Not Your Average Death Blog
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.”
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.
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.
How to have conversations about death, money and estate planning
Talking about death, money, and planning ahead can be uncomfortable—especially with the people closest to us. But avoiding these conversations doesn’t make them go away; it just leaves our loved ones in the dark when they need clarity the most.
In Episode 4 of The Death Readiness Podcast, I spoke with Megan Malick, founder of A New Path, about why these topics are so difficult to discuss and how we can approach them in a way that is meaningful and productive. Megan brings a background in grief education, counseling, and after-loss support, helping people navigate both the emotional and logistical burdens of loss.