Suzanne McArthur, occupational therapist turned grief guru with 30 years in end-of-life care, joins us to share her journey from oncology work within the NHS to Marie Curie and Birmingham Hospice - where redundancies sparked her to launch Evolve and Flourish for workshops and Thriving Connections for grant-funded, community-co-developed projects tackling barriers to grief support.

We dive into instant-impact training, co-designing with learning-disabled groups and inmates, and why your red folder is the ultimate family gift.

It's A Death Sentence shares real stories of life after loss and is produced by Urban Podcasts. Listener discretion is always advised.

What if we honoured life’s big changes not just with milestones like weddings and funerals, but with rituals that truly acknowledge who we’re becoming?

In this special episode from Brum YODO recorded live at Birmingham Central Library as part of Death Matters, we sit down with Dionne, a celebrant whose work reimagines how we commemorate both beginnings and endings. After sharing an incredible near-death story from her travels in Peru, Dionne reflects on the power of ceremony to help us navigate life, loss, and transformation.

What You’ll Learn

Ritual and Transition: How ceremonies can help us acknowledge not just life events, but personal transformations and endings too.

Menopause as a Rite of Passage: Why menopause deserves to be marked, honoured and supported rather than silently endured.

Holding Space: How conscious, compassionate ceremony can strengthen families, relationships and communities.

Dionne’s work is a reminder that ritual isn’t about the past - it’s about creating meaning in the present. By marking the moments that shape us, we open the door to healing, connection and growth.

It's A Death Sentence is produced by Urban Podcasts.

In this Halloween special of It’s a Death Sentence, we lean right into the season of spooks. From childhood terrors to modern traditions, we explore why Halloween holds such a grip on our imaginations. We wander through our Halloween memories, including the infamous BBC Ghostwatch that traumatised a generation.

We talk broomsticks, witches, and trick-or-treating, dive into how Halloween evolved from ancient Celtic festival Samhain and explore how American pop culture supercharged it into the spectacle we know today.

What You’ll Learn

The Roots of Halloween: How pagan rituals, Christian traditions, and pop culture merged into the festival we celebrate today.

Collective Fear: Why Ghostwatch (1992) terrified a nation and why it still sticks in people’s minds.

Legends and Lanterns: The urban myth of Stingy Jack and why we carve pumpkins every year.

Halloween isn’t just about jump scares - it’s about the stories we carry, the rituals we repeat, and the strange comfort of being a little scared together.

It's A Death Sentence is produced by Urban Podcasts.

What happens when grief becomes the starting point for real human connection rather than something to hide away from?

In this episode, we sit down with Ben, co-founder of The New Normal, a charity providing free, non-judgmental peer-to-peer support for people navigating grief and mental health. What began with one conversation between two young men - bonded by the loss of their fathers - has grown into a thriving community built on honesty, compassion and shared experience.

Ben reflects on the origins of The New Normal, the power of creating spaces where people feel seen and heard, and why community can transform the way we move through loss.

What You’ll Learn

Connection Through Grief: How shared experiences can create powerful, lasting bonds.

Building Community: Why peer support can be a lifeline for people navigating loss.

Embracing Mortality: Why accepting death can help us live more fully in the present.

This conversation is a reminder that grief doesn’t have to be faced alone and that from the hardest moments, the most extraordinary communities can emerge.

It's A Death Sentence is produced by Urban Podcasts.

How do you grieve a parent you’ve already been saying goodbye to for years?

In this episode of It’s a Death Sentence, Emma shares the story of her dad, Peter Skipp - a kind, intelligent man who lived a vibrant life before Alzheimer’s slowly altered the rhythm of their family’s world.

Emma reflects on the long arc of her father’s illness, from the first signs of dementia to the moments before his death, and the strange calm that followed the funeral. It’s an honest, unflinching conversation about memory, care, guilt, laughter, and the unexpected ways grief unfolds when you’ve been grieving long before someone dies.

What You’ll Learn

The Long Goodbye: How dementia reshapes grief, often beginning long before the final day.

Caring in a Flawed System: The realities of navigating diagnosis, healthcare, and daily caregiving with love and frustration in equal measure.

Moments That Stay: How small gestures, humour and fleeting lucidity become anchors in the storm of loss.

This is a story of holding on, letting go, and remembering the full person behind the diagnosis.

It's A Death Sentence is produced by Urban Podcasts.

How do you grieve a sibling when the world forgets you’re grieving too?

In this episode, Carrie shares the recent loss of her brother, who died of cancer at just 45 years old. She opens up about the raw reality of sibling grief—the kind that often goes unseen as attention is directed toward parents, partners, and children.

From the humour and mischief her brother brought to life, to the anger and privacy he clung to in illness, Carrie paints a portrait of a man fully himself—and of the void he leaves behind. Together, we explore how sibling loss unsettles the natural order of things, and how unconditional love can be carried forward for the family who remains.

What You’ll Learn

- The Forgotten Griever: Why siblings are often overlooked in grief, and how their lifelong bonds make the loss uniquely profound.

- Legacy Through Voice: How recording memories and voices can preserve someone’s essence in ways that photographs and stories alone cannot.

- Transforming Love Into Action: How grief can become an act of service—supporting surviving family members and carrying forward love that has nowhere else to go.

Carrie’s story is a powerful reminder that grief is not only about what we’ve lost, but also about how we choose to love, honour, and support in the aftermath. Her words give voice to a kind of loss rarely acknowledged, yet one that cuts deeply and reshapes who we are.

It's A Death Sentence is produced by Urban Podcasts.

What if funerals weren't a production line-but a chance to truly reflect a life?

In this episode of It's a Death Sentence, we're joined by Fran Glover and Carrie Weeks, co-founders of A Natural Undertaking, the Birmingham-based funeral directors transforming the way we say goodbye. From personal loss and unanswered questions to creating a business that empowers families, Fran and Carrie share their journey of challenging the old funeral model and building something more authentic, personal, and human.

We talk about why mainstream funerals often feel alien, how natural burials and family-led ceremonies return us to something more traditional, and why transparency, choice, and creativity matter. Along the way, Fran and Carrie open up about their first funeral, the mentors who supported them, and the power of word-of-mouth in building their now 11-year-old business.

What You'll Learn

Redefining Tradition: Why natural funerals and family-led rituals are closer to true tradition than the industrialised norm.

Empowerment through Choice: How open conversations, transparency, and education give families control in their time of grief.

The Human Touch: Why compassion, creativity, and personal detail transform funerals into meaningful celebrations of life.

Fran and Carrie remind us that death doesn't have to be hidden in mystery-it can be met with openness, beauty, and care that honours the people we love.

It's A Death Sentence is produced by Urban Podcasts.

What if the spirit world was closer-and more real-than we dare to believe?

In this episode, we sit down with psychic medium Helen Millward, founder of Helen's Angels of Tranquillity. From childhood visions and family roots in Irish Traveller traditions, to decades of readings, stage demonstrations, and encounters with both light and dark presences, Helen shares her extraordinary journey of living between two worlds.

We hear how she first discovered her gift, the times it terrified her, and how she learned to protect herself while bringing comfort to others. Helen opens up about the power of spirit communication, the role of angels and guides, and the profound messages that can change-and even save-lives. From supermarket encounters to hospital wards, her stories reveal just how intertwined the spirit world is with our everyday lives.

What You'll Learn

- Life with Spirit: How Helen's gift emerged in childhood and shaped her path as a medium.

- Light and Shadow: Why protection is vital when connecting with spirit, and how to navigate darker encounters.

- Messages that Matter: The profound comfort, healing, and even life-saving warnings that spirit communication can bring.

Helen's story reminds us that belief, protection, and openness can unlock a connection to something far greater than ourselves.

It's A Death Sentence is produced by Urban Podcasts.