Don't Be Caught Dead: Grief, Loss, Death Literacy and Getting Prepared
Real conversations about death, dying, grief, life, and everything in between.
Hosted by Catherine Ashton, founder of Australian social enterprise Critical Info, Don’t Be Caught Dead explores the conversations most of us avoid until we have no choice.
After surviving a serious car accident in 2019 and losing a close friend suddenly in 2023, Catherine discovered how difficult it can be to know what to do when life changes without warning.
Each episode brings honest, often deeply personal conversations with people who have experienced grief, sudden illness, caring and loss, alongside people with expertise and lived experience across aged care, palliative care, end-of-life care, estate planning, funeral planning, memorialisation, rituals, grief, bereavement and the many practical and deeply human decisions that arise when life changes.
It’s about being better prepared for the moments that can change everything.
You don’t have to know everything. You just need to know what to do next.
Don't Be Caught Dead: Grief, Loss, Death Literacy and Getting Prepared
Latest Episodes
Something to Hold Onto: Turning Ashes into Art with Keri East
What do you do with a loved one’s ashes when scattering them doesn’t feel like quite enough?In this episode, I’m joined by Keri East, founder of Ashes2Art, an Australian memorial art service that transforms a loved one’s cremation ashes ...
The Paperwork That Can Spare a Family More Pain with Stephanie Wood
What happens when someone you love is dying—and how can a little preparation make an already difficult time less uncertain?In this episode, I’m joined by Stephanie Wood, an award-winning Australian long-form feature journalist who w...
What Happens to Your Body After You Die? The Law with Dr Kate Falconer
What if the wishes you express about your funeral and what happens to your body after death aren’t legally binding?In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Kate Falconer, a Senior Lecturer at the School of Law and Radical Humanities La...
Planning Ahead With Pride: LGBTQ+ Communities, Chosen Family and the End of Life with Zoe Hinton
What happens at the end of life when the systems we rely on don't recognise who we are, or who we love?In this episode, I'm joined by Zoe Hinton, ACON's Community Health Promotion Officer for End of Life and Palliative Care. Zoe works wi...
What Poison, Cemeteries and Ancient History Can Teach Us About Death with Rae
What can a cemetery teach us about the people who came before us — and what can the history of poison and medicine tell us about the way we understand death today?In this episode, I'm joined by Rae, who is completing a Master of Ancient ...
Fan Mail
I’ve really been enjoying listening to your podcast. I studied to be a death doula as research for a show that I still haven’t created but it lead me into wanting to do advocacy work to get people to have those conversations. I’d love to move onto the “Deathosphere” but $$ is holding me back. I already work in a gig economy as a performance artist. I guess I’ll get there one day. I’ve been travelling a lot for work and been listening to you on the road. Thanks
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