If you think end-of-life planning is dark or depressing, episode 380 will change your mind. Author and celebration coach Sherry Richert Belul shows how preparing for death can actually bring peace, Clarity, and deeper joy to life. Through her book The Love List of a Lifetime, she turns planning into an act of gratitude—capturing memories and meaning before it’s too late. Her message: facing death is one of the most life-affirming things you can do.

In This Episode, You Will Learn: 

(01:03) Grief and celebration as two sides of one coin

(02:45) Turning end-of-life planning into a love story

(04:32) Why facing death is a gift to yourself

(08:05) The real reason it’s never too soon to plan

(11:06) Preserving Family stories before they vanish

(14:12) Finding joy in letting go of “stuff”

(16:35) The clarity that comes from writing it down

(22:06) Sorting memories with the people you love

(26:27) Keeping spirits alive through storytelling

(28:01) How planning for death makes life richer

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Sherry Richert Belul — author, creative coach, and founder of Simply Celebrate, a movement that helps people bring gratitude and joy into everyday life, even amid grief and loss. Through her Love List practice and her new book, The Love List of a Lifetime, Sherry invites others to turn life’s hardest moments into opportunities for love and reflection. Known for her warmth, humor, and honesty, she shows that celebration and sorrow are intertwined—and that choosing joy is a daily act of courage.

In this conversation, Sherry shares her compassionate, life-affirming approach to end-of-life planning. She reframes preparation for death as an expression of love—both for ourselves and those we leave behind. Drawing on her own experiences with Depression and loss, she reminds listeners that planning ahead reduces chaos and allows more space for genuine grieving. Beyond the legal details, Sherry encourages people to record stories, memories, and “love lists” so that what remains is meaning, not confusion. Her talk with Emily transforms a topic often avoided into a heartfelt reminder that reflecting on death can deepen how we live.

Connect with Sherry Richert Belul:

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Get Sherry’s books!

Let’s Connect: 

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The Grief and Happiness Alliance

Book: Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

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Emily Thiroux Threatt Podcast Host, Facilitator, Author

Having gone through the experience of the deaths of so many loved ones, I have learned to face life with love, optimism, and joy.

I have kept journals and written to express myself most of my life which led me to a career of teaching writing and writing books. I naturally turned to writing to help deal with my grief, then I discovered I could use writing to help friends deal with grief, too.

In contemplating how I could best help the grieving people I was working with, my Ignite moment came when realized the importance of helping people understand the importance of happiness and how they could grieve and be happy at the same time.

To share my message, I host the Grief and Happiness podcast, I wrote the book Loving and Living Your Way Though Grief, I facilitate weekly meetings of the Grief and Happiness Alliance, I founded the Grief and Happiness nonprofit foundation, I publish a weekly newsletter and blog, and my new book, The Grief and Happiness Handbook is coming out soon.