End-of-Life University

Ep. 538 Helping “Stuck Souls” Cross Over with Father Nathan Castle

Learn about the unusual work of a priest who experiences after-death communication with souls who have become “stuck” in their afterlife journey. My guest Father Nathan Castle is a Dominican priest known for his work in campus ministry and his unusual calling of helping souls who have died suddenly to find peace. He discusses his unique work and how he was called to serve others in this way. He discusses the communications he receives in his dreams and how he began working with the souls who connect with him whose afterlives have been interrupted by unfinished business. He is the host of The Joyful Friar Podcast and the author of four books including his most recent: Afterlife: Interrupted Book 3 – Let Me Explain. Learn more at his website: Nathan-castle.com Get the books here Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: What he means by “stuck souls” How he first experienced contact from a deceased soul in his dreams Why certain people might get stuck in this way after death What is an “interrupted death experience” Stories of souls he has encountered during after death communication experiences How he works with stuck souls and their guardians to help them cross over How he uses prayer as a subset of love for helping souls In his experience many people who died by suicide felt optionless and just wanted the pain to stop How he manages to be “The Joyful Friar” in the midst of the work he does Advice for the living: Stay in the present moment and don’t be defined by the worst thing that happened to you in order to avoid getting stuck in the afterlife Links mentioned in this episode: A Year of Reading Dangerously reading group Get Wild and Holy on Amazon or Bookshop Latest post on Substack:  Wise Use of AI for Grandparents What Really Matters Podcast View my Patreon tier for Soul Supporters and receive extra reflections as a special bonus NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Souloin the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu. And thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Ep. 537 Grief and the Widowed Mom with Krista St-Germain

Learn about grief support for widows who are also raising children as they navigate loss and bereavement. My guest Krista St-Germain is a life coach, post-traumatic growth and grief expert, widowed mom, and host of The Widowed Mom Podcast. She coaches and teaches other widows to love life again and shares with us in this conversation what she has learned. She and her work have been featured in Psychology Today, Medium, Thrive Global, Bustle, Psych Central, and Parents Magazine. Learn more at her website: coachingwithkrista.com Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: The challenges of grieving while raising children How our limited knowledge of grief makes it more difficult to navigate Coping with unexpected effects of grief Myths about what is “normal” in grief What Krista wishes she had known about grief The dual-process model of grief The importance of community in navigating grief How just hearing someone else talk about their grief is helpful Post-traumatic growth and grief Understanding secondary losses and grief Links mentioned in this episode: Krista’s podcast The Widowed Mom A Year of Reading Dangerously reading group Get Wild and Holy on Amazon or Bookshop Latest post on Substack: Grief on the Third Path What Really Matters Podcast View my Patreon tier for Soul Supporters and receive extra reflections as a special bonus NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Souloin the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu. And thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Ep. 536 Never Can Say Goodbye: The Life of a Death Doula with Darnell Lamont Walker

Learn about a powerful memoir from the life of a death doula who was inspired by his grandmother to sit with the dying. My guest Darnell Lamont Walker is a death doula, Emmy-nominated children’s television writer, producer and explorer. He creates spaces worldwide for healing through storytelling, end-of-life care, and workshops on grief, resilience, unlocking the writer within, and radical empathy. He is the author of the newly published memoir Never Can Say Goodbye: The Life of a Death Doula and The Art of a Peaceful End published by HarperCollins. Learn more at his website: darnellwalker.com Get the book here Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: How Darnell was first introduced to end-of-life care by his grandmother The power of storytelling Why caring for the dying seems foreign to some people but is actually an innate ability Why we should be training children at a young age to be present with dying or we may pass on our own fear of death Death within the Black community and the impact of systemic racism, generational trauma, and unequal access to healthcare on end-of-life decision-making Why listening first is the best way to build trust and get people to talk about difficult subjects Why we can make better choices for life when we become aware of our mortality Links mentioned in this episode: A Year of Reading Dangerously reading group Get Wild and Holy on Amazon or Bookshop Latest post on Substack: Grief on the Third Path What Really Matters Podcast View my Patreon tier for Soul Supporters and receive extra reflections as a special bonus NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Souloin the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu. And thanks to Jolynn Deloach for making a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Ep. 535 Planning Your Funeral and Legacy Online with Paul Fried

Learn about a helpful online platform for end-of-life planning and the benefits of using technology for this work. My guest Paul Fried is an entrepreneur who recognized a need to reshape how we think about end-of-life planning. He founded a digital-first platform that focuses on compassionate funeral planning, digital legacy preservation, and emotional wellness titled I Made the Arrangements. He discusses the value of recording our end-of-life wishes and messages digitally for the sake of our loved ones. Paul is also the author of the book Live Fully. Leave Wisely: End-of-Life Planning as the Ultimate Act of Love. Learn more at his website: Imadethearrangements.com Get the book Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: How Paul’s ancestry and personal history led him to create I Made the Arrangements Why digital planning services are important right now The disastrous consequences of not planning ahead or talking about our end-of-life wishes Why employers are starting to offer online end-of-life planning as a benefit to their employees How technology is rapidly advancing to help people reconnect with holographic images of their loved ones How “wishkeepers” help secure their loved ones’ legacies Resources available on the website Links mentioned in this episode: A Year of Reading Dangerously reading group Get Wild and Holy on Amazon or Bookshop Latest post on Substack: Grief on the Third Path What Really Matters Podcast View my Patreon tier for Soul Supporters and receive extra reflections as a special bonus NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Souloin the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu. And thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Ep. 534 Sacred Dying: Honoring the Legacy of Megory Anderson with Jeremy Damec

Learn about the beautiful contribution of Dr. Megory Anderson to the field of sacred death and dying and how her legacy lives on 7 years after her death. My guest Jeremy Damec is a NEDA-certified death doula and a grief counselor who has also completed chaplaincy training and worked at a funeral home. He was a friend and mentee of Megory Anderson and knew her well during the years prior to her untimely and unexpected death in 2019. We discuss her pioneering contributions to end-of-life care and her book Sacred Dying along with our own stories of being inspired by Megory’s wisdom on the 7th anniversary since her death. Learn more about Jeremy’s work: jeremydeathandgrief.com deathandgriefworkercollective.com Get Sacred Dying Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: Megory’s book Sacred Dying as a valuable resource for all death workers How Jeremy got to know Megory Anderson Jeremy’s experience sitting vigil with Megory before she died How Jeremy still learns from Megory in his work Honoring Megory as a pioneer in the sacred aspect of death and dying What Jeremy has been inspired to create through the Death and Grief Worker Collective Links mentioned in this episode: Q&A Session with Megory Anderson Tribute to Megory Anderson Book recommendation: Born Into Loss A Year of Reading Dangerously reading group Get Wild and Holy on Amazon or Bookshop Latest post on Substack:  Start Here – What Really Matters in 2026 What Really Matters Podcast View my  Patreon tier for Soul Supporters and receive extra reflections as a special bonus NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Souloin the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest patron Leslie Robinson! And thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.