Before We Go is a narrative podcast hosted and produced by Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider—physician, science journalist, Oscar-nominated documentary producer, host of TED Health, and founder of End Well, a nonprofit reshaping how we think about life’s final chapter.
Season 1 followed Shoshana’s deeply personal journey through her father’s terminal cancer diagnosis, a path that forced her to confront her own mortality and illuminated unexpected truths about love, loss, and meaning.
Now, Season 2 opens the conversation wider. Shoshana sits down with people from all walks of life to explore what it means to live alongside mortality. Actor Yvette Nicole Brown shares her story of caregiving. Comedian Patton Oswalt reflects on grief through the eyes of his child. Actor Alexandra Breckenridge talks about navigating loss, and entrepreneur Mark Cuban lays out his vision for transforming healthcare. Alongside these voices, leading experts help us ask the deeper questions—about love, resilience, and what it means to face the inevitable with courage and compassion.
Follow along, see behind the scenes, and join the conversation on Instagram @beforewegopodcast (https://www.instagram.com/beforewegopodcast).
In the final episode of Season 2, Shoshana sits down with her friend Alexandra Breckenridge — known to many as Mel Monroe from the hit Netflix series Virgin River. Alex has experienced many losses, on and off the screen, and she shares her experience as a way of letting others know that they’re not alone in their grief.
Shoshana also speaks with Dr. Wendy Lichtenthal, a clinical psychologist who specializes in helping people navigate loss. Wendy doesn’t view grief as something you “move past,” but as something you learn to live alongside — something that shifts, reshapes, and evolves as you do.
Join us on Instagram @beforewegopodcast for more stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and reflections on living and dying.
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13 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT
Nikki Boyer Learns to Let Go
Nikki Boyer is probably best known for the podcast and Hulu series Dying for Sex, which follows her best friend, Molly, as she faces losing her life to cancer. But while Molly’s life was coming to an end, Nikki was trying to create a life. Nikki shares her story of the heartbreaking loss of multiple miscarriages.
Dr. Jessica Zucker is a psychologist in Los Angeles who has counseled many women – like Nikki – as they grieved children who would never be born. And then one day, it happened to her. Jessica says that we need to rethink the way we view – and talk about – miscarriage.
Join us on Instagram @beforewegopodcast for more stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and reflections on living and dying.
Thank you to our Sponsors:
Quince: Visit www.quince.com for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.
Uncommon Goods: To get 15% off your next gift, go to www.uncommongoods.com/beforewego
Storyworth: Save $10 or more during their Holiday sale when you go to www.storyworth.com/beforewego
Air Doctor: Head to www.AirDoctorPro.com and use promo code BEFOREWEGO to get UP TO $300 off your purchase.
This podcast is brought to you by Podcast Nation.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
6 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT
BJ Miller Sees The World Differently
Dr. BJ Miller was a college sophomore when a sudden electrical accident nearly took his life. After months in a hospital burn unit and multiple amputations, he emerged into a world that saw him — and treated him — differently. But that experience became the foundation for everything that followed.
Now a palliative care physician and one of the most compassionate voices in medicine, BJ is redefining what it means to live fully after loss and change. He challenges the very idea of “normal,” reminding us that disability isn’t a flaw to fix, but part of the human spectrum. His work invites us to expand our imagination of what it means to be alive, to belong, and to be whole.
Join us on Instagram @beforewegopodcast for more stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and reflections on living and dying.
Thank you to our Sponsors:
Quince: Visit www.quince.com/beforewego for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.
Uncommon Goods: To get 15% off your next gift, go to www.uncommongoods.com/beforewego
Storyworth: Save $10 or more during their Holiday sale when you go to www.storyworth.com/beforewego
Air Doctor: Head to www.AirDoctorPro.com and use promo code BEFOREWEGO to get UP TO $300 off your purchase.
This podcast is brought to you by Podcast Nation.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Inside a recent episode
Alexandra Breckenridge Shares her Grief
Published 20 Nov 2025 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Alex and her boyfriend had a large group of friends and they really leaned on each other in that moment of deep grief. Alex stayed close to her boyfriend's family and especially a sister who really struggled. She did talk about suicidal thoughts after her brother died. She said she wouldn't kill herself because she didn't want to hurt her parents which is I mean you know. But heart problems ran in the family and two years after Alex's boyfriend died his mother also died of a heart condition. It was like every time you felt like you got your feet on the ground again somebody else would go. You become really really aware of your own mortality when you've experienced so much loss and so much death. […]
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