What Now? On the threshold of life, death, and grief.
Presented by palliative and bereavement health care professionals Julie Brown, Red Keating and David Kennedy. Dying is one of the few experiences we will all share, yet little is done in our culture to prepare us for this inevitability and it's resulting bereavement and grief. Drawing on their vast knowledge and experience each episode is a conversation meant to enlighten and demystify the often difficult and emotional experiences of dying, death and bereavement. Presented in partnership with Hospice Peterborough.
Episodes
As the What Now? podcast closes out 2025, the hosts are offering a compassionate tool for the season.
Recognizing that the holidays can carry many experiences, Julie guides a “compassionate friend” meditation for listeners who may be grieving, feeling alone, or needing extra support as we navigate the holidays. This practice is an invitation to pause, breathe, and receive kindness—imagining a wise, loving presence who sits with...
In this episode, co-hosts Julie and Red interview author and psychotherapist, Kelley Raab about her latest work, Who Am I Now? Reflections on Spirituality and Grief. The conversation examines how bereavement unsettles personal identity, why spiritual frameworks can both support and complicate the grieving process, and how the death of a parent can create profound emotional and existential disorientation. Kelley offers insights fro...
In this episode we have the great honour and privilege of speaking with Kathryn Rhoden. You will remember our soulful conversation with her husband Chris Rhoden in the previous podcast episode: What Does It Mean To Live A Meaningful Life (S3E16).
Kathryn joins us to speak about her life and experiences since Chris’ death on April 25th, 2025. With grace and genuine humanity Kathryn speaks candidly about her grief, the ups and downs...
What if a tattoo could carry more than a memory — what if it held a piece of someone you loved? In this episode, we sit down with artist Kerri Parnell, who’s redefining the meaning of memorial art through her deeply personal cremation tattoos.
These aren’t your average tattoos. Kerri blends a trace of a loved one’s ashes into the ink — creating designs that are both beautiful and intimate. But how did she start doing this? What does...
Red and Julie are delighted to welcome colleagues and friends (and past What now? guests) Dr. John Beamish and Dr. Kaetlen Wilson. The foursome gathered for a robust conversation about some of the unique aspects of grief with a MAiD (medical assistance in dying) death. They discuss how MAiD can be disenfranchised grief: grief that is not recognized or supported in a culturally normative manner.
They also delve into how family dyna...
This episode was sparked by an email from a listener who had been the primary care provider to a person who was not family, but over the course of many years became a dear friend, leaving them to feel as if their grief was unrecognized or disenfranchised after the friend's passing.
It caused us to stop and take a moment to consider situations and relationships when particular losses are not acknowledged or supported by our cul...
Dr. Robert Macauley helps us kick off Season 4 with his powerful book Because I Knew You – How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor’s Soul. At first glance, a book about children living with and dying from terminal illness might sound unbearably heavy, but listeners will find this episode surprisingly uplifting. Through his words and stories, Dr. Macauley reminds us of the deep goodness and resilience in our world.
His personal...
In this lively short wrap-up to the season the co-hosts take the opportunity to give "shout outs" and thank yous to those who have supported and offered feedback (so listen up, you may hear your name). Julie surprises Red and David with a "lightning round" of questions as a way to reflect and discuss this jam-packed season. It's a short episode and worth a listen: it may prompt you to go back to episodes pa...
Regular listeners will remember back in season 2 when Mary-Frances O’Connor joined us to discuss her groundbreaking book The Grieving Brain. For those who haven’t had the chance to hear this episode (S2E9) it is worth the time.
In this episode, we are very pleased to have Mary-Frances return to discuss her follow-up book, The Grieving Body. In this conversation, we explore how grief is experienced in our bodies—specifically the hea...
In this episode we have the great privilege to speak with Christopher Rhoden. We recorded our conversation on April 4th 2025. Twenty-one days later, on April 25th, Chris died of glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer of the brain. We are so honoured to have met Chris and share this time with him and we offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
At this point in Chris' journey his cancer was quite advanced and can be ...
We're thrilled to welcome grief expert, trauma psychotherapist, and author Meghan Riordan Jarvis to the podcast. In 2024, Meghan released her book Can Anyone Tell Me? Essential Questions about Grief and Loss. Developed from both personal and professional experience—especially after the heartbreaking loss of her mother—Meghan set out to find a book that could answer the many questions grief brings. When she couldn’t find one th...
We are thrilled to once again have the opportunity to speak with Dr. MaryCatherine (MC) McDonald. Listeners will remember MC from Season 2 Episode 2, When Grief and Trauma Meet, when we spoke with her about her book Unbroken, The Trauma Response is Never Wrong. MC is back to speak with us about her soon-to-be-published second book, The Joy Reset, Six Ways Trauma Steals Happiness and How to Get it Back.
MaryCatherine speaks about cul...
The relationships we have with our pets has changed over the past several decades. The attachment we share with our pets has elevated their position to where they are often considered a valued member of the family. In this episode we speak with Dr. Lianna Titcombe, Palliative Veterinarian and Melanie Savage, Registered Social Worker specializing in pet loss.
Lianna and Melaine are both pioneers in their respective fields. Lianna s...
We are honoured to be speaking with Dr. Sheldon Solomon, one of the founders of Terror Management Theory (TMT). TMT suggests that the dawning of the awareness of our own existence is quickly followed by the awareness of our eventual and inevitable demise. This awareness of being alive and knowing it, creates a state of awe and wonder. Conversely, the awareness of our mortality also causes us to experience dread, anxiety and terror....
The death of a child is a traumatic event for any parent and a death by suicide carries its own unique challenges. As Sharon MacLeod shares her story, we hear a difficult journey of a family’s struggle to support, manage and seek help for their exceptional yet complex son Alexander. We are honoured to have Sharon join us and thank her for her openness and courage. We hope this recording honours Alexander’s life; as David Kennedy of...
In Season 2 we offered "The Written Word": which was an episode dedicated to sharing poems, lyrics and quotes that speak to us. We had positive feedback from the original episode, so we decided to do it again this season. We hope some of these words will resonate with our listeners and we welcome your feedback!
Have feedback about the podcast? Have an idea for a future episode? Get in touch with us: whatnow@hospicepete...
In this episode we engage in a lively discussion with our colleague and friend, Dr. John Beamish. Together, we explore what it means to face our own mortality and work toward finding moments of acceptance and peace with the inevitable reality of death. Our conversation explores how we and John have worked with death anxiety and grief within ourselves over the years. It's a treat to have Dr Beamish join us and we thank you for ...
People often speak of the importance of dignity at the end of life.
Sometimes the medicalization of illness interrupts being seen in our full humanness which erodes our sense of dignity.
In the first episode of 2025, we speak with Dr. Harvey Chochinov, physician, author, researcher, and developer of Dignity Therapy, who shows us how to put dignity front and center in the process of caring for those living with a life-threatening illn...
In this last episode of 2024, the co-hosts offer support, compassion and suggestions for navigating the holidays.
It’s often not the most wonderful time of the year, especially for those grieving and living with illness. Have a listen or pass it along to someone who needs a little extra support during this month. Our blessings to all our listeners.
We’ve got some great episodes lined up for January 2025, please c'mon...
In a previous episode, we discussed how guilt and grief are frequent companions on the journey. Anger can also be a frequent traveler.
In this episode, we discuss the protective and helpful role of anger, how to go beneath anger to other feelings, and offer suggestions about what to do if you find yourself stuck in your anger. Being in the presence and feeling the effects of another’s anger can also be challenging. For those s...
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