Annie Whitlocke: A death doula’s lessons on dying, aloneness and how to live well
03/30/25 • 50 min
What do death and dying have to teach us about getting comfortable with aloneness and living a good life?
It’s a subject that’s often taboo and shrouded in fear and secrecy, but it’s also something none of us can avoid.
But what does a good death look like? Is it a lonely and frightening experience? Or can it be something profound and beautiful, with as much to teach us about how to live as how to die?
This week, Jill talks to Annie Whitlocke about her work as a death doula, providing emotional, physical, spiritual and practical support to people in their final days.
Annie has had a fascinating life. She’s happily single after six marriages, and has experienced immense loss and hardship, giving her unique insights about how to find peace in aloneness.
Just as birth doulas provide non-medical support throughout the birthing process, Annie, a death doula, Buddhist chaplain and pastoral carer, is there at the other end of the cycle, acting as a nurturing companion in life’s last transition.
You can learn more about Annie’s work here and read about it in her own words here.
To stay in touch with Well Enough Alone, you can follow us on Instagram @wellenoughalonepod or @jillstark__
Well Enough Alone is a Spare Room production. Our producers are Kieran Simpson and Trent Bartlett.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Get early access to new episodes by subscribing on Patreon
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What do death and dying have to teach us about getting comfortable with aloneness and living a good life?
It’s a subject that’s often taboo and shrouded in fear and secrecy, but it’s also something none of us can avoid.
But what does a good death look like? Is it a lonely and frightening experience? Or can it be something profound and beautiful, with as much to teach us about how to live as how to die?
This week, Jill talks to Annie Whitlocke about her work as a death doula, providing emotional, physical, spiritual and practical support to people in their final days.
Annie has had a fascinating life. She’s happily single after six marriages, and has experienced immense loss and hardship, giving her unique insights about how to find peace in aloneness.
Just as birth doulas provide non-medical support throughout the birthing process, Annie, a death doula, Buddhist chaplain and pastoral carer, is there at the other end of the cycle, acting as a nurturing companion in life’s last transition.
You can learn more about Annie’s work here and read about it in her own words here.
To stay in touch with Well Enough Alone, you can follow us on Instagram @wellenoughalonepod or @jillstark__
Well Enough Alone is a Spare Room production. Our producers are Kieran Simpson and Trent Bartlett.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Get early access to new episodes by subscribing on Patreon
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode
Amy Gahran: Solo polyamory and getting off the ‘relationship escalator’
If you’ve ever been with a partner and asked, “Is this relationship going anywhere?” or been swept up in a romance without stopping to question if it’s really what you want, then you may already be familiar with the “relationship escalator.”
It’s a phrase coined by journalist, Amy Gahran, to describe the default set of steps society expects all intimate relationships to follow. She challenged the cookie cutter approach to modern love with her groundbreaking book, Stepping Off the Relationship Escalator.
This week, she chats to Jill about unconventional intimate relationships including consensual nonmonogamy, polyamory and asexuality, as well as her own experiences of solo polyamory, and what she’s learned from being in relationships that don’t follow the standard social script.
Amy is based in Boulder, Colorado, and also writes under the pen name Aggie Sez on her blog, Solo Poly.
To stay in touch with Well Enough Alone, you can follow us on Instagram @wellenoughalonepod or @jillstark__ or support the show and get subscriber-only, early and ad-free episodes on Patreon.
Well Enough Alone is a Spare Room production. Our producers are Kieran Simpson and Trent Bartlett.
Get early access to new episodes by subscribing on Patreon.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Get early access to new episodes by subscribing on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode
Cindy Gallop: I’m unmarried, no kids, dating younger men casually for sex, and I’m blissfully ecstatic.
This week’s guest is the very definition of thriving solo. Cindy Gallop is a trailblazer for single, child-free living. She’s torn up the rule book, rejected outdated societal expectations, and actively celebrates her solo life.
She’s also someone who is open about the fun she’s having as an older woman dating younger men casually for sex – a trend she says is the relationship model of the future.
In this episode, she talks to Jill about why she loves being unmarried and child-free and the liberation she finds in her own company.
An entrepreneur and a social disruptor, Cindy describes herself as the ‘Michael Bay of business’ because she likes to blow things up.
As the founder and CEO of MakeLoveNotPorn, Cindy’s visionary reimagining of the porn industry has challenged misogynistic and unrealistic depictions of sex.
It’s a movement that promotes healthy, consensual and authentic sexual behaviour that empowers women and prioritises connection and open communication.
Cindy also talks about her unique perspective on ageing and loving her body, and how she’s living life unapologetically on her own terms.
You can follow Cindy on Instagram @cindygallop or follow @makelovenotporn, and check out her website here.
To stay in touch with Well Enough Alone, you can follow us on Instagram @wellenoughalonepod or @jillstark__
Well
Enough Alone is a Spare Room production. Our producers are Kieran Simpson and
Trent Bartlett.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Get early access to new episodes by subscribing on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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