For decades, the Paris Morgue was one of the city’s most popular attractions. Thousands of people lined up each day to look at the dead bodies pulled from the Seine, displayed on marble slabs, their stories unknown.

This wasn’t an anomaly. It was part of a culture built on observation. From the wandering flâneur to the spectacle of cabarets, from the underground atmosphere of the catacombs to the public display of death, Paris was a city that taught its people how to look.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Paris Morgue as public theatre
• The culture of spectacle in Belle Époque Paris
• The strange intimacy of anonymous death
• And why, even today, we’re often more comfortable looking at strangers than at our own dead

Because while we may no longer line up outside a morgue, our fascination with death hasn’t disappeared.

It’s just changed shape.

And when death enters our own lives, many of us turn away.

What happens when grief has nowhere to go?

In this episode, we explore why gathering matters after a death--whether that gathering is a formal funeral, an intimate dinner, or something we create ourselves. From the spectacle of the Duke of Wellington’s funeral and Charles Dickens’ sharp critique, to the overwhelming public mourning of Rudolph Valentino, we look at what happens when ritual overwhelms, and when it disappears altogether.

This is a conversation about authenticity, gracious honesty, and the deep human need to acknowledge loss. Because funerals aren’t about perfection. They’re about making space. About giving grief a place to land.

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www.leavingwellmt.com

Instagram: leaving.well.death.doula

Tiktok: Death Doula LiElla

In this episode of Death Becomes Her, LiElla explores how human behavior changes when time becomes visible, through two unexpected cultural phenomena, Unus Annus and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Beneath the streets of Palermo lies a haunting yet deeply human story—the Capuchin Catacombs, where the dead remain eerily present. In this episode, we step into the dim corridors lined with mummified monks, aristocrats, and children, exploring the motivations behind their unusual burials. What drove people to preserve their bodies in such a dramatic fashion? How did visitors of the past experience this macabre yet sacred space? And what does it reveal about our own desire to be remembered? Join me as we unravel history, confront mortality, and uncover the echoes of those who came before us.

In this episode, LiElla takes a look at the fascinating history of the Whitechapel Club, a late 19th-century group of journalists who embraced gallows humor, irreverence, and a deep fascination with mortality. With their macabre decor and unconventional rituals, the club served as a stark reflection of their time—and perhaps, of ours.

Join me as I draw parallels between the Whitechapel Club’s dark approach to death and our modern-day obsession with true crime. What is it about the morbid and the mysterious that captivates us?

Prepare for a journey through history and the human condition—because talking about death won't kill you...I promise.

Ever heard of Sin-Eaters? In this fast-paced episode, LiElla dives into the fascinating history of these mysterious figures who were believed to take on the sins of the dead. From the past rituals to preserving legacy today, we'll explore how this tradition connects to the modern role of death doulas – and how, in many ways, we’re still 'eating' the worries of the dying and their loved ones. Get ready to unpack the past and find meaning in the present.

LiElla takes a look at the history of medical cadavers and discusses what you need to consider if you would like to donate your body to science.

On the latest episode, LiElla takes a look at the excess associated with Victorian mourning rituals and compares them to modern bereavement practices. How do we stack up?