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Our podcasts about death and grief delve into how we can radically accept our eventual demise, discuss it openly, and even plan for it. But it’s not all doom and gloom – there's joy, meaning, and connection to be found in exploring the messiness of death, dying, and grief. Explore our latest episodes here.
Animal chaplain Kaleel Sakakeeny was overwhelmed by grief after the death of his cat Kyro. And even though pet loss is an incredibly common experience, Kaleel felt like he had nowhere to turn.
Poet Jenny George was always drawn to writing about death and dying, even before she lost her wife to ovarian cancer.
Mary Roach is a New York Times bestselling author and acclaimed science writer who once thought science was boring. She has traveled the world and written fascinating, humorous books about the human body and its curiosities
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Must-Listen Segments
We live in a culture that avoids death and the Peaceful Exit podcast is an invitation to be in candid conversation about it. Writer and host Sarah Cavanaugh believes talking about death will work to dispel our natural fear and build courage in the face of death. She’s talking to a diverse network of authors who have written extensively on a variety of topics to help us rethink death as a normal part of the human experience, no matter who you are, no matter your beliefs, spiritual faith, or age this is for you.
Make Time for What Counts
Oliver Burkeman's latest book, "Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts," is a guide to embracing what he calls the imperfect life. It's the realization that you're never going to sort your life out. So instead of attempting that futile task day after day and viewing your limitations as a human as obstacles to a meaningful life, you embrace them. In our conversation, Oliver and I dig into some common misconceptions about the human condition, why existing in the modern world asks so much of us, and how and why we must take action admist uncertainty.
The Other Side of Yet
Michelle Hord, author of 'The Other Side of Yet,’ recounts the devastating loss of her daughter, Gabrielle, who was murdered by her ex-husband. The conversation delves into how Michelle navigated her grief and transformed it into action, hope, and resilience. She reflects on her faith, the support of her community, and how starting the nonprofit Gabrielle's Wings has helped pain into action. Michelle also discusses the personal impact of other significant losses in her life and the importance of allowing oneself to feel joy again.
Grief, Trauma, and Healing
From growing up in Apartheid South Africa to helping write the country's constitution, Louisa Zondo's life story is nothing short of extraordinary. We talk about her experiences as a young mother, her high-profile career, and the heartbreaking loss of her son Rikhado to suicide in 2022. Louisa shares openly about her grief and how she’s finding healing.
Rewriting Your Story About Death
Gratefulness expert Kristi Nelson describes how facing death at a young age transformed how she faces life. For Kristi, being grateful isn’t a sustained state of being. It’s an everyday practice to befriend impermanence and live in the moment. While undergoing cancer treatment in her 30s, she also had to rewrite the death narrative in her family to accept that death isn’t always a failure of will.
I'm excited to launch Season 6 episodes translated into American Sign Language…
Peaceful Exit will soon be available to the deaf and hard of hearing.
My journey with hearing loss, and my own need for accessibility, is what created my awareness and desire to ensure Peaceful Exit content is available to everyone, regardless of their hearing ability.
By partnering with translators Holly Adair and [Name], we are fulfilling our commitment to be more inclusive with important conversations about our mortality.
Featured Guests
Whether you're seeking to live with grief and loss, talk to your kids about death, or looking to understand death more deeply, Peaceful Exit provides insightful and supportive conversations with incredible authors who are ready to help you navigate this profound journey. Get to know our guests and see why thousands of people are tuning in to Peaceful Exit.
Mary Roach
Mary Roach is a New York Times bestselling author and acclaimed science writer who once thought science was boring. She has traveled the world and written fascinating, humorous books about the human body and its curiosities. Today she discusses three of them with Sarah: "Stiff," "Six Feet Over," and her latest, "Replaceable You." They also talk about how our culture got so squeamish about dead bodies, and where we might go after we die.
Lisa Keefauver
Social worker Lisa Keefauver was just 40 years old when her husband died from cancer in her arms. She has since become an outspoken grief activist, helping people identify, understand, live with, and talk about their grief through her book and podcast, "Grief Is a Sneaky Bitch." Lisa tells Sarah why scuba diving is a metaphor for life, how to metabolize your grief over a lifetime, and what to do when grief catches you off guard in the most unexpected moments.
Dr Luce Hone
Psychologist Dr. Lucy Hone studies resilience, a topic that hit especially close to home when her 12-year old daughter Abi and two friends were killed in a car crash in 2014. She tells Sarah how her close knowledge of resilience informed her grieving, why humans are hardwired to cope, and what role her grief over Abi plays in her life now. Lucy also shares practical tips for anyone who is grieving from her first book, "Resilient Grieving," and previews her new book about living losses, called "How Will I Ever Get Through This?," which will be out in 2026.
Dr BJ Miller
Palliative care physician Dr. BJ Miller survived a near-death experience and lost three limbs at just 19 years old. In this intimate conversation, he tells Sarah how confronting mortality reshaped his purpose, and opened his heart to awe, humor, creativity, and love. BJ has been on a mission to redefine end-of-life care through his work at Mettle Health and his book, "A Beginner's Guide to the End." He invites you to challenge the fear and silence around death, and imagine a better way to live — and die.
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