It's Okay, We're All Gonna Die with Nurse Julie

What if the feelings you’ve been pushing down for years only needed 90 seconds to pass?
Barb Schmidt and her daughter, Michelle Maros, hosts of the podcast Life Happens, join Nurse Julie to talk about how to actually feel our feelings. Barb discovered meditation during her own recovery, and after a childhood surrounded by death, it became the foundation for the work she and Michelle share today.
Barb and Michelle share easy ways to care for yourself during stressful times, why BS self-care routines can actually stress us out more, and how to know when to stop pushing through. They also open up about why we’re so ashamed of our emotions, how long feelings truly biologically last in our bodies, and the simple ways to process and work through that complicated mess we all sometimes feel inside.
And as they talk about kindness, regret, and learning to just be, they remind us that one of the most important relationships we’ll ever have is the one with ourselves.
If you’re a caregiver, burned out, or just running on empty, this one’s for you.
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Is it awful to feel relieved when someone you love dies? And what if the person you lost was a terrible parent, but everyone expects you to mourn them like they were wonderful?
Licensed grief and trauma therapist Gina Moffa joins Nurse Julie to talk about the parts of grief no one wants to say out loud. Gina has spent her career helping people through the “after.” But when her own mom was dying, she found herself navigating the “during” for the first time, an experience that reshaped the way she understands and counsels grief.
Gina explains why we’re a grief illiterate society, and why the things we say to grieving people often hurt more than they help. She also opens up about the guilt that comes with relief, why you may have already grieved someone who hurt you long before they died, and why putting the dead on a pedestal is sometimes an injustice to the truth.
And as Gina and Julie unpack the messy, complicated feelings that come with loss, they answer the question so many grieving people quietly ask: if I’m having a good day, am I betraying the person I lost?

For more on Gina Moffa and her practice, check out: https://www.ginamoffa.com
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What happens when your best friend’s story takes over the world, but you’re still figuring out how to live without her?
Nikki Boyer, co-creator of Dying for Sex, joins Nurse Julie to share the story of Molly Kochan, her best friend who, after a terminal cancer diagnosis, decided to live by her own rules. Their podcast about Molly’s sexual adventures and search for connection became a hit TV series, but keeping Molly’s story alive also made it harder for Nikki to grieve her.
Nikki shares the wild, hilarious, and sometimes jaw-dropping moments they experienced together, including the unforgettable sexual adventures Molly pursued while dying and the strange things Molly said and experienced in the hospital that made Nikki question what lies beyond this life. She also opens up about why it took five years to truly face losing her best friend, what Molly’s death taught her about her own, and the one lesson from Molly that forever changed how she lives.
And as Nikki and Julie unpack Molly’s unforgettable story, they explore the big question Molly left behind: what if facing death is exactly what teaches us how to live?
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You’ve probably imagined your last moments. But have you ever wondered what you’ll actually remember?
Nurse Julie sits down with Chloe Mediumship, psychic medium and host of We Talk to the Dead, to talk about death, the afterlife, and what might be waiting for us when our time here is up. Chloe shares why she believes passing away is “always a reunion,” and why seeing our loved ones again might feel like no time has passed at all.
Julie and Chloe also tackle the questions we’ve all wondered about: Do we get a life review? Do our loved ones know we’re still here missing them? And will Grandma look like Grandma, or show up in her 25-year-old glory days?
Then things get a little weird, in the best possible way. Chloe shares what it’s like to connect with spirits, whether they ever interrupt at the worst possible moment (yes, those moments), and the question Julie simply cannot let go: Is there a Starbucks in heaven? Because eternity is a long time, and some of us are going to need a latte.
Whether you’ve lost someone you wish you could see again or you’re just trying to figure out what happens when we die, this conversation might leave you with a little less fear, a lot more curiosity, and a few new questions for the other side.
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What if your loved one with dementia doesn’t understand what you’re saying… but still understands how you make them feel?
This week Julie sits down with dementia educator and speech-language pathologist, Adria Thompson, to talk about what happens when communication starts to disappear. What do you do when someone asks the same question over and over, insists they want to “go home,” or suddenly refuses things they used to do without a second thought?
Adria explains why these behaviors may actually be communication, and why the answer isn’t always to explain, correct, or convince. Sometimes “You’re safe” can do more than another five-minute explanation. And sometimes the goal isn’t getting someone to understand your reality, but helping them feel safe in theirs.
Julie and Adria also talk about the changes that come with progressing dementia, including sensory changes, difficult personal care, and losing the desire to eat. They tackle some of the hardest decisions families face and why, sometimes, the right care can actually give someone a better quality of life.
Dementia may change how someone communicates, but it doesn’t mean they’ve stopped feeling, loving, or connecting.

Resources:
Alzheimer’s Association: https://www.alz.org/
A national resource for dementia education, caregiver support, local services, research, and its 24/7 Helpline.
The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD): https://www.theaftd.org/
Provides information, support, and resources specifically for individuals and families affected by frontotemporal degeneration (FTD).
Hilarity for Charity (HFC): https://wearehfc.org/
Provides education, support, and resources for families impacted by Alzheimer’s and other dementias, including caregiver respite grants.
National Council of Dementia Minds: https://dementiaminds.org/
A nonprofit led by and for people living with dementia
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