Happy Halloween, hot and spicy pickles! Today we discuss the following topics:

• Minimizing death while being afraid to talk about it
• Losing people young and being forced to deal with it before you’re ready
• What it’s like to be in your 30s without ever having experienced an interpersonal death
• Nonlinear grieving and why every reaction to death is appropriate
• The number one disrupter of funerals
• Possibility of afterlife, nihilism, and dying without religion
• Christina coming out as an atheist to her parents after a motorcycle crash
• Why a good mortician is absolutely necessary (and why all good morticians deserve raises)
• Lauren’s shocking secret and Christina’s reaction
• Historical reasons why modern society is less comfortable with death
• Death as an abstract experience vs medical event
• Using death as an excuse to celebrate life
• Vampire tropes and what they can teach us about being alive
• Alyssa’s life hack for accepting the idea of not existing anymore

This episode wouldn’t be possible without the help of Alyssa, who kindly sent in voicemails in response to our questions pertaining to the death industry. Follow her on Instagram @_flesh_daddy_ to see her horror-themed art and visit her Etsy Shop @TheFleshDruidess to buy a spooky print!

Other advocates mentioned in this episode:

• David Khallili, LMFT of Rouse Relational Wellness @rousetherapy (hear his interview with Christina on #67 Smorgasboard of Delight)

Follow Pickles and Vodka for updates, guest inquiries, or to say hi:

• Instagram: @picklesandvodkapodcast
• Facebook: Pickles and Vodka Podcast
• Twitter: @PicklesVodka
• Email: [email protected]

Credits:

• Theme song is Insane OK by The Whines via Free Music Archive