Don't Be Caught Dead
Don't Be Caught Dead is a podcast about the conversations most of us avoid — until we’re forced to have them.
Each episode brings you honest, accessible conversations with experts across end-of-life, health, legal, financial, and care industries, alongside people with lived experience, to help you better understand your end-of-life choices and how to prepare a practical backup plan if you fall ill, become incapacitated, or die.
Hosted by Catherine Ashton, award-winning speaker and founder of Critical Info, the podcast is grounded in lived experience — created so other people don’t have to go through what her family went through.
From wills, powers of attorney, funerals, and estate administration, to caring, grief, sudden illness, and navigating systems when life doesn’t go to plan, Don’t Be Caught Dead exists to build confidence, clarity, and preparedness — before a crisis hits.
Episodes
118 episodes
What Near-Death Experiences Taught Me About Living with Travis Hamilton
In this episode, I’m joined by Travis Hamilton, a visionary entrepreneur, ‘recovering banker’, and co-founder of Candour Funerals. After decades working in international finance and navigating addiction, trauma, and two near-death experiences, ...
What Happens When You Take Back Your Story with Barry Du Bois
I’ve had many conversations about death, grief, and what it means to be prepared… but this one felt different.Barry Du Bois is someone many Australians know from television. A builder, presenter, and now a powerful mental health advocate...
A Mother’s Story of Loss and Love with Emily Mir
There are moments in life that divide everything into before and after… this conversation with Emily Mir holds one of those stories.Emily is a mother, storyteller, and advocate whose life was forever shaped by the stillbirth of her son, ...
If I Could Do It Again, I’d Bring Her Home with Annie Caulfield
If I had my time again, I wouldn’t leave her there… I would have brought her home.In this episode, I sit down with Annie Caulfield, a Brisbane-based death care practitioner and founder of Grassroots Death Care. Annie’s work is centred ar...
The Questions I Lived With After Suicide Loss with Todd Maguire
Trigger Warning: This episode includes conversations around suicide, trauma, and grief. Please listen with care.—I’ve sat in many conversations around death… but this one stayed with me in a different way.Today, I’m speakin...
Death Isn’t Wrong, It’s Part of Life with Annie Raser-Rowland
Have you ever thought about what it really means to live well… and how often we’re told that “more” is the answer?More things. More experiences. More consumption.But what if that’s not it at all?In this episode, I’m joined ...
Preparing for Death as a Final Love Letter With Kathie Shearer
In this episode, I’m speaking with Kathie Shearer, a funeral celebrant for over 20 years who has supported families through some of life’s most emotional moments.We explore what truly matters at the end of life, and what people actually ...
Why People Delay Writing a Will and How to Break the Cycle With John Malouff
In this episode, I’m speaking with John Malouff, psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of New England. John has spent much of his career researching procrastination, self-regulation, and the science of why people avoid the very...
The Kind of Grief Society Doesn’t Recognise With Linda Rowley
There are some losses we never officially acknowledge.Not the kind that comes with a funeral, flowers, or a clear ending. But the kind that quietly reshapes a life. A diagnosis. A caregiving role. A sudden accident. A future that no long...
By the Time You Notice Alzheimer’s, It’s Already Too Late With Greg Sutherland
What happens to your brain after you die?In this episode, I speak with Professor Greg Sutherland, Director of the New South Wales Brain Tissue Resource Centre. Greg leads one of Australia’s postmortem brain banks and works at the forefro...
Dementia Is Terminal – But We Are Not Told How With Theresa Flavin
Theresa Flavin was diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer’s Disease at 47. What followed was not just a medical journey, but a profound reckoning with how unprepared our systems are for people living with dementia.In this deeply moving a...
Suicide, Success and the Trauma We Carry With Penny Locaso
What happens when the person you thought embodied “success” dies in a way that completely unravels your definition of it?That’s where this conversation with Penny Locaso begins.Penny is a behavioural scientist and leadership coach...
ENCORE: Beyond the Grave: Fighting Heteronormativity in Funerals and Weddings
Imagine a gay man planning his own funeral, only for his family to swoop in on the day and try to rewrite everything – that's the raw, heartbreaking reality one of Bronte Price's clients faced, and he had to advocate fiercely for his wishes.&nb...
ENCORE: Facing the Unfathomable – Grief, Suicide, and Living Fully After Loss
Ever wondered what it's really like to stare death in the face – not just your own, but the sudden, shattering loss of a child to suicide? In this raw and honest chat, I sit down with Christine Pedley, a grief counsellor, death doula, and autho...
ENCORE: Death, Grief and Ritual: Lessons from an Interfaith Minister
In this episode of Don’t Be Caught Dead, I sit down with Reverend Amy Firth — interfaith minister, funeral director, and spiritual counsellor — to talk about her incredible journey through grief, loss, and finding her calling in end-of-life car...
ENCORE: Meaning Over Ministry: Jim's Unique Approach to Grief and Funerals
What do you give the love of your life as a final birthday gift when they only have days left? That's the tender moment Reverend Jim Colville shares with us in this powerful chat. It's an act of love that perfectly sums up Jim's radical, non-ju...
ENCORE: Found Family: The Importance of Compassion in Grief
In this episode, I have the absolute pleasure of chatting with Dr. Annetta Mallon, a leading expert in grief loss education and end-of-life care. With over three decades of experience as a psychotherapist, Annetta dives deep into the complexiti...
ENCORE: Facing Death: Moira Kelly's Mission to Save Lives
What does it mean to TRULY save a life? For humanitarian Moira Kelly, the answer was simple—give a part of herself.In this episode of Don't Be Caught Dead, we dive deep into the extraordinary life of Moira Kelly, a remarkable humanitaria...
ENCORE: Time’s Up: Facing Death and Finding Your Life List
Are you making the most of your time before death catches us all? In this heartfelt episode of Don't Be Caught Dead, I chat with Kate Christie, Australia’s leading time management expert, about how loss and grief can be the wake-up call we need...
ENCORE: Embracing Grief: The Art of Memorialisation with Chloe Marcela Coelho
What if the objects we hold dear could help us navigate the complex journey of grief? In this episode of Don't Be Caught Dead, I sit down with Chloe Marcela Coelho, a passionate death scholar and creative practitioner who dives deep into the in...
ENCORE: Who’s Really at Risk? Understanding Elder Abuse
Have you ever thought about who might be the biggest threat to the elderly in our lives? It’s not just the faceless strangers in nursing homes; it’s often their own family members. In this eye-opening episode of Don't Be Caught Dead...
ENCORE: Living Well to Die Well: A Philosophical Perspective
This is an encore episode of the Don't Be Caught Dead podcast and a listener favourite from Season 2.In this thought-provoking episode of Don't Be Caught Dead, I sit down with Dr. Simon Longstaff, a philosopher and the first executive di...
ENCORE: This Is What Dignity Looks Like: A Daughter’s Story in Support of Voluntary Assisted Dying
This is an encore episode of the Don't Be Caught Dead podcast and a listener favourite from Season 2.In this heartfelt episode of Don't Be Caught Dead, I sit down with Barb Gering, who shares her deeply personal journey as she navigated ...
ENCORE: Grief Without Permission: Rosie Batty on Challenging Silence and Speaking Truth
This is an encore episode of the Don't Be Caught Dead podcast and a listener favourite from Season 2.In this powerful episode, I sit down with the incredible Rosie Batty, a fierce advocate for family violence prevention and a beacon of r...
No More Death Denial: Alicia Ng's Story of Turning Fear into End-of-Life Wisdom
Ever wondered how staring down your deepest fear of death could actually make you live bolder and more intentionally? That's exactly what today's guest, Alicia Ng, discovered on her wild journey from corporate life in Singapore to end-of-life p...