Before You Go

Join co-host Natalie Buster as she takes us through a Metta (lovingkindness) meditation.  If you’re in the San Antonio area, please come by for a tour of ABODE! Learn more about ABODE Learn more about Natalie Donate to keep this mission going

Rosalind Carter once said “There are only four kinds of people in this world – those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.”  We couldn’t agree more.  Caregiving is a challenging and often unpaid job.  In this episode Mary and Natalie talk about the different shadow archetypes caregivers can fall into, and what to do if you see yourself reflected in some of these archetypes. ABODE has a Caregiver Support Group.

“Don’t be a role, be a soul.”  These wise words by Frank Ostaseski guide our work with people at End of Life.  In this episode Mary and Natalie talk about some of the Guests who have left imprints on our hearts and how we partner with hospice organizations in San Antonio to provide a dignified end of life experience for the people we serve.  Hospice is not a place, it’s a service.  So we at ABODE provide the home and the love, while our beautiful hospice partners provide the medical care.  We also

I’m sorry.  Please forgive me.  Thank you.  I love you.  These four powerful phrases are part of the Hawaiian prayer called Ho’oponopono.  In this episode, Mary and Natalie talk about the concept of a good death and how we can prepare now for a good death by making sure our wishes are written down and communicated to our loved ones.  You know who can help with this?  End of Life Doulas!  It’s never too early to get started.We love this book by Pema Chodron The Five Wishes document is a great way to

ABODE’s vision is “We live in a world where death is not feared, and we live fully until we die.”  During this episode, Mary and Natalie go through the Nine Contemplations on Death.  If you’re new to giving death a lot of thought, or the idea of death still frightens you, these contemplations are a good place to start.  Natalie talks about her breast cancer journey and Mary introduces us to her “Bless and Release” method. If you haven’t listened to Episode Three, you may want to start here: (link to

Facing our Fears About Death Thanatophobia is an intense fear of death or the dying process, or anxiety around death.  In this episode, Mary and Natalie talk about the many reasons people fear death and what they can do about it.  Hint, hint, it may involve hiring an End of Life Doula to help assuage your fears! Learn more about ABODE Learn more about Natalie: Donate to keep this mission going

What’s a Death Doula? During this episode, Mary and Natalie talk about the role death doulas (or End of Life Doulas, as they’re called at ABODE) can play at the end of life.  They’ll walk you through the award-winning End of Life Doula Training and the ABODE at Home Doula Dispatch Service. Read about ABODE’s Award-Winning End of Life Doula Training program Read more about the ABODE at Home Doula Dispatch Service Learn more about ABODE Learn more about Natalie Donate to keep this mission going

Welcome Home to ABODE Welcome to our first episode of Before You Go, the official podcast of ABODE Contemplative Care for the Dying.  In this episode you’ll meet your hosts Mary Thorsby and Natalie Buster, discover what brought them to the world of death care, and learn about ABODE Contemplative Care for the Dying, a beautiful home in San Antonio, Texas offering contemplative care for those in the last three months, weeks or days of life.  ABODE is a 501(c)3 and provides these services at no cost