Elis Regina is a yoga teacher and thanatologist who recently moved to Baja California Sur from Guadalajara, Mexico. In La Paz, she hosts both Spanish and English-language Death Cafés, where all are welcome to discuss death in a confidential and respectful space.

I spoke with Elis about the Death Café, how the practice of yoga can help us contextualize and accept change, and the cultural differences she observes between the Mexican and expat relationship to change, including death.

Deborah Bickel is the founder of Be Well San Miguel, a membership-based patient advocacy services provider in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato.

I spoke to Deborah about the challenges expats face navigating the Mexican healthcare system and the complexities around advance directives in Mexico. We discussed why expats, despite having financial security, often struggle with appropriate end-of-life care due to social isolation and lack of a support network.

Luena ‘Lu’ Pearson is the director of Comfort Care: Neighbors Helping Neighbors in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur. Comfort Care also runs Casa Girasol, a senior social center in central Todos Santos.

I spoke to Lu about her background in end-of-life care, her experiences with death, and her work in providing care, comfort and quality of life for seniors and those who are dying.

Wilka Roig, MA, MFA, PLC, is a death activist, death doula, grief worker, and transpersonal psychologist who is passionate about advocating for green burial for reforestation in Mexico and beyond.

I spoke with her about her involvement in Mexico’s ‘first-ever’ green burial in San Miguel de Allende and the possibility of replicating this model throughout Mexico. As we discuss in the episode, it’s complicated.

Toni Lehman and Damián Lire Medina originally immigrated to Mexico to work in the service industry. Years later, they are providing a different type of service, as owners of a funeral home in Cabo San Lucas.

I spoke to Toni and Damián about what expats should know about their consumer rights when it comes to funereal services.

Brian Fey moved from the US to Mexico in 2004 to live more intentionally and be closer to nature. Brian lives off-grid and is the steward of a forest outside of Pátzcuaro.

We spoke about the draw of Mexico’s laid back culture, what it might be like to die in a rural area of Mexico, and what to plan for when it comes to aging, dying, and what might happen to your land when you’re gone.

Loretta Downs is a dynamic, internationally recognized speaker who has dedicated herself to helping people (and specifically expats in Mexico) prepare for a dignified, more gentle, end of life.

I spoke to Loretta about the importance of end-of-life care planning for expats in Mexico, the unique demographics of the Ajijic community, and the need for open (and more frequent) conversations about death and dying.

Brittany Baker, RN, BSN, CDCP, is the founder of East Cape Home Health, a home health care agency located in Los Barilles, Baja California Sur.

I spoke to Brittany about the issues unique to expats who have chosen to age in rural Mexico, and how her agency has grown to serve a growing need.