Recent Episodes
24: What’s in an Obituary? A conversation with Michael Osborne, Famous & Gravy
June 21, 2022
What's the point of obituaries? Why are some people so into reading them? Should you draft your own obituary as a Dying Kindness? Today we talk with Michael Osborne from the podcast Famous & Gravy, a podcast about what real…
23: Joint Account vs Power of Attorney for Finances - which is better?
June 7, 2022
For most of us, there will come a point when we'll need to have someone else help manage our finances. Two common approaches are to set up a joint bank account, or use a Power of Attorney for Finances. Which is better? How d…
22: How much does a funeral cost?
May 24, 2022
A funeral can get expensive. In this episode, I break down the elements of a traditional burial funeral in the United Stages, and the median costs.
21: ”Asking for Help” vs ”Being a Burden”
April 19, 2022
After a lifetime of independence, it can be tough to age or get ill and start to need help. So many of us fear becoming a burden so we resist asking for help. But at what point will our independence become a problem? What's …
20: What Goes Into A Living Will?
April 5, 2022
A discussion of the kinds of things that you could (and should) include in your living will, including examples that Cianna wrote into her own. Topics: Living Will, Advance Directive Mentioned: DyingKindness.com NOLO …
19: Which Forms? When? Living Will, DNR, POLST, Advance Directive
March 22, 2022
Living Will. DNR. Advance Directive. POLST. You know these forms are important. But are they the same? Do you need all of them? What are they for? And when would you need them?
About the Host
Cianna Stewart
Dying has been a fact of Cianna's life.
Cianna was first drawn to reading about death and death rituals in childhood and never stopped. Maybe it was growing up next to a cemetery. Maybe it was from knowing many people who died in all kinds of circumstances at all different ages. Maybe it was being a teenager when her mom died.
For whatever reason, death has always been part of Cianna's conversation and experience. This was amplified and reinforced by working in HIV during the 1990s in San Francisco. During this period, Cianna experienced the death and memorialization of many friends, and became the primary caretaker for her roommate who died from AIDS.
After Cianna's father and stepmother died in 2019, she resolved to get her own paperwork and other affairs in order so that she wouldn't leave behind the same kind of disorganized mess she and her siblings were left with. To support that effort, she started a group on Facebook. The Dying Kindness podcast emerged out of that group as an effort to encourage others to join in the effort to make key decisions now, well before they're needed, as an act of kindness to those left behind.
Professionally, Cianna has been a writer, documentarian, speaker, coach, event producer, startup founder, nonprofit manager, consultant, workshop leader, and more. Her tagline is "super curious about nearly everything."