If you've ever avoided thinking about death — your own or someone else's — episode 426 of Grief and Happiness is exactly what you need to hear. Death doula and soul coach Julie Wright Halbert joins Emily to challenge everything we've been taught about the end of life, and why dying people deserve the same celebration as newborns. Raw, surprising, and deeply comforting, this conversation will change the way you think about living.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

(00:57) From national education attorney to death doula and soul coach

(01:52) How death doulas are transforming end-of-life care

(04:16) The hidden toll caregiving takes — and why supporters need support too (06:17) Why walking toward death is a gift, not a burden

(07:19) How dying people can reclaim their agency

(14:16) Why we celebrate births but not the people we're about to lose

(18:23) How grief and happiness mirror each other through presence

(22:27) Why there is no timeline for grief

(23:08) The signs, numbers, and moments that prove love doesn't die

(31:46) Why people go silent after a death — and what makes all the difference

(35:35) The death doula movement is growing — how you can be part of it

Julie Wright Halbert, Esq. is a death doula, transformational soul coach, and national advocate for grief literacy whose work bridges nearly three decades of legal rigor with soul-centered presence. A former Legislative Counsel for the Council of the Great City Schools, she shaped national education policy up to the U.S. Supreme Court level before the sudden loss of her husband to cancer in just three weeks transformed her path entirely. Today she is the founder of Rising Phoenix Life, guiding individuals and families through grief and life transitions, and volunteers as a certified death doula with Tidewell Empath Hospice in Florida. She is also the author of the forthcoming book Divine Ashes Ascending.

In this episode, Julie brings lived loss and professional wisdom to a conversation about dying with agency, presence, and love. She and Emily explore the importance of patients using their voice — choosing their environment, their people, and the terms of their final days — and the often-overlooked toll caregiving takes on loved ones. Julie introduces her philosophy of "living and dying awake": being so fully present in life that death can ultimately be met with legacy and celebration rather than fear. She also speaks openly about her continuing spiritual connection to her late husband Jim, and encourages listeners to explore the growing death doula movement as an accessible, compassionate source of support.

Connect with Julie Wright Halbert:

Website

Instagram

Book: Julie Wright Halbert - Divine Ashes Ascending

Free guided meditation by Julie

Let's Connect:

The Grief and Happiness Alliance

Book: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

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