Episodes
This week Katie and Tawny talked about being a human first, how long is too long to grief, and what to do now to prepare yourself for eventual grief. Every Tuesday at 9 am pacific/noon eastern, I chat with Katie Zicarelli, one of the support group facilitators at Death is Hilarious Grief Relief Foundation who also happens to be a licensed grief therapist AND a widow. Join us on Instagram Live where we answer your questions and talk about hot topics in the grief community . You can submit...
Published 07/16/22
Published 07/16/22
This week Tawny and Katie talked about what to do when people are uncomfortable with your grief humor, if it’s okay to make dead baby jokes, how to handle other peoples reactions to our grief, and the importance of setting boundaries. Every Tuesday at 9 am pacific/noon eastern, I chat with Katie Zicarelli, one of the support group facilitators at Death is Hilarious Grief Relief Foundation who also happens to be a licensed grief therapist AND a widow. Join us on Instagram Live where we answer...
Published 07/06/22
This week Tawny and BC talk about the baby steps required about the mental preparation for dating after loss, working through the denial, and a few questions from the audience lead down a path of talking hauntings from our dead spouses! Every Monday at 4 pm pacific/7 pm eastern, I chat with Brad Clark, one of the support group facilitators and the resident WidDad at Death is Hilarious Grief Relief Foundation. Join us on Instagram Live where we answer questions about dating while grieving....
Published 07/05/22
I recently spoke with Andrea Entz, a fellow voice actor and one of my favorite comedians who also makes jokes about their dead loved ones. Andrea was kind enough to perform her grief set at our first comedy festival we hosted to raise money for the foundation and I was delighted to have her on the show. This episode first premiered on Instagram live. You can watch future episodes of Death is Hilarious live by following us on Instagram @thatdeathpod. Special thanks to Bryan Ramsey, Jeff...
Published 07/03/22
I recently spoke with Lori LoCicero for the podcast, the creator of the Death Deck, a lively party game that allows you to explore a topic we’re all obsessed with but often afraid to discuss. In this episode, we talk about using humor to cope, what inspired her to create the game, and play a few rounds together with listeners. This episode is brought to you by the Death Deck, a lively party game that allows you to explore a topic we’re all obsessed with but often afraid to discuss. The...
Published 06/28/22
Every Tuesday at 9 am pacific/noon eastern, I (Tawny) chat with Katie Zicarelli, one of the support group facilitators at Death is Hilarious Grief Relief Foundation who also happens to be a licensed grief therapist AND a widow. Join us on Instagram Live @thatdeathpod where we answer your questions and talk about hot topics in the grief community . You can submit your questions before the show on our website at Death is Hilarious.com/dearkatie or ask them during the live broadcast. Just as a...
Published 06/22/22
Every Monday at 4 pm pacific/7 pm eastern, I (Tawny) chat with Brad Clark, one of the support group facilitators and the resident WidDad at Death is Hilarious Grief Relief Foundation. Join us on Instagram Live where we answer questions about dating while grieving. You can submit your questions before the show on our website at Death is Hilarious.com/griefdating or ask them during the live broadcast. Just as a reminder, Brad and I aren’t mental health professionals and this segment is not a...
Published 06/20/22
Every Tuesday at 9 am pacific/noon eastern, I (Tawny) chat with Katie Zicarelli, one of the support group facilitators at Death is Hilarious Grief Relief Foundation who also happens to be a licensed grief therapist AND a widow. Join us on Instagram Live where we answer your questions and talk about hot topics in the grief community . You can submit your questions before the show on our website at Death is Hilarious.com/dearkatie or ask them during the live broadcast. Just as a reminder, this...
Published 06/14/22
Every Monday at 4 pm pacific/7 pm eastern, I (Tawny) chat with Brad Clark, one of the support group facilitators and the resident WidDad at Death is Hilarious Grief Relief Foundation. Join us on Instagram Live where we answer questions about dating while grieving. You can submit your questions before the show on our website at Death is Hilarious.com/griefdating or ask them during the live broadcast. Just as a reminder, Brad and I aren’t mental health professionals and this segment is not a...
Published 06/13/22
This week I spoke with author and clinical Psychologist Sherry Walling about her circus show in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month and her upcoming book Touching Two Worlds. This episode first appeared on Instagram Live. You can watch future episodes of Death is Hilarious live by following us on Instagram @thatdeathpod or by following me on TikTok @tawnyplatis, You can watch the video recording and ad free version of this episode and enjoy other bonus content by visiting...
Published 05/31/22
This week I spoke with Steven Ho (@steveioe), a first generation Vietnamese-American who started sharing comedic yet brutally honest ER skits online, eventually becoming known as “that ER guy” and launching his own brand tied to that sentiment – MuFKR. Now, with over 13 million followers across TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, Steven creates funny, real, and informative (with a hint of profanity) content related to the ER, providing transparency and comedic relief around a place people often...
Published 05/26/22
You’re listening to Death is Hilarious, the podcast that talks about using humor and jokes to cope with grief. I’m Tawny Platis, your host and founder of the nonprofit Death is Hilarious Grief Relief Foundation- an organization that aims to provide daily virtual grief peer support groups, mentorships, content, and resources for grieving people who respond to a humerous, realistic, and death positive approach, all at no cost. Learn more about how you can access our services, or support our...
Published 05/05/22
I recently spoke with Barnie Duncan, a comedian from New Zealand, about his latest comedy special Bunny, in which he talks about missing both clubbing and his recently deceased mother. We talked about how grief can feel like waiting for the bass to drop, why we incorporate our grief into our comedy, and what our dead loved ones would think of our work. This episode first appeared on Instagram Live. You can watch future episodes of Death is Hilarious live by following us on Instagram...
Published 04/11/22
Several of you reached out after a diagnosis called Prolonged Grief Disorder was recently added to the DSM, so I got in touch with my friend, licensed clinical social worker, and peer support group facilitator at Death is Hilarious, Katie Zicarelli, to answer your questions and discuss her thoughts on the topic as a mental health professional and a widow. Find more of Katie's content on TikTok and Instagram @goodgriefbites This episode first appeared on TikTok Live. You can watch future...
Published 04/04/22
This past week, I interviewed widower and viral dark humor content creator Alex Tresner live on tiktok about how he’s been using the platform to make jokes about losing his wife to cancer and educating others on modern grieving. You can check out all of Alex’s content on tiktok by following him at @Alexandergrey327 But first, an update on Death is Hilarious DeathIsHilarious.com
Published 01/25/22
Today my guest is K. Krombie, author of "Death in New York" which details the history and culture of burials, undertakers, and execution. For more information about Death Is Hilarious, visit deathishilarious.com To get in touch, email [email protected]. You can support the podcast by subscribing, becoming a patron at patreon.com/tawnyplatis, or by simply sharing the show with your friends and on social media.
Published 12/22/21
Today my guest is K. Krombie, author of "Death in New York" which details the history and culture of burials, undertakers, and execution. For more information about Death Is Hilarious, visit deathishilarious.com To get in touch, email [email protected]. You can support the podcast by subscribing, becoming a patron at patreon.com/tawnyplatis, or by simply sharing the show with your friends and on social media.
Published 12/14/21
Today my guest is Autumn Toelle-Jackson, the award winning author of Boldly into the Darkness: Living with Loss, Growing with Grief & Holding onto Happiness. She’s also the founder of Growing with Grief, a website that provides those who are grieving with a place to find community, resources, and help. For more information about Death Is Hilarious, visit deathishilarious.com To get in touch, email [email protected]. You can support the podcast by subscribing, becoming a patron at...
Published 11/24/21
Two years ago today, on November 8, 2019 I walked out of my in-home office and into the kitchen to find my husband, George, dead on the floor. It gets funny I promise. In this episode, I reflect on being widowed for two years, where I am today, and the future of the podcast Learn more at DeathIsHilarious.com
Published 11/08/21
Today my guest is Bethany Harvey, author of Dipped in It, a book where she explores the unpredictable spiral of grief after unexpectedly losing her father and openly shares the heartbreaking, gritty and unexpectedly hilarious insights that surface. In this episode: How intending to write daily gratitude posts turned into being vulnerable, honest, and funny as opposed to relentlessly positive Grief is not just being sad, we weave in and out of so many emotions How humor is a part of grief...
Published 10/26/21
Today my guest is Jennifer Lee Weaver, a Los Angeles based comic actress, producer, public speaker, and widow. After beating cancer, Jennifer’s mother passed away at the end of 2017 and then her wife passed away from cancer. She’s what I affectionately refer to as a “gold star widow.” In this episode: - How absurd grief and loss is, especially when so many losses hit you in a short amount of time - Jennifer didn’t lean into comedy right away but has recently given herself permission to use...
Published 10/12/21
Today my guest is Jenn Koiter- a storyteller with a background in education, nonprofit work, and technology who has taught at colleges and universities. Jenn is also the author of So Much of Everything, a book of poetry she created in order to process her complicated feelings of loss and grief that she experienced after her ex-boyfriend died from suicide. In this episode: - Jenn uses her dead ex-boyfriend’s yoga mat - How grieving compares to dog obedience training - Needing to be ok with...
Published 09/28/21
Today my guest is Nadine Menashe, the creator behind the Varsity Grief Squad, one of my favorite accounts on Instagram and also where Nadine makes memes and merch about her dead mom. We talked about: - Nadine’s mom Svetlana was diagnosed with stage 4 breast, bone, and lung cancer in September 2019. That’s when the grief process started. When she passed away in October 2020, the humor came naturally. It was the only way she was able to communicate what she was feeling - Processing grief and...
Published 09/14/21
Today my guest is Kathy Benjamin, author of the upcoming book, “It’s Your Funeral,” which aims to help demystify death, decrease your anxiety, and put the fun back in funeral. Every stage of the legacy planning process is considered, from a burial outfit to a funeral theme. Kathy’s writing has has received more than 100 million hits across some of the most popular humor and trivia websites in the world, including Mental Floss, Cracked, Grunge, The Smoking Jacket, and Uproxx. Kathy is also...
Published 08/31/21