Not Your Average Death Blog
How Our Favorite Movies Trained Us to Accept Less
When you think about “estate planning,” old rom-coms probably don’t come to mind. But maybe they should. Because for many of us, the movies we grew up watching taught us more than we realized, especially about what we’re expected to accept.
These movies quietly trained us to accept less: less agency, less credit, less space, less support. And those lessons show up everywhere, from hospital rooms to attorney meetings, from caregiving roles to family finances.
In Episode 15 of The Death Readiness Podcast, I take a closer look at these cultural scripts, and how they still shape the way many women carry the emotional and logistical weight of family life.
If “Everyone Is Welcome” is too political, what kind of legacy are we creating?
Legacy isn’t just about wills and wealth. It’s the story we leave behind in our families, our communities, and our public institutions. It’s passed down in words and in silences, in the posters that stay on the wall, and in the ones we quietly take down.
The next generation is watching.
How to Succeed in the Caregiving Role No One Trained You For
Caregiving isn’t side work - it’s a leadership position. Host Jill Mastroianni talks with Jennifer O’Brien, author of Care Boss and The Hospice Doctor’s Widow, about the emotional labor, strategic thinking, and societal blind spots surrounding caregiving. Drawing from her experience leading healthcare organizations as well as caring for her husband and parents, Jennifer challenges the notion of caregiving as “soft” work and offers real-world tools to do it well. We cover everything from palliative care to “go bags” to how not to offer help to a caregiver.
How Joseph Pulitzer’s 1864 Plunge Into Boston Harbor Helps Us Understand Memorial Day
Memorial Day began in the ashes of the Civil War. It started with families—ordinary people—who began placing spring flowers on the graves of their dead. Many of the dead weren’t even American citizens yet. I learned this after reading Sharon McMahon’s recent newsletter in The Preamble.
What I Learned from Planning My Own Funeral
If you’ve ever wondered what’s really in an urn, whether cremation is actually “green,” or what happens when no one claims the ashes? You’re not alone. I’ve worked in trusts and estates for more than a decade, and even I didn’t know the full story behind funeral planning until recently.
That changed when I sat down with Jamie Sarche, Director of Pre-Arranged Funeral Planning at Feldman Mortuary in Denver, Colorado for Episode 13 of The Death Readiness Podcast - What You Need to Know About Embalming, Cremation, and Eco-Friendly Funerals. Jamie walked me through planning my own funeral. And I learned a lot.
The Digital Blind Spot in Your Estate Plan: A $750 Million Reminder
Imagine standing on top of a landfill, fully aware that your $750 million fortune is buried below — but barred by law from taking a single shovel to the ground.
That’s the reality for James Howells, a 39-year-old man who says his ex-partner accidentally threw away a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins back in 2013. Today, his story is the subject of a new documentary series: The Buried Bitcoin: The Real-Life Treasure Hunt of James Howells.
But beyond the headline-grabbing numbers and media spectacle, his experience surfaces a quieter, more relatable issue that’s often overlooked in estate planning: digital asset readiness.
It’s Going to Be Okay
In this episode of The Death Readiness Podcast, I’m not speaking as an estate attorney or a podcast host. I’m showing up as a daughter, a sister, a mother. A woman in the thick of the sandwich generation—caring for a child, walking alongside a father, and quietly planning for the day I’ll be the one who has to tell Dan again: “It’s going to be okay.”
R-E-S-P-E-C-T Your Legacy: Lessons from Aretha Franklin’s Will
I’m new to the Metro Detroit area—and I’m loving it here.
There’s a lot of pride in Detroit. People here wear Detroit T-shirts, Detroit hats—everything Detroit. We don’t need to go anywhere else when we have Detroit.
And one of Detroit’s greatest heroes—the Queen herself—is Aretha Franklin.
She’s still nearby, too: Aretha is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, just down the road from where I live.
Aretha Franklin passed away on August 16, 2018, at the age of 76. She was unmarried at the time and left behind four adult children, including a son with special needs.
Initially, it was believed that Aretha died without a Will.
Macaroni’s Story: Why We Hit Record—and Why You Should, Too
If you’ve been listening to The Death Readiness Podcast for a while, you know we often get into the legal mechanics of estate planning, end-of-life documents, and the practical steps that make life easier for the people we leave behind. But death readiness isn’t just about having the right paperwork. It’s about preparing your family for the day when you’re no longer here. It’s about preserving who you were—what you believed, what you lived through, what mattered to you.
And that kind of preparation doesn’t come in the form of a checklist. It comes in the form of stories. That’s why this episode - Macaroni’s Story: A Granddaughter Records Her Unknown Hero - is special. We’re sharing an excerpt from The Mastroianni Family Podcast—and giving you the tools to create a private family podcast of your own.
Celebrating Our 5-Year Famliversary: A Look Back at Love, Life, and Lockdown
Five years ago, in the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, my husband and I sat at our kitchen table with two incredible kids, a cell phone on speaker between us, and the Honorable Senior Judge Don R. Ash on the line from the Chancery Court of Rutherford County, Tennessee. The world had just shut down.
The Care We Can’t Do Alone: Real Talk on Aging and Support
In this week’s episode of The Death Readiness Podcast, I had the opportunity to talk with Mikelle Rappaport, a senior care consultant and founder of Golden Lifestyle Partners, and Bob Stanton, a family friend who recently made the difficult decision to move his wife of 54 years into a skilled nursing facility.
Put Yourself in a Box: Why the Harmless Error Doctrine Is No Excuse for Poor Planning
A plan is only as good as the paper it’s written—and properly signed—on. A valid, signed, witnessed and properly executed Will still matters. Yet time and again, people delay. They plan to go back to their lawyer, plan to sign next week, plan to finalize their intentions when life slows down. But life doesn’t slow down. And the result? Confusion, conflict, and sometimes devastating cost.
Happy World Down Syndrome Day!
Today, on World Down Syndrome Day, we reflect on this year’s theme: “Improve Our Support Systems.” It’s a theme that resonates deeply with the work we do at The Death Readiness Podcast—especially in our latest episode, “Who’s on Your Team? The Key Players in Special Needs Estate Planning,” released today.
Did Gene Hackman Disinherit His Children? I Have No Idea… and Neither Do You.
The headlines are swirling: "Hackman's children not named in actor's will.”
Is it true? I don’t know. I haven’t seen the Will.
Jane Goodall’s Favorite Animal Isn’t What You Think
When you think of Jane Goodall, you probably picture her with chimpanzees. But here’s a fun twist — Jane Goodall’s actual favorite animal is the dog.
Understanding the Potential Impact of Medicaid Cuts
Medicaid, established in 1965, provides essential healthcare coverage to more than 70 million Americans, including children, pregnant individuals, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals and families. It operates through a federal-state partnership, ensuring vulnerable populations can receive necessary medical services.
Recently, discussions in Congress have focused on significant budget reductions, with proposals suggesting cuts from federal programs of up to $880 billion over the next decade. While these cuts could be distributed across various programs, there is concern, as evidenced by a recent New York Times article by Margot Sanger-Katz, about the potential effect of cuts on Medicaid.
Breaking Down the Alphabet Soup of Special Needs Estate Planning: SSI, SSDI, Medicaid & Medicare
If you’ve ever tried to plan for a loved one with special needs, you know how confusing it can be. Between navigating government benefits, avoiding costly mistakes, and figuring out how to balance personal savings with public programs, it’s easy to feel lost.
That’s exactly why I invited Kristen Lewis, a nationally recognized expert in special needs estate planning, to join me for a special two-part series on The Death Readiness Podcast. Kristen’s deep knowledge and compassionate approach make her the perfect guide to help us untangle this complicated (but critical) topic.
The Power of Self-Perception
In a recent episode of The Death Readiness Podcast, I sat down with my father, Carmen Mastroianni, to talk about Dan’s early years. We discussed my parents’ battles to get others to see Dan’s full humanity, and the unique long-term planning that accompanies raising a child with a disability. I also sat down with Dan to get his perspective, in his own words.
Navigating Parenthood and Planning: A Father’s Story of Love, Advocacy, and Inclusion
Becoming a parent is always a life-changing experience, but when a child is born with special needs, the journey can bring unexpected challenges, emotions, and a steep learning curve.
In Episode 7 of The Death Readiness Podcast, I sit down with my dad to talk about the reality of raising a child with special needs, the fight for inclusion in schools and sports, and how my parents made long-term planning decisions. It’s a conversation about love, resilience, and the responsibility of planning for the future.
The Executor’s Burden: What You Need to Know
If you’ve ever been named an executor, or if you’re thinking about whom to name in your own estate plan, you might not realize just how much work this role entails. Many people assume that serving as an executor is a straightforward responsibility—gather some paperwork, pay a few bills, distribute the assets, and you’re done.
But the reality is far more complicated.