Podcast
Before We Go
Hosted by Podcast Nation · EN
Before We Go is a narrative podcast hosted and produced by Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider—physician, science journalist, Oscar-nominated documentary producer, host of TED Health, and founder of End Well, a nonprofit reshaping how we think about life’s final chapter.
Season 1 followed Shoshana’s deeply personal journey through her father’s terminal cancer diagnosis, a path that forced her to confront her own mortality and illuminated unexpected truths about love, loss, and meaning.
Now, Season 2 opens the conversation wider. Shoshana sits down with people from all walks of life to explore what it means to live alongside mortality. Actor Yvette Nicole Brown shares her story of caregiving. Comedian Patton Oswalt reflects on grief through the eyes of his child. Actor Alexandra Breckenridge talks about navigating loss, and entrepreneur Mark Cuban lays out his vision for transforming healthcare. Alongside these voices, leading experts help us ask the deeper questions—about love, resilience, and what it means to face the inevitable with courage and compassion.
Follow along, see behind the scenes, and join the conversation on Instagram @beforewegopodcast.
23episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Alexandra Breckenridge Shares her Grief
Nov 2000:38:47Summary readyIn the final episode of Season 2, Shoshana sits down with her friend Alexandra Breckenridge — known to many as Mel Monroe from the hit Netflix series Virgin River. Alex has experienced many losses, on and off the screen, and she shares her experience as a way of letting others know that they’re not alone in their grief. Shoshana also speaks with Dr. Wendy Lichtenthal, a clinical psychologist who specializes in helping people navigate loss. Wendy doesn’t view grief as something you “move past,” but as something you learn to live alongside — something that shifts, reshapes, and evolves as you do.Join us on Instagram @beforewegopodcast for more stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and reflections on living and dying.Thank you to our Sponsors:Quince: Visit www.quince.com for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.Uncommon Goods: To get 15% off your next gift, go to www.uncommongoods.comStoryworth: Save $10 or more during their Holiday sale when you go to www.storyworth.com/beforewegoAir Doctor: Head to www.AirDoctorPro.com and use promo code BEFOREWEGO to get UP TO $300 off your purchase.This podcast is brought to you by Podcast Nation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryNikki Boyer Learns to Let Go
Nov 1300:37:02Summary readyNikki Boyer is probably best known for the podcast and Hulu series Dying for Sex, which follows her best friend, Molly, as she faces losing her life to cancer. But while Molly’s life was coming to an end, Nikki was trying to create a life. Nikki shares her story of the heartbreaking loss of multiple miscarriages. Dr. Jessica Zucker is a psychologist in Los Angeles who has counseled many women – like Nikki – as they grieved children who would never be born. And then one day, it happened to her. Jessica says that we need to rethink the way we view – and talk about – miscarriage.Join us on Instagram @beforewegopodcast for more stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and reflections on living and dying.Thank you to our Sponsors:Quince: Visit www.quince.com for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.Uncommon Goods: To get 15% off your next gift, go to www.uncommongoods.com/beforewegoStoryworth: Save $10 or more during their Holiday sale when you go to www.storyworth.com/beforewegoAir Doctor: Head to www.AirDoctorPro.com and use promo code BEFOREWEGO to get UP TO $300 off your purchase.This podcast is brought to you by Podcast Nation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryBJ Miller Sees The World Differently
Nov 600:36:13Summary readyDr. BJ Miller was a college sophomore when a sudden electrical accident nearly took his life. After months in a hospital burn unit and multiple amputations, he emerged into a world that saw him — and treated him — differently. But that experience became the foundation for everything that followed.Now a palliative care physician and one of the most compassionate voices in medicine, BJ is redefining what it means to live fully after loss and change. He challenges the very idea of “normal,” reminding us that disability isn’t a flaw to fix, but part of the human spectrum. His work invites us to expand our imagination of what it means to be alive, to belong, and to be whole.Join us on Instagram @beforewegopodcast for more stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and reflections on living and dying.Thank you to our Sponsors:Quince: Visit www.quince.com/beforewego for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.Uncommon Goods: To get 15% off your next gift, go to www.uncommongoods.com/beforewegoStoryworth: Save $10 or more during their Holiday sale when you go to www.storyworth.com/beforewegoAir Doctor: Head to www.AirDoctorPro.com and use promo code BEFOREWEGO to get UP TO $300 off your purchase.This podcast is brought to you by Podcast Nation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryRicki Lake Lives for Love
Oct 3000:37:38Summary readyRicki Lake has been in the public eye since starring in 1988’s Hairspray. She might be best known as host of The Ricki Lake Show. But she’s not here to talk about movies and TV. She’s here to share the compelling story of her late partner, Christian Evans, and how she continued to feel connected to him after his death – with help from psychic mediums.Dr. Josh Bullock studies mediumship from a different angle. Through his research, he investigates why “Pub Psychic Nights” are so popular in the UK — what comfort people are seeking, what answers they’re hoping for, and what it means to feel close to someone we’ve lost. His findings suggest that even skeptics can benefit from these communal spaces.Join us on Instagram @beforewegopodcast for more stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and reflections on living and dying.Thank you to our Sponsors:Quince: Visit www.quince.com/beforewego for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.Uncommon Goods: To get 15% off your next gift, go to www.uncommongoods.com/beforewegoThis podcast is brought to you by Podcast Nation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryMark Cuban and Dr. Fumiko Chino Try to F-Up Healthcare
Oct 2300:40:05Summary readyToday’s episode features two people who are shaking up the U.S. healthcare system in very different but deeply humane ways. Dr. Fumiko Chino knows firsthand how devastating medical debt can be. After losing her husband to cancer and being left with overwhelming bills, she went to medical school to become a radiation oncologist and made it her mission to make care more affordable.Mark Cuban, best known as one of the “sharks” on Shark Tank, is tackling the same problem from another angle. Through his Cost Plus Drug Company, he’s disrupting the industry with a transparent, direct-to-consumer model that’s already changing — and saving — lives.Together, Fumiko and Mark offer a hopeful glimpse of what’s possible when empathy meets innovation.Join us on Instagram @beforewegopodcast for more stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and reflections on living and dying.Thank you to our Sponsors:Quince: Visit www.quince.com/beforewego for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.Uncommon Goods: To get 15% off your next gift, go to www.uncommongoods.com/beforewegoThis podcast is brought to you by Podcast Nation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryKirsty Parsons Meets Her Future Self
Oct 1600:35:47Summary readyHow often do you think about your future self? For Kirsty Parsons, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at birth and told she likely wouldn’t live past her twenties, imagining a long future wasn’t even an option. But a groundbreaking new medication has changed everything. And suddenly, Kirsty is facing a future she never planned for.Psychologist Hal Hershfield is a researcher who studies how we make long-term decisions — and why we often fail to connect today’s choices with tomorrow’s consequences. Together, Kirsty and Hal offer two sides of the same question: What happens when you finally meet your future self?Join us on Instagram @beforewegopodcast for more stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and reflections on living and dying.Thank you to our Sponsors:Quince: Visit www.quince.com/beforewego for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.Uncommon Goods: To get 15% off your next gift, go to www.uncommongoods.com/beforewego.This podcast is brought to you by Podcast Nation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryBarry Blechman Takes a Journey
Oct 900:35:13Summary readyBarry Blechman shares at least one thing in common with host Shoshana Ungerleider: cancer runs in their families. Barry was first diagnosed in 1980 and stayed cancer-free for nearly 30 years before it returned. This time, the physical battle was accompanied by deep anxiety and depression, and traditional treatments weren’t enough. That’s when he turned to psilocybin therapy. Psilocybin is the active ingredient in “magic” mushrooms, and Dr. Tony Back — one of the early researchers in medical aid in dying — has been studying the use of psilocybin in treating patients with cancer. To truly understand its potential, he did what most doctors wouldn’t: he tried it himself.Join us on Instagram @beforewegopodcast for more stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and reflections on living and dying.Thank you to our Sponsor:Quince: Visit www.quince.com/beforewego for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.This podcast is brought to you by Podcast Nation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryYvette Nicole Brown - from Community to Caregiver
Oct 200:34:46Summary readyIn 2014, Yvette Nicole Brown made a life-changing decision: she left her job starring in the TV show Community to care for her father who had Alzheimer’s disease. For the next 11 years, Yvette cared for her father in her home, joining the tens of millions of Americans who are quietly caring for aging or ill family members within a healthcare system that often leaves families to figure it out alone. Ai-jen Poo — a caregiving advocate and organizer — hears stories like Yvette’s all the time. That’s why she’s working to improve support for caregivers in the U.S.Join us on Instagram @beforewegopodcast for more stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and reflections on living and dying.Thank you to our Sponsor:Quince: Visit www.quince.com/beforewego for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.This podcast is brought to you by Podcast Nation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryPatton Oswalt Learns to Laugh Again
Sep 2500:31:53Summary readyPatton Oswalt—a comedian, storyteller, and devoted dad—shares the story of losing his wife, Michelle, and becoming a single parent overnight. Grief, he learned, was anything but a straight line, and he feared what it would mean for his 7-year-old daughter, Alice. We also hear from Julie Kaplow, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in childhood grief and trauma, who reminds us that most children who experience loss go on to live full and healthy lives.Thank you to our Sponsor:Quince: Visit www.quince.com/beforewego for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.This podcast is brought to you by Podcast Nation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryAlua Arthur Comes Home
Sep 1800:35:45Summary readySeason 2 begins with Alua Arthur—world-renowned death doula and New York Times bestselling author of Briefly, Perfectly Human. In this conversation, Alua shares the story of a chance encounter that changed everything: a 14-hour bus ride in Cuba with a woman her age who was dying of cancer. That experience set her on a path to rethink everything she thought she knew about purpose, mortality, and what it means to live fully.Follow along on Instagram @beforewegopodcast for more stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and reflections on living and dying.Thank you to our Sponsors:Quince: Visit www.quince.com/beforewego for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.This podcast is brought to you by Podcast Nation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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