Today Sara is joined by Lupe Diaz, an end-of-life care specialist and death doula based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Lupe moved to the Midwest in 2022 to gain a new perspective on how different communities face death, grief, and healing. Lupe brings a deeply intentional approach to death care—shaped by her experiences in close-knit Indigenous communities, and a belief that living true to our values helps reduce suffering for ourselves and for others.

In our conversation, we talk about what it means to build community with people from different cultural backgrounds, how living in alignment with your values sometimes means going against the grain, and why Lupe believes that accepting death can help us live more intentionally. Lupe's insights on life, death, and community offer a powerful reminder that the way we live is deeply connected to the way we face the end and that authenticity is the key to building true community.

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About Lupe Diaz

Born in Mexico City, Lupe (She/Her) has a strong cultural connection to death and dying. Receiving her education from Going With Grace, studying under the renowned death doula, Alua Arthur, Lupe aspires to help not only with the dying process, but also with grieving and the deep psychological aftermath of loss and death.

In February of 2019, Doula Damn Thing was founded. An organization committed to serving the BBIPOC, LGBTQ+, lower income, and other marginalized communities with all of their end of life care needs.

About This Show

Bury Me in New Jersey is recorded in Hammonton, NJ, with the help of sound guy Nick Rumaczyk, head mensch and husband Bradley Nussbaum, and operations chief Katel LeDu. Our theme music is Grief on Repeat by New Harm. You’re getting an exclusive first listen to their material–their debut EP will be coming out soon!

Drop us a line at hello@burymeinnj.com if you’d like to share feedback or ideas for an upcoming episode!

A special shoutout to Anjanette R., Sergey K., Molly E., and Kim H, Erin and Bill H, Fluffy Farms, Lauren L., Fairacres Organic Produce, Katel, Holly, Stacy G., Sam J, Anjanette R, Kerrie, and Colleen C. We’re back on the air because of Kickstarter contributions like yours, and we’re deeply grateful for your support.

If you’d like to keep up to date with the other work we’re doing to support Bury Me, please consider subscribing to our Substack at burymeinnj.com. It’s absolutely free to read our content, though we do offer paid membership options which help us to continue producing more grief content.

Visit our website, burymeinnj.com, to learn about all the ways you can support the show. Thanks.

It’s hard to explain the Jersey/Philly connection to people who haven’t lived it. Jersey’s a small state, but it has distinct divisions, territories carved out into North, South, and Central (yes, I believe it exists). Beyond geography, there are important metro affiliations: Almost everyone from Jersey talks about “the city,” but which city they mean—New York or Philly—depends heavily on where they live. I grew up in a true sweet spot in the southern part of the state, right between Philly and Atlantic City. And while my love and admiration for the latter (my birth city) continues to deepen, Philly is where I spent my formative years trying to figure out who I was supposed to become.

The city's energy has shaped me deeply since the first time I explored its boundaries alone, wearing my Docs & sundress, armed with my Discman and a Jansport filled with too many CDs. I learned firsthand that “brotherly love” sometimes includes letting someone know when they’re being a son of a b***h while still having their back when it counts, an honest & unpolished "tough love" that's still deeply rooted in care.

That’s probably why I was so excited when I first came across @laborjawn, a podcast that dives into the world of Philly’s labor history. Through their work, I’ve been able to have more context for the “grit” that defines the city, learning about its legacy of activism, & how many movements and moments of collective action took root there. It felt like a revelation, and a reminder that our ability to tap into that collective power is not only possible, but absolutely necessary.

I appreciated having the chance to speak with Gabe Christy and Young Sam James, the duo behind the show, and to delve more into how the lessons from these historical movements apply to the world we’re living in today.

Whether you love Philly or Jersey, or have just been wanting to learn more about organizing, collective care, & grassroots efforts, there’s something in this episode for you. Many thanks to Gabe & Sam for their knowledge, time, and just the right amount of s**t-talking. I hope we get to do it again soon. Check out the episode at burymeinnj.com #solidarityforever