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

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