TABOO Part One: Death, Birth and Lambs with KAREN BELLONE, Ali & Flo

In this episode of The Brilliant Body Podcast, host Ali Mezey, co-producer Florence Popoff and guest Karen Bellone discuss the often avoided topics of death, dying, and the natural capability of the body. They explore deep-seated fears surrounding death, how modern society is distanced from it, and the importance of having open conversations about mortality - of humans and other animals. They also dive into the idea of conscious living and dying, the discrepancies in generational attitudes toward death, and how engaging with the natural cycles of life can expand awareness. Reflective of cultural beliefs and personal experiences, this episode encourages listeners to open up and discuss these difficult yet enriching topics.

MORE ALI MEZEY:

Website: www.alimezey.com

Personal Geometry® and the Magic of Mat Work Course information:

www.alimezey.com/personal-geometry-foundations

Transgenerational Healing Films: www.constellationarts.com

MORE FLORENCE POPOFF:
Website: www.gamriegardens.com
Instagram: @gamriegardens

MORE KAREN BELLONE:
The Seventh Sense website: www.theseventhsense.org

Film Website: www.kbfilms.com

BIO:

Founder, Doula, Educator: Karen Bellone, MFA, is a Certified End-of-Life Doula and Death Educator. She is the founder of The Seventh Sense in NY’s Hudson Valley, where she is an integral part of a worldwide community that is reigniting the wisdom of death within our modern lives. She is also founder of Exit Strategy for Dying, a monthly Death, Arts and Culture Readers supporting a resource hub to educate and refocus the narrative around death and grief through the lens of arts, culture, storytelling and innovation. Prior to embracing her passion for end-of-life work, Karen has had a long career as an award-winning filmmaker and internationally collected photographer. She received a BFA in Film Production from New York University, and did graduate work with the world-renowned Actors Studio, through their inaugural program at the New School for Social Research.

After training and becoming certified with INELDA (International End of Life Doula Association), Karenworked with an innovative hospice in Los Angeles where her skills as a death doula were developed and broadened. In addition to working with patients in various stages of their life journeys, she was responsible for training the volunteer staff, nurses and other hospice and medical professionals to bring more understanding, humanity and compassion into their work with the dying. She spoke regularly with groups, such as the Alzheimer’s Project, about the role of the doula at end-of-life, and the space that can be held to bring about ‘a good death’. She believes strongly in the ability to demystify and assuage the fear that surrounds death in our culture and to foster safe passage for the dying, as well as to aid the families and loved ones through grief and bereavement.

As a visual artist and storyteller, Karen acquired a multitude of skills throughout her career that unlocked a deep passion for the healing power of visual and auditory perception on human consciousness. She integrated these strengths and resources into tools to bring aid and comfort for those imminently facing their mortality. Working with somatic and sensory awareness, Karen utilizes visual, sound and meditation therapy, personalized guided imagery, and commemoration of the sacred in the form of ritual, legacy and memory work, in order to bring comfort - physically, emotionally, spiritually to celebrate and commemorate the life of the individual. In addition to her ongoing private practice, Karen is currently directing a feature film about living American artist Michelle Stuart, whose work also engages with the elemental and ineffable nature of existence.

RESOURCES:

Edgar Allan Poe

Exit strategy for dying (Karen’s monthly newsletter)