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Gary Sturgis, a grief specialist, speaker, and bereavement facilitator, shares his personal experience with loss and his journey to support others through grief. He discusses the importance of providing resources and support for the LGBTQ+ community, who often face unique challenges in their grief. Gary emphasizes the need for understanding and respect when supporting someone who is grieving and encourages seeking help and connection during the grieving process.

Gary survived the greatest loss of his life and now works as a Grief Specialist, Speaker, and Bereavement Facilitator.

He is recognized as one of today’s most insightful and original voices on grief and loss. With an online presence of over a quarter of a million followers, he uses his Facebook page, SURVIVING GRIEF, to guide and support those that are struggling with a significant loss.

Gary is the author of three books on grief, including his bestselling daily companion, SURVIVING GRIEF - 365 Days A Year. His books have a way of reaching into your heart with an honesty and openness that will transform you from the inside out.

He feels passionate about providing support to those that are experiencing the loss of a loved one, and he finds it a gift to be able to help others navigate their way through the maze of grief in a very personal and meaningful way.

SURVIVING GRIEF Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SurvivingGriefGarySturgis

SURVIVING GRIEF Website: https://sgrief.com/

Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Gary-Sturgis/author/B08656V1DW?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1708199741&sr=8-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Story: https://www.grapgrief.com/stories/surviving-grief-gary-sturgis/

Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ewle6dQ7AY

We shared this quote at the end:

"There are stars up above, so far away, we only see their light long, long after the star itself is gone. And so it is for people that we loved, their memories keep shining ever brightly, even though their time with us is done, and the stars that light up the darkest of nights, these are the lights that guide us. As we live our days, these are the ways we remember." -Hannah Senesh

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Also, we would love your financial support and you can join us on Patreon. Anyone who supports us at any level will be invited to a special live, online conversation with Annalouiza and Wakil.

And we would love your feedback and want to hear your stories. You can email us at endoflifeconvo@gmail.com.

Send us a Text Message.

For this unique episode, we will be interviewing Professor Harald Walach PhD.

Professor Walach is a clinical psychologist, philosopher of science, and researcher
at the interface between medicine, psychology, and consciousness studies. He is a professorial research fellow with the Next Society Institute at Kazimierash Simonavichius University in Vilnius, Lithuania. He is the founding director of the Change Health Science Institute in Basel, Switzerland, where he lives as a freelance scientist and an author. His recent work focuses on the role of spirituality and consciousness within science, for our health system and our culture at large.

We were introduced to his work by our friend Neil Douglas Klotz who recommended a presentation that Professor Walach did speaking to his belief that scientific research called transhumanism into extending life and doing away with death altogether, is a bad idea because death is an important and necessary part of our lives.

Professor Wallach discusses the impact of death and the dangers of transhumanism. He argues that death is an important part of life and gives meaning to our existence. He highlights the risks of artificially extending life, such as the loss of value in decision-making and the creation of a gerontocracy. He also criticizes the elitism and colonialism inherent in the pursuit of life extension. Professor Wallach explores the limitations of technology in achieving immortality and emphasizes the importance of consciousness in understanding life. The conversation explores the ethical considerations of prolonging life and the commodification of the human body. The speakers discuss the balance between prolonging life and maintaining quality of life, as well as the importance of fair and equitable access to medical interventions. They also touch on the fear of death and how it is used as a marketing tool.
**************
E-Mail: hw@chs-institute.org hwalac@gmail.com
Homepage
CHS-Institute
Books
- Brücken zwischen Psychotherapie und Spiritualität
- Hugo de Balma – Die Wege nach Sion trauern
- Das große Komplementär-Handbuch
- Spiritualität - Secular Spirituality
- Psychologie: Wissenschaftstheorie -
Editor Complementary Medicine Research
Editor Springer Series Neuroscience Consciousness Spir

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Also, we would love your financial support and you can join us on Patreon. Anyone who supports us at any level will be invited to a special live, online conversation with Annalouiza and Wakil.

And we would love your feedback and want to hear your stories. You can email us at endoflifeconvo@gmail.com.

Send us a Text Message.

In this episode, we talk with Julie Lockhart, a retired academic. During the last years of her career, she led a grief support nonprofit called WinterSpring, where she discovered the beauty and depth of personal stories. There she shared her own experience, which helped grieving people feel less alone.

Julie loves an adventure, especially in wild places. She spent most of her career in academics, publishing extensively in peer-reviewed journals.

From that, she has embraced writing personal essays about her adventures, life experiences, and grief, sharing insights from what she has learned. Her essays
have been published in the Journal of Wild Culture, Minerva Rising, bioStories, and Feels Blind Literary. Julie is a Pushcart Nominee for her essay, “Worthy,” and a three-time runner-up in the Women on Writing Essay contests.

In our conversation, she discusses the impact of childhood experiences, the loss of her ex-husband, and a miscarriage, on her writing and work. Julie highlights the importance of telling stories and supporting children and teens in their grief. She also emphasizes the need for adults to understand grief and trauma, navigate family dynamics, and create memorials to remember loved ones.

Julie's website: julietales.com (https://julielockhart80.wixsite.com/julietales)
WinterSpring: https://thelearningwell.org/winterspring-grief-support-and-education/
(Since Julie retired, they merged with a nonprofit healthcare organization called La Clinica and are a major component of that organization’s wellness program.)
The Dougy Center: https://www.dougy.org/ This is the leading children’s grief
organization in the country.
Companioning Model from Alan Wolfelt: https://www.centerforloss.com/

And the poem we shared was from Mary Oliver, titled "Heavy"
That time
I thought I could not
go any closer to grief
without dying
I went closer,
and I did not die.
Surely God
had his hand in this,
as well as friends.
Still, I was bent,
and my laughter,
as the poet said,
was nowhere to be found.
Then said my friend Daniel, (brave even among lions),
“It’s not the weight you carry
but how you carry it –
books, bricks, grief –
it’s all in the way
you embrace it, balance it, carry it
Heavy
by Mary Oliver
when you cannot, and would not,
put it down.”
So I went practicing.
Have you noticed?
Have you heard
the laughter
that comes, now and again,
out of my startled mouth?
How I linger
to admire, admire, admire
the things of this world
that are kind, and maybe
also troubled –
roses in the wind,
the sea geese on the steep waves, a love
to which there is no reply?

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Also, we would love your financial support and you can join us on Patreon. Anyone who supports us at any level will be invited to a special live, online conversation with Annalouiza and Wakil.

And we would love your feedback and want to hear your stories. You can email us at endoflifeconvo@gmail.com.

Send us a Text Message.

Arlene Hoag, a hospice volunteer and co-chairman of the Mountains of Courage conference, shares her experiences and insights on death and dying.

She discusses her early encounters with death, the grief she experienced when a friend passed away, and the importance of communicating with loved ones who have passed.

Arlene also emphasizes the significance of supporting grieving individuals and caring for loved ones with dementia. She shares how a class at a spiritual community camp and a gravestone exercise influenced her perspective on death.

Arlene concludes by discussing her work as a hospice volunteer and her challenges in promoting conversations about death and dying.

In this conversation, Arlene Hoag discusses various aspects of end-of-life care and the importance of community and connection during this time. She shares personal stories and reflections on death, as well as practices for self-resourcefulness.

Arlene also introduces the concept of home funerals and the value of allowing time for grieving.

She mentioned this book - Please Be Patient, I'm Grieving, by Gary Roe, and The Living/Dying Project, as well as a movie they made at the Living/Dying project called Dying Into Love.

At the end she shared this poem by the Sufi mystic, Hafiz called “There is a game we should play.”

There is a wonderful game we should play,
and it goes like this:

We hold hands and look into each other's eyes
and scan each other's face.

Then I say, "Tell me a difference
you see between us. "

And you might respond, "Hafiz, your nose
is ten times bigger than mine!"

Then I would say, "Yes, my dear, almost
ten times!"

But let's keep playing.
Let's go deeper, go deeper.

For if we do, our spirits will embrace
and interweave,

our union will be so glorious
that even God will not be able to tell us apart.

This would be a wonderful game to play.

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Also, we would love your financial support and you can join us on Patreon. Anyone who supports us at any level will be invited to a special live, online conversation with Annalouiza and Wakil.

And we would love your feedback and want to hear your stories. You can email us at endoflifeconvo@gmail.com.

Send us a Text Message.

In this episode, we speak to Laura Davis, author of The Burning Light of Two Stars, The Courage to Heal, and four other books. In addition to writing books that inspire, the work of Laura’s heart is to teach. For over twenty years, she’s helped people find their voices, tell their stories, and hone their craft. She teaches online and at retreat centers around the world.

She's a featured speaker for The National Association of Memoir Writers and a popular craft teacher at The San Miguel Writer's Conference. In May, Laura will be leading her signature Writing as a Pathway Through Grief, Loss, Uncertainty, and Change retreat at a beautiful retreat center in the Northern California redwoods. You can learn about Laura’s retreats, workshops, and classes, and read the first five chapters of her memoir at www.lauradavis.net.

Writing as a Pathway Retreat - https://lauradavis.net/writing-as-a-pathway/

Laura’s press kit regarding her book, with images, etc.
The Burning Light of Two Stars

We mentioned the Book - The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

And Laura mentioned The Inner Work of Age: Shifting From Role to Soul by Connie Zweig

The poem we shared was -

Allow
by Donna Fauld

There is no controlling life.
Try corralling a lightning bolt,
containing a tornado. Dam a
stream and it will create a new
channel. Resist, and the tide
will sweep you off your feet.
Allow, and grace will carry
you to higher ground. The only
safety lies in letting it all in –
the wild and the weak; fear,
fantasies, failures and success.
When loss rips off the doors of
the heart, or sadness veils your
vision with despair, practice
becomes simply bearing the truth.
In the choice to let go of your
known way of being, the whole
world is revealed to your new eyes.

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Also, we would love your financial support and you can join us on Patreon. Anyone who supports us at any level will be invited to a special live, online conversation with Annalouiza and Wakil.

And we would love your feedback and want to hear your stories. You can email us at endoflifeconvo@gmail.com.

Send us a Text Message.

We were honored to meet and talk with Jill McClennen in this episode.

She is a certified death doula, a non-medical professional specially trained
to provide holistic care for individuals in their final stages of life. She offers
comprehensive support, preparation, and deep soul healing to her clients and their
families, whether in person or through virtual sessions, as she works as a death
doula and end-of-life coach.

In her virtual practice, Jill helps people prepare themselves and their loved ones for
the end of life, offering guidance and emotional support, regardless of physical
distance.

Jill is also the host of the "Seeing Death Clearly" podcast, available on all major
podcast platforms. Through her podcast, she talks with guests and they share
valuable insights and stories related to end-of-life matters, further extending her
mission to promote understanding and compassion about this important stage of life.
https://www.endoflifeclarity.com
https://m.facebook.com/endoflifeclarity
https://www.facebook.com/groups/endoflifeclaritycircle/
https://www.facebook.com/jill.mcclennen
http://www.instagram.com/endoflifeclarity
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillmcclennen
https://www.tiktok.com/@endoflifeclarity
https://seeingdeathclearly.buzzsprout.com

The poem we read was -

Clarity
By Vievee Francis

Sorrow, O sorrow, moves like a loose flock
of blackbirds sweeping over the metal roofs, over the birches,
and the miles.
One wave after another, then another, then the sudden
opening
where the feathered swirl, illumined by dusk, parts to reveal
the weeping
heart of all things.

Here is a link to a YouTube of Joanna Macy's Tonglen Practice, she calls "breathing through" - https://youtu.be/-qUTIYCzYo4?si=LV05TEBwyXfwRBqj

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Also, we would love your financial support and you can join us on Patreon. Anyone who supports us at any level will be invited to a special live, online conversation with Annalouiza and Wakil.

And we would love your feedback and want to hear your stories. You can email us at endoflifeconvo@gmail.com.

Send us a Text Message.

Please note this content warning for the following episode. In this episode our friend Kate speaks about her experience with putting down a beloved horse. Please take care of yourselves.

Today we are excited to have a conversation with Kate Schuyler. She is an active student of life, self, and the heart, a mother, grandmother, partner, and loyal friend. She is a world traveler, a hiker, a backpacker, a community volunteer, a gardener, a poetry lover, and a musician and singer.

She has been a Licensed Massage Therapist since 1982, and a member of the Sufi Community since 1994. She has been singing with the Portland Threshold Singers, an affiliated chapter of Threshold Choir International, since June 2012, eleven and a half years ago.

We shared this poem -

AFTER YOU DIE
By Marva Lee Weigelt

Just so you know
after you die
I will not wonder
why you didn’t do
your dishes or
how long it’s been
since you
cleaned your
oven or microwave or
mopped your floors
or why there were
dust bunnies under
the bed and
behind the door
After you’re gone
I will not wonder
how you could
have allowed the
piles of old mail to
accumulate or
why you saved so
many bits and pieces
of this and that or
why you weren’t
more goal-oriented and
well-organized or
why your refrigerator
contained so many
expired condiments
When you are
absent from all your
familiar places
I vow to avoid wondering
why you didn’t
eat less and
exercise more or
why you waited so
long to stop smoking
or drinking or
whatever else was
simultaneously
soothing and
deadly or
why you took
whatever risk may
seem to have hastened
your exit or why
you left so much unsaid
unfinished or
unresolved
I will only wonder
if you knew how much
you mattered to me
just as you are
as you were when we
met in our temporary
human disguises and
laughed in the
dressing room of the
world at how funkily
our skin suits fit
at times
I will wonder and
hope you knew
you were beloved
I will wonder when
we last hugged
and whether you
felt how our
heartbeats
converged
and our bellies
bumped like boats
and then we
both sighed

******
At the end of this episode we share a sample of the beautiful music of the Threshold Singers.

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Also, we would love your financial support and you can join us on Patreon. Anyone who supports us at any level will be invited to a special live, online conversation with Annalouiza and Wakil.

And we would love your feedback and want to hear your stories. You can email us at endoflifeconvo@gmail.com.

Send us a Text Message.

In this episode, we are blessed to spend time with the Rev. Judith Laxer. She is a modern-day mystic who believes that beauty, humor, and the wonders of nature make life worth living.

The founding Priestess of Gaia’s Temple, Judith is a keynote and TEDx speaker, teacher of the magickal arts and mysteries, and author of Along the Wheel of Time: Sacred Stories for Nature Lovers [Ravenswood Publishing].

Judith dedicates her work to the rise and cultural integration of the Divine Feminine in all Her magnificence and wisdom. www.judithlaxer.com, www.gaiastemple. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram as Judith M Laxer and Gaia’s Temple Seattle.

Poem from this episode:
You Did Not Leave Us
by Kristen Kory

You may have left this world, but you are not gone.
And you may seem faraway, but we will always find you.
In dreams and old letters, in stories and songs.
You may have left this world, but you did not leave us.
You stayed in our hearts where you will forever live on.

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Also, we would love your financial support and you can join us on Patreon. Anyone who supports us at any level will be invited to a special live, online conversation with Annalouiza and Wakil.

And we would love your feedback and want to hear your stories. You can email us at endoflifeconvo@gmail.com.