Before You Go

Memento Mori: remember you must die: an invitation to become aware, to bask in the wonder of being alive, to not take anything for granted, to be witness to the painful beauty of this life and all that was, is, and ever will be. It’s these little invitations that we see around us that allow each moment to be that much sweeter. Our guest today, Courtney Sheets, is someone who is constantly inviting people to consider and even embrace their own mortality. She is a certified death doula, a shiatsu practitioner, an end of life navigator, and a mixed media artist who specializes in memento mori art - both as a philosophy and a medium to express herself. Learn more about Courtney here: https://endoflifearts.com/View some of Courtney’s art here: https://courtneywynnsheets.com/Learn more about ABODE here: https://abodehome.org/Learn more about Natalie here: https://www.nataliebuster.com/Donate to keep ABODE’s mission going: https://abodehome.org/donate/

Imagine a world where people were able to talk about death and dying openly and without fear. Our guest today, Nurse Penny Hawkins Smith is doing just that. Nurse Penny uses social media channels and her recent book, “Influencing Death: Reframing Dying for Better Living” to talk openly about death and dying without fear, thus encouraging others to do the same. We’re excited that Nurse Penny will be our keynote speaker for our Annual Volunteer and Staff Training in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday, September 20, 2025. Send us a message at info@abodehome.org for ticket information.Read more about Nurse Penny here: https://www.hospicenursepenny.com/Buy her book, “Influencing Death: Reframing Dying for Better Living” here: https://bookshop.org/a/103660/9781959411963Learn more about ABODE here: https://abodehome.org/Learn more about Natalie here: https://www.nataliebuster.com/Donate to keep ABODE’s mission going: https://abodehome.org/donate/

Choosing to go on hospice is a difficult decision for most people. We have been conditioned in our society to “not give up,” and some see hospice as a way of giving up. Our guest today, Jen LeCavalier from Suncrest Hospice in San Antonio, sheds some light on the truth of hospice and all of the wonderful benefits that hospice can provide. Jen has been a hospice nurse for over ten years and finds the beauty and sacredness of being bedside with people at the end of life to be incredibly enriching to her own life.Read more about Suncrest Hospice here: https://www.suncrestcare.com/location/san-antonio/Learn more about ABODE here: https://abodehome.org/Learn more about Natalie here: https://www.nataliebuster.com/Donate to keep ABODE’s mission going: https://abodehome.org/donate/

Our guest today, Colleen McCool-Pierce definitely turns heads and inspires conversation wherever she goes. Whether she’s pulling up for gas in her hearse or wearing a bright and colorful clown costume, Colleen is the epitome of living life to the fullest. It doesn’t surprise us that she embraces life so exuberantly due to her lifelong contemplation on death. In today’s episode, Natalie chats with Colleen about her outlook on life, her son who she named Coffin, and how she inspires others to contemplate death so they can live as full of a life as she does. She’s the friend you want to have at your dinner table, she’s the friend you want to have in your life. She’s the ultimate death doula.Read more about Colleen here (and check out her death-friendly reading list): https://www.colleenmccool.com/Learn more about ABODE here: https://abodehome.org/Learn more about Natalie here: https://www.nataliebuster.com/Donate to keep ABODE’s mission going: https://abodehome.org/donate/

Planning your Parting with theParting PlannerWelcome to Season Two of Before You Go - the official podcast of ABODE Contemplative Care for the Dying. In this episode, Natalie sits down with Lynn Perez, founder of the Parting Planner, an organization in San Antonio, Texas designed to guide and support families who wish to create meaningful and personalized tributes for their loved ones who have passed. We don’t always know how to act when it comes to death. And especially end of life celebrations like funerals and wakes…what’s the proper protocol? Can we show emotion or not? Who orders the cake? Lynn helps people answer those questions.Learn more about Lynn and the Parting Planner here:https://thepartingplanner.com/Learn more about ABODE here:https://abodehome.org/Learn more about Natalie here:https://www.nataliebuster.comDonate to keep ABODE’s mission going:https://abodehome.org/donate/

In our line of work, we come across things that challenge us. We like to call them opportunities for growth, or sticky situations. When you work with people, you’re bound to have challenges. Family dynamics often come into play when someone is dying. It’s a very tender time, it’s a very emotional time. So learning to be aware and not overreact when faced with any number of situations has been a very rewarding growth opportunity for us to take things in stride and not need to solve things right away for anyone. In this episode, Mary and Natalie talk about some sticky situations they’ve encountered when working with people at the end of life, and their philosophies surrounding those situations. If you’re in the San Antonio area, please come by for a tour of ABODE! Learn more about ABODE Learn more about Natalie Donate to keep this mission going

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “End of Life Yoga”? In this episode, Mary and Natalie dispel the myth about yoga being only about pretzel positions and tight pants and how it’s actually about being present and connecting to the breath. ABODE launched their End of Life Yoga Certification this year, and are offering two cohorts in 2025. Learn how yoga can benefit people at the end of life, people whose loved ones are at the end of life, and caregivers who work in the death industry – and find out how you can bring these skills to your community. Read more about the ABODE End of Life Yoga Certification here: https://abodehome.org/yogatraining/ Check out our host studio, Pure Prana Path in San Antonio, Texas: https://www.purepranapath.com/ Natalie is forever grateful to Inner Peace Yoga Therapy and her mentor, Molly Lannon Kenny for starting her on this path. Check them out here: https://innerpeaceyogatherapy.com/ https://www.mollylannonkenny.org/ We love this book by Pema Chodron: https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-we-live-is-how-we-die-pema-chodron/18054905?aid=103660&ean=9781611809244&listref=abode-end-of-life-yoga-training& If you’re in the San Antonio area, please come by for a tour of ABODE! Learn more about ABODE here: https://abodehome.org/ Learn more about Natalie: https://www.nataliebuster.com/Donate to keep this mission going: https://abodehome.org/donate/

Rosalind Carter once said “There are only four kinds of people in this world – those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.” We couldn’t agree more. Caregiving is a challenging and often unpaid job. In this episode Mary and Natalie talk about the different shadow archetypes caregivers can fall into, and what to do if you see yourself reflected in some of these archetypes. ABODE has a Caregiver Support Group. Send us an email for more information: abodehome.org If you’re in the San Antonio area, please come by for a tour of ABODE! Learn more about⁠ ABODE Learn more about Natalie Donate to keep this mission going