Business leader and thanatologist Michelle Desmond explores how technology is re-shaping death and grief through thoughtful interviews and science-backed analysis.
Death and Other Stories
Claim This Podcastby Michelle Desmond
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6 episodes
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Podcast Overview
Business leader and thanatologist Michelle Desmond explores how technology is re-shaping death and grief through thoughtful interviews and science-backed analysis.
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🇺🇲
Publishing Since
12/2/2023
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Recent Episodes
April 26, 2024
Death and Other Stories: Grief Online Part 2
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">Technology is transforming our relationship with dying and grief. Michelle Desmond is a successful corporate business leader turned thanatologist (expert in death and all types of bereavement) who has experienced a lifetime of close personal losses.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">Michelle has a passion for the impact tech has (and will have) on these essential human experiences. Through engaging conversations on a range of topics, as well as science-backed analysis, she uncovers the stories, ideas, and innovations changing the way we approach grief and death. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">In this episode, Michelle speaks with Angela Lean about the long illness and death of her husband Walter Harp. They discuss the realities of life with cancer, how technology came into play throughout Walt's illness and following his death, and what an AI-powered grief experience might look and feel like.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">You can find Walt's book, "Into the Fun House", <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Into-Funhouse-Unpredictable-Relentless-Leukemia/dp/0998206830" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> on Amazon.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" xml:lang= "EN">References:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style= "mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> Gillies, J., & Neimeyer, R. A. (2006). Loss, grief, and the search for significance: Toward a<span style= "mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>model of <span style= "mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>meaning reconstruction in bereavement. <em>Journal of Constructivist</em> <em>Psychology</em>, <em>19</em>(1), 31–65. <a href= "https://doi.org/10.1080/10720530500311182">https://doi.org/10.1080/10720530500311182</a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style= "mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> Jiménez-Alonso, B., & Bresco de Luna, I. (2022). Griefbots. A new way of communicating</span> <span style= "mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> with the dead? <em>Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science</em>, <em>57</em>, 1-16.</span> <u><span style= "mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: blue; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> <a href= "https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-022-09679-3">https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-022-09679-3</a></span></u></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style= "mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> Reynolds, L., & Botha, D. (2006). Anticipatory grief: Its nature, impact, and reasons for</span> <span style= "mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> contradictory findings. <em>Counselling, Psychotherapy, and Health</em>, <em>2</em>(2), 15–26.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
March 25, 2024
Death and Other Stories: Grief Online Part 1
<p class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Open Sans',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-ansi-language: EN;" xml:lang="EN">Technology is transforming our relationship with dying and grief. Michelle Desmond is a successful corporate business leader turned thanatologist (expert in death and all types of bereavement) who has experienced a lifetime of close personal losses.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Open Sans',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-ansi-language: EN;" xml:lang="EN">Michelle has a passion for the impact tech has (and will have) on these essential human experiences. Through engaging conversations on a range of topics, as well as science-backed analysis, she uncovers the stories, ideas, and innovations changing the way we approach grief and death. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Open Sans',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-ansi-language: EN;" xml:lang="EN">In this episode, Michelle speaks with Laura Zale about her brother Dan – his life, his cancer, his death, and what happened online through it all. The conversation is followed by analysis of how technology plays a role in grief, including what happens before and after death, and touches on the societal expectations and impacts on how we choose to engage online about these difficult topics.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Open Sans',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-ansi-language: EN;" xml:lang="EN">To learn more about Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma, visit <a href="https://fibrofoundation.org" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">https://fibrofoundation.org</a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; background: white;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Open Sans',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-ansi-language: EN;" xml:lang="EN">References: </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; background: white;"><span style= "font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Open Sans',sans-serif;"> Moyer, L. M., & Enck, S. (2020). Is my grief too public for you? The digitalization of grief on Facebook<sup>TM</sup>. <em>Death Studies</em>, <em>44</em>(2), 89–97. <a href= "https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2018.1522388">https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2018.1522388</a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style= "text-indent: -24.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style= "font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Open Sans',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> Rossetto, K. R., Lannutti, P. J., & Strauman, E. C. (2015). Death on Facebook: Examining the roles of social media communication for the bereaved. <em>Journal of Social and Personal Relationships</em>, <em>32</em>(7), 974–994. <a href= "https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407514555272">https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407514555272</a>. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style= "text-indent: -24.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style= "font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Open Sans',sans-serif;"> Stroebe, M & Schut, H. (1999). The dual process model of coping with bereavement: Rationale and description. <em>Death Studies</em>, <em>23</em>(3), 197–224. <a href= "https://doi.org/10.1080/074811899201046">https://doi.org/10.1080/074811899201046</a></span></p>
January 1, 2024
Death and Other Stories: Final Disposition and Funerals
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">Technology is transforming our relationship with dying and grief. Michelle Desmond is a successful corporate business leader turned thanatologist (expert in death and all types of bereavement) who has experienced a lifetime of close personal losses.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">Michelle has a passion for the impact tech has (and will have) on these essential human experiences. Through engaging conversations on a range of topics, as well as science-backed analysis, she uncovers the stories, ideas, and innovations changing the way we approach grief and death. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">In this episode, Michelle speaks with Liz Willis (a business leader and mother of three with numerous personal interests) about death postivity, what happens to our bodies when we die, and how we celebrate lives - all with a focus on the role of technology. The conversation is followed by an analysis of the dynamics of the disposition and funeral industries, including how technology affects them. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">References:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Cirigliano, D. L. (2023). Natural organic reduction as a means of body disposition. <em>OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying</em>, <em>88</em>(2), 765-773. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228231160341</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Crawford, J. E., & Holaway, R. (2020). To everything there is a season–A time to live and a time to die: A case study of the history, customs, emerging trends, and market responses in the final disposition industry. <em>Atlantic Marketing Journal</em>,<em>9</em>(2), 5.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Dawson, G. D., Santos, J. F., & Burdick, D. C. (1990). Differences in final arrangements between burial and cremation as the method of body disposition. <em>OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying</em>, <em>21</em>(2), 129–146. https://doi.org/10.2190/BVE1-11TH-E6JM-TLVP</p> <p class="MsoNormal">DeBerry-Spence, B., & Trujillo-Torres, L. (2022). “Don’t give us death like this!” Commemorating death in the age of COVID-19. <em>Journal of the Association for Consumer Research</em>, <em>7</em>(1), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.1086/711832</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Dickinson, G. E. (2012). Diversity in death: Body disposition and memorialization. <em>Illness, Crisis & Loss</em>, <em>20</em>(2), 141–158. https://doi.org/10.2190/IL.20.2.d</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Gibbs, M., Meese, J., Arnold, M., Nansen, B., & Carter, M. (2015). <em>#</em> Funeral and Instagram: Death, social media, and platform vernacular. <em>Information, Communication & Society</em>, <em>18</em>(3), 255–268. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2014.987152</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Irion, P. E. (1991). Changing patterns of ritual response to death. <em>OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying</em>, <em>22</em>(3), 159–172. <u>https://doi.org/10.2190/1MY9-7P2B-GWF2-A53X</u></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Mitima-Verloop, H. B., Mooren, T. T. M., & Boelen, P. A. (2021). Facilitating grief: An exploration of the function of funerals and rituals in relation to grief reactions. <em>Death Studies</em>, <em>45</em>(9), 735–745. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2019.1686090</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Nansen, B., Kohn, T., Arnold, M., van Ryn, L., & Gibbs, M. (2017). Social media in the funeral industry: On the digitization of grief. <em>Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media</em>, <em>61</em>(1), 73–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2016.1273925</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ramshaw, E. (2010). The personalization of postmodern post-mortem rituals. <em>Pastoral Psychology</em>, <em>59</em>(2), 171–178. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-009-0234-6</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sarra, C. (2022). <em>Physical and virtual spaces of grieving: Redefining commemoration via digital tools in COVID-19</em>. https://repository.tudelft.nl/islandora/object/uuid%3A728a9f63-fb8c-49fe-a814-2b6dd44bcb28</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sheng, X., Simpson, P. M., & Siguaw, J. A. (2019). Emotions, deliberations, and end‐of‐life products. <em>Psychology & Marketing</em>, <em>36</em>(7), 659–674. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21203</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Van Ryn, L., Meese, J., Arnold, M., Nansen, B., Gibbs, M., & Kohn, T. (2019). Managing the consumption of death and digital media: The funeral director as market intermediary. <em>Death Studies</em>, <em>43</em>(7), 446–455. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2018.1522387</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Walter, T., Hourizi, R., Moncur, W., & Pitsillides, S. (2012). Does the internet change how we die and mourn? Overview and analysis. <em>Omega-Journal of Death and Dying</em>, <em>64</em>(4), 275–302.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
6 total episodes available
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This podcast updates weekly.
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This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.
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