Welcome to the first episode of my new informal, unstructured mini-podcast. ....jumping right in with those super simple, lowkey topics like chronic illness, death, the process of dying, and challenging the idea of "going with grace". While a hard topic, I do I hope the second half of this leaves you feeling encouraged, moved and enlightened to life your life in more a meaningful way.

Since initial upload, Claire Wineland, who I mention heavily in this, passed away. It rocked my world. So, I added this very important note:

IMPORTANT UPDATE: It's taken me awhile to make this update bc the loss of Claire Wineland -- the very person who encouraged me to start making digital media again, and someone I adored since she became a teenager -- hit me really hard. I considered removing this podcast bc it mentioned her so heavily, and is specifically about death and dying, which I thought may seem like it's in bad taste. But, Claire was an honest, healthy death advocate. She encouraged these conversations, she faced them, she got the world (and myself) more comfortable with death and being willing to fight or your life.

Claire fought. She always fought. She wanted to be here. But she also went with grace when her body realised it'd had enough. She managed both. And that's a feat that I imagine few of us get to do in our lifetime. Because of her fight and her fearlessness to tackle this reality head on, I believe it's HOW she was able to both fight with the fierceness we all know in Claire, AND also be at peace. To be okay. To give herself and her family a beautifully peaceful last moment. And? Not miss a chance to take her first and final breath in her new lungs.

It's because of this, I will leave this podcast up. I still feel and believe in these things just as I did when I recorded it. And, I will continue to learn from Claire, even long after she's gone.