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In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli speaks with archaeologist and museum lecturer Ellen Marie Næss from the Museum of the Viking Age in Oslo. Together, they discuss how Norse communities approached death, burial, grief, and legacy.

From funeral rituals and fate-driven beliefs to the poetry of grief and the legacy of honor, this conversation reveals how the Norse faced death and what we can learn from them today.

Key topics include:
- Norse views on death, destiny, and the afterlife
- What Viking funerals actually looked like (hint: not always burning ships)
- Gender, status, and symbolism in burial practices
- The emotional power of Sonatorrek and skaldic poetry
- How grief and memory shaped Norse culture

This episode connects ancient practices with the ways we continue to honor and remember the dead today, reminding us that death has always been part of the human story.

Links/Resources

• Guest: Ellen Marie Næss – Museum of the Viking Age, Oslo
  https://www.vikingtidsmuseet.no/english
• Host: Traci Arieli – https://www.comfortingclosure.com
• Sonatorrek (Translation): https://lyricstranslate.com/en/sonatorrek-loss-son.html
• The Hávamál Quotes: https://www.thenarratologist.com/best-havamal-quotes-about-death
  – Wardruna’s musical rendition of Sonatorrek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRQBxwzB2S0

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In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli speaks with Ruby Cohen Love, founder of Cafe Mortel, about reimagining what a funeral can be. Ruby shares her journey from struggling with fear of death and bipolar disorder to creating deeply personal and artistic memorials that reflect the true essence of a life.

Together, they explore how funerals and memorials can move beyond tradition, why planning ahead is a gift to loved ones, and how art, food, music, and personal storytelling transform grief into legacy. Ruby also opens up about envisioning her own funeral as a fashion exhibition, hosting “funeral rehearsals,” and her mission to design ceremonies that are authentic, beautiful, and sustainable.

Key takeaways:

• How fear of death can evolve into creative meaning-making
• The role of art, design, and ritual in end-of-life planning
• What it means to create a funeral that truly reflects a person’s life
• Why pre-planning is an act of love and service to family
• How Cafe Mortel helps people design unforgettable memorials

This episode will inspire you to think differently about funerals, death, and the legacies we leave behind.

Links/Resources

• Guest: Ruby Cohen Love – Cafe Mortel: https://www.cafemortel.world
• Host: Traci Arieli – Comforting Closure: https://www.comfortingclosure.com

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In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli explores pediatric palliative and hospice care with Shekinah Eliassen, CEO of George Mark Children’s House.

They talk about what makes George Mark one of the few places in the country offering whole-person care for seriously ill children and their families at no cost. This episode covers:

• The difference between pediatric palliative care and hospice care
• What support looks like for the whole family
• Why most families do not learn about this kind of care until they are in crisis
• What it would take to build more homes like George Mark across the United States

This conversation is for anyone who wants to understand how to better support children and families living with serious illness.

Links/Resources

• Guest: Shekinah Eliassen, CEO of George Mark Children’s House – https://www.georgemark.org
• Host: Traci Arieli's Website – https://www.comfortingclosure.com

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In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli sits down with music-thanatologist Catharine DeLong to talk about the powerful role of music at the end of life. With decades of experience bringing harp and voice to the bedside of those who are dying, Catharine offers a moving perspective on how music can provide comfort, connection, and peace during life’s final chapter.

Together, they discuss what music-thanatology is, how it differs from simply playing music in the background, and why silence is often just as meaningful as sound. Catharine shares personal stories from her work in hospice and offers guidance for families and caregivers who want to bring music into end-of-life care, even without formal training.

Whether you're a professional in the field or simply someone supporting a loved one, this conversation offers gentle insight into how music can help hold space when words are no longer enough.

Links/Resources

• Guest: Catharine DeLong – https://www.delongharp.com
• Host: Traci Arieli – https://www.comfortingclosure.com
• Learn more about Music-Thanatology – https://www.mtai.org

If this conversation resonated with you, please like, share, and subscribe to help normalize honest discussions about aging, dying, and grieving.

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In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli sits down with Dr. Chrissy Salley, pediatric psychologist and Director of Clinician Engagement and Outreach at Courageous Parents Network, and Blair Young, a Parent Champion with the organization and mother to Bubba, who died in 2024.

Together, they discuss what it’s like to raise a child with complex medical needs, and to do so in a system that often delays palliative care and overlooks emotional support. Blair shares her family's powerful story: from the shock of her son’s diagnosis to the grief and clarity that followed his death. Chrissy explains how Courageous Parents Network helps bridge the gap between clinical care and the lived experience of parenting through uncertainty, loss, and love.

According to a 2023 Kaiser Family Foundation report, an estimated 19 million children, 26% of all U.S. children under 18, have special health care needs (KFF, accessed 8/4/25). This episode highlights how Courageous Parents Network offers guidance, community, and practical tools for the families behind that number.

Topics covered include:

• The emotional and logistical impact of delayed pediatric palliative care
• Why peer-to-peer connection is essential
• The role of Parent Champions in transforming family care
• How clinicians and parents can walk this path together

This conversation is for clinicians, caregivers, and anyone supporting a family with a seriously ill child. It's about listening deeply, showing up, and remembering that no parent should have to face this journey alone.

Links/Resources

Please consider donating to the Courageous Parents Network at https://courageousparentsnetwork.org/about/donate

• Guests:
  Dr. Chrissy Salley & Blair Young – https://www.drchrissysalley.com
  Courageous Parents Network – https://www.courageousparentsnetwork.org
• Host:
  Traci Arieli – https://www.comfortingclosure.com
• Additional Resources:
  NeuroJourney Tool – https://www.neurojourney.org
• KFF Report – https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/5-key-facts-about-children-with-special-health-care-needs-and-medicaid

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In Part 2 of this two-part conversation on Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli continues her discussion with Vince Crisostomo, longtime HIV/AIDS activist and Director of Aging Services at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

During the episode, Traci and Vince talk about the grief of surviving, the essential role of chosen family, and the emotional labor of holding space for a generation that is aging, and often dying, without the support they need. Vince speaks openly about what dignity looks like at the end of life, the quiet grief carried by long-term survivors, and the ongoing fight against stigma.

Together, they discuss:

• How grief changes when you’re the one left behind
• The erasure of HIV in mainstream end-of-life conversations
• What systems need to do better for those aging with HIV
• The healing power of community, memory, and being witnessed

This episode is not only about HIV, but also about how we show up for each other at the end. It’s a call to honor the full humanity of those who’ve lived through the epidemic, and to ensure they don’t die unseen.

Links/Resources

• Guest Website: San Francisco AIDS Foundation – https://www.sfaf.org
• Host Website – https://www.comfortingclosure.com

If this conversation moved you, please like, share, and subscribe. These are the stories that don’t get told and your voice helps carry them further. For questions or to connect, visit https://www.comfortingclosure.com.

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In this first of a two-part episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli speaks with longtime HIV/AIDS activist Vince Crisostomo about his decades-long journey living with HIV. Diagnosed in the 1980s, Vince shares what it was like to receive a death sentence and then outlive it.

Together, they discuss the early years of the AIDS crisis, the trauma of surviving when so many didn’t, and what end-of-life care looked like then versus now. Vince reflects on caregiving, community, and how the legacy of AIDS continues to shape how we approach death, dying, and grief today.

Part 2 continues the conversation, focusing more deeply on chosen family, grief, and the ongoing gaps in care for people aging with HIV.

Key takeaways from Part 1 include:

• The emotional weight of surviving the early AIDS epidemic
• How caregiving shaped Vince’s view of life and death
• What it meant to be young, gay, and diagnosed in the 1980s
• The evolving meaning of dignity and support at the end of life

This episode aims to honor those lost, uplift those who remain, and invite thoughtful, overdue conversations about HIV and end-of-life care.

Links/Resources

• Guest Website: San Francisco AIDS Foundation – https://www.sfaf.org
• Host: Traci Arieli’s Website – https://www.comfortingclosure.com

Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to stay updated with our latest episodes including Part 2 of this powerful conversation. Help us normalize the conversation around death, dying, and grief because these stories matter.

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In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with veteran death doula Sarah Hill to answer the questions people are often too afraid, or too unsure, to ask. Together, they discuss what death doulas do, how they complement hospice care, and the deeply personal ways they support individuals and families through dying, grief, and legacy work.

Whether you're navigating end-of-life decisions, supporting someone you love, or just curious about the doula role, this honest conversation offers guidance and real-life stories.

Key takeaways include:

• What end-of-life doulas do and how they differ from hospice staff
• Why people hire doulas for advance planning, even when they’re not dying
• How doulas hold space during medical aid in dying (MAiD) and voluntary stopping of eating and drinking (VSED)
• The role doulas play in grief, life review, and legacy work
• What it's like to be present at the moment of death

Links/Resources

• Guest: Sarah Hill, East Bay Doula for the Dying – https://www.eastbaydoulaforthedying.com
• Host: Traci Arieli’s Website – https://www.comfortingclosure.com
• National End-of-Life Doula Alliance (NEDA) – https://www.nedalliance.org
• International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA) – https://www.inelda.org
• Academy of Medical Aid in Dying – https://www.acamaid.org
• David Kessler - https://grief.com

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