Welcome to Embracing Your Mortality Podcast. Sophia Campbell-Shaw is the founder of Woven Farewell Coffins, where you can learn to weave your own coffin. She believes that facing death is a gift which brings meaning and purpose into focus.

What’s more, 5% of the proceeds from of your willow coffin making goes to the The Woodland Trust, the UK's leading woodland conservation charity. Sophia believes this gifting towards a life-sustaining organisation is symbolic of the life-death-life cycle, an essential pillar of our philosophy in crafting coffins.

You can find out more about Sophia and her wonderful woven coffins by going to her website: https://www.wovenfarewell.co.uk

Big thanks to my producer, Martin Redfern

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Today my guests are Lin Carruthers and Kate Clark, authors of a wonderfully helpful and practical book called Slow Down When Someone Dies.

Lin is a trustee of Pushing up the Daisies, a charity formed in 2016 by Kate Clark. Their work is aimed at anyone who wants and needs practical options and to know their legal rights immediately after someone dies, especially for those wanting to keep the body at home after death.

For more information about Lin and Kate, and Pushing Up the Daisies charity, please go to https://pushingupthedaisies.org.uk/about/

Huge thank you to my producer, Martin Redfern.

Thanks for listening and see you next time.

Today, my guest is Micheál Connors, director of The Natural Academy, a not for profit Eco Social Enterprise, which offers accredited training courses for organisations wanting to work with nature and for people seeking a career in health, and wellbeing, ecotherapy and eco-depth psychology.

Lots of people are talking about the importance of connecting with Nature to find a sense of inner safety and healing, and the Natural Academy is taking this deeper by addressing the deep longing and yearning to be fully human.
https://www.naturalacademy.org/

Our conversation ends with the most beautiful song written by Micheál to honour our death and dying process.

A huge thank you to my producer, Martin Redfern.

Thanks for listening and see you next time.

My guest is Terry Le Page, author of Eye of the Storm: facing climate and social chaos with calm and Courage.

Terry is an American transitional minister and hospice chaplain. She facilitates non-violent communications groups, grief circles, and social justice groups locally and for the international Deep Adaptation Forum.

Due to increasing global volatility I believe Terry's book will be one of the most important to come out this year. I recommend it to everyone and I hope you will be inspired and uplifted by our conversation.

Special thanks to my producer, Martin Redfern

Thanks for listening and see you next time.

Happy New Year to you all! What a year's it's been, and I think 2024 will continue to be just as intense.

This is why I am delighted that Neuropsychiatrist Dr Peter Fenwick is my first guest of the year, talking about consciousness and his own dying process. Peter has reached the grand age of 89, and is engaging robustly with his end of life preparations.

For me, he certainly puts life back into perspective, and makes me question my own life path and the importance of preparing for death with a fearless open heart. I hope you will enjoy our conversation and become inspired by Peter's beautiful engagement with his mortality.

Huge thank you to my producer, Martin Redfern

Thanks for listening and see you next time.

Today my guest is bee expert Paula Carnell who is an international speaker on bees, head beekeeper at the wonderful Newt in Somerset, and the author of ‘A’s to Bees', and 'Bees in Bhutan.' Such is her passion for bees that she runs Bee Safaris to educate people about the importance of these amazing life-giving and life-enhancing buzzy creature. She is also the Winner of ‘Environmental Consultant of the Year 2023’

You can find out all the information about her work with bees, where she is speaking next, and also listen to her podcast, Creating a Buzz about Health through her website, https://paulacarnell.com

Episode sponsored by The Wisdom Space
Special thanks to my producer, Martin Redfern

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I am so delighted that my guest this month is Liz Rothschild, performer, celebrant and founder of the award winning Westmill Burial Ground, located on the Oxford/Wiltshire border. Liz is also the mastermind of the wonderful Kicking the Bucket Festival, which is taking place in Oxford over the weekend - the 1st weekend of November 23. This of course, synchronises with the famous Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations.

Liz believes - and I agree with her - that living and dying cannot be separated and part of our problems with death is that we are trying to do just that. Her festival, now in its 4th year, proves how people are so grateful for the opportunity to talk openly about death and dying in the company of others also wanting to do the same.

Liz is the author of Outside the Box, which explores people's experiences of death and dying, and her new book Weathering The Storm: Stories Of Love, Life, Loss And Discovery In The Time Of Covid is now available through PCCS:
https://www.pccs-books.co.uk/products/weathering-the-stor

For more information about the KtheB festival, please go to https://www.kickingthebucketfestival.co.uk/

Huge thanks to Martin Redfern, my producer.

Thanks for listening and see you next time.

Today, my guest is freelance garden writer, historian and photographer Liz Ware, whose passion is introducing Silent Spaces into public parks, gardens, and green spaces where anyone can go to reflect silently in nature.

Liz started Silent Space in 2016, initially as a not-for-profit project, which has now evolved into full charitable status, supported by major gardening societies and leading garden experts.

Liz’s articles and photographs have appeared in leading horticultural magazines and she is a member of The Garden Media Guild and Professional Garden Photographers’ Association - and she says her work with plants has taken her to every corner of the globe.

I love Liz's vision of inviting visitors to switch off from their daily lives, and quietly attune to the healing sounds of the natural world.

I hope you do too.

You can find out more about Liz's work through her beautiful website: Silence Spaces
https://silentspace.org.uk/
Andrew Harvey speaking about the Alchemy of Awe: https://theshiftnetwork.com/course/15645


Special thanks to my producer, Martin Redfern.

Thanks for listening and see you next time.