Shows
How to Tour America Through Her MusicEpisode Finale: Music for the End of the RoadDear Music Lover:It’s with pleasure and a touch of sadness that I bring you this last episode of my “How to Tour America Through Her Music” podcast.It’s been a fun ride, and I enjoyed hanging out with you on the magic bus. We had some good times, didn’t we? But the road calls me to other places, and I must move on. Before I go, I want to convey important information about the podcast, the show notes, and the playlist.An Important NoticeAs you may kn...2025-05-1714 min
How to Tour America Through Her MusicEpisode 12: The Music of MotownDear Music Lover:This is the next to the last episode in my “How to Tour America Through Her Music” podcast, and I’m on a roll! We have a rendezvous with destiny planned for the last show, at the famous Woodstock Music Festival of 1969. If you want to start the tour from the beginning, just tap the magic button below:For now, Detroit City and Motown’s music are a must-stop on our musical tour of the United States. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Temptations, the Four Tops, the Marvelettes, the Spinners...2025-05-1009 min
How to Tour America Through Her MusicEpisode 11: The Music of America's Pacific NorthwestDear Music Lover:Thanks again for joining me on this tour of America’s music and of the country itself. Before we get underway, allow me to plug my latest book, which I co-wrote with the love of my life, the Italian pirate lady Fabiana Capuano. Called “Far and Wild,” our book tells the story of Fabi’s twenty years of travel as a single woman through 100+ countries.Fabi posts a lot of fun pictures and videos from her travels, along with excerpts from the book, on her Substack. Check it out! It’s free!2025-05-0311 min
How to Tour America Through Her MusicPodcast Episode Ten: The Music of Northern CaliforniaHello Music Lover! Thanks for listening to Episode Ten about the music of Northern California. In it, I feature the San Francisco sound, the 1967 Summer of Love, and songs of revolution, defiance, and change.Please feel free to listen to just this episode, or if you prefer, start the tour from the beginning and follow our spirit guide Woody Guthrie on a musical tour of America.Either way, it’s nice to have you come along.As with all the episodes, the “Show Notes” feature links to the complete recordings of the songs, additi...2025-04-2616 min
How to Tour America Through Her MusicEpisode Nine: The Music of Southern CaliforniaStart AnywhereWelcome to this episode of the “How to Tour America Through Her Music” podcast. You can listen to just this one episode, or if you prefer, start the tour from its beginning.A Gentle ReminderAlthough I add a lot more content in the show notes, the real “meat” of the show is in the audio. Remember the hot dog from last week?So if you are short on time, please just listen to the audio and skip the show notes.Show NotesI featured “So You Wan...2025-04-1912 min
How to Tour America Through Her MusicPodcast Episode Eight: The Music of TexasAttention Cowboys and Cowgirls!Heavens to Murgatroyd! I just learned some folks are skipping the podcast’s audio and only reading the show notes! ¡Ay, caramba!Is this because they mistakenly believe the audio contains only music?The audio is the best part! If you are not playing the audio, then you are not hearing the show. Yikes!Think of the podcast like a hotdog in a bun. The show notes are just a complement, like mustard or relish.I offer show notes so that it’s easy...2025-04-1218 min
How to Tour America Through Her MusicEpisode Seven: New Orleans & the BayouHi Everyone!We have a lot of music to cover in this episode, but before we get into it, allow me to thank you for sharing this show with your friends. Here’s the share button again in case you missed it last time.If you are just joining me and want to start the tour from the beginning, just tap the magic button below.Show NotesWhen possible, I provide links to videos accompanying the songs featured in the episode. Here’s the list of songs as they appear.“U...2025-04-0515 min
How to Tour America Through Her MusicEpisode Six: The BluesThank You!Before we get to this episode’s show notes, I want to thank you for joining the tour. It’s nice to have you!If you are just joining me…welcome! If you’d like to start the tour from its beginning, just tap the big orange button below. Otherwise, stay with me and we’ll rock on through this episode on The Blues.Episode Six Show NotesThe first song you hear is from Robert Johnson, King of the Delta Blues: “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom.” Yes, I think it...2025-03-2916 min
How to Tour America Through Her MusicEpisode Five: Florida and Music CityHello again!Welcome to Episode Five of my “How to Tour America Through Her Music” podcast. We cover a lot of distance this time, so let me jump into it. But first, if you are just joining me and want to start at the beginning, just tap on the jolly orange button below and you’ll be whisked to Episode One, just like magic!Bo and the BBQI spent a lot of time looking for “Bo’s music” and decided on “Three Cool Cats” by Ry Cooder. It just seemed to fit. L...2025-03-2213 min
How to Tour America Through Her MusicEpisode Four: The Music of Virginia and GeorgiaGet Caught Up!If you are just joining me and want to hear the show from the beginning, just click on the orange button below.Episode FourIn this episode, we leave Washington DC behind and move south into The Commonwealth of Virginia, otherwise known as “The Old Dominion.” While I was not born there, I proudly consider myself a Virginian, joining the company of famous Virginians like Thomas Jefferson, the author of America’s Declaration of Independance, and George Washington, America’s first president.I also attended The University of Virginia...2025-03-1518 min
How to Tour America Through Her MusicEpisode Three: The Music of Washington, D.C.Dear Listener:My feathers get ruffled when some people, like overzealous Facebook Group Admins, object to mentioning politics or other controversial subjects in music. What do these people want? Just nice, polite, wishy-washy songs with nothing important to say?Well, those wimps can have every bubblegum song ever recorded by The 1910 Fruitgum Company, but you won’t find that kind of music in this podcast. In my opinion, the best songs have something important and powerful to say. Great songs move you. They change you. If they don’t, then they belong in the...2025-03-0818 min
How to Tour America Through Her MusicEpisode Two: The Music of New York CityWelcome!If you are just joining the podcast…welcome! It’s nice to have you here. You can start listening now, or if you prefer, jump back to the beginning and get caught up.Episode TwoAs mentioned in Episode One, our tour guide is the spirit of the legendary songwriter, protester, idealist, itinerant hobo, and family man, Woody Guthrie.In the 1950s, we follow Woody to Greenwich Village in America’s “Big Apple” — New York City. There we find a young Paul Simon about to make it big with songs like:...2025-03-0110 min
AdventureFreaksss (Living Abroad on a Budget)They Live in Italy Under $1000ADVENTUREFREAKSSS.COMImmigration & Visas “Lexidy”: https://adventurefreaksss.com/form-page-11/ Brant Huddleston Substack: https://substack.com/@brantx Fabi’s Substack: https://fabi27.substack.com/ Buy Fabi’s Book “Far and Wild” https://www.amazon.com/Far-Wild-Travel-Fabiana-Capuano/dp/B0DL3FZK5W Buy Brant’s Book “Blue Skyways” https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Skyways-airfare-answers-calling-ebook/dp/B09111946X/ ================================= How to work with me: ================================= 😎One-on-one Consulting for planning your move abroad: https://calendly.com/adventurefreaksss/50min2025-02-2654 min
How to Tour America Through Her MusicEpisode One: IntroductionHello! Great to have you join me. My name is Brant Huddleston, and I’ll be your host on this limited series podcast titled “How to Tour America Through Her Music.”As it says in my Substack bio, I am a grandpa with a guitar and an attitude. That’s my smiling face below.I am married to the fabulous Fabiana Capuano, a tattooed Italian pirate lady, who also has an attitude.Together, we travel the world and write about what we see. But then, if you’ve been following either one of us, you al...2025-02-2211 min
Becoming a Sage with Dr. Jann FreedBecoming a Sage: Brant HuddlestonBrant Huddleston is the author of three books, scads of short stories and other mad musings, and the host of a podcast on how death taught him to thrive in the second half of life.
A former rock & roll guitarist, classic car restoration mechanic, tropical fish tank cleaner, inventive engineer, and business professional with IBM, he now lives with a pirate lady on Turkey's turquoise coast.
You can find him at www.dancepastsunset.com2022-01-1242 min
AdventureFreaksss (Living Abroad on a Budget)Living Abroad on a Budget - TurkeyAdventure Freaks with Ré Esordi presents Living Abroad on a Budget with Author and Expat Brant Huddleston. Brant currently resides on Datca Turkey, and shares details on what the culture, life and costs of living are in this beautiful sea town on the Mediterranean. Most recent book: Blue SkywaysBuy here: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Skyways-a...Map of Dreams by Paul Caruso (Brant Huddleston)Buy here: https://www.amazon.com/Map-Dreams-Pau...2021-09-011h 05
Dance Past Sunset PodcastThe Transylvanian Tycoon: A reading from the book Blue SkywaysHappy Halloween 2020 everybody. My name is Brant Huddleston, host of the Dance Past Sunset podcast, a show about how to let go of fear and enjoy peak life experiences in the second half of life. Today's show is going to get a little spooky! Disappearing villages. Shaved heads. Millionaire shepherds? That's a strange assortment of topics for a show, but as with my last show, this one is going to be a little different. You see, in 2019 I took a trip around the world, courtesy of a gift from my brother, a pilot with American Airlines. I traveled that year fro...2020-10-3114 min
Dance Past Sunset PodcastMoondance & the Meat Eater, from the book Blue SkywaysFor Christmas 2018, my brother, a pilot with American Airlines, gave me a gift that became the experience of a lifetime: 12 months of free travel anywhere American Airlines flies. Thus began a year long journey that took me from the rocky coast of Portugal, to the hot sands of Morocco, to the mangrove swamps of Panama, with many places beyond and between. In cheap hostels and the backwaters of the nomadic milieu, I discovered a treasure chest of colorful and fascinating people. The trip became as much a spiritual and emotional journey inward as it was a literal outward one, and fo...2020-10-3020 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast“Discover Your Authentic Sexual Self” with kink positive therapist Galen Fous, Part Two of TwoIn my last show I introduced Galen Fous, a 70 year old kink-positive therapist, author, educator and sex researcher who self-identifies as a heterosexual, dominant erotic sadist. In this show I continue my conversation with Galen, where he explains a bit more about his sexual identity, plus we talk about how to have good, healthy sex in the second half of life. I believe the F bomb is dropped at some point, but otherwise the conversation is mostly PG rated and best suited for adults interested in learning more about how to realize their sexually authentic selves. I like how Galen bro...2020-06-2541 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Discover Your Authentic Sexual Self" with kink positive therapist Galen FousMy next Dance Past Sunset show will continue my series on sex in the second half, which began with health and beauty consultant Sophie Benge speaking on her personal experience with menopause, followed by Wendy Cobina Demos speaking on restoring sex to its sacred place. My next guest, a 70 year old man, will talk about his journey of reclaiming his own sexual power, and in doing so finally feeling witnessed, seen, and loved. He developed a profound sense of trust and depth of intimacy he would have never experienced without some courageous personal honesty, something I’d li...2020-06-2340 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Sacred Sex in the Second Half" with Wendy Cobina DemosI am coming to you from the quaint town of Tavira, Portugal, part of my year long travel around the world and the subject of my third book "Blue Skyways." I’ll tell you at the end of the show how you can access an exclusive copy of Blue Skyways, but for now, I want to talk about sex. Yes, this next show is another in my “sex in the second half” series, and not all the content is suitable for the kiddies, so please use discretion before playing this podcast over your elementary school's PA system. Now I’...2019-11-2634 min
Dance Past Sunset PodcastCannabis for Seniors, with artist, stoner, and hemp advocate Daniel Roberto OrtegaI first interviewed my friend Daniel Roberto Ortega a few years ago about his art, which he creates from a combination of natural hemp and the cremated remains of pets and people. I suspected at the time that Daniel was stoned, and I made light of it in my introduction to that show. Well, Daniel came clean with me recently and admitted that he was high, and that’s how I learned about his new non-profit venture called Cannabis for Seniors, which is an informational resource for all things hemp. But why seniors? What should people in the second half of...2019-10-2741 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"A" is for Aging. "M" is for Menopause, with International Health & Wellness Consultant Sophie Benge, Part 2 of 2As I promised in Part One of my interview with Sophie Benge, in this Part Two things get a bit racier as we dive into specific ways women can thrive through menopause, stay connected to their bodies, and wake up their sexual magnetism. While our talk is highly respectful, we do touch on topics that would not be suitable for young children, so some parental guidance is recommended, plus I do drop the occasional cuss word. My guest, Sophie Benge, an international journalist and consultant on beauty and wellness, with a focus on women. She is the author of several books on the heal...2019-08-3145 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast“A” is for Aging. “M” is for Menopause, with International Health & Wellness Consultant Sophie Benge, Part 1 of 2I met my next guest in Portugal last May, at a conference on healing, and was immediately attracted to her natural beauty and radiance. No surprise there — just take a look at her picture! When someone has an inner smile, it manifests outwardly, and I love to see it. Sophie Benge is an international journalist and consultant on beauty and wellness, with a focus on women. Now guys, don’t turn me off yet, because you are going to want to hear Sophie explain how you and the woman in your life can have more and better sex...2019-08-3025 min
Exploring DeathEnjoying Peak Life Experiences in your Sunset Years with Brant HuddlestonBrant Huddleston is the host of the podcast and blog “Dance Past Sunset” for active, older adults who want to enjoy peak life experiences well into and even past their sunset years. As a boomer, he is chin-deep in all the issues that affect his generation, staying healthy so he can travel, caregiving for an ailing parent, being there for his kids and grandkids, deciding future care preferences, and how to pay for it all. On each of his shows, he interviews an expert who shares best practices, tools, tips, and technologies for how to make the most...2019-08-2832 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Fall down seven times. Get up eight" with Attorney Ron FrappierThis next show is deeply personal, because I have the treasured opportunity to interview one of my oldest and dearest friends, a man who was literally given up for dead by the medical establishment, and yet who lived to tell a harrowing story of devastation, faith, hard work, and eventually, restoration. Ron Frappier was at the peak of his game, one of the top five corporate security lawyers in the country. Then, in a split second, everything changed. This show is more than just about enjoying peak life experiences — it’s about finding meaning in life. For Ron, that meant defying...2019-07-2338 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Death Rituals from Around the World" with Professional Photographer Klaus Bo, Part 2 of 2In part one of my interview with Danish photographer Klaus Bo, we learned how he got started with his dead and alive project, chronicling death rituals from Greenland, Haiti, Madagascar, Ghana, India, Indonesia and Nepal. You can see those pictures on his website DeadandAliveProject.com. In this second and final part of my interview with Klaus, we talk about food. That’s right! When the living come together, even for a funeral, food is often and important part of that ritual, even if it’s just coffee and cake. What you won’t hear is me and Klaus after the mics wer...2019-07-0314 min
Dance Past Sunset PodcastDeath Rituals from Around the World with Professional Photographer Klaus Bo, Part 1 of 2Just before leaving for my recent trip to Europe and Morocco, I had the immense pleasure of interviewing a talented photographer from Copenhagen, Denmark, Klaus Bo Christenson. Klaus travels the world chronicling death rituals, and over the years has amassed the world’s largest collection of photographs, which you can see at his deadandliveproject.com website. Does Klaus have some stories to tell? You bet he does! In fact, I was so absorbed by tales of Haitian voodoo rituals, chicken caskets from Ghana, and Indonesian funeral feasts that I had to break this interview into two parts.2019-06-3034 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"One Wild Ride" with Steve Appleton, owner of ReallyGoodEbikes.comToday I continue with my “Moving to Higher Ground” theme, where I interview folks who are stepping outside of their comfort zones, taking risks, and going for a lifestyle that while unconventional, holds the promise of getting them through their sunset years with a degree of security and quality that they might not have if they just stayed in place. Why am I doing that? Well, it’s because that’s the kind of journey I’m on myself, and I thought I’d take you along for the ride with me as I fumble and bumble my way through the adventure...2019-04-2134 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast“Moving On Up by Moving On Down” with Rita Wilkins the “Downsizing Designer,” Part 2 of 2In Part One of my interview with Rita Wilkins, the “Downsizing Designer,” we learned how a trip to Africa shook up Rita’s world and led her to a new lifestyle paradigm, one where she shed 95% of her stuff in exchange for more time, money, and freedom in a much smaller apartment in Philadelphia. We talked a fair bit about how such shake-ups can come at a cost to relationships, and that’s where we pick up in this Part Two of our talk. But in keeping with my penchant for random thought, Rita and I go from the...2019-04-0836 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Moving On Up by Moving On Down" with Rita Wilkins the "Downsizing Designer," Part 1 of 2Somewhere along the long road to the present moment, probably during the vain efforts to save my first marriage, I was told “the issue is never the issue.” Now, being both a male and a former engineer, that caused a bit of a mind cramp for me. I mean, how can the issue not be the issue? But it’s true. Often the truth of a matter is hidden behind clutter, both the physical and the metaphysical kind. And so it is with the stuff you own. I mean all that crap you’ve got stuffed away in your...2019-04-0333 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"The Green New Deal (with a Touch of Gray)" with Mick Smyer, PhD of The Graying Green ProjectI have a real treat for you guys today, for all sorts of reasons, not the least of which is that at the end of this interview, I am going to drop a bomb. But first, let me introduce my next guest, who I discovered while perusing a copy of USA Today while waiting to catch a plane from Brazil to Mexico. I was traveling to record videos for my new Go!Mobile Youtube channel, which is for people who want to travel in an environmentally sensitive way, sometimes referred to as eco-tourism. You’ll find a link to those vi...2019-03-1246 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"How to Find Your Path to Bliss....Abroad," with Beverly Nelson, Ph.D. and Michael Lee Bartlett, Part 2 of 2In part one of my last show, I introduced you to Dr. Beverly Nelson and her husband Michael Lee Bartlett, who are the producers and hosts of an eight-week, experiential interactive online program called “Moving Abroad: A Hero’s Journey.” As you may be able to tell from its title, the program uses the work of author and professor Joseph Campbell as a framework for helping people who are contemplating a move abroad, that is, people like me and my wife Leslie. If you have yet to hear Part One, I recommend you listen to at least the first few minutes...2019-02-0638 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"How to Find Your Path to Bliss...Abroad" with Beverly Nelson, Ph.D. and Michael Lee Bartlett, Part 1 of 2Welcome to the first show of 2019, and what an inspiring one it is. I know you are going to really like it, because it has one of those too good to be true stories behind it, which I’ll tell in a moment. But first let me provide some context. Those of you who have been following me for a while know I am a fan of the American author and Professor of Literature Joseph Campbell, who became famous for his work on the role of myth in literature, religion and ultimately, in all of human experience. You’ll find me qu...2019-02-0528 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Can you live on $16K a year?" with Nancy Altman, President of Social Security WorksYou know I’ve been on a kick lately for ways we older people can economize and make the most of our money, and today’s show digs into the question: How can the government help? Yeah, yeah, I know the old joke: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help. Ronald Reagan said those were the nine most terrifying words in the English language. But are they really? At age 62, I am already looking forward to a little help from Medicare and especially, Social Security. I mean, after all, a good bit was taken out of my paycheck o...2018-12-2643 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Reaching Across Generations" with Andrew Belser, Creator and Producer of FaceAge, Part 2 of 2In my last show, I talked with Andrew Belser, who is presently a professor of Movement, Voice, and Acting at Penn State University. Andrew is also the creator of an award winning video program called FaceAge that shows young and older adults interacting knee-to-knee, nose-to-nose almost, while studying and describing one another’s faces. It is a deeply moving work that challenges perceptions about what it means to be “old," fosters introspection, and builds acceptance, awareness, and cross-generational connections. I had the chance to experience FaceAge in DC earlier this year, and it quite frankly moved me to tears. In part on...2018-09-1249 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Reaching Across Generations" with Andrew Belser, Creator and Producer of FaceAge, Part 1 of 2My kids will tell you I cry when my heart is moved by something…a poem, a story or a piece of music, heck even a television commercial can bring on the tears. It’s something I’ve accepted about myself and don’t deny. But that something has to be truly exquisite, poignant or deeply beautiful, something that reaches into the broken puzzle I call my heart and brings forth a salient emotion. FaceAge had that effect on me. This award winning video program weaves together interconnected chapters in which young adults and aging individu...2018-08-0722 min
Dance Past Sunset PodcastBouncing Over the Big Pond with Tricia Pimental, International Living's Portugal Correspondent, Part 2 of 2Today you’ll hear the second of my two part interview with Tricia Pimental, International Living Magazine’s Portugal correspondent, who bounced around the US with her husband Keith until then they landed in Fundao, Portugal, in the cherry capital of the country, about two hours north of Lisbon. Why did she bounce? Well, you’ll have to listen to find out, but that part of her story sure caught me by surprise. Tricia also shares her personal nightmare in this show, and if you stay to the end, I have something to say about that. Don’t worry, the nightmar...2018-07-0747 min
Dance Past Sunset PodcastBouncing Over the Big Pond with Tricia Pimental, International Living's Portugal Correspondent, Part 1 of 2Today I’m continuing my series on how some particularly adventurous boomers choose to live out their sunset years outside the United States. There are lots to things to consider before making that choice, and here to help us steer through it is author and former actress Tricia Pimental, who with her husband Keith landed in Fundao, Portugal where they are enjoying the good life at one third the cost of living in the US. Now I want to give some context for this interview. Tricia is presently the Portugal Correspondent for International Living magazine, and the Dan she mentions in o...2018-07-0729 min
Dance Past Sunset PodcastHow to Save Money on Common Medical Procedures with Rajesh Rao of IndushealthYou’ve probably heard on the mainstream news about how medical tourism helps us save thousands of dollars on medical procedures that are common to older adults, but how does it really work? Here to tell us how is a former IBM colleague and fellow Boomer Rajesh Rao, founder and CEO of Indushealth, a leading provider of corporate medical travel administration services. This show is a continuation of my series on ways Boomer's can cut expenses and save money while continuing to live high quality lives.2018-05-2239 min
Dance Past Sunset PodcastHow Boomers Can Live Well on Less Than $2000 a Month with Dan Prescher of International Living MagazineEvery month I receive in the mail a lovely little package with a handpainted cover of an exotic place I might like to live. Inside this package are stories of people just like me, boomers who, for one reason or another, have decided to take a walk on the wild side and fully explore the pros and cons of living outside the United States. That package is International Living magazine, and in this episode of Dance I talk with Dan Prescher, a Vice President and writer with the magazine, and more than that, a person who walks the talk. Seven...2018-03-281h 03
Dance Past Sunset PodcastFrom Carolina to Mesa, Arizona: A Caregiver's Journey with Dale GyongyosToday’s show is going to be a little bit different. In the past I’ve always interviewed some kind of expert, and that’s been great. We learn a lot from experts. But today, we’re going to right down to where the rubber meets the road and talk with a man who walked the caregiving talk. Dale Gyongyos left his home in North Carolina and travelled cross-country to Arizona, where he and his brother cared for their 95 year old mother until her passing. Now I want to quote something one of Dale’s friends wrote me when sh...2018-03-1743 min
Dance Past Sunset PodcastLive at C-TAC with BJ Miller and Amber SlichtaThe guests featured on these three shows all share CTAC’s vision to help Americans with advanced illness, especially the most vulnerable among us, to get comprehensive, high-quality, family-centered care where and when they need it, and in a way that honors their dignity. That makes all the people working toward that vision heroes in my mind, and I am fortunate to have had a view join me on the show. One of the guests you’ll hear from today is well known among those of us who work to reclaim death as a natural human experience instead of primarily a cli...2018-03-1125 min
Dance Past Sunset PodcastLive at C-TAC with Tim Bauerschmidt, Ramie Liddle, and John MaycroftIn this this episode you will meet Tim Bauerschmidt and Ramie Liddle, a husband and wife team, and John Maycroft from Optum. Tim and Ramie talk about the joys and challenges of accompanying Tim's 90 year old mom, who was afflicted with terminal cancer, on a last, long, wonderful journey across America, with poodle Ringo along for the ride. John Maycroft discusses the best way to think through and decide future life preferences leading to an Advanced Care Directive.2018-02-2629 min
Dance Past Sunset PodcastLive at C-TAC with Dr. Stephen Bekanich and Torrie FieldsOverview: One of the great privileges I have as host of this podcast is the opportunity to meet so many good people doing really great work. At the top of that list are the folks at the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care, or CTAC, a DC based organization dedicated to the ideal that all Americans with advanced illness, especially the sickest and most vulnerable among us, receive comprehensive, high-quality, person- and family-centered care that honors their dignity. I love that. So naturally I was super stoked to be invited to CTACs annual conference where I got to hear from folks on...2018-02-1127 min
Dance Past Sunset PodcastDrinking from the MemoryWell with Jay Newton-SmallEach of us has a story to tell…a most important story, that is, the story of our lives. But as we age, and especially if our fate includes a disability like Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, then that story can easily get lost or jumbled. That’s where a new service called MemoryWell comes in. MemoryWell is the brainchild of Jay Newton-Small, an entrepreneur with a long and successful career in journalism. While caring for her own late father, who suffered from Alzheimers, Jay used her writing skills to tell his story in a way that burdensome questionnaires just c...2018-01-1841 min
Dance Past Sunset PodcastHow Boomers and their Aging Parents Make the Most of Uber"It was fun, fun, fun till your daddy took the T-Bird away," the song goes. Well that's how a lot of elders feel when a doctor or child who is concerned for the elders safety (not to mention others on the road) urges the aged parent to stop driving. No more fun for you! Not so fast! Shared car services like Uber, plus a host of third parties, are working hard to make their fleet of cars accessible to older folks who might not have a smartphone. That makes calling a car a bit tricky, because the Uber app uses GPS...2017-12-1834 min
Dance Past Sunset PodcastHow Amazon's Echo Empowers Family Caregivers with OnGuardian Founder Daniel FerrazJoin me as OnGuardian founder and I talk about Brazil, his years in Angola, and how an unexpected crisis with his father back home led to the creation of OnGuardian, an advanced solution that empowers family caregivers by streamlining support, collaboration and access to information while providing care recipients with and easy to use voice interface, powered by Amazon Echo and Alexa. 2017-11-0445 min
Dance Past Sunset PodcastRiding the Magic Milk Truck with Raja and MarkWhat’s the best predictor of your child’s emotional well-being? It’s not great schools, hugs, or Pixar movies. Researchers at Emory University found that whether a kid knew their family history was the number one indicator. Raja Badr-el-Din and Mark Valentine of Ramblin’ Stories, both 23 years old, intuitively knew that. They sensed that without the stories of elder seniors, their lives would be somehow less rich, and their struggle would be greater. That’s when they cooked up a scheme. They fixed up a 1973 Chevy milk truck and took to the road, recording the stories of whatever elder showed up. Al...2017-07-3141 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"The heart of end-of-life care," with spiritual hospice Stephen JenkinsStephen Jenkins is my good friend ~ we have known each other for over a decade. He stood by my side as I journeyed through some of the most harrowing and scary stretches of my life, always with encouragement, love, compassion, and when needed, a dose of good humor. It is no small surprise that he is much loved by the men he cares for as they move through their own harrowing journey, from the peaks of power and strength, through growing weakness and vulnerability, and eventually, to death. I can only hope that when my time comes that Stephen i...2017-06-1834 minDance Past Sunset PodcastWhere, How and Why to Choose Green Burial with author Ann Hoffner, Part 2 of 2In part one of my interview with Ann Hoffner, author of The Natural Burial Cemetery Guide: A State-by-State Guide, we talked about where, how and why to choose a green burial. Ann chose a green burial for her own father, and after learning about how much better natural burial is for the environment, it’s what I want for myself as well. With a green burial, you save the earth from toxic chemicals, ugly concrete vaults or other unnatural weirdness, and just let nature takes its course with your body. It really is the greenest way to go, and here to te...2017-03-2928 minDance Past Sunset PodcastWhere, How and Why to Choose Green Burial with Ann Hoffner, author of The Natural Burial Cemetery Guide, Part 1 of 2Green cemeteries have been popping up like daisies, so Ann Hoffner wrote the definitive guide on where to find them, what they offer, how much they charge, and the story behind them. A green burial is one where the body is buried in a shroud or casket made of natural, biodegradable materials, without toxic embalming fluids, typically in a naturalized setting like a meadow or woodlands. Her book is called The Natural Burial Cemetery Guide: A State-by-State Guide: Where, How and Why to Choose Green Burial. As soon as I learned about this option, I decide...2017-03-2927 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Home Sweet Death at Home" with Death Midwife Reverend Olivia Bareham, On How to Conduct a Respectful, Safe and Beautiful Home Death and FuneralThis episode was recorded at the 6th Annual Afterlife and Awareness Conference in St. Louis, MO, where I had the pleasure of meeting Rev. Olivia Bareham of Sacred Crossings. You can hear the birds and breezes in the background as we sat under the sun in the hotel courtyard on a beautiful Missouri day. Olivia is a certified Death Midwife, Home Funeral Guide and Celebrant. She holds bachelors degrees in Education and Natural Theology and Sacred Healing and is an ordained Inter-faith Minister. Olivia’s experience as an auxiliary nurse, hospice volunteer and her mother’s end-of-life care...2016-06-1245 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"The Whole Cup of Life" with filmmakers Sara Feldmann Sheehan and Bobby Sheehan"There is hope in death if you drink from the whole cup of life. It makes the whole thing all right.” Wisdom not from beyond the grave, but close to it, and spoken by one of the the many people featured in the new film Mortal by filmmakers Sara Feldmann Sheehan and Bobby Sheehan. Featured are people whose lives have been deeply touched by death. Their wisdom is special. It is worth paying attention to, and the film presents it to you in a poignant and beautiful way. Mortal is a film that is both ea...2016-05-2944 minDance Past Sunset Podcast"Good Vibrations" with Sound Therapist Pati Pellerito. Ease Tension, Reduce Pain and Stress with MusicI am back from the 6th Annual Afterlife and Awareness Conference where I had the honor of being the Master of Ceremonies. I met so many amazing people and learned new things about death and near death experiences (NDE) that really blew my mind. My creative juices were flowing, and one of my fellow brainstormers was Pati Pellerito of Healing Gongs. Sound therapy is an effective and proven modality that uses vibrational sound to help reduce pain and stress, ease tension, and create a sense of peace and well being. Pati is a skilled sound therapist who us...2016-05-2017 minDance Past Sunset Podcast“A Natural, Earth Friendly Way to Come Back as a Tree” with Bios Urn Inventor Roger Moline NavarroBios Incube is the world´s first system designed to help grow the remains of your loved ones into trees.2016-04-0344 minDance Past Sunset Podcast“Three Near Death Experiences; One Abundant Life” with author Robert KopeckyRobert Kopecky is the author of the book "How to Survive Life (and Death): A Guide for Happiness in This World and Beyond,” in which he writes about his three Near Death Experiences (NDE), and more importantly, what they taught him about how to live. Robert is an Emmy nominated art director. He designed the credits for Showtime's Weeds, and directed art for the PBS children's show Word World. He contributes to Evolver.net, NewBuddhist.com, TheMindfulWord, and Gaia. You can find Robert on his blog Art, Faith, and the Koko Lions. Robert's newest book, "How to Get to Heave...2016-03-061h 01Dance Past Sunset PodcastSomething NewThe show has a slightly different sound and feel, thanks to a little persuasion from someone influential. We'll still be talking about death, dying and the afterlife, but with something new.2016-03-0309 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"New Rules for End of Life Care" with RN Barbara Karnes, veteran hospice nurse, Part 2 of 2In part one of this interview we met Barbara Karnes who spent decades working as a Registered Nurse and was present for the deaths of hundreds of people. The observations she made during those sacred moments, and the lessons she learned, led Barbara to craft a new way to think about dying, one that will transform how families might help a loved one die, and how you might help yourself when your time comes. Her compassionate wisdom is offered in a kit that includes two easy to read booklets and a copy of her new award winning film "New Rules...2016-01-2126 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"New Rules for End of Life Care" with RN Barbara Karnes, Part 1 of 2While at the bedside of hundreds of people during the dying process, my guest Barbara Karnes, a Registered Nurse, noticed that each death was following a near identical script. Each person was going through the stages of death in almost the same manner. And most families had the same questions. These realizations led Barbara to sit down and write the "Little Blue Book” — a book that changed an industry. Written in non-medical language for families, her booklet changed the way we experience the death of a loved one, because with knowledge comes understanding, and understanding reduces fear. Barbara's most recent project...2016-01-1740 minDance Past Sunset Podcast"What the hell is hell?" with Gary Amirault, rogue Bible scholar and myth busterI’ve been promising for some time now to take the show straight to hell and that time is now! I’m so excited to have my friend Gary Amirault on the show, but before I introduce him I want to explain some of the noises you might hear in the background. I’m celebrating the holidays with my wife’s family and so am recording this in the town of Recife, Brazil, where the neighbors are having a wonderful party. Maybe we’ll join them for a Caipirinha or three later on. I could have gone to a quieter pl...2015-12-2057 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"They Serve Bagels in Heaven" with author Irene Weinberg, Part 2 of 2This is part two of a two part interview with Irene Weinberg, author of They Serve Bagels in Heaven. In part one, we learned about how Irene’s husband Saul was tragically killed in a car accident that also left Irene severely injured. As Irene began to heal and put the pieces of her life back together, her beloved Saul reached across the divide between the living and the dead, helping Irene to make positive changes that have affected her whole family. Those communications from the dead involved skilled psychics. Now I’ll confess I am still skeptical about such...2015-12-0726 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"They Serve Bagels in Heaven" with author Irene Weinberg, Part 1 of 2In 1997, Irene Weinberg and her beloved husband Saul were driving home when their SUV went into a skid, flipped multiple times, and careened off the road. Irene, severely injured, turned to her husband but knew instantly that he was dead. That day, as tragic as it was, began a new chapter in Saul and Irene's centuries long love affair that transcends both time and place, and has helped make Irene the joyful, happy and thankful person you will hear on this interview. In part one we talk about how you have a chance to heal on the other side...2015-11-1941 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"And in the End" with David Dedrick of Compleatly Beatles, Part 2 of 2You may recall from a few months ago my interview with David Dedrick from the Compleatly Beatles podcast, when we talked about how death affected the lives and music of the Beatles. That was Part One. Well it’s been a long and winding road since then and now, but Part Two is here and it is a perfect example of how much fun two guys can have when talking about the great music of the 60’s and 70’s. Not only does David go into more detail about the Paul is Dead myth, but he also dives into stories about...2015-11-0151 minDance Past Sunset Podcast"A fun, flexible, hassle-free way to crowdsource a memorial" with Dana Ostomel of Deposit A Gift Here’s a little story about the famous Swiss psychotherapist Carl Gustav Jung. It’s been said that whenever a friend reported enthusiastically, "I was promoted at work!" Jung would say, "I'm very sorry to hear that; but if we all stick together, I think we will get through it.” And if a friend arrived depressed and ashamed, saying, "I've just been let go," Jung would say, "Let's open a bottle of wine; this is wonderful news; something good will happen now.” Well something good did happen when my guest Dana Ostomel was let go from her job — she founded Dep...2015-09-2049 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"I do not smoke my work!" with cremains artist Daniel Ortega of EarthwerksHe was in the nude, doing the tree pose on a bluff in Oaxaca, Mexico, when a shaman told Daniel Ortega he would be a healer. And so he has, mixing the cremated remains of humans and animals with hemp, ash, stone and other organic materials to create stunningly beautiful paintings and backlit keepsake vaults you can buy on his website. By transforming sacred elements into 95% green works of art, Daniel honors and heals the earth, fulfilling the shaman’s prophesy. Are you ready for a wild ride? Then join me on a high flying, smoke infused, electric kool-aid acid...2015-08-2829 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Witch Way to Go," with Kat the Wiccan Mortician, Part 2 of 2 Hey there tigers and tigresses! So good to have you all back. In my last show, I had a wonderful time talking with Kat the Wiccan Mortician, who dropped out of mortuary school to pursue her advocacy for a more sensitive way to care for the dead and dying. We pick it back up with Kat now in Part Two of that interview, starting with a discussion about slow medicine, which is the latest trend in taking back control from the medical machine, her vision for a natural burial ground in Alaska, death doulas, human compositing, and a whole b...2015-07-0925 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Witch Way to Go," with Kat the Wiccan Mortician, Part 1 of 2 Ahoy me lads and lassies! Did ye think I was lost at sea? Well I was, kind of. My youngest daughter got married last Saturday, and for those of you who’ve been involved with a wedding, you know how that can keep a person busy. But I’m back with a bunch of new shows that I think you are going to really like, starting with this one with Kat the Wiccan Mortician. I hinted in my last show that a witch would be making an appearance, and poof! There she was! I didn't even have to wiggle my n...2015-07-0336 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Art + Urn = Artisurn. How to keep beautifully," with Irina Jordan of artisurn.comFrom the musical "Cats" by Andrew Lloyd-Webber Memory Turn your face to the moonlight Let your memory lead you Open up, enter in If you find there The meaning of what happiness is Then a new life will begin What a lovely notion, and one I believe in. We live, we die, we are remembered, and a new life begins. My guest Irina Jorden is in the memory business. As founder and owner of Artisurns, she curates a precious collection of one of a kind urns, jewelry and keepsakes that do so much more than just hold the remains of a lov...2015-04-2638 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Lose Your Fear and Cut a New and Better Life Groove" with Jon Underwood of The Death CafeYour brain is plastic. No, I didn’t say your brain is made out of plastic, I said your brain is plastic, as in easily shaped or molded. Neuroscientists tells us that by dwelling on a thought, good or bad, we cut a new groove in our gray matter, which then influences our behavior. Even of you’re an old coot like me, born in 1956 and with a brain like a dried fig. Talking about death cuts a a new groove in your brain, a better groove, one with more awareness and less fear. Yes, we are talkin...2015-03-1441 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"From Earth to Earth ~ Respectfully Composting Human Remains" with Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak, Founder of Promessa, Part 2 of 2Welcome back to my interview with Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak, founder of the Promessa system, which uses advanced technology to mimic nature’s process of rapidly breaking down dead things and returning them to earth. We’re talking human compost here folks. I personally would like to have my remains spread around a cactus plant, which reflects my personality, but you listeners may opt for a fruit tree, or a flower garden. A rose by any other name! In part one we learned how Susanne came up with the idea for Promessa, and how it works. In this part, we learn mor...2015-02-0626 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"From earth to earth ~ Respectfully Composting Human Remains" with Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak, Founder of Promessa, Part 1 of 2Soil. Humus. Earth. Loam. Compost. For me, these words all conjure up good feelings of green, growing things, of vitality, and of vibrant life on our glorious blue planet. And so it was for Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak, a gardener and University trained biologist who wondered, “Why can’t human remains be returned to earth as respectfully and naturally as my spent flowers?” And so from her fertile mind, Promessa was born. By using advanced technology to mimic the natural processes Susanne knows so well, Promessa offers a new choice for environmentally conscious folks who don’t want to be buried but are...2015-01-2826 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"American Afterlife: Encounters in the Customs of Mourning" with author Kate SweeneySex. Death. Art. Monkey brain transplants. You'll hear about all that and more in my interview with Kate Sweeney, Public Radio journalist and author of the book "American Afterlife: Encounters in the Customs of Mourning." From the crooked tombstones of an almost forgotten Victorian cemetery, to a ghostly white bicycle leaned against a telephone pole, Kate and I explore the eclectic nooks and crannies of the uniquely American way of expressing grief, and we find parallels with it and society's hard fought and growing acceptance of LGBTQ PDA. The only place you'll hear the word "brobdingnagian" used in polite c...2014-12-131h 12
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Green Burial. As Below, So Above" with Joe Sehee, Founder of the Green Burial Council, Part 2 of 2Honor the dead. Heal the living. Invite in the divine. What a beautiful mission statement, and one adopted by the Green Burial Council, which was founded by my guest Joe Sehee. Only a former Jesuit lay minister and street entertainer would come up with something that heartfelt, which is why Joe is such an interesting guest. In Part One, he and I discussed funeral industry greenwashing and ways we consumers can avoid getting duped. In Part Two you’ll learn about the difference between a natural, green, and conversation burial ground, and some lessons we both learned while working for IBM...2014-11-0226 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Green Burial. As Below, So Above" with Joe Sehee, Founder of the Green Burial Council, Part 1 of 2You pick up a bottle of laundry detergent at the grocery store, and it's labeled “green” and is twice the price of regular detergent. But is it really safer for the environment? Often we just don’t know. Well it turns out green standards for the funeral industry are just as murky and unregulated, and there are some who will sell you and an expensive green funeral that really isn’t…a practice called “greenwashing.” My guest believed consumers should have access to objective information, so he founded the Green Burial Council, which established rigorous green standards for cemeteries who truly want...2014-10-2625 minDance Past Sunset Podcast"A Skull a Day Keeps the Doctor Away" with Noah Scalin, Part 2 of 2 In episode nine I introduced you my friend, skull artist and fellow Virginian Noah Scalin, whose book of Skulls caught my eye while I was perusing the back of a shop in Charleston, South Carolina a few years ago. Every skull Noah creates is made from a different materials, from turnips to tinfoil, and they are so amazing that Noah has become a bit of a skull celebrity. His art was recently featured in the Mammoth Book of Skulls, he speaks around the world on creative expression, teaches graphic design at the Virginia Commonwealth University, and...2014-09-2932 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"And in the End, the Love You Make" with David Dedrick of the Compleatly Beatles PodcastI think it’s safe to say that the Beatle’s were one of the most influential and innovative rock bands in the history of the genre. The power and impact of their music is hard to overstate. Ever since I first heard them on the Ed Sullivan show in the early 60’s, I knew the Beatle’s were special, and their magical songs became milestones in my passage through youth into adulthood. My guest on this show, David Dedrick, is one of the world’s leading experts on Beatle’s music and lore. He and his partner Ian...2014-09-0544 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Lessons from the Dying" with Dr. Karen Wyatt, MD, Part 2 of 2 You’ve been clamoring! You’ve been screaming! You’ve been sending in your cereal box tops for a chance to hear Part 2 of my interview with Dr. Karen Wyatt, America’s Spiritual MD. Well wait no longer, dear listeners, because here ’tis. Our conversation picks up where Part 1 ended, discussing a paradox, that is, making sense of chaos. Can it be done? Should it be done? From there we dive deep into the words of Jesus in the original Aramaic, his native tongue, where we find new source of inspiration and peace. You are goi...2014-08-0336 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Lessons from the Dying" with Dr. Karen Wyatt, MD, Part 1 of 2 You know those experiences you have that just make you happy remembering them, like a great birthday party or a fabulous meal with friends...when your heart, soul and body get that deeply satisfied, good feeling? Well that’s how I would describe my time with Dr. Karen Wyatt, MD...hospice caregiver and a diamond mine of wisdom on how to live abundantly. Author of “What Really Matters: 7 Lessons for Living from the Stories of the Dying,” Karen is a family physician who invested her 25 year medical career working with patients in challenging settings, such as hospices, nursin...2014-07-1324 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"A Skull a Day Keeps the Doctor Away" with Noah Scalin. Punk Professor, Space Pirate, and Design Rebel. Part 1 of 2 Punk Professor. Space pirate. Design rebel. Noah Scalin is not your ordinary guy ~ he might not even sleep! He teaches design at the Virginia Commonwealth University, runs a socially conscious design firm called Another Limited Rebellion, and has just launched a kickstarter campaign for a new book of skulls that you’ll want to hear all about. We had so much to talk about that this show is just part one of a two part interview. Noah’s work can be seen in many publications including USA Today, Wired and The New York Times. His art has been...2014-06-2039 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Going Out Green" with Jeff Jorgenson, Funeral Director, Environmentalist You care about the earth in life ~ but what about in death? Will your final act be kind to the planet and to those you leave behind? Learn what a truly green funeral is, what is myth and what is truth, the trends and the obstacles in this interview with Jeff Jorgenson of Elemental NW ~ Seattle's first and only all green funeral home. In one of those unexpected twists of fate that life tosses our way, Jeff found himself with a newly minted degree in aeronautics, plus a Master of Science in Management, but a job offer with t...2014-06-1748 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Let's Have Dinner and Talk About Death" with Michael Hebb on a casual way to foster proactive conversations about death...over a bottle of wineOn a train between Seattle and Portland, along the beautiful Puget Sound, University of Washington Teaching Fellow Michael Hebb had one of those serendipitous conversations that changed everything. In the salon car, Michael struck up a conversation with two strangers, both of whom were MDs, and learned two devastating facts: The vast majority of American bankruptcies are related to end of life issues 75% of Americans want to die at home, yet only 25% actually do. This provoked Michael’s question to the doctors: Do you agree that how we end our lives is the most important and costly con...2014-05-3149 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"I'm Sorry to Hear" with Rachel Zeldin on advanced planningRachel Zeldin of Funerals 360 (formerly I’m Sorry to Hear) talks about the importance of of providing equal access to information on funeral planning and encouraging the sharing of one’s personal funeral planning experiences. Oh, and she also a secret the funeral industry does not want you to know that could save you thousands of dollars. A Philadelphia native, Rachel earned a bachelor’s degree in International Business & Economics from Drexel University. Following five years working globally in international financial services, Zeldin switched to pursue the start of a funeral planning platform that she wished her family had when h...2014-05-2748 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"It's a Good Day to Die" with Marc Okrand, alien linguistA rollicking interview with Marc Okrand, a University trained linguist who produced the Vulcan and Klingon languages heard in the Star Trek movies. You may think Marc is suffering from a bad case of post nasal drip, but seriously, he’s produced a legitimate language that introduces us to the Klingon death culture and that’s even been used in Shakespeare. Marc and I do some role paying and trade off speaking Klingon death proverbs. It's a good day to die!2014-05-2741 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Don't Bury Yourself Under Ugly" with Greg Lundgren, Memorial ArtistThey’re green! They’re blue! They’re bubbly and luminescent and glowing and so totally cool you’ll surely want to know more about what artist Greg Lundgren does in the cemetery with massive slabs of glass. You’ve never seen anything like it! Greg is an artistic visionary for how to bring beauty and art back to memorials, so that they are...memorable and not so. Hear Greg discuss what can be done about blasé grey monoliths, and opportunities for artists and branded fashion designers in death services and products. Greg Lundgren doesn't just look like Gregory Peck ~ he do...2014-05-2755 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"The Freedom to Die" with Melissa Barber, Death With Dignity National CenterThe Death with Dignity National Center works to bring the freedom of choice to every state in the US. What freedom would that be? The freedom to die at a time of your choosing..providing, that is, that you pass some very carefully thought out safeguards and conditions. Melissa Barber, who at the time of this recording was with the Center, walks us through the delicate subject with sensitivity and grace. Together we learn a lot about the freedom to choose, along with the origins of a Molly Bolly!2014-05-271h 02
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"Bang! Bang! You're Dead!" with Trent Nicholas, film historianTrent Nicholas teaches film history for the Virginia Commonwealth University art history department, and he holds a master’s degree in cinema studies from New York University. I met Trent at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts where he is a media programs coordinator in the art and education division. We talked about how death is portrayed on the silver screen, covering everything from Mae West to Clint Eastwood to Quinton Tarrantino, with a little side discussion on the infamous Willhelm scream.2014-05-2746 min
Dance Past Sunset Podcast"How Death Makes Life Possible" with Marilyn Schlitz, Ph.D., President Emeritus of the Institute for Noetic SciencesThis very first episode of the Dance to Death Afterlife provides a brief introduction to our mission and purpose followed by an epic interview with Marilyn Schlitz, Ph.D., social anthropologist, film maker, a leader in consciousness studies, Pres. Emeritus and Senior Fellow at the Inst. of Noetic Sciences, and pumpkin goddess. Learn about the stunning and life-changing experience former astronaut Edgar Mitchell had upon his return to earth from space, and the work Marilyn is doing with Deepak Chopra in a 2014 film entitled "How Death Makes Life Possible."2014-05-2757 min