Welcome to Palliatively Speaking, a podcast where we explore insights from the brightest minds in the field of palliative care.

I’m talking to the people who routinely navigate life’s hardest conversations. Together, we examine our experts’ knowledge about culture, medicine, communication, and what it means to truly live—and die—well. The lessons they have learned echo far beyond hospital walls.

  • There’s solace in knowing that such people and providers are out there, still caring, still working on compassion—working to make things better.

    — Robert Minicucci, The Good Listening Project

  • The way you explore the intersections of research, program development, personal fatigue, and the search for inspiration—and how often one has to fail before finding what works—it has all deeply resonated with me. It's incredibly encouraging. Thank you for making it accessible.

    — Katerina, listener from Europe

Here is a sneak peek at some of our guests and topics. You can subscribe for more.

In medicine, we often see people in a blur: too fast (in the ICU) or too close (countless lab values). Palliative Care professionals are experts at slow medicine—taking the time to see seriously ill people and families clearly.

In this engaging podcast episode, Dr. Toby Campbell interviews Dr. Rachelle Bernacki, a palliative care physician and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, alongside guest Dr. Stephanie Harman. Dr. Bernacki shares her nonlinear journey to su
In this episode, Dr. Gretchen Schwarze, a vascular surgeon and medical ethicist, and Dr. Amy Zelenski, an education researcher, discuss how their collaborative work aims to shift clinicians' mindsets and behaviors around informed consent, prognostic
This episode features Allison Kestenbaum, Supervisor of Spiritual Care and Clinical Pastoral Education at UC San Diego Health, and Natasha Ecombe, a staff chaplain and former art curator who trained under Allison’s program. They explore the rol
In this engaging and unfiltered podcast episode, Dr. Toby Campbell sits down with renowned collaborators and friends Dr. Jennifer Temel, Dr. Vicki Jackson, and Dr. Joseph Greer for an honest discussion on the keys to building thriving and effective r

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