Sean O’Connor is the host and producer of the extraordinary podcast ‘How to Die’ (howtodie.co.za). He is also a mid-life and death coach, an end-of-life companion, and a soul carer, who also works as a writer, interactive performer, and producer of theatre in working communities. He is based in Cape Town, South Africa.
Sean heard about my ‘Peaceable End of Life Care Project‘ which will see me studying conflict prevention in end of life care, in South Africa, India and Peru, as the focus of my Churchill Fellowship in 2025 – and he kindly invited me to be a guest on the How to Die podcast.
Sean is an amazing interviewer – warm, curious, engaging, responsive and so eloquent. It was a real privilege to be interviewed by him, and to share my experiences as a medical mediator resolving disagreements about end-of-life care.
In this interview on mediating medical disputes in health and social care we discuss:
- family dynamics and anticipatory grief
- emotions in mediation
- court of protection disputes
- lasting powers of attorney
- advance directives
- medical ethics and best interests
- parental zone of discretion in paediatric care
- clinicians’ experiences and moral injury
- palliative care and parallel planning
- mental capacity and the individual’s involvement in mediation
- how and why I became a mediator
- and right at the end: the fact that everyone can identify a fridge… can’t they?
You can access our podcast episode here: https://howtodie.co.za/episodes/episode-37-the-family-mediator
And on Spotify here:
I hope you enjoy it!
You can learn more about the How to Die podcast and Sean’s fascinating work as an end-of-life companion, memorial celebrant and death cafe facilitator here:
- https://howtodie.co.za/about
- https://www.soulcarersnetwork.co.za/dt_team/sean-oconnor/
Warmest thanks to Sean for a wonderful experience. It was a real joy to talk with someone who has delved so deeply, thoughtfully and meaningfully into the only topic, other than birth, that will truly touch us all.
