Living and Dying

About This Pod

Every one of us is dying. And every one of us, somehow, forgets. We build our days on an assumption we've never once verified -- that there will be a tomorrow to put things off to. Death is the one appointment we all keep, and the one we're least willing to talk about.

But what if turning toward it, gently and in good company, is less a morbid detour than a doorway? Facing the end of life dispels our sense of solidity to it. As we empty into that uncertainty, can we discern a fuller sense of the infinite? How does our relationship to death influence our way of life?

We invite you to join this seven-day pod with a group of kindred spirits around the globe for a virtual learning journey on one of life's most inevitable -- and most evaded -- experiences.

Together, we'll sit with questions like: Amid loss and grief, how do we tune into a deeper ground of resiliency? What tools can anchor us in a greater wholeness in the face of life's inevitable impermanence? How do we even begin to converse with loved ones on the all-too-often taboo subject of death? How have cultural and faith traditions inspired solace in the ambiguity of what lies beyond one's final breath? How do we sit with and serve those who are dying? How can a greater consciousness of death nurture deeper expressions of life?

These aren't questions with answers. They're questions with company. And in the alchemy of a pod, our small honesties tend to add up to something none of us could arrive at alone.

How it works: Every day for one week, you'll get an emailed prompt with 'head' content, a 'hands' practice, and a 'heart' reflection question to engage. Everyone submits online reflections daily, and then reads and comments on each other's submissions to build on the group wisdom. Our pod will start with a live virtual group orientation call on August 2, 2026, and end with a live virtual closing call on August 9, 2026.

Pod Host: Maki Saionji Kawamura

Holding this space with us is Maki Saionji Kawamura -- a palliative care physician who founded a hospice unit where roughly 150 people each year are accompanied to the close of their life journeys. Her work rests on a quiet radical premise: that dying is not a failure of medicine, but a completion of life.

Believing that conversations about death deepen our appreciation for life, Maki created the "414 (Yoishi) Cards," a dialogue tool now carried into schools, hospitals, care homes, and community festivals -- inviting more than 5,000 people a year into conversation about what matters most. She also founded Sachi House, supporting those living with cancer and their families, and serves as President of the Goi Peace Foundation and Vice Chairperson of Byakko Shinko Kai.

(Listen to Maki share about her work in this video clip; more clips are here.)

To join, fill out the form below. Once you are approved by the circle host, you will receive a welcome email with your login information.