The Doyenne of Death Podcast Returns!
After a hiatus of a year, The Doyenne of Death Podcast is back in production. In the kickoff episode, host Gail Rubin talks with speaker and author Greg Bennick about the pioneering work of Ernest Becker, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Denial of Death.
In part one of this conversation, Gail and Greg discuss how he learned about Becker's mind-blowing theories about human cognition of our own mortality. In the first part of the three-part interview, they discuss our death denying tendencies, making meaning, and humans' attempts to achieve immortality through various means.
In the second episode of The Doyenne of Death® Podcast, Gail and Greg continue the conversation. In part two of this conversation, Gail and Greg discuss self esteem, Becker's work related to the Terror Management Theory, the "Pearls Before Swine" cartoons of Stephan Pastis, and how we all strive for meaning in our lives. (You can catch what you missed in Part One here.)
The "Pearls Before Swine" cartoon strip by Stephan Pastis often pokes fun at death, self esteem, and funeral planning. During this podcast, Gail and Greg discuss a March 17, 2024 strip that talks about the goal of every being on earth: "… To leave their mark… to be significant… and in doing so, gain some measure of immortality." Greg noted that we as humans are striving for a permanent presence even though we are temporary creatures.
Greg Bennick has been a thought provoker, public presenter, comedic juggler and punk rock vocalist (yes you read that correctly), a TEDx Speaker, a humanitarian and philanthropist, and an influencer devoted to transforming the world by inspiring personal and social change.
He is writing the first ever biography of philosopher, cultural anthropologist, and Pulitzer Prize winner Ernest Becker, who dedicated his life to understanding the complexities of self esteem and how it relates to our psychological well-being. Greg has been studying Becker's work for twenty-five years and is a recognized expert on his writing. The insights Greg has drawn from Becker's work offer hope for our increasingly turbulent world.
He is the author of the forthcoming book, Reclaim the Moment: 7 Strategies to Build a Better Now. It provides strategies for juggling a world of distractions to prioritize focus, improve self-esteem, and increase performance. To be released August 2024 by Wiley, it's available for pre-order NOW: tinyurl.com/buildabetternow Learn more at www.GregBennick.com.
You can listen and download the podcast at RedCircle.com. Or watch and listen to the conversation on YouTube: Part One and Part Two. Part Three will be posted on May 16.
Gail Rubin, CT, is author and host of the award-winning book and television series, A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die, Hail and Farewell: Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips, KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die and The Before I Die Festival in a Box™.
Rubin is a Certified Thanatologist (that's a death educator) and a popular speaker who uses humor and films to get the end-of-life and funeral planning conversation started. She "knocked 'em dead" with her TEDx talk, A Good Goodbye. She provides continuing education credit classes for attorneys, doctors, nurses, social workers, hospice workers, financial planners, funeral directors and other professionals. She's a Certified Funeral Celebrant and funeral planning consultant who has been interviewed in national and local print, broadcast and online media.
Known as The Doyenne of Death®, she is the event coordinator of the Before I Die New Mexico Festival and author of a guide to holding such festivals. Her podcast is also called The Doyenne of Death®. She produces videos about the funeral business and related topics. Her YouTube Channel features hundreds of videos!
Rubin is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, Toastmasters International and the National Speakers Association. Her speaking profile is available at eSpeakers.com.
Gail Rubin has been interviewed about funeral planning issues in national and local broadcast, print and online media. Outlets include The Huffington Post, Money Magazine, Kiplinger, CBS Radio News, WGN-TV, and local affiliates for NPR, PBS, FOX, ABC-TV, CBS-TV and NBC-TV. Albuquerque Business First named her as one of their 2019 Women of Influence.
Sign up for a free planning form and occasional informative newsletter at her website, AGoodGoodbye.com.