doula Sarah Hill to answer the questions people are often too afraid, or too unsure, to ask. Together, they discuss what death doulas do, how they complement hospice care, and the deeply personal ways they support individuals and families through dying, grief, and legacy work. Whether you're navigating end-of-life decision...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. What happens when you're a doctor and still, you can't fix what's happening to your own child? In this second part of our conversation, Dr. Tasha Faruqui shares what it’s like to live in the in-between. She and her husband, both physicians, did everything they could to find answers for their daughter. Every test. Every specialist. Even a policy change in Congress to access care. And still - no clear diagnosis. No fix. Together, we...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli speaks with Dr. Tasha Faruqui, a pediatrician and mother navigating the complex path of parenting a child in hospice care. Together, they discuss what it means to live with intention when time is uncertain. Tasha shares her family’s rare medical journey, the emotional landscape of anticipatory grief, and how hospice care at home became an act of ...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli explores what happens after the unthinkable: the death of a child. Joined by Ashley Meyveci, founder of the nonprofit Luke’s Purpose, they discuss the emotional and financial shock grieving families face and the lack of systemic support in those first devastating days. Ashley shares the heartbreaking story of her son Luke, the unexpected medical compl...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with grief counselor and former funeral director Joe Stinson to explore the deeply personal and complex nature of grieving as a family. With over 50 years of experience in deathcare, Joe shares his knowledge and personal journey following the loss of his grandchild, offering a rare perspective on anticipatory grief, complex family dynamics, and ho...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, end-of-life doula Traci Arieli speaks with Tracey Scheffler, who cared for her mother through the final stages of dementia. Tracey shares her experience with honesty, vulnerability, and deep love. From emotional exhaustion to boundary-setting, from grief to unexpected moments of connection, her story will resonate with anyone who has ever cared for a loved one. To...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, I’m joined by Martine Brousse, a medical billing advocate who’s been helping people take back their power in the healthcare system for over a decade. Together, we talk honestly about what really happens when the bill shows up, why it's often wrong, what you can do about it, and how to protect yourself or a loved one before things even get to that point. Martine sh...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, I’m joined by Steve Gurney, founder of the Positive Aging Community, for a practical conversation about what it means to age solo and why none of us are truly alone in this journey. More and more people are navigating aging without a spouse, children, or close family nearby. But solo aging isn’t just about who’s in your life; it’s about how you prepare, connect, ...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with Cindy Spence, massage therapist at the T. Boone Pickens Hospice Center and author of Palliative Touch: Massage for People at the End of Life. Together, they discuss how simple, intentional touch can become one of the most powerful tools for comfort and connection in hospice care. Cindy shares her journey from family caregiver to palliat...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli explores the mystical and emotionally charged world of 19th-century grief and belief. Joined by historian and researcher Katie Keckeisen, creator of the digital exhibit Beyond the Veil: Spiritualism in the 19th Century, they discuss the rise of Spiritualism during the Victorian era and how it shaped public mourning, personal grief, and the deep desire ...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down once again with Erica Baccus, whose husband Jon was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. What followed was a journey of deep love and courageous choices- culminating in his decision to pursue assisted death in Switzerland. Now, months later, Erica returns to share reflections from her new book, A Promise Kept: Honoring His Wishes, Embraci...

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message. In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli explores the emotional and financial toll of denied medical claims. Joined by founder and patient advocate Holden Karau, creator of Fight Health Insurance, they unpack the broken insurance system and how one AI-powered tool is helping people push back. From appeal letters to patient assistance programs, this episode offers clear, empowering steps for those ...