How To Be Present When Someone Is Dying with Theresa Evans

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There’s a silence that creeps in when someone is nearing the end, and a lot of us respond the same way: we freeze, we overthink, and then we stay away because we “don’t know what to say.” That instinct can feel protective, but it often leaves the dying person holding the loneliness and everyone else’s fear. We sit down with Theresa Evans, a critical care nurse, yoga teacher, somatics educator, and author of *Choosing to Die*, to talk about what it really means to show up at the edge of life with honesty and care.

We get practical about end-of-life care, hospice presence, and the small moments that matter more than speeches. Theresa explains why you don’t need the perfect words, you need steadiness: sitting in the room, listening, offering a hand, noticing comfort cues in the body, and asking a simple question like “What do you need from me?” We also explore the emotional balance that can make love feel tested, learning to hold our own sadness without placing it on the person who is dying.

Then we turn toward what happens after: grief that knocks you down, a culture that rushes mourning, and the reality that bereavement doesn’t fit into a neat timeline. Theresa shares a powerful frame for why loss can feel unreal, including the idea that our brains must rewire after someone we love is gone. If you’re navigating anticipatory grief, caregiving, assisted death questions, or the raw work of saying goodbye, this conversation offers a grounded path back to presence. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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