Rehabilitation through Food is on the table today! 

On the final episode of our Food and Connection series, Ashley sits down with Chef Bruno Abate. Bruno is an Italian chef, restaurateur, and founder of Recipe for Change, a nonprofit organization that uses culinary education to support rehabilitation and create new opportunities for people who are incarcerated.

Bruno joins us to share the story behind Recipe for Change and the personal experience that inspired him to begin working with incarcerated youth. He opens up about the work he does inside the jail, where participants learn professional cooking skills, earn food safety certifications, work together in a kitchen, and prepare meals and pizzas. 

Together, Ashley and Bruno explore what it means to truly rehabilitate rather than simply punish, and how something as simple as treating our incarcerated population with dignity, and equipping them with a chef's toolkit can change lives. 

Learn more about Recipe for Change. 

Follow Recipe for Change on Instagram.

Donate to Recipe for Change.  

Read Dostoyevsky. 

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters.

Diasporic Connection is on the table today

On the 8th episode of our On the Table with Ashley series, we are joined by Thurka Sangaramoorty. Thurka Sangaramoorthy is a cultural and medical anthropologist and public health researcher with 22 years of experience conducting research among vulnerable populations in the United States, Africa, and Latin America. Dr.Sangaramoorthy is a professor and chair of The Department of Anthropology at American University. Thurka is the author of the books, Treating AIDS, Rapid Ethnographic Assessments, and Landscapes of Care. 

Thurka joins us to share the story of her family, who fled the Sri Lankan Civil War in the 1970s and sought asylum in the United States, exploring how food became a way to remain connected to their roots, their homeland, and one another.

Dr.Sangaramoorthy opens up about researching her own family and discovering how food allows traditions to be preserved and transformed, while also shaping gender and familial roles and protecting a sense of connection to home.

Together, Ashley and Thurka explore how the food we make and share can carry stories of migration, identity, belonging, and resilience, and how, sometimes, a recipe can hold an entire family history.

Learn more about the work of Thurka Sangaramoorthy. 

Read Food as Care: Stories of Forced Displacement and Connection

by Thurka Sangaramoorthy. 

Research The Public Ethnogrophy Lab.

Read Crying in HMart by Michelle Zauner.

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters.

Culinary trends and dining connections are on the table today

For the seventh episode of our food and connection series, we are joined by Alphonse Griger. Alphonse Griger is a chef and culinary innovator whose career has spanned restaurant kitchens, culinary research, and food and beverage development. He studied at Johnson & Wales University, graduating in 2019, and has worked in Chicago’s culinary industry as a line cook, research and development chef, and sous chef. He is part of the team behind Chicago’s Class Act and Nightcap, an immersive fine-dining and cocktail experience.

Alphonse joins us to explore what it means to be a Research and Development chef, revealing how the addition of just one simple ingredient can transform a dish, captivate audiences, and even help kickstart new culinary trends. He also takes us inside the world of Class Act and Nightcap, discussing how the experience came to be and what it has taught him about hospitality, food, and human connection. 

What results is a deeper understanding of what it means to break bread with strangers and loved ones alike, revealing how food can unite across families, cities and countries.

Listen to the full episode, out now on your favorite podcast platform. 

Check out Class Act and Nightcap in Chicago.

Follow Alphonse on Instagram.

Read The Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in Any Field by Mike Michalowicz.

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters.

Growing your own food is on the table today!

On the sixth episode of On the Table with Ashley, we are joined by Anton Van Schaik, a Pitzer College graduate with a degree in Food and Agricultural Studies. For the past three years, Anton has worked with the CalFresh Healthy Living Program as an Urban Gardener and Educator, planting community gardens at schools, teaching students how to grow their own food, and leading free nutrition education classes in low-income communities.

Anton joins Ashley to discuss the gardens he's built alongside students, the often-overlooked labor behind the food we eat, and how growing our own food can deepen our connection to the land, our communities, and each other.

The result is a conversation that reminds us to slow down and savor every bite, because within every bite is a story of people, place, and care.

Listen to the full episode, out now, on your favorite podcast platform.

Learn more about CalFresh Healthy living here.

Read The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden here.

Read Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Read Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Read Martyr by Kaveh Akbar.

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters.

Pay What You Can is on the table today!

On the fifth episode of our Food & Connection series, we're joined by Kirsten Levitt, Executive Director and Executive Chef of Stone Soup Cafe. Stone Soup Cafe is a nonprofit, pay-what-you-can community café in Greenfield, Massachusetts, dedicated to bringing people together through healthy, nourishing meals. Its mission is simple yet transformative: to ensure everyone has access to a meal regardless of their ability to pay, while fostering dignity, belonging, and food security within the community.

Kirsten joins Ashley to share the mission and vision behind Stone Soup Cafe, exploring how its founders grounded the organization in the principles of Socially Engaged Buddhism. She discusses the community they've cultivated, the philosophy behind the café's mutual aid model, the impact of its solidarity workshops, and her vision for expanding this nonprofit. 

The result is a conversation that reminds us of the extraordinary power of a shared meal, and how something as simple as gathering around a table can help change the world. Throughout this series, we've explored how food can strengthen family bonds, connect complete strangers, and now, serve as a powerful tool in addressing food insecurity and building more resilient communities.

Listen to the full episode, out now on your favorite podcast platform.

Learn more about Stone Soup Cafe.

Read about The History of Stone Soup Cafe.

Read Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next) by Dean Spade.

Read Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss.

Read McElligot's Pool by Dr.Seuss.

Read The Clan of the Cave Bear: Earth's Children, Book One by Jean M. Auel.

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters.

Dinner parties are on the table!

On the third episode of our Food & Connection series, we are joined by Katy Syme.

After spending more than 13 years working in fashion, Katy traveled extensively and explored countless cuisines, deepening her love of food, hospitality, and bringing people together. In 2023, she founded Symeski Made Dinner, a supper club created to connect strangers over family-style meals and meaningful conversation. Since then, she has welcomed more than 100 guests and expanded her events to include private dinners, large gatherings, and community experiences. 

In this episode, Katy and Ashley explore the beauty of finding connection among strangers. They discuss the inspiration behind her supper club, why food has long served as a centerpiece for community, and the meaningful relationships that can emerge when we choose to put ourselves out there, whether by sharing a home-cooked meal with strangers or gathering intentionally with friends.

Listen to the full episode, now streaming on your favorite podcast platform.

Read On Earth Were Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Listen to Ghost of a Podcast

Read Mary Oliver’s Poetry

Learn more about Katy’s Supper Clubs

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters.

Today, we have an abbreviated bonus re-release of our episode with Dr. Hoby Wedler.

On the table today we have a conversation at the intersection of organic chemistry, design excellence, food and the curious joys and complexities of moving through the world as a non-sighted person. Dr. Hoby Wedler received his PhD in Organic Chemistry in 2016 from UC Davis and has since started many businesses, including a gourmet seasonings company called Hoby’s Essentials and Sensepoint, a creative marketing firm that specializes in innovative design thinking and guides clients towards effective solutions that have a positive impact on the world. He joins Ashley to talk about his life and experience as someone who has been blind since birth, and how that contributes to his uniquely passionate, genuinely curious and deeply thoughtful practice as a chemist, a teacher, consultant and founder. Hoby imbues food, science, design and design thinking with both a highly specialized and sincerely personal approach. 

You can connect with Dr. Hoby Wedler on Linkedin. You can learn more about Hoby and his work at www.hobywedler.com. Hoby is on Instagram @hobywedler and can be reached over email hoby@hobywedler.com.

Links to projects and businesses that Hoby has founded or is involved with:

• SENSPOINT - Full service marketing and creative strategy and production. 
• Hoby's Essentials - Create flavors to enhance the moments that matter.
• EMOTITECH - Specializes in empathetic design backed by affective tech data. 
• Wedland Group - Transforming businesses through innovative consulting services in food, accessibility, and sensory perception

Links to topics mentioned by Ashley and Hoby in today’s episode: 

• Hoby’s Tedx Talk
• The Splendid Table 
• The Splendid Table episode hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper.
• The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food by Lynne Rossetto Kasper

Link to the Ivory Mugs, Wooden Serving Spoons and Strawberry Rhubarb Jam gifted to Hoby and offered by Âme Atendre. 

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram @onthetablewithashley

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters.

Follow Âme Atendre on Instagram @amatendre

Preserving the Family Meal is on the Table Today!

On the second episode of our Food and Connection Series, we are joined by Dr. Ken Albala. Ken Albala is a Tully Knoles Endowed Professor of History at the University of the Pacific, where he received the Distinguished Faculty Award for 2023. He has published 29 books on food including academic monographs, single subject food histories, cookbooks, encyclopedias, handbooks, anthologies, translations and is now working on an Atlas of Fermentation. 

He did three video/audio series for The Great Courses, Food: A Cultural Culinary History, Cooking Across the Ages and A History of Bourbon on Audible. 

He was coeditor of the journal Food, Culture and Society and series editor for several publishers, having edited over a hundred titles in the past two decades. 

His latest books are The Great Gelatin Revival, A Century in Stockton and a cookbook titled Opulent Nosh. 

Ken joins Ashley for a conversation about the importance of food and the role it plays in fostering connection. Together, they discuss their shared love of cooking and hosting, as well as Ken’s extensive research into the anthropological significance of sharing meals and gathering around the table.

In this conversation, Ken examines how the modern food industry has reinforced a culture of convenience over connection and explores how we can actively resist that trend. He shares stories from his annual 30+ person Thanksgiving gatherings and reflects on the ways food creates opportunities for experimentation and discovery, whether that means cooking opossum for a large dinner party or exploring the endless possibilities of gelatin.

Ultimately, Ken reminds us of the value of eating with intention, cooking what you love, and finding joy in the meals you share with others.

You can listen to the full episode, out now on your favorite podcast platform. 

Resources:

• Read Beans: A History by Ken Albala.
• Read The Great Gelatin Revival: Savory Aspics, Jiggly Shots, and Outrageous Desserts.
• Read Food Courses of the World Encyclopedia by Ken Albala.
• Read The Lost Art of Real Cooking: Rediscovering the Pleasures of Traditional Food. One Recipe at a Time: A Cookbook by Ken Albala and Rosana Nafziger Henderson.
• Read Opulent Nosh: A Cookbook for Audacious Appetites by Ken Albala.
• Read At The Table: Food and Families Around the World by Ken Albala.
• Read The Journal of Food, Culture and Society.
• Read Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni.
• Read The Silver Palate Cookbook by Sheila Lukins and Julie Rosso.
• Read Table Talk: Building Democracy One Meal at a Time by Janet Flammang.
• Read Opera (1605) by Bartolomeo Scappi.
• Read The Art of Cooking, Pie Making, Pastry Making, and Preserving by Francisco Montino (English Translation by Carolyn A Nadeau).
• Follow Ken Albala on Instagram and BlogSpot.
• Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters.

Smell is on the table today! For the inaugural episode of our Food and Connection series, we are joined by Rachel Herz, Ph.D. 

Rachel Herz, Ph.D. is a neuroscientist and world leading expert on the psychological science of smell. She has been conducting research on the senses of smell and taste, emotion, motivated behavior and cognition since 1990. Dr. Herz. has been on the faculty at Brown University since 2000 and is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, and teaches a seminar course on olfaction in the CoPsy department. 

Dr. Herz is the newly elected President of the International Society of Neurogastonomy. Her most recent book Why You Eat What You Eat: The Science Behind Our Relationship with Food explores how our senses, brain and psychology shape our perception of food, and the experiences and consequences of eating. Why You Eat What You Eat was a finalist for the “2018 Readable Feast Awards” and listed among the “Best Food Books of 2018” by The Smithsonian and The New Yorker.

Dr.Herz joins us to discuss what may be the most important, yet often overlooked, aspect of eating: smell. As an olfactory researcher, Rachel explains the ways our sense of smell shapes pleasure, taste, memory, and even overall health. Together, Dr.Herz and Ashley explore food intolerances, including neophobia and picky eating, while examining how cultural differences influence the flavors and aromas we grow to love. The result is a fascinating conversation that highlights the power of our senses and sets the stage for a compelling season exploring food, culture, and human connection.

Learn more about Rachel’s work. 

Follow Rachel Herz on Instagram. 

Read Why You Eat What You Eat: The Science Behind our Relationship with Food by Rachel Herz.

Read That’s Disgusting: Unraveling the Mysteries of Repulsion by Rachel Herz.

Read The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell by Rachel Herz.

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters. 

Today, we have an abbreviated, bonus re-release of our episode with Ann Martin and Emily Schum Terry of Get Organized.

In this episode we’re joined by Ann Martin and Emily Schum Terry of lifestyle organization service “Get Organized”. Ann and Emily work with clients to evaluate, simplify and develop sustainable organizing solutions for their lives and homes. Whether it be preparing a home for the market, developing repeatable and accessible organizing systems within a home or going room by room sorting, decluttering and purging, “Get Organized” helps people through the process of letting go.

They join Ashley to talk about their journey into the world of home organizing, Ann coming from a background in merchandising and psychology and Emily in forensic investigations. They share a bit about what their “decluttering” process looks like, why decluttering can be such an emotional process and how hiring a professional can help alleviate the stress.

They discuss ways of building effective organizing solutions that don’t hurt your wallet, trends in the organizing space, how to strike a balance between collecting fewer better things and letting go of everything else. Ann and Emily also cover why organizing and purging a home, whether it be a single room or the entire house, is a unique, emotional and ultimately freeing process. 

You can learn more about Ann, Emily and Get Organized on their website. Get Organized is on Instagram @getorganizedpc and Facebook at Get Organized PC. You can email Emily and Ann at emily@getorganziedpc.com and ann@getorganizedpc.com. 

Links to topics mentioned by Ashley, Ann and Emily in today’s episode: 

• Fewer, Better Things by Glenn Adamson
• The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker
• Jennifer Johnson’s @theorderlyspace 
• @horderly
• Ría Safford’s @riorganize

Link to the Crystal Tumblers and Red Oak Serving Board gifted to Emily and Ann and offered by Âme Atendre. 

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram @onthetablewithashley

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters.

Chevra Kadisha is On the Table Today. 

For the final episode of our Death Rituals series, we’re joined by death educator Gail Rubin.

Gail Rubin is an American author, speaker, and Certified Thanatologist known for helping people have more open, less intimidating conversations about death and end-of-life planning. Often called “The Doyenne of Death,” she uses humor, films, and practical tools to make a traditionally taboo topic more approachable. She is the author of A Good Goodbye and Kicking the Bucket List, guiding people through funeral planning and getting their affairs in order. Based in Albuquerque, she is also a leading voice behind the Death Café movement in the U.S., encouraging honest discussions about mortality.

Gail joins On the Table with Ashley to explore the longstanding Jewish tradition of Hevra Kadisha - its origins, meaning, and purpose - to share how this practice has shaped her own grief journey. She opens up about navigating loss, from grief counseling to psychedelic-assisted therapy, and the ways she has leaned on community to heal and move forward.

The conversation closes with a powerful reminder about the importance of preparing for and talking about death, echoing Gail’s well-known line: “Talking about sex won’t make you pregnant; talking about funerals won’t make you dead.”

The result is a deeply vulnerable and thoughtful reflection on death rituals; what they are, why they matter, and why we need to talk about them.

Listen to the full episode, out now on your favorite podcast platform

Visit Gail Rubin’s Website.

Read A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those who Don’t Plan to Die by Gail Rubin.

Read Kicking the Bucket List: 100 Downsizing & Organizing Things To Do Before You Die by Gail Rubin

Read Hail and Farewell- Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips By Gail Rubin and Susan Fraser.

Buy 98.6 Mortality Movies to See Before you Die by Gail Rubin on presale.

Read Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

Read Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: And Other Questions About Dead Bodies by Caitlin Doughty

Read From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty

Watch Jewish Funeral Traditions on Film: a Presentation by Gail Rubin.

Learn More About The 6 R’s Model of Mourning by Therese Rando.

Learn More About Before I Die Festivals.

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters. 

For the sixth episode of our death rituals series, we are joined by Todd Harra. Todd is the co-author of the Amazon bestselling books Mortuary Confidential: Undertakers Spill the Dirt and Over Our Dead Bodies: Undertakers Lift the Lid, as well as the Clip Undertaker Mystery Series. More recently, he authored the funeral history book Last Rites: The Evolution of the American Funeral. Todd works for his family’s business, McCrery & Harra Funeral Homes and Crematory, where he serves as a funeral director, embalmer, post-mortem reconstructionist, and cremationist. In addition, Todd is an associate editor for Southern Calls Magazine, The Journal of the Funeral Profession.

Todd joins us to discuss the long and ever-evolving history of the American funeral, exploring the social and cultural contexts in which many of the death rituals we now consider commonplace were created and transformed over time. Drawing on his family’s long history in funeral service as an anchor, Todd examines the development of practices such as embalming and cremation, and reflects on how shifts in American culture continue to reshape the ways we mourn our dead. The result is a fascinating and informative conversation that highlights the enduring importance of ceremonially honoring those who have passed.

Listen to the full episode, out now on your favorite podcast platform. 

Read Last Rites: The Evolution of the American Funeral by Todd Harra.

Read Mortuary Confidential: Undertakers Spill the Dirt by Todd Harra.

Read Over Our Dead Bodies:Undertakers Lift the Lid by Todd Harra.

Read Patient Zero by Todd Harra.

Learn more about McCrery & Harra Funeral Homes and Crematory.

Learn more about Todd Harra.

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters. 

Death Technology is on the table today!

For the fifth episode in our Death Rituals series, we are joined by John Troyer. John Troyer is a leading scholar in the field of death studies and a former director of the Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath. Growing up in a family funeral business, his work explores how technology, culture, and policy shape the ways societies understand and care for the dead. He writes and speaks widely about the future of cemeteries, the politics of human remains, and how innovations in science and technology are changing our relationship with death. Troyer is also the author of the book Technologies of the Human Corpse. 

John Troyer joins us to discuss how his personal experience with death and grief inspired him to start the popular Grief and Support network at the University of Bath. He dives into how everyday death rituals inform our grief and the ways in which death technology has evolved over time, from handheld pictures to digital remains. Finally, John Troyer breaks down resounding debates in the field of bioethics, revealing where they stand today. What results is a fascinating conversation that divulges into the specificity of grief, power of ritualizing, and importance of having open conversations surrounding death and dying.

Listen to the full episode, out now on your favorite podcast platform. 

Learn more about John Troyer.

Read A Beginners Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death by Shoshana Berger and B.J. Miller

Read Technologies of the Human Corpse by John Troyer.

Read The Craft of Dying: The Modern Face of Death by Lyn Lofland.

Check out The Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath.

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters. 

Memorial Ink is on the table today! 

In this episode of our Death Rituals series, Ashley speaks with tattoo artist Paul Cutler, founder of Bubblegum Ink Tattoo Shop, about the deeply personal process of creating ashes-infused tattoos. Bubblegum Ink is a tattoo studio in Cheshire, UK, specializing in deeply personal memorial tattoos, including ashes‑infused tattoos that incorporate cremated remains. 

Paul explains how cremation ashes can be safely incorporated into tattoo ink, allowing people to carry a physical connection to loved ones who have passed. Drawing from years of experience working with grieving clients, he shares emotional stories from the tattoo chair and reflects on what working so closely with grief has taught him about life and connection. 

Learn more about Bubblegum Ink Tattoo Shop. 

Read The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene.

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters. 

If you have ideas for new episodes or guests, or just want to share feedback, email us at reachoutanytime@ameatendre.com.

Olvera Street is on the Table Today!

Today we are joined by Christina Mariscal Pasten. As the daughter of merchants herself, Christina is a founding board member of The Olvera Street Merchants Association. Olvera Street is a historical street in Los Angeles, which served as the center of Spanish and Mexican life in the early 1900s. The merchants on Olvera Street have been celebrating Dia De Los Muertos for decades with a 9 day long festival. The celebration incorporates the pre-Columbian, Aztec, Mayan and Catholic rituals surrounding death. 

This conversation explores the rich history and cultural significance of Olvera Street and the celebration of Dios de los Muertos. Christina Mariscal Pasten shares her personal connection to Olvera Street, her family's legacy, and the role of the Olvera Street Merchant Association Foundation in preserving traditions. What results is a beautiful conversation about cultural exchange and understanding, as well as the personal practices that keep the memory of loved ones alive.

Learn more about Olvera Street Merchants Association here.

Read Rain of Gold by Victor Villansenor.

Listen to Brains On. 

Listen to Greeking Out.

Listen to Work Life with Adam Grant.

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters. 

If you have ideas for new episodes or guests, or just want to share feedback, email us at reachoutanytime@ameatendre.com.

Secular Funerals are on the table today!

For the third episode of our Death Rituals Series, we are joined by Blake Hutchings. Blake Hutchings is a Humanist Celebrant accredited by Humanists UK. He creates non-religious ceremonies for weddings, funerals, and naming days, working closely with individuals and families to ensure each ceremony reflects their values, stories, and relationships. Outside of his celebrant work, he is a musician, an active participant in amateur theatre, a writer, and a father of two.

Blake takes us behind the scenes of what it means to be a humanist celebrant - from the multi-stage training process to the emotional and practical realities of meeting with families, writing personalized tributes, and guiding people through one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives from a secular lens. The conversation offers insight into the inner-workings of a secular funeral and the ways we can honor, think about, and remember death both inside and outside of organized religion.

At its heart, this conversation reflects on how working so closely with death often becomes an exercise in learning how to live. Blake and Ashley talk about grief, legacy, and the importance of confronting mortality. Like many conversations On the Table With Ashley holds around death and dying, this episode ultimately becomes a conversation about life.

Listen to the Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast.

Find out more about Humanists U.K.

Learn more about Blake Hutchings.Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters. 

If you have ideas for new episodes or guests, or just want to share feedback, email us at reachoutanytime@ameatendre.com.

Journeying through death and grief is on the table today!

In part 2 of this 2 part conversation, we are once again joined by Genevieve Keeney-Vazquez. Genevieve is a U.S. Army veteran who began her career as a medic, serving on military death response teams before transitioning into the funeral profession. She’s now the President and CEO of the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston. Genevieve holds degrees in psychology and mortuary science, as well as a master’s in nonprofit and association management — and she’s dedicated her career to helping people better understand death, grief, and remembrance. 

In this episode, Ashley and Genevieve dig deep, contending with the nuances, contradictions and lived realities of grief. Together, they explore the role that religion and funerals play in comforting the living while honoring the dead. From death photography to Jazz Funerals, Genevieve walks us through the different customs and traditions that help us process loss, and what these rituals teach us about how we grieve. 

Recorded just days after the death of her own mother, Genevieve generously opens up about her own grief journey, affording us a rare look into the magnitude of grief in motion, the contradictions and ever-evolving feelings that accompany it, and the healing that happens when we discuss this topic with an open mind and an open heart.

Listen to the full episode, out now on your favorite podcast platform. 

Learn more about The National Museum of Funeral History.

Listen to The Final Curtain Never Closes.

Follow The National Museum of Funeral History on Instagram.

Read The History of American Funeral Directing by Robert W. Habenstein and William M. Lamers.

Learn more about INELDA.

Explore the Association of Death Education and Counseling.

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters. 

If you have ideas for new episodes or guests, or just want to share feedback, email us at reachoutanytime@ameatendre.com.

Death rituals around the world are on the table today!

In the first episode of our Death Rituals series, we are joined by Genevieve Keeney Vasquez for a conversation about death rituals, cultural practices, and the power of honoring the dead with intention.

Genevieve Keeney Vazquez is a U.S. Army veteran who began her career as a medic, serving on military death response teams before transitioning into the funeral profession. She’s now the President and CEO of the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston. Genevieve holds degrees in psychology and mortuary science, as well as a master’s in nonprofit and association management — and she’s dedicated her career to helping people better understand death, grief, and remembrance. Her path from the military to mortuary science to museum leadership offers such a fascinating window into how we find meaning, even in life’s most difficult moments.

 Recorded just days after the loss of Genevieve’s mother, this episode holds space for grief in real time. In part 1 of this 2 part episode, Genevieve shares how early experiences with death shaped her life’s path, from a childhood fascination sparked by a tragic news story to her time as a U.S. Army medic stationed in Germany. Together, Ashley and Genevieve discuss why we avoid talking about death, how that avoidance impacts families when loss occurs, and why having conversations about burial, cremation, and memorial wishes ahead of time is an act of love. 

Listen to the full episode, out now, on your favorite podcast platform.

Explore the Association of Death Education and Counseling

Explore the Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Services

Learn more about The National Museum of Funeral History

Listen to The Final Curtain Never Closes

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters. 

If you have ideas for new episodes or guests, or just want to share feedback, email us at reachoutanytime@ameatendre.com.

Today, we have an abbreviated, bonus re-release of our episode with Palliative care doctor, Dr. Alex Gamble.

Dr. Gamble graduated from St. Louis University School of Medicine in 2010, completed his residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in 2015, and pursued his fellowship at the University of Kansas in 2016. He specializes in improving the quality of life for patients nearing the end of life, drawing from his deep expertise in palliative care.

Dr. Gamble sits down with Ashley to discuss his experiences as a palliative care physician and the profound lessons his patients have taught him about life, death, grief, and emotional maturity. Their conversation explores the philosophical aspects of death anxiety and dives into the diverse emotional landscapes of his patients.

Death Anxiety is a fundamental aspect of the human experience, influencing many of the choices we make in an effort to mitigate our fears surrounding mortality. With this episode, and the series as a whole, we aim to foster open dialogue about this often-uncomfortable topic. We believe that through tough conversations, we can find inner peace. No subject is off-limits in our pursuit of meaningful connection.

You can learn more about Dr. Gamble and his practice at North Kansas City Hospital's page as well as on Stanford University's academic staff page. 

Links to resources mentioned by Ashley and Dr. Gamble in today’s episode:

‘‘And Yet It Was a Blessing’’: The Case for Existential Maturity - special report by Linda L. Emanuel, MD, PhD, Neha Reddy, BA, Joshua Hauser, MD, and Sarah B. Sonnenfeld.

Plato's Allegory of the Cave

The Death Cafe Movement

The Death Positive Movement

A Beginner's Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death - by B.J Miller, MD and Shoshana Berger

Recompose

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On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters. 

If you have ideas for new episodes or guests, or just want to share feedback, email us at reachoutanytime@ameatendre.com.

Nutrition is on the table today!

For the final episode of our wellness series, we are joined by Nutritionist Joan Salge Blake. Dr. Salge Blake is a Clinical Professor and Dietetic Internship Director at Boston University (BU) and was awarded the prestigious Whitney Powers Excellence in Teaching Award from the University. Currently, Joan is a nutrition blogger for US News & World Report’s Eat + Run Column and the host of SpotOn!, the hit nutrition, health, and wellness podcast. She has conducted over 2,000 media interviews on numerous nutrition topics and was named by Good Housekeeping Magazine as the expert to follow on Twitter for healthy eating.

Dr.Salge Blake joins us to break down the misinformation and disinformation surrounding nutrition in our current landscape. The two engage in a robust discussion about small ways to improve our nutritional outcomes in everyday lives, and the importance of nutrition education for all. In a field dominated by influencers and unlicensed experts, Dr.Salge Blake provides an unbiased, educated perspective on how to best live a truly nutritious lifestyle. 

Listen to the full episode, out now, on your favorite podcast platform. 

Follow Dr. Salge Blake on Facebook.

Follow Dr. Salge Blake on Twitter.

Follow Dr. Salge Blake on Instagram.

Explore the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Check out the TV Show Chef’s Table

Listen to the Spot On Podcast

Read Eat Right the E.A.S.Y Way by Joan Salge Blake

Read Nutrition & You by Joan Salge Blake

Read Nutrition from Science to You by Joan Salge Blake

Explore Oldways

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters. 

If you have ideas for new episodes or guests, or just want to share feedback, email us at reachoutanytime@ameatendre.com.