Keep Talking
Keep Talking
Dan Riley
Episode 153: Kathryn Mannix - Lessons From The Dying
53 minutes Posted Feb 6, 2026 at 10:00 am.
Kathryn Mannix is a palliative care doctor and the author of With The End In Mind.------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------
Regret, mistakes, and living fully
Hospice work and “encountering death”
Early medicine: oncology training and dying patients
Falling out of love with oncology research culture
The hospice “statement from fate”
Ordinary dying vs Hollywood’s scary version
Living while dying: love, family, relationships
Practical “sadmin”: sorting life before death
Why regret gets a bad rap
Doing the work: turning wounds into scars
Dying environments: people and mood matter most
Nana’s wisdom: losing familiarity with dying
Medicine “kidnapped dying” and death taboo
Values-based planning: “what matters most to me”
Death education, pets, and breaking secrecy
What dying looks like: hearing and breathing changes
Trauma from misunderstanding dying sounds
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Kathryn Mannix is a palliative care doctor and the author of With The End In Mind.------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Regret, mistakes, and living fully(02:05) Hospice work and “encountering death”(04:40) Early medicine: oncology training and dying patients(07:20) Falling out of love with oncology research culture(10:10) The hospice “statement from fate”(13:05) Ordinary dying vs Hollywood’s scary version(16:05) Living while dying: love, family, relationships(19:05) Practical “sadmin”: sorting life before death(22:10) Why regret gets a bad rap(25:30) Doing the work: turning wounds into scars(28:55) Dying environments: people and mood matter most(32:10) Nana’s wisdom: losing familiarity with dying(35:40) Medicine “kidnapped dying” and death taboo(38:50) Values-based planning: “what matters most to me”(41:55) Death education, pets, and breaking secrecy(44:10) What dying looks like: hearing and breathing changes(47:25) Trauma from misunderstanding dying sounds(50:35) Comfort meds, guilt, and what happens after death