Season 2 · Episode 3 — December 27, 2025
End of Life Planning
with Garrick Colwell
When death is near, the people around you are already carrying so much. What end-of-life planning does is remove uncertainty. It frees them from making impossible decisions in moments of crisis.
Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Amazon Music
About This Episode
What is the best way to show your love to the ones closest to you? If you’ve been following this podcast, you know I’m not talking about romantic gestures here — roses and gifts, romantic dates or surprises (even though we all love them, obviously). No, I’m talking about the end of life. And the best gift you can give your loved ones is a plan for the end of your life.
When death is near, the people around you are already carrying so much — fear, anticipatory grief, exhaustion, and love all tangled together. What end-of-life planning does is remove uncertainty. It spares them from having to guess. It frees them from making impossible decisions in moments of shock or crisis. It allows them to simply be with you — present, connected, loving — instead of overwhelmed by logistics and doubt.
Planning is not about control. It’s about care.
And here’s something I’ve learned through my work: what matters most to you about living is the clearest guide to what will matter most to you when you are dying. The way you define dignity, comfort, autonomy, faith, family, or legacy in life is the same language your dying will speak.
End-of-life planning is really an act of listening — listening to your own values, your fears, your hopes — and then translating those into clarity for the people you love.
In this episode, we talk about why planning ahead is not morbid, not pessimistic, and not giving up. It is one of the most profound expressions of love there is.
About the Guest
Garrick Colwell
Garrick Colwell is a certified Grief Recovery Specialist and Grief Educator with an extensive background in every aspect of grief and loss. He is the co-creator of Kitchen Table Conversations, a nonprofit providing education and resources that empower people to have conversations about Advance Care Planning, End of Life, and Grief. Garrick is a widower who served his late wife Kinsloe as her patient advocate, caregiver, and end-of-life companion. Recently he lost his dad Bob, so his views on end-of-life planning are not only educated but deeply personal.
kitchentableconversations.org→Resources & Links
Kitchen Table Conversations
Kitchen Table Conversations encourages people to have end of life conversations in the comfort of their homes instead of during a medical crisis in the ICU. They offer information, resources, webinars and workshops around end of life planning.
kitchentableconversations.org→MyDirectives.com
MyDirectives offers a simple and accessible platform for creating, uploading, and storing Advance Care Planning documents at absolutely no cost to users. Their user-friendly platform guides individuals through the process step by step.
mydirectives.com→Rocket Lawyer
RocketLawyer offers an array of services for the end of life. It helps you create your Last Will and Testament, your Living Will, also known as your Advance Care Directive.
rocketlawyer.com→Stay Connected
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Honest reflections on grief, end-of-life care, and the writing life – usually once or twice a month. A conversation between friends about the hard, beautiful things we don't talk about enough.
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