How do we date when death has already changed us and how honest do we need to be about the grief we carry?

In this episode of It’s a Death Sentence, we talk openly about dating after loss. Whether through bereavement, serious illness, miscarriage or sudden change, death has a way of reshaping how we relate, trust and attach. And yet, dating culture rarely makes space for that reality.

Together, we explore what it means to return to dating when you’re no longer the same person you were before loss. We talk about timing, disclosure, fear, desire, awkward conversations, and the quiet tension between wanting connection and wanting to protect yourself.

What We Explore

- How Loss Changes the Way We Date: We reflect on how grief reshapes identity, attachment and expectations, and why dating after loss can feel both tender and terrifying.

- When and How to Talk About Death: We explore the unspoken rules around disclosure - when to share, how much to say, and why honesty doesn’t mean leading with trauma.

- Love, Risk and Letting Yourself Be Seen Again: We talk about vulnerability, fear of future loss, and the courage it takes to open yourself to connection when you already know what it costs.

As we reflect, one truth becomes clear: dating after death is not about going back - it’s about moving forward as someone new. Loss doesn’t make us unlovable, broken or too much. It makes us human.

This episode is an invitation to approach dating with more gentleness - for ourselves and for each other. To allow complexity, to soften expectations, and to remember that love doesn’t require us to forget what we’ve lost in order to begin again.

If you’re dating with grief in your pocket, you’re not doing it wrong. You’re just doing it honestly.

It's A Death Sentence shares real stories of life after loss and is produced by Urban Podcasts. Listener discretion is always advised.

What does it mean to work with death every day and how does that change the way we think about living, grieving and planning our own endings?

In this episode of It’s a Death Sentence, we’re joined by Allyse Worland, a first-generation funeral director and embalmer from the United States, whose career began at just 15 years old after a deeply personal experience of loss.

We talk openly with Allyse about entering a profession many people fear, the emotional and physical toll of death work, and why she has built her career around one core principle - being the person she needed when she was younger. Along the way, we explore embalming as an art, funeral traditions across cultures, and why talking about death early is one of the kindest things we can do for the people we love.

What We Explore

- Finding Purpose in Death Work: We talk about what draws people into the funeral profession, the importance of mentorship - especially women supporting women and why openness and shared knowledge matter in a field that can be emotionally demanding and isolating.

- Embalming, Ritual and Changing Traditions: We explore embalming as both a technical skill and an art form, how funeral practices have shifted over the last 16 years, and why seeing a loved one after death can be an important part of grief for many families.

- Planning Ahead as a Final Act of Care: We reflect on pre-planning funerals, wills and wishes, and Allyse shares a powerful insight - that grief hijacks the brain, and planning ahead is heart work that protects the people we leave behind.

As this conversation unfolds, one truth becomes unmistakable: talking about death does not make it darker - it makes it kinder. Allyse reminds us that dignity, clarity and compassion don’t begin at the funeral - they begin long before, in the conversations we’re willing to have while we’re still alive.

This episode is an invitation to think differently about death, to plan with intention, and to see preparation not as morbid, but as one of the greatest gifts we can leave behind.

If this conversation resonates, we encourage you to start the conversation with someone you love - because silence never protects, but understanding often does.

Connect with Allyse Worland on LinkedIn.

It's A Death Sentence shares real stories of life after loss and is produced by Urban Podcasts. Listener discretion is always advised.

What if we didn’t wait for children to experience loss before teaching them how to understand it?

In this episode of It’s a Death Sentence, we talk openly about a landmark change coming to UK education. From September 2026, grief and bereavement education will become part of the statutory RSHE curriculum, and we wanted to take time to unpack what that really means - for schools, for children, and for families.

We speak directly to teachers, school leaders, pastoral teams and anyone working with children and young people. Together, we explore why this change matters, what the new guidance includes, and how schools can deliver it with confidence, care and creativity rather than fear.

We also share why this shift aligns so closely with everything this podcast stands for - normalising conversations about death, dying, loss and grief, and giving people language and understanding before they need it most.

What We Explore

- Why Grief Belongs in the Classroom: We look at the scale of childhood bereavement in the UK and why acknowledging loss as a natural part of life is long overdue in education.

- Language, Fear and Getting It Wrong: We explore why adults often avoid talking about death with children, how unclear language creates confusion, and why saying the words ‘death’, ‘dying’ and ‘dead’ matters.

- Supporting Schools Through Mini Pod Workshops: We introduce our mini pod workshops and explain how podcasting can offer a safe, age-appropriate and creative way for pupils to explore grief, ask questions and build emotional literacy.

If we can help create a generation that knows how to talk about loss, ask for support, and sit with difficult emotions, then this curriculum change has the potential to be genuinely transformative.

If you work in a school and want to explore how our mini pod workshops could support your delivery of the new RSHE guidance from 2026, we’d love to hear from you.

It's A Death Sentence shares real stories of life after loss and is produced by Urban Podcasts. Listener discretion is always advised.