Grief is heavy enough on its own — but when you’re also carrying the emotional weight of other people, it can feel impossible to breathe.

In this episode, Rachel talks about how to protect your peace through the chaos of loss — setting boundaries, understanding why others behave in strange or overwhelming ways, and learning to hold space for yourself first.

You’ll hear about:

• The mental, emotional, and physical toll of grief

• Why some people over-help while others completely disappear

• How to respond with kindness and boundaries

• What real, practical help actually looks like (and how to ask for it)

• Gentle ways to protect your peace when everything feels too much

This conversation blends lived experience, psychology, and heart. It’s for anyone navigating loss, supporting someone through it, or simply wanting to understand grief with more compassion.

Content note: We discuss death, grief, and funeral planning. Please take care while listening.

Crisis support (Australia):

• Emergency: 000 (immediate danger)

• Lifeline: 13 11 14 — 24/7 crisis support & suicide prevention

• 13YARN: 13 92 76 — 24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples

• Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 — 24/7 phone & online counselling

• Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 — 24/7 mental health support

• Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — 24/7 support for young people (5–25)

If you’re outside Australia, please contact your local emergency number or a local crisis line.

Share your questions or experiences: DM on Instagram @TheDWord.podcast and we may include answers in a future episode.

In Part Two, we bring the day to life. We talk through the elements that shape how a funeral feels — and what happens afterwards.

In this episode:

• Coffins, caskets & shrouds — what they are, how to choose, and what’s practical for burial vs cremation

• Flowers, readings, orders of service & photo tributes — the storytelling tools that make it feel like them

• Music & rituals — simple participation ideas that help grief “land”

• Eulogies & who speaks — formats, tips, and gentle alternatives
  

Missed Part One? It sets the foundations: burial vs cremation (plus aquamation), direct cremation (no service/no attendance), service types, venues, who leads, and timing — including why you don’t have to rush and how to split a private farewell and a later memorial.

Content note: We discuss death, grief, and funeral planning. Please take care while listening.

Crisis support (Australia):

• Emergency: 000 (immediate danger)

• Lifeline: 13 11 14 — 24/7 crisis support & suicide prevention

• 13YARN: 13 92 76 — 24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples

• Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 — 24/7 phone & online counselling

• Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 — 24/7 mental health support

• Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — 24/7 support for young people (5–25)
  

If you’re outside Australia, please contact your local emergency number or a local crisis line.

Share your questions or experiences: DM on Instagram @TheDWord or email and we may include answers in a future episode.

Where do you even begin? Part One sets the groundwork so the decisions feel calmer and more doable - without turning it into a checklist.

In this episode:

• Burial vs cremation (with a note on aquamation) — what this early decision shapes next

• No Service, No Attendance (direct cremation) — why some families choose it, and simple rituals so grief still has a place to land

• Service types — traditional funeral, memorial, celebration of life, and mixing a private farewell with a later gathering

• Venues & who leads — chapels, churches, wedding venues, halls, surf clubs, restaurants, backyards; clergy vs celebrant vs family-led

• Timing — why you don’t have to rush, common timelines, and practical factors (paperwork, travel, customs, venue diaries)

What’s in Part Two:
We bring the day to life — coffins/caskets/shrouds, flowers/readings/orders of service/photo tributes, music & rituals, eulogies & who speaks.

Content note: We discuss death, grief, and funeral planning. Please take care while listening.

Crisis support (Australia):

• Emergency: 000 (immediate danger)

• Lifeline: 13 11 14 — 24/7 crisis support & suicide prevention

• 13YARN: 13 92 76 — 24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples

• Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 — 24/7 phone & online counselling

• Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 — 24/7 mental health support

• Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — 24/7 support for young people (5–25)

If you’re outside Australia, please contact your local emergency number or a local crisis line.

Share your questions or experiences: DM on Instagram @TheDWord or email us — we may include answers in a future episode.