What is a Good Life? #16 - Finding Meaning in Life with Diane Button

On the 16th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast I am joined by Diane Button, who is the author of the bestselling book, Dear Death: Finding Meaning in Life, Peace in Death, and Joy in an Ordinary Day. 

She holds a Master's in Counselling Psychology, is a practicing end-of-life doula and a lead instructor at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine’s EOL Doula Certificate Program. 

In this episode Diane shares the 4 pillars of a meaningful life that she identified through interviewing people over the age of 75 who were fully content with how they lived. We discuss what she has learned about relationships, forgiveness, self-acceptance, and self-reflection, through working with people at the end of their lives.

While the conversation further reinforces for me the importance of regularly contemplating life through the lens of death in building my own good life. As it is filled with heartfelt insights, wisdom, and practical tools for living a life of greater reflection, connection, less regret, and for finding meaning.

Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for daily clips and weekly reflections.

Running Order: 

01:28 Podcast Begins

04:48 Developing an acceptance of death

08:58 The journey towards working with the dying

11:18 Identifying 4 pillars of a meaningful life 

15:48 Developing Self-acceptance 

19:38 Seeing the beauty in yourself

20:27 The power of authentic conversations 

23:39 Relieving fear and bringing more ease to the dying

27:42 Doing Life Reviews 

30:03 There is life until the end

32:18 Forgiveness 

37:00 Not everyone wants to address death when dying

39:38 How often do we give someone 100% of our attention?

42:40 How can we embrace and not fear death so much?

46:30 Beautiful experiences when people near death

48:50 The journey inward at the end of life

50:16 Observing the end of life

53:33 What is a good life for Diane?

For further content and information check out the following: 

- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos

- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/

- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/

- Diane's Website: https://www.dianebutton.com/

What is What is a Good Life??

Over the last three years, I've interviewed nearly 300 people around the question of "What is a good life?" I am not trying to find or prescribe universal answers to this question; instead, I aim to prompt your own inquiry into what constitutes a good life for you. I am also trying to share more genuine expressions of the human experience, beyond the masks that we wear.