Description

This week’s anonymous call begins with jokes about humidity, pets, and even what it would mean to be reincarnated as a cactus. But, like so many of these conversations, the laughter eventually gives way to something much more personal.

The caller opens up about years of chronic illness, nearly dying from blood clots, and the disappointment of seeking comfort in a faith community that couldn’t support them. They share what it meant to step away from the church, to embrace their identity, and to find peace in the cycles of nature.

What emerges is a vision of death not as an ending, but as energy recycled. Through plants, through animals, through us. It’s a conversation that mixes humor, honesty, and a surprisingly beautiful take on what might come next.

If you’d like to watch this conversation instead of just listening, you can find the video version on YouTube.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Book recommendations: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Giver by Lois Lowry
• The near-death experience of blood clots and how it changed their outlook on mortality
• Why humor became their way of coping with chronic pain and medical trauma
• Leaving the church, and what it means to find comfort outside of faith
• Seeing dogs and cats as “souls who’ve already learned the lessons”
• The idea of being reincarnated as a cactus (and what plants can teach us about energy, growth, and symbiosis)
• How conversations about death can swing from lighthearted to deeply personal in a matter of minutes

Amori - Your Mortality Companion
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About When We Die Talks: When We Die Talks is a podcast built around anonymous conversations about death, loss, and how contemplating mortality shapes the way we live. If you’re new here, start with the Episode Guide. It’s designed to help you find conversations that match where you’re at—curiosity, grief, hesitation, or openness.

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✉️ Email: zach@whenwedietalks.com

Want to share your thoughts? Leave a voicemail at 971-328-0864 and share what you believe happens when we die. Messages may be featured in a future episode. If you’d like to have a full conversation, you can apply to be an anonymous caller at whenwedietalks.com.