Épisodes

  • The Paperwork That Can Spare a Family More Pain with Stephanie Wood

    The Paperwork That Can Spare a Family More Pain with Stephanie Wood
    Oct 28 2026

    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 writes for The Good Weekend, The Guardian and Vogue. Stephanie is the author of Fake: A Startling True Story of Love in a World of Liars, Cheats, Narcissists, Fantasists, and Phonies, which was adapted into a Paramount+ drama series. She also writes Vamp, a weekly Substack newsletter exploring midlife, resilience, meaning-making and ageism.

    Stephanie shares the story of her father’s final days after years of illness, and the experience of supporting him through palliative care. Her father had an advance care directive that set out his wishes, including that he did not want further treatment. Stephanie reflects on how having those wishes documented meant the family could focus on whether he was comfortable, rather than having to work out what he would have wanted.

    We talk about the emotional reality of being beside someone who is dying, the importance of compassionate and patient palliative care, and how family disagreements can add another layer of distress. Stephanie also opens up about the years she spent clearing the family home after her father died—and the memories, stories and complicated feelings attached to the things we inherit.

    The conversation also turns to who will support us as we age. Stephanie explains why she is considering engaging a death doula if she becomes unwell, challenging the assumption that having children guarantees someone will be there to advocate for us. Together, we explore why planning ahead is about more than paperwork: it’s about making our wishes known and reducing uncertainty for the people who may one day speak on our behalf.


    Remember: You may not be ready to die, but at least you can be prepared.

    Take care,

    Catherine



    We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text :-)

    MY LOVED ONE HAS DIED, WHAT DO I DO NOW?

    Our guide, ‘My Loved One Has Died, What Do I Do Now?’ provides practical steps for the hours and days after a loved one's death. Download it here.

    SUPPORT SERVICES
    If you're feeling overwhelmed by grief, find support through our resources and bereavement services here.

    The free 3-minute Critical Info Check helps you see what you’ve already got covered — and what your next step could be.

    Three minutes. One next step.

    Go to gettingstarted.criticalinfo.com.au

    Every Tuesday at 7pm, I host Critical Chat Tuesdays —
    free, online conversations where you can ask questions or just listen.

    No pressure.
    No expectation.

    Because this isn’t about planning for “someday” —
    it’s about being ready for whatever life throws your way.

    Join anytime at criticalinfo.com.au/events

    Support the show

    YOUR NEXT STEP

    Take the free 3-minute Critical Info Check to see what you’ve already got covered — and what your next step could be.

    https://gettingstarted.criticalinfo.com.au/

    NEED SUPPORT?

    The Critical Info Resource Hub connects you with organisations and services offering grief, bereavement and other practical support.

    https://criticalinfo.com.au/support/

    KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING

    Join Critical Chat Tuesday, a free online conversation every Tuesday at 7pm Melbourne time.

    Find out more:

    https://criticalinfo.com.au/events

    IF SOMEONE HAS DIED

    If someone you love has died, our After-Death Guide — My Loved One Has Died, What Do I Do Now? — provides practical guidance to help you navigate what needs to happen next.

    https://criticalinfo.com.au/product/my-loved-one-has-died/

    LEARN MORE

    https://criticalinfo.com.au/

    For resources mentioned in this episode, check the links and information provided in the episode description.
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    48 min
  • What Happens to Your Body After You Die? The Law with Dr Kate Falconer

    What Happens to Your Body After You Die? The Law with Dr Kate Falconer
    Oct 21 2026
    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 Laboratory at University College Cork, where she teaches Trusts Law, Property Law and Death Law. Kate’s research explores the law of the dead, bodily disposal, and the way death intersects with private law — from funeral disputes to emerging technologies such as digital avatars. She is co-editor of Life and Death in Private Law and Treasurer and co-founder of the Australian Death Studies Society.We begin with a remarkable Australian legal case from 1908: a preserved stillborn child displayed in a jar at a Sydney ‘freak show’, and the court’s decision about whether human remains could be treated as property. Kate explains the common-law “no property in a corpse” rule, the work-or-skill exception that emerged from Doodeward and Spence, and the separate possessory rights that can allow someone to take responsibility for a body for the purpose of burial or other final care.From there, we explore why funeral disputes can become so emotionally charged, including cases involving cultural obligations, kinship and the return of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestors to Country. Kate describes how courts have become more willing to consider family wishes, cultural and religious factors, and practical circumstances — while explaining why the law can still place an executor in the key decision-making role.We also look at the legal and ethical questions raised by digital afterlives. Who controls a person’s data after they die? What happens when a company offering an AI avatar closes down, or changes its terms and conditions? Kate discusses the risks around consent, data, grief and commercial services, and contrasts these with the State Library of Queensland’s “Charlie” digital veteran, an AI-generated composite based on historical material rather than one real person.Finally, we discuss the future of death law, including whether people’s wishes about their bodies should become legally binding, and how legislation may need to respond to water cremation, natural burial and human composting. Kate’s practical message is clear: talk with the people close to you about what you want, make sure they understand your wishes, and think carefully about who you appoint as executor.Remember; You may not be ready to die, but at least you can be prepared.Take care,CatherineWe'd love to hear from you. Send us a text :-)MY LOVED ONE HAS DIED, WHAT DO I DO NOW?Our guide, ‘My Loved One Has Died, What Do I Do Now?’ provides practical steps for the hours and days after a loved one's death. Download it here.SUPPORT SERVICESIf you're feeling overwhelmed by grief, find support through our resources and bereavement services here. The free 3-minute Critical Info Check helps you see what you’ve already got covered — and what your next step could be.Three minutes. One next step.Go to gettingstarted.criticalinfo.com.au Every Tuesday at 7pm, I host Critical Chat Tuesdays — free, online conversations where you can ask questions or just listen.No pressure. No expectation.Because this isn’t about planning for “someday” — it’s about being ready for whatever life throws your way.Join anytime at criticalinfo.com.au/eventsSupport the showYOUR NEXT STEPTake the free 3-minute Critical Info Check to see what you’ve already got covered — and what your next step could be.https://gettingstarted.criticalinfo.com.au/NEED SUPPORT?The Critical Info Resource Hub connects you with organisations and services offering grief, bereavement and other practical support.https://criticalinfo.com.au/support/KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOINGJoin Critical Chat Tuesday, a free online conversation every Tuesday at 7pm Melbourne time.Find out more:https://criticalinfo.com.au/eventsIF SOMEONE HAS DIEDIf someone you love has died, our After-Death Guide — My Loved One Has Died, What Do I Do Now? — provides practical guidance to help you navigate what needs to happen next.https://criticalinfo.com.au/product/my-loved-one-has-died/LEARN MOREhttps://criticalinfo.com.au/For resources mentioned in this episode, check the links and information provided in the episode description.
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    1 h et 3 min
  • Planning Ahead With Pride: LGBTQ+ Communities, Chosen Family and the End of Life with Zoe Hinton

    Planning Ahead With Pride: LGBTQ+ Communities, Chosen Family and the End of Life with Zoe Hinton
    Oct 14 2026

    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 within The LOVE Project (Living Older Visibly and Engaged), ACON's initiative supporting older LGBTQ+ people to stay socially connected, visible and engaged in community, and helps deliver ACON's Taking Control toolkit for palliative care and end of life decisions.

    We talk about the nuances LGBTQ+ people face when accessing palliative care, from doctors who assume you have an opposite sex partner, to legal and superannuation systems built around one married partner and dependent children. Zoe explains why chosen family matters so much, how partners who were never openly recognised can be shut out of homes, estates and even funerals, and why so many older community members fear being forced back into the closet when they enter aged care.

    Zoe also busts the myth that palliative care is only for your final weeks, shares simple questions allies can ask aged care providers about LGBTQ+ safety policies and staff training, and reminds us that documentation isn't just paperwork. It's also the conversations we have with the people who will speak for us.

    But this conversation ultimately comes back to grief and ritual. From the AIDS Memorial Quilt to lighting a candle or dancing with friends, Zoe shows how we can create our own rituals to honour the people we love, especially when the official funeral doesn't reflect who they were. As Zoe puts it, grief is messy, and you are a person changed completely.


    Remember; You may not be ready to die, but at least you can be prepared.

    Take care,

    Catherine



    We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text :-)

    MY LOVED ONE HAS DIED, WHAT DO I DO NOW?

    Our guide, ‘My Loved One Has Died, What Do I Do Now?’ provides practical steps for the hours and days after a loved one's death. Download it here.

    SUPPORT SERVICES
    If you're feeling overwhelmed by grief, find support through our resources and bereavement services here.

    The free 3-minute Critical Info Check helps you see what you’ve already got covered — and what your next step could be.

    Three minutes. One next step.

    Go to gettingstarted.criticalinfo.com.au

    Every Tuesday at 7pm, I host Critical Chat Tuesdays —
    free, online conversations where you can ask questions or just listen.

    No pressure.
    No expectation.

    Because this isn’t about planning for “someday” —
    it’s about being ready for whatever life throws your way.

    Join anytime at criticalinfo.com.au/events

    Support the show

    YOUR NEXT STEP

    Take the free 3-minute Critical Info Check to see what you’ve already got covered — and what your next step could be.

    https://gettingstarted.criticalinfo.com.au/

    NEED SUPPORT?

    The Critical Info Resource Hub connects you with organisations and services offering grief, bereavement and other practical support.

    https://criticalinfo.com.au/support/

    KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING

    Join Critical Chat Tuesday, a free online conversation every Tuesday at 7pm Melbourne time.

    Find out more:

    https://criticalinfo.com.au/events

    IF SOMEONE HAS DIED

    If someone you love has died, our After-Death Guide — My Loved One Has Died, What Do I Do Now? — provides practical guidance to help you navigate what needs to happen next.

    https://criticalinfo.com.au/product/my-loved-one-has-died/

    LEARN MORE

    https://criticalinfo.com.au/

    For resources mentioned in this episode, check the links and information provided in the episode description.
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    48 min
  • What Poison, Cemeteries and Ancient History Can Teach Us About Death with Rae

    What Poison, Cemeteries and Ancient History Can Teach Us About Death with Rae
    Oct 7 2026

    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 History specialising in poison and medicine. Her research spans death and dying across the ancient and more recent historical world. Rae also gives cemetery tours at Brighton Cemetery, where she helps bring the stories of the people buried there back to life.

    We talk about the hidden stories held within cemeteries, how researchers uncover the lives behind gravestones, and why cemeteries can act as community memory. Rae also shares her fascination with poison and medical history, including arsenic-based green dye, the history of women's medicine and the forgotten contributions of women such as Metrodora.

    But this conversation ultimately comes back to grief. Rae challenges the idea that people in ancient societies were somehow indifferent to death simply because it was more common. Looking at historical evidence, we explore how deeply people have always cared about the people they lost — and what history can teach us about death, health and ourselves.


    Remember; You may not be ready to die, but at least you can be prepared.

    Take care,

    Catherine



    We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text :-)

    The free 3-minute Critical Info Check helps you see what you’ve already got covered — and what your next step could be.

    Three minutes. One next step.

    Go to gettingstarted.criticalinfo.com.au

    Support the show

    YOUR NEXT STEP

    Don’t try to do everything at once.

    Take the free 3-minute Critical Info Check to see what you’ve already got covered — and what your next step could be.

    Take the Check:

    https://gettingstarted.criticalinfo.com.au/

    NEED SUPPORT?

    If this episode has brought up grief, loss or bereavement, you don’t have to navigate it alone.

    The Critical Info Resource Hub connects you with organisations and services offering grief, bereavement and other practical support.

    Find support through the Resource Hub:

    https://criticalinfo.com.au/support/

    KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING

    Join Critical Chat Tuesday, a free online conversation every Tuesday at 7pm Melbourne time.

    You can ask a question, listen to others or simply come as you are.

    Find out more:

    https://criticalinfo.com.au/events

    IF SOMEONE HAS DIED

    If someone you love has died, our After-Death Guide — My Loved One Has Died, What Do I Do Now? — provides practical guidance to help you navigate what needs to happen next.

    Find the After-Death Guide:

    https://criticalinfo.com.au/product/my-loved-one-has-died/

    LEARN...
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    1 h et 6 min
  • What Our Phones Know About Grief with Larissa Hjorth

    What Our Phones Know About Grief with Larissa Hjorth
    Sep 30 2026

    What if the phone in your pocket is one of the most meaningful grief objects you own?

    In this episode, I'm joined by Distinguished Professor Larissa Hjorth, a digital ethnographer and socially engaged artist at RMIT University here in Melbourne, where she holds an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship in the School of Media and Communication. For two decades, Larissa's work has explored the role mobile media plays in intergenerational connection, intimacy, ageing, loss and death across Japan, South Korea, China and Australia. Her current Fellowship, The Mourning After, examines mourning through mobile media, from the death of a loved one to ecological grief, framing grief as a cultural practice and building what she calls grief literacy. It builds on her earlier book, Haunting Hands (Oxford University Press, 2017), and her latest book, Mourning on Mobile Media: Everyday Affective Witnessing (MIT Press), is free to read online. In 2025 Larissa curated an exhibition of the same name at RMIT Design Hub Gallery, exploring grief as a social practice for hopeful futures.

    I was lucky enough to visit The Mourning After, and in this conversation Larissa takes us behind the curtain. We talk about how she brought together 13 artists and 26 free public workshops to make grief visible, from Maree Clarke's kopi mourning caps, heavy with clay and worn until they fall away, to custodian guides that give our treasured objects a story to carry into the future. Larissa explains why ritual matters so much, why grief doesn't have to be dark, and why creative practice can say what words often can't.

    We then move into the digital world. Larissa shares what she has learnt about posting as a form of eulogy, why choosing not to share can be just as meaningful as sharing, and how people hold onto old phones rather than risk losing a loved one's voice message. We explore the phone as a witness in moments of disaster and collective grief, what happens when social media accounts are left without a legacy contact, and the ethics of death bots and AI afterlives. As Larissa puts it, when you ask someone about their phone, you're really inviting them to talk about their life, their relationships and their losses.

    Remember; You may not be ready to die, but at least you can be prepared.

    Take care,

    Catherine




    We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text :-)

    The free 3-minute Critical Info Check helps you see what you’ve already got covered — and what your next step could be.

    Three minutes. One next step.

    Go to gettingstarted.criticalinfo.com.au

    Support the show

    YOUR NEXT STEP

    Don’t try to do everything at once.

    Take the free 3-minute Critical Info Check to see what you’ve already got covered — and what your next step could be.

    Take the Check:

    https://gettingstarted.criticalinfo.com.au/

    NEED SUPPORT?

    If this episode has brought up grief, loss or bereavement, you don’t have to navigate it alone.

    The Critical Info Resource Hub connects you with organisations and services offering grief, bereavement and other practical support.

    Find support through the Resource Hub:

    https://criticalinfo.com.au/support/

    KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING

    Join Critical Chat Tuesday, a free online conversation every Tuesday at 7pm Melbourne time.

    You can ask a question, listen to others or simply come as you are.

    Find out more:

    https://criticalinfo.com.au/events

    IF SOMEONE HAS DIED

    If someone you love has died, our After-Death Guide — My Loved One Has Died, What Do I Do Now? — provides practical guidance to help you navigate what needs to happen next.

    Find the After-Death Guide:

    https://criticalinfo.com.au/product/my-loved-one-has-died/

    LEARN...
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    1 h et 6 min
  • Why the Stages of Grief Were Never Meant for You: Dr Candice Mace on Grief, Trauma and Evidence-Based Care

    Why the Stages of Grief Were Never Meant for You: Dr Candice Mace on Grief, Trauma and Evidence-Based Care
    Sep 23 2026
    Losing a child, a parent, a distant cousin: the data says your grief isn't the same, and neither is what helps.In this episode, I'm speaking with Dr Candice Mace, a clinical psychologist, research supervisor and sessional academic at Deakin University and The Cairnmillar Institute, where she also completed her Doctorate of Psychology (Clinical). Candice's clinical and academic work centres on grief, loss and trauma, and her doctoral research, in collaboration with Dr Russell Deighton, demonstrated the effectiveness of the Integrating Grief Program Victoria, a telephone-based grief counselling service delivered in partnership with Griefline. Her first study, published in Death Studies, found that brief telehealth grief counselling significantly reduced psychological distress among 197 people bereaved by sudden or traumatic death.Candice explains why grief found her before she found it, walks through the difference between the acute and adaptive phases of grief using her ball in the box analogy, and makes the case for why the popular five stages of grief were never actually designed to describe bereavement at all. We get into why grief research has historically been so thin, what changed when Prolonged Grief Disorder was added to the DSM in 2022, and why grief itself isn't a disorder, it's a normal response that can sometimes need specialised support.We spend real time on what her research actually found: brief telehealth counselling helps, but not equally for everyone. Losing a child produced the highest and most persistent distress of any relationship type. Cause of death mattered too, with cancer and drug overdose bereavements arriving with the highest initial distress, for very different reasons. And counterintuitively, people with only medium levels of social support sometimes did better than those with high support, because not all support is the support a grieving person actually needs. Candice closes by sharing her own experience of grief after losing her sister, and what she has learned about tolerating grief rather than locking it away.What you'll hear in this episode:Why grief found Candice before she found it, and how counselling hundreds of bereaved people at Griefline shaped her research questionsThe difference between acute and adaptive grief, and Candice's ball in the box analogy for how grief changes over time, not in size but in how often it gets triggeredWhy the five stages of grief were never designed to describe bereavement at all, and why treating them as gospel can make people doubt their own griefWhy grief has historically been under-researched, and what changed once prolonged grief disorder was added to the DSM in 2022What the Integrating Grief Program Victoria actually is, how Victoria Police refers people into it, and who it isn't designed forWhy brief telehealth grief counselling worked, but not equally for everyone: the surprising role of relationship to the deceased, cause of death, age and social supportWhy losing a child produced the highest and most persistent psychological distress of any relationship type in the dataWhy cancer and drug overdose deaths arrived with the highest initial distress, for very different reasons, and what happened to that distress over six sessionsWhy medium levels of social support sometimes outperformed high levels, and what that reveals about the difference between well-meaning help and useful helpWhat complex or prolonged grief actually looks like in Candice's clinical work, and how it differs from grief that simply hurtsCandice's own experience of grief after losing her sister, and why she now believes in tolerating grief rather than locking it awayConnect with Dr Candice MaceWebsite: https://macecp.com.au/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candice-mace-11943b24/Resources MentionedCalling in GriefCalling in Grief: A retrospective analysis of the effectiveness of a telehealth grief counselling program through a community-based organisation by Candice Mace and Russell McKenzie Deighton, published in Death Studies.Read the research on PubMedIntegrating Grief Program Victoria (IGP-V)A partnership between Victoria Police and Griefline providing grief support for people affected by a death.Learn more about IGP-VGrieflineFree grief and loss support, information and resources for people experiencing grief.Visit GrieflineLifeline24/7 crisis support for anyone experiencing emotional distress or a crisis.Visit Lifeline AustraliaBeyond BlueInformation and support for people experiencing anxiety, depression or a difficult time.Visit Beyond BlueThe Compassionate Friends AustraliaPeer support for parents, siblings and families following the death of a child, sibling or grandchild.Visit The Compassionate Friends AustraliaSupport After SuicideSupport, counselling, groups and resources for people bereaved by suicide.Visit Support After SuicideStandBy – Support After SuicideFree support for people, families and communities affected by suicide bereavement...
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    56 min
  • Walking Between Two Worlds: Wayapa, Identity and the Grief of Reconnecting to Country with Nikki Domeney

    Walking Between Two Worlds: Wayapa, Identity and the Grief of Reconnecting to Country with Nikki Domeney
    Sep 16 2026
    What if you spent your whole childhood feeling something you couldn’t name, only to discover the answer on your mother’s deathbed?In this episode, I sit down with Nikki Domeney, a Project Coordinator at Social Engine and board member of Black Duck Group, whose own story of discovering her Indigenous heritage just eighteen months before her mother passed away has shaped everything about how she now supports others through grief, identity and connection to Country. Nikki describes growing up feeling “like she had two heads” — carrying an intuitive, spiritual knowing she had nowhere to place, until she learned her mother and grandmother were part of the Stolen Generation, disconnected from their Gamilaroi heritage in New South Wales.We talk about what it meant for Nikki to walk onto Country for the first time in Dirranbandi, meeting cousins she’d never known, and giving them back stories of the aunty and mother they’d lost touch with. Nikki explains Wayapa Wuurrk, an Earth-centred wellbeing practice built around fourteen elements that helps people — Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike — reconnect with the land, with grief, and with themselves, and why it’s now being used in Victorian early childhood education and corporate settings alike.We also go deep into intergenerational trauma and the emerging science of epigenetics, what it’s like to hold both an Indigenous and Celtic heritage at once, the guilt and nuance of “walking two worlds,” and Nikki’s work helping business leaders understand the difference between lore and law. It’s a generous, moving conversation about grief, belonging, and what it takes to reclaim what was taken.What you’ll hear in this episode:How Nikki discovered her Indigenous heritage just eighteen months before her mother died, and what it was like meeting her mob for the first time at her mother’s deathbedThe Stolen Generation story behind Nikki’s family, and how her mother and grandmother were separated from their Gamilaroi culture and CountryWhat it felt like to set foot on Country in Dirranbandi for the first time, and the “coming home” moment with a cousin who looked just like her mumWhat self-sovereignty means, and why Nikki sees reclaiming identity as an act of returning to yourselfWhat Wayapa Wuurrk is: the fourteen elements, its Indigenous origins, and how it’s being used in Victorian early education and corporate workplacesHow Nikki uses Wayapa to hold space for grief, including a story about supporting a school leader and her team through the death of a studentIntergenerational trauma, epigenetics and “cellular memory” — and why Nikki says most of us are carrying trauma we’re not even conscious ofThe nuance of “walking two worlds” as someone with lighter skin and no lived experience of overt racism, and how Nikki holds that alongside her own identity journeyLore versus law: what Nikki has learned about trust, compliance and old ways of being through her work as a people and culture leaderWhat Nikki hopes to pass on to her own children, and why she believes everyone is a storyteller on a healing journeyConnect with Nikki DomeneyBlack Duck Group: https://www.blackduckgroup.org.au/Social Engine: https://www.socialengine.org.au/Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeWayapa Wuurrk: https://wayapa.com/Remember; You may not be ready to die, but at least you can be prepared.Take care,CatherineWe'd love to hear from you. Send us a text :-)MY LOVED ONE HAS DIED, WHAT DO I DO NOW?Our guide, ‘My Loved One Has Died, What Do I Do Now?’ provides practical steps for the hours and days after a loved one's death. Download it here.SUPPORT SERVICESIf you're feeling overwhelmed by grief, find support through our resources and bereavement services here. The free 3-minute Critical Info Check helps you see what you’ve already got covered — and what your next step could be.Three minutes. One next step.Go to gettingstarted.criticalinfo.com.au Every Tuesday at 7pm, I host Critical Chat Tuesdays — free, online conversations where you can ask questions or just listen.No pressure. No expectation.Because this isn’t about planning for “someday” — it’s about being ready for whatever life throws your way.Join anytime at criticalinfo.com.au/eventsSupport the showYOUR NEXT STEPTake the free 3-minute Critical Info Check to see what you’ve already got covered — and what your next step could be.https://gettingstarted.criticalinfo.com.au/NEED SUPPORT?The Critical Info Resource Hub connects you with organisations and services offering grief, bereavement and other practical support.https://criticalinfo.com.au/support/KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOINGJoin Critical Chat Tuesday, a free online conversation every Tuesday at 7pm Melbourne time.Find out more:https://criticalinfo.com.au/eventsIF SOMEONE HAS DIEDIf someone you love has died, our After-Death Guide — My Loved One Has Died, What Do I Do Now? — provides practical guidance to help you ...
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    50 min
  • The Fight to Be Buried on Country: Prue Vines on Wills, Death and Family

    The Fight to Be Buried on Country: Prue Vines on Wills, Death and Family
    Sep 9 2026
    Did you know that around sixty percent of burial disputes that end up in Australian courts involve an Aboriginal person, and that appointing an executor can be the one thing that prevents it?In this episode, I'm speaking with Professor Prue Vines, a leading Australian legal academic at the Faculty of Law, UNSW Sydney, where she has taught since 1990. Prue is co-author, with Rosalind Croucher, of the country's leading succession law textbook, Succession: Families, Property and Death, and sole author of Law and Justice in Australia. She is also the author of the Aboriginal Wills Handbook, and her research sits right at the intersection of law and death, with a particular and long standing focus on developing culturally appropriate wills for Indigenous Australians and on the burial rights disputes that so often follow when that planning hasn't happened.Prue and I talk about why succession law can feel so harsh when emotion meets property, and why a will should really be thought of as part of planning for the people you leave behind, not just a piece of paper about money. She walks me through what a will actually does, including the part most people never think about: appointing an executor who has the legal right to decide what happens to your body. We get into the risks of DIY wills, how to choose an executor you can truly trust, and what the probate and intestacy process actually looks like when someone dies with or without a will.A large part of our conversation is dedicated to Prue's decades of work with Aboriginal communities across Australia, developing wills that actually reflect how kinship, family and obligation work in those communities rather than imposing a Western template. She explains how appointing an executor became the single most important reason many Aboriginal elders chose to make a will in the first place, because it settles who has the right to decide what happens to a person's body. We go deep on burial rights: why disputes over where someone is laid to rest disproportionately involve Aboriginal Australians, what dispossession has done to people's ability to be buried on country, the different ways communities have adapted, from smoking ceremonies to carrying home a handful of earth, and the real court cases Prue has seen where a missing will meant a family was torn apart over a burial decision that should never have needed a judge.Prue closes by making the case for enduring power of attorney and guardianship alongside a will, and pushes back on the idea that will disputes are becoming more common than they really are.Remember; you may not be ready to die, but at least you can be prepared.Take care,CatherineWe'd love to hear from you. Send us a text :-)Death is hard, make death admin easy with the Critical Info Platform. It’s a simple, secure system that helps you prepare and share your legacy, wishes and personal paperwork.It’s packed with prompts, guides and even a To Do List to help you easily gather critical information for a complete end-of-life plan.Leave behind a legacy, not a mess.Sign up now to your free trial at critical info.com.auNo credit card needed. Every Tuesday at 7pm, I host Critical Chat Tuesdays — free, online conversations where you can ask questions or just listen.No pressure. No expectation.Because this isn’t about planning for “someday” — it’s about being ready for whatever life throws your way.Join anytime at criticalinfo.com.au/events MY LOVED ONE HAS DIED, WHAT DO I DO NOW?Our guide, ‘My Loved One Has Died, What Do I Do Now?’ provides practical steps for the hours and days after a loved one's death. Download it here.SUPPORT SERVICESIf you're feeling overwhelmed by grief, find support through our resources and bereavement services here.Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showSupport the 'Don’t Be Caught Dead' podcast with a one-off or regular donation to help Critical Info, a certified social enterprise, keep creating free, high-impact conversations about death, grief and planning—every contribution fuels our mission to reduce the burden on families and build a more death-literate, compassionate community. Donate here now.Learn more: https://criticalinfo.com.au/Connect with Don't Be Caught Dead podcast host Catherine Ashton & Critical info on socials:https://linktr.ee/catherine_critical_info?utm_source=linktree_profile_shareMusic composer: Ania Reynolds - https://www.aniareynolds.com/
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    1 h et 10 min