A Sweet Conversation About Dying with De...

Team Simon here! As we take a short hiatus, A Bit of Optimism will return with brand-new episodes on March 24, 2026. Until then, we’re revisiting some of the conversations you loved and we still think about long after the microphones turned off. This week, we’re rewinding to Simo ... Show More

Scott Galloway and I don’t always see the world the same way, but our friendly debates almost always lead us back to common ground. It’s probably why we enjoy talking to each other as much as we do. If you haven’t heard my friend Scott’s name before, he’s known for being brillian ... Show More

It’s often true that the most challenging conversations are often the ones most worth having. Conversations that bring up strong feelings, different experiences, and questions without easy answers. Policing, and how we can make it better, is one of those conversations.San Leandro ... Show More

As a death doula, or someone who supports dying people and their loved ones, Alua Arthur spends a lot of time thinking about the end of life. In a profound talk that examines our brief, perfectly human time on this planet, she asks us to look at our lives through the lens of our ... Show More

Alua Arthur joins Rainn Wilson on Soul Boom to explore the transformative power of embracing mortality. They delve into how contemplating death can bring clarity and meaning to life, the cultural taboos around discussing death, and the importance of preparing for the end of life. ... Show More

Let’s face it—most of us would rather do anything than talk about death. But avoiding the conversation doesn’t make it go away—it just leaves your loved ones drowning in decisions, grief, and sometimes financial chaos. In this episode of Everyone’s Talkin’ Money, I sit down with ... Show More

What would a meaningful life look like for you? According to Death Doula Alua Arthur, conversations about death can be the most enriching conversations we have. It’s not about accepting death, or avoiding grief - it’s about building a relationship with yourself and others that do ... Show More

What does it mean to make a living from death? From a young age, Joél Simone Maldonado was fascinated by mortality, leading her to a career as a funeral director, embalmer and sacred grief practitioner. In the final episode of our miniseries on grief and money, Reema Khrais talks ... Show More

I am so thrilled to welcome Hospice Nurse Julie to the show to talk to us all about end-of-life care: what to expect, what actively dying looks like, why it's so important to normalize discussing death, and what inspired Julie to start posting on TikTok and write her book, Nothin ... Show More

Does talking about death freak you out? No wonder, it's something many of us avoid thinking about and prefer pretending it's not there. But it's an important topic, and if we can allow ourselves to sit with the truth that life will eventually end, it becomes a beautiful call to a ... Show More

<p>Francesca Lynn Arnoldy, author of <em>The Death Doula’s Guide to Living Fully and Dying Prepared</em>, joins us to talk about death doulas and dying prepared. Francesca is a community doula and death literacy advocate. She authored <em>Cultivating the Doula Heart</em>, and she ... Show More

There’s a saying about two things that are inevitable in this world, and Alua Arthur wants to help you think about one of them with less fear. No, she’s not a tax professional – she’s a death doula, a person who supports dying people and their loved ones. On this episode of How t ... Show More