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
30:03 There is life until the end
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??
A project to help you realise you are enough, by noticing and inhabiting life more fully.
What Is a Good Life? is a long-form conversation project exploring how people actually live, feel, and make meaning of their lives. Over the past four years, I’ve sat with more than 300 people — artists, parents, executives, wanderers, therapists, and strangers and invited them into a simple but profound inquiry, "What is a good life for you?"
The conversations explore presence, paradox, uncertainty, and the moments that shape a life - love and loss, trust and fear, clarity and not knowing. It’s an invitations to slow down, to listen deeply, and to bring you into conversation with your own life. There are new episodes every Tuesday.