<![CDATA[Liza Hanks: Life/Death/Law Podcast]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/s/lifedeathlaw-episodeshttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!d6YE!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff9597d78-d2a3-4785-83bc-8da2406a5ef6_354x354.pngLiza Hanks: Life/Death/Law Podcasthttps://www.lizahanks.com/s/lifedeathlaw-episodesSubstackThu, 06 Aug 2026 03:42:55 GMT<![CDATA[Emily Bouchard: Prenups and Why They Matter]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/emily-bouchard-prenups-and-why-theyhttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/emily-bouchard-prenups-and-why-theyTue, 04 Aug 2026 21:04:08 GMTIn this episode Emily Bouchard, a family dynamics and money coach, talks to me about money and the difficulties that families often have in engaging in honest conversations about it.

Emily offers fascinating insights into why money can be such a hard thing to talk about, and tips for helping to get these conversations started. I asked her to be on my show because, so often, a long, uncomfortable silence falls across the room when my clients begin to sort out who owns what in a marriage, or how parents want their children to treat an inheritance. As Emily points out, avoiding open and honest communications about money (like avoiding the same kinds of conversations about death and illness) means a missed opportunity for learning about ourselves, our families, and our most closely held values and hopes. I hope you enjoy it.

To read more: Emily is the co-author, with Emily Chase Smith, of Beginner’s Guide to Purposeful Prenups and the author of Estate Planning for the Blended Family.

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]]><![CDATA[Dr. Elizabeth Landsverk: Dealing with Dementia]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/dr-elizabeth-landsverk-dealing-withhttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/dr-elizabeth-landsverk-dealing-withTue, 04 Aug 2026 21:00:36 GMTIn this episode, I’m taking a look at a difficult moment — you visit your parents and realize that your parents just seem…. a little bit different, just not the same as they used to be–more forgetful, more agitated, or suddenly involved with people that you don’t know or trust.

Join me for a candid discussion with Dr. Elizabeth Landsverk, a board-certified physician in Internal medicine, Geriatric medicine, and Palliative care medicine. She’s also the founder of ElderConsult Geriatric Medicine, a practice that offers house-call based medicine to seniors and their families.

Elizabeth offers practical help for those dealing with dementia: how to know if it’s time to take a loved one to be evaluated; what kind of cognitive and behavioral symptoms to worry about (or not to worry about); how to find the right doctor; avoid the wrong medications and offer a loved one with dementia the best possible quality of life. Join us!

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]]><![CDATA[Myoshin Kelley: The Practice of Generosity]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/myoshin-kelley-the-practice-of-generosityhttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/myoshin-kelley-the-practice-of-generosityTue, 04 Aug 2026 20:56:07 GMTIf you’ve ever been curious about the practice of generosity or the value of it, or found yourself wanting to be generous but somehow holding yourself back, and wondered what was getting in your way, please listen to my conversation with Myoshin Kelley.

What is estate planning, really? I know that most lawyers focus on reducing taxes, or the creation of documents, but when you get down to it, what you’re really doing when you make an estate plan is giving everything away, right?

So, to me, understanding the practice of generosity and what gets in the way of being generous are central to effective estate planning, and who better to explore that territory than my guest for episode 3 of Life/Death/Law: Myoshin Kelley, an eloquent teacher on the key Buddhist teachings on the wisdom of opening the heart. Myoshin is a Senior Instructor with the Tergar Community, which supports the worldwide vision of Tibetan master meditation teacher and author Mingyur Rinpoche, tergar.org, and it is an honor to have her on the podcast.

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]]><![CDATA[Dr. Muffie Weibe Waterman: Talking About the Hard Stuff]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/dr-muffie-weibe-waterman-talkinghttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/dr-muffie-weibe-waterman-talkingTue, 04 Aug 2026 20:53:47 GMTIn this episode I’m taking to Dr. Muffie Weibe Waterman, author of Wired to Listen, a book about how what we say to kids, and don’t, impacts the way that kids see the world and act in it. In her book, Dr. Waterman writes about how, and when, to talk to kids about the hard stuff; death, divorce, and sex--topics that we all struggle with addressing honestly and effectively with our kids.

I asked Dr. Waterman to be on the show because many of the people that I work with, and many of the people listening to this show, struggle with talking appropriately, and effectively, to kids (of all ages) about death and dying. These conversations can be around the death of a beloved grandparent, or about the process of estate planning, or, even, between adult children and elderly parents, about the reality of end of life planning.

If you have ever struggled with how to talk honestly and openly about death and dying with your children or your parents, and honestly, who hasn’t?, I think you’ll enjoy listening to today’s show.

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]]><![CDATA[Access to Digital Assets After Death]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/access-to-digital-assets-after-deathhttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/access-to-digital-assets-after-deathTue, 04 Aug 2026 20:49:32 GMTIn this episode of Life/Death/Law, Einat Sandman Clarke, Senior Counsel at Google LLC provides an inside look at how Google handles requests for digital assets (like emails, photos, and videos) after someone has died and discusses the broader legal landscape that governs all service providers facing requests to release digital communications belonging to their users.

You will learn how to use Google’s Inactive Account Manger to control access to your digital assets (like email, videos, images, and documents) and why service providers (like Google, Apple, facebook, and Yahoo) can’t give anyone access to your stored electronic communications without your consent, or a court order.

If you’ve ever worried about what will happen to your digital life after you die (and who hasn’t), please listen.

To read more about Digital Estate Planning, download my free ebook.

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]]><![CDATA[Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider: Extremis and End Game]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/dr-shoshana-ungerleider-extremishttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/dr-shoshana-ungerleider-extremisTue, 04 Aug 2026 20:47:52 GMTIn this episode of Life/Death/Law, join me for a conversation with Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider, a physician, speaker, writer, activist, and the force behind two amazing movies about end of life: Extremis and End Game, both available on Netflix (so watch them!).

Dr. Ungerleider also (when not producing movies and making social change) works as an internist practicing hospital medicine at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. She received her medical degree from Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, OR and completed residency at California Pacific Medical Center where she is now on the teaching faculty and serves on the Executive Board of the Foundation Board of Trustees.

Extremis, which is about end of life decision making in the ICU at Oakland’s Highland Hospital, won best Documentary Short at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017, and was nominated for an Academy Award and two Emmies. End Game recently premiered at Sundance, and is about palliative care and end of life planning in the face of terminal illness, and was filmed at UCSF and Zen Hospice, in San Francisco. Both movies are heartfelt, engaging, honest and important. They show, without preaching, how important it is for your loved ones to know what you do and don’t want at end of life and how palliative care and hospice can add quality to that time.

Dr. Ungerleider is also the founder of the End Well conference, which will take place on December 6, 2018 in San Francisco. The conference is a dynamic convening of design, tech, health care, policy, media, the arts and activist communities committed to generating human-centered, interdisciplinary innovation for the end of life experience. I can’t wait to attend.

If you would like to know more about how to prepare yourself or your loved ones for an empowered end of life, and how to talk to your family about what you do and don’t want at the end of life, please listen to today’s show.

Here are links to the resources that Dr. Ungerleider mentions on the show:

1. Go Wish-card game conversation starter.

2. Five Wishes Advance Directive.

3. Getpalliative.org - resources on palliative care

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]]><![CDATA[Dr. Jessica Zitter: Extreme Measures]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/dr-jessica-zitter-extreme-measureshttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/dr-jessica-zitter-extreme-measuresTue, 04 Aug 2026 20:44:10 GMTIn this episode of Life/Death/Law, Dr. Jessica Zitter, author of Extreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Life, talks openly and honestly about how to communicate with your doctors about what you or a loved one wants, and doesn’t want, for end of life care; how to pick the right person to act as your health care agent and make medical decisions for you; and what palliative care can offer those facing chronic illness. But more than that, she is a compassionate and articulate voice for changing the way that people die in this country and the role that the medical profession can play in improving end of life care. I loved talking to her and I think you’ll love listening.

Dr. Jessica Zitter is Harvard and UCSF-trained to practice the unusual combination of Critical and Palliative Care medicine. She works as an Attending Physician at a public hospital in Oakland, California.

She is a regular contributor to The New York Times and her articles have appeared in The Atlantic, Time Magazine, Journal of the American Medical Association, The Washington Post and many other publications.

Dr. Zitter’s work is featured in the Academy and Emmy-nominated short documentary “Extremis,” available on Netflix. Her media appearances include CBS Sunday Morning, NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, The Doctors, The Leonard Lopate Show, and a Dr. Oz special, “The Death Show.”

If you’ve ever been frustrated with a doctor that doesn’t listen to you and wondered how to talk to them effectively, or worried about who to name as your health care agent, or are interested in finding out more about palliative care, please listen to this episode.

To learn more about Dr. Zitter, please go to her website., www.jessicazitter.com.

Please follow me at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lifedeathlaw
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LizaHanksAuthor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizahanks

]]><![CDATA[Katy Butler: The Art of Dying Well]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/katy-butler-the-art-of-dying-wellhttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/katy-butler-the-art-of-dying-wellTue, 04 Aug 2026 20:41:22 GMTIn this episode, award-winning journalist and author Katy Butler discusses her newest book, The Art of Dying Well, as well as her memoir, Knocking on Heaven’s Door, two books about meeting aging and death with grace, intelligence, and resilience.

If you have ever struggled with how best to support a loved one as they confront old age, sickness, and death, or wondered what you can do, now, to make sure that your old age is as independent and healthy as possible and that your death be a natural one surrounded by love, listen to Katy Butler.

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]]><![CDATA[Michael Hebb: Death Over Dinner]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/michael-hebb-death-over-dinnerhttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/michael-hebb-death-over-dinnerTue, 04 Aug 2026 20:37:33 GMTIn this episode of Life/Death/Law, Michael Hebb, the founder of Death Over Dinner, discusses his new book, Let’s Talk About Death (Over Dinner): An Invitation and Guide to Life’s Most Important Conversation.

Since he founded Death Over Dinner in 2013, more than 100,000 dinners have been served where people have sat down together over a home-cooked meal to talk, really talk, about what they do and don’t want at the end of their lives, and what they can do, now, to make both their lives and their deaths more meaningful for themselves and their loved ones.

Michael is 100% right when he says that how we end our lives is the most important and costly conversation America is not having. If you have ever wondered how to get that conversation started, either for yourself or for someone you love, please listen.

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]]><![CDATA[Reimagine End of Life and The Dinner Party]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/reimagine-end-of-life-and-the-dinnerhttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/reimagine-end-of-life-and-the-dinnerTue, 04 Aug 2026 20:33:46 GMTDara Kosberg, is the Director of Programming for the Reimagine End of Life Conference, beginning October 27, in New York. It will be a city-wide event that will include over 300 events, 60 Interactive Rituals, 32 performances, and 15 comedy shows.

Dara is also a member of the Founding Team for The Dinner Party, a community of mostly 20-30 somethings who have each experienced profound loss and connect around potluck dinners to talk about it.

Dara’s vision is vast. She’s on a mission to break down taboos in society around death and loss. She believes that the experience of loss and the exploration of death can be catalysts to build more meaningful connections and a more meaningful life. Join us in this episode of Life/Death/Law as Dara discusses her creative and inspiring work in helping people to connect and talk about death, dying, and, most importantly, living.

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]]><![CDATA[Modern Loss: Rebecca Soffer]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/modern-loss-rebecca-sofferhttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/modern-loss-rebecca-sofferTue, 04 Aug 2026 20:20:57 GMTIn this episode of Life/Death/Law, Rebecca Soffer, the CEO and co-founder of Modern Loss, shares the insights she’s gained from starting a ground-breaking website, Modern Loss, publishing a wonderful new book, Modern Loss: Candid conversations about grief. Beginner’s Welcome, and hosting a national series of live storytelling events that discuss grief and loss in honest, vivid, and, above all, human,terms.

Rebecca, and her co-founder and co-author, Gabrielle Birkner, both suffered loss at a young age, felt the isolation that comes with that, and decided to create a community to destigmatize grief and loss.

If you, or someone you love, is dealing with profound loss, Modern Loss offers community, great advice, and a place to share, in their own words, “the unspeakably taboo, unbelievably hilarious, and unexpectedly beautiful terrain of navigating your life after a death.”

Here’s what Modern Loss isn’t: too clinical, overtly religious, patronizing, or cheesy. Instead, it offers well-written personal essays, tons of resources for the confused, links to relevant articles and a way to connect with others who understand what it means to survive loss. I loved my conversation with Rebecca, you will too. Enjoy!

Click here to find out more about Modern Loss.

Click here to find out more about Modern Loss: Candid Conversation About Grief. Beginners Welcome.

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]]><![CDATA[DIY Estate Planning for the Pandemic]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/diy-estate-planning-for-the-pandemichttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/diy-estate-planning-for-the-pandemicTue, 04 Aug 2026 20:17:49 GMT

]]><![CDATA[Caregiver: a love story]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/caregiver-a-love-storyhttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/caregiver-a-love-storyTue, 04 Aug 2026 20:12:35 GMTIn this episode of Women & Wills, Dr. Jessica Zitter, the producer and Director of the new movie, Caregiver: a love story talks about the crisis in family caregiver burden and how the movie she thought she was making, about the hospice experience of Bambi, a 59-year old woman, who decided to die at home under hospice care, became instead the story of how her husband, Rick, became her primary caregiver, and the toll it took on him.

In a verité fashion, the film takes you inside Rick’s journey as the caregiver, and highlights the issues faced by the 53 million non-professional caregivers working double-time and for free in jobs that they are completely untrained for.

If you are already a family caregiver, or are anticipating becoming one, listen to our conversation about family caregiver burden, what hospice can, and can’t do, and how to plan ahead for managing a truly difficult, but almost universal, experience.

To find out more about Caregiver: a love story, click here.

To find out more about resources for family caregivers, click here.

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]]><![CDATA[Donate Your Brain To Science: Tish Hevel and The Brain Donor Project]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/donate-your-brain-to-science-tishhttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/donate-your-brain-to-science-tishTue, 04 Aug 2026 20:08:30 GMTIn this episode of Women & Wills, Tish Hevel, CEO and Founder of the Brain Donor Project, explains why donating brain tissue for basic research is an incredible gift, helping researchers working to treat and cure neurological, neuropsychiatric, and neurodevelopmental disorders such as dementia and Parkinson’s.

Tish Havel’s father, Gene Armentrout (pictured above) wanted to donate his brain to science when he died in 2015. Back then, it wasn’t easy. This inspired Tish to create the Brain Donor Project, which works with the NeuroBioBank of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to make it easy for people to register in advance and arrange for brain donation upon death.

The donation of one brain will provide tissue for dozens, sometimes hundreds, of neurological studies. There is no cost to the family of the decedent, and a family can receive, upon request, a comprehensive report on the neuropathology of the donated brain. This report can provide answers for the relatives of the donor that may not have been answerable without a post-mortem examination.

Anyone over the age of 18 can donate their brain, and healthy brains are needed too. The Brain Donor Project makes it easy. Listen to find out how easy it is and how important it will be.

To find out more: braindonorproject.org

To learn more about brain donation: https://neurobiobank.nih.gov/donors-how-become-donor/

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]]><![CDATA[That Good Night: Dr. Sunita Puri]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/that-good-night-dr-sunita-purihttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/that-good-night-dr-sunita-puriTue, 04 Aug 2026 20:03:58 GMTIn this episode of Life/Death/Law, Dr. Sunita Puri, Program Director of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellowship at University of Massachusetts, and the author of That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour, talks about palliative care, what doing “everything” really means, and how to tell your loved ones and your doctors what you do and don’t want at the end of life.

You can find her book and more about Dr. Puri here:

https://sunitapuri.com/

And here’s a link to The Conversation Project, a resource for people seeking to have end of life conversations:

https://theconversationproject.org/

To ask a question for the show, email me at AskLiza@lifedeathlaw.com

To listen to more episodes of Life/Death/Law, go to www.lifedeathlaw.com

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]]><![CDATA[Green Burial: Elizabeth Fournier (The Green Reaper)]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/green-burial-elizabeth-fournier-thehttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/green-burial-elizabeth-fournier-theTue, 04 Aug 2026 19:04:48 GMTIn this episode of Life/Death/Law, Elizabeth Fournier, owner and founder of Cornerstone Funeral Services in Boring, Oregon, and the author of The Green Burial Guidebook, talks about what green burial is, what it isn’t, and how you can work with a funeral director to get the kind of burial you or your loved ones want. Learn about the surprisingly non-environmentally friendly footprint of traditional cremation and the new practices of aqua-cremation and organic reduction. You can also find out about how Nate was buried in Six Feet Under!

To find out more about Green Burial Resources: https://www.cornerstonefuneral.com/green-burial-resources

Elizabeth specifically mentioned the Funeral Consumers Alliance and the Green Burial Council during the show.

To ask a question for the show, email me at AskLiza@lifedeathlaw.com

To listen to more episodes of Life/Death/Law, go to www.lifedeathlaw.com

Follow me on:

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]]><![CDATA[What’s a Death Doula? Tracey Walker Tells All]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/whats-a-death-doula-tracey-walkerhttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/whats-a-death-doula-tracey-walkerTue, 04 Aug 2026 18:52:25 GMTIn this episode of Life/Death/Law, Tracey Walker, the founder of Let It Be End of Life Planning and the Program Director for End of Life Doula Training at Going with Grace, talks with me about what Death Doulas do, why they can be helpful in offering non-medical support to people facing death and their families in all kinds of ways, how to find a Death Doula if you or a loved needs support. She also discusses how Death Doulas work with other care providers, like Hospice. You will also learn about queer end of life assistance, doula work for pet loss, and, if you listen very carefully, you will hear my dog, Tater, barking in the background.

To find out more about Tracey’s Doula services, go to

https://www.letitbedeathdoula.com

.

To find out more about finding a Death Doula near you, here are the resources that we discussed:

Going with Grace Death Doula Directory: https://goingwithgrace.com/death-doula-directory/

National End-of-Life Doula Alliance (NEDA) Doula Directory: https://goingwithgrace.com/death-doula-directory/

And a special thanks to our sponsor: Redesigning the End.

To ask a question for the show, email me at AskLiza@lifedeathlaw.com

To listen to more episodes of Life/Death/Law, go to www.lifedeathlaw.com

Follow me on:

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]]><![CDATA[Nicole Taylor: How Community Foundations Can Help You do Good Where You Live]]>https://www.lizahanks.com/p/nicole-taylor-how-community-foundationshttps://www.lizahanks.com/p/nicole-taylor-how-community-foundationsTue, 04 Aug 2026 18:40:42 GMTNicole Taylor, the CEO and President of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the country’s largest community foundation, talks to me about what community foundations are and how they make it easy for all of us to get off of the sidelines and make meaningful contributions in our communities. Whether you want to contribute to a fund for a particular cause, help endow your community for the long term, or open up a donor advised fund, learn how community foundations are powerful resources for anyone that wants to make a contribution to their communities, but doesn’t know where to start.

Think of the Community Chest cards in monopoly!

1. Your donations can be combined with those of many others

2. Your contributions can be directed to local organizations that understand the needs of the communities you are in.

3. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, or do all of the research yourself.

To find your locat community foundation, click here for the Council on Foundations Community Foundation Locator.

To subscribe to my weekly Substack Newsletter, Life/Death/Law, subscribe here:

Liza W. Hanks
Writer, poet, Trusts and Estates Attorney. Host of Women & Wills Podcast. Author of "Every Californians Guide to Estate Planning." Fellow traveler with so many questions about what it really means to live, and die, with meaning.

To listen to more episodes of Life/Death/Law, go to www.lifedeathlaw.com

AND THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:

https://www.redesigningtheend.com/

a professional education platform for the next generation of eldercare, senior housing, estate planning, and death care leaders.

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