How Death Became the New Wellness Frontier

Event ID: PP1148521

Fri, Mar 13, 2026 | 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Venue: Salon D (Hilton Austin Downtown)

View on Official SXSW

Summary

Fitness has trainers. Mental health has therapists. Now, death and grief have their own guides. From eco-burials to "grief influencers" leading online communities, death wellness is emerging as the next phase of the wellness industry. In this provocative panel, Grieve Leave founder Rebecca Feinglos, Queer Grief Club founder and death doula Jamie Thrower, Emmy-nominated writer and death doula Darnell Walker, and USA Today wellness editor David Oliver explore how a new generation is embracing dying and grieving with the same intention, aesthetics, and openness as modern wellness culture.

Contributors

Raw Event JSON

Large nested arrays are compacted for page readability. Full payload remains in dataset files.

Open JSON payload
{
  "id": "PP1148521",
  "track": "Culture",
  "focus_area": null,
  "category": "Panel",
  "event_id": "PP1148521",
  "event_type": "panel",
  "format": "Panel",
  "genre": null,
  "subgenre": null,
  "name": "How Death Became the New Wellness Frontier",
  "presented_by": null,
  "publish_at": "2025-09-30T16:00:00.000-05:00",
  "reservable": true,
  "reservable_id": "PP1148521",
  "reserved": false,
  "date": "2026-03-13",
  "end_time": "2026-03-13T12:30:00.000-05:00",
  "start_time": "2026-03-13T11:30:00.000-05:00",
  "message": null,
  "image": {
    "alt_text": "How Death Became the New Wellness Frontier",
    "credit": null,
    "url": "https://images.sxsw.com/Xkw7hdV7f0p7JdEBE-6pi6drZjc=/950x633/images.sxsw.com/187/796d2bb6-6c51-61f7-450c-b83a93bc6060/pp1148521"
  },
  "credentials": [
    {
      "name": "Platinum Badge",
      "type": "platinum"
    },
    {
      "name": "Innovation Badge",
      "type": "innovation"
    }
  ],
  "contributors": [
    {
      "id": 80904,
      "company": "Grieve Leave",
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2242495,
      "name": "Rebecca Feinglos",
      "speaker_types": [
        "Speaker"
      ],
      "title": "Founder and CEO",
      "image": {
        "alt_text": "Rebecca Feinglos",
        "credit": null,
        "url": "https://images.sxsw.com/__HMa83_bOcOiadfdi8-Aby3bb4=/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/aa22c9b6-d0ee-2010-aa65-d980314419c7/pcid-1618659"
      },
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": "Rebecca Feinglos is a certified grief support specialist, founder of Grieve Leave, and host of the Grief’d Up podcast. After losing her mother as a teen, her father in 2020, and navigating a divorce, she took a grief sabbatical, and Grieve Leave was born. The platform now reaches millions, offering real tools, humor, and honest conversation to help people take intentional time to grieve. Rebecca previously worked as a policy advisor in state and local government, and began her career as a bilingual educator. She holds degrees from Duke University and the University of Chicago, and her voice has been featured in TIME, LA Times, ELLE, and more. She splits her time between North Carolina and Montreal with her dogs, Daisy Duke and Ralphie.",
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    },
    {
      "id": 79595,
      "company": null,
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2240750,
      "name": "Darnell Lamont Walker",
      "speaker_types": [
        "Speaker"
      ],
      "title": "Death Doula | TV Writer",
      "image": {
        "alt_text": "Darnell Lamont Walker",
        "credit": null,
        "url": "https://images.sxsw.com/ohB5TtnVitJN20anpK0G4aS9j9M=/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/bea49dab-618a-4eaf-a650-81ab8e6aaf2b/pcid-1618664"
      },
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": "Darnell Lamont Walker is a dedicated death doula, guiding individuals and communities through the raw terrain of grief toward healing and happiness. With years of hands-on experience, he’s committed to helping others navigate the complexities of life’s final chapter while fully embracing the moments that come before. He is the author of Never Can Say Goodbye: The Life of a Death Doula and the Art of a Peaceful End. Beyond his work in end-of-life care, Darnell is an Emmy-nominated children’s television writer who has contributed to beloved shows like PBS Kids’ Work It Out Wombats!, Netflix’s Karma’s World, and Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues & You. Darnell remains devoted to creating safe and joyful spaces for children, adults, and communities everywhere.",
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    },
    {
      "id": 77717,
      "company": "USA TODAY",
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2238621,
      "name": "David Oliver",
      "speaker_types": [
        "Speaker"
      ],
      "title": "Deputy Wellness Editor",
      "image": {
        "alt_text": "David Oliver",
        "credit": null,
        "url": "https://images.sxsw.com/2GJp_A9m8GNqSOJZEeJci5H_2LY=/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/c164398f-bccf-61c4-dfff-9c2fe2c0daf9/pcid-1618662"
      },
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": "David Oliver is an accomplished journalist and educator currently serving as the deputy wellness editor at USA TODAY. With a Master's degree in nonfiction writing from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, Oliver brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his reporting. His work primarily focuses on wellness trends, health issues, pop culture, and LGBTQ+ topics. In addition to his role at USA TODAY, Oliver is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Maryland, where he teaches journalism courses. His commitment to impactful storytelling has earned him recognition in the field, including the AACR June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism and a GLAAD Media Award nomination.",
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    },
    {
      "id": 77714,
      "company": "Queer Grief Club",
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2238618,
      "name": "Jamie Thrower",
      "speaker_types": [
        "Speaker"
      ],
      "title": "Death Doula, Grief Educator & Funeral Celebrant",
      "image": {
        "alt_text": "Jamie Thrower",
        "credit": null,
        "url": "https://images.sxsw.com/VIqz9ARdB3CMXkukW0MctpYnmrI=/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/8c340dd6-8dcf-59f6-b1b4-b7325d7136a7/pcid-1618661"
      },
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": "Jamie Thrower weaves together deep tenderness, creative courage, and fierce advocacy in their work as a death doula, community grief care worker, end of life educator and funeral celebrant. As the founder of Queer Grief Club, they have established a dynamic online space designed to center LGBTQ+ voices in the grief and death world—from death to non-death grief, end of life advocacy and more. ",
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    }
  ],
  "venue": {
    "accessible": false,
    "age_policy": null,
    "floor": "4",
    "id": "V0376",
    "indoor_outdoor": "INDOOR",
    "mixhalo_url": "https://translate.mixhalo.rocks/?venue_id=429&partner=true",
    "name": "Salon D",
    "parent_id": "V0365",
    "parent_venue_name": "Hilton Austin Downtown",
    "venue_entry_info": null,
    "formats": null,
    "location": {
      "address": "500 E 4th St.",
      "lat_lon": [
        30.2651364,
        -97.7381904
      ],
      "city": "Austin",
      "postal_code": "78701",
      "state": "TX",
      "name": "Hilton Austin Downtown"
    },
    "root": {
      "id": "V0365",
      "name": "Hilton Austin Downtown",
      "mixhalo_url": null
    },
    "events": "[omitted 5 venue events]"
  },
  "description": "Fitness has trainers. Mental health has therapists. Now, death and grief have their own guides. From eco-burials to \"grief influencers\" leading online communities, death wellness is emerging as the next phase of the wellness industry. In this provocative panel, Grieve Leave founder Rebecca Feinglos, Queer Grief Club founder and death doula Jamie Thrower, Emmy-nominated writer and death doula Darnell Walker, and USA Today wellness editor David Oliver explore how a new generation  is embracing dying and grieving with the same intention, aesthetics, and openness as modern wellness culture.",
  "experience_level": "Intermediate",
  "audio_url": null,
  "accessibility": [
    "Closed captioned"
  ],
  "accessible_venue": false,
  "add_bcl_url": false,
  "add_slido": false,
  "after_midnight": null,
  "age_policy": null,
  "american_sign_language": false,
  "apple_url": null,
  "audio_description": false,
  "caption_url": null,
  "captioned_qa": false,
  "closed_captioned": true,
  "cpe_credit": false,
  "event_status": "none",
  "has_subtitles": false,
  "hash_tags": [],
  "high_sensory_experience": false,
  "live": false,
  "long_description": "Fitness has trainers. Mental health has therapists. Now, death and grief have their own guides. From eco-burials to \"grief influencers\" leading online communities, death wellness is emerging as the next phase of the wellness industry. In this provocative panel, Grieve Leave founder Rebecca Feinglos, Queer Grief Club founder and death doula Jamie Thrower, Emmy-nominated writer and death doula Darnell Walker, and USA Today wellness editor David Oliver explore how a new generation  is embracing dying and grieving with the same intention, aesthetics, and openness as modern wellness culture.",
  "meeting_url": null,
  "meeting_url_live": false,
  "mentorly_url": null,
  "mobile_audio_url": null,
  "open_captioned": false,
  "playlist_tag": null,
  "rebroadcast": false,
  "recommended_ids": [],
  "search_conversions": null,
  "short_program": false,
  "slido_url": null,
  "sort": "HOW DEATH BECAME THE NEW WELLNESS FRONTIER",
  "source": "Official",
  "squad_up_url": null,
  "stream_embed": null,
  "stream_id": null,
  "stream_url": null,
  "strobe_warning": false,
  "subdiscipline": null,
  "summit": null,
  "summit_display_name": null,
  "tags": [
    {
      "id": 1636,
      "name": "Social Impact",
      "created_at": "2017-10-16T21:03:39.709-05:00",
      "updated_at": "2025-01-21T12:09:19.138-06:00",
      "sort": "SOCIAL IMPACT",
      "alpha": "S"
    },
    {
      "id": 2134,
      "name": "Mental Health",
      "created_at": "2020-02-03T17:19:28.811-06:00",
      "updated_at": "2026-02-18T15:09:17.127-06:00",
      "sort": "MENTAL HEALTH",
      "alpha": "M"
    }
  ],
  "talent_attending": null,
  "title_only": false,
  "track_display_name": "Culture",
  "trailer_id": null,
  "trailer_url": null,
  "video_on_demand": null,
  "vimeo_id": null,
  "vod": false,
  "xr_project_type": null,
  "youtube_id": null,
  "related_events": [],
  "related_sales_client": null
}