death curious

Death is scary, and is hard to talk about honestly. We are here to change that. Our mission is to eliminate death avoidance & bring people together with death-curious education.

Death Curious is a platform for death exploration and a community of like-minded, curiously death positive people. We imagine a future in which talking about death is normalized, comfortable, and even encouraged.

Through death curious education, our goal is to help you better understand your own mortality, gain confidence talking to others about theirs, and to build a supportive community of mortality explorers.

What death curious people say

“The work that Aries is doing with Death Curious is incredibly important and a game-changer in the deathcare profession – not only for professionals, but also for the families they serve. Death Curious is officially opening the door that should’ve been opened 20+ years ago… the door that allows for open, important discussions that better connect funeral service professionals to the general public. Here’s my best advice: you’re going to want to pay attention to what Aries and the guests on Death Curious have to say – it will change your outlook on life (and deathcare) for the better.”

Chase Downs (he/him)
Demand Generation Specialist at Gather

“Death Curious broaches so many topics, and explores the death care industry through the eyes, ears and heart of Aries Jo. Their approachability and vulnerability interlaced with their deathcare knowledge make them the perfect host to shine a light through the prisms of deathcare. What makes Aries Jo’s approach to interviews and insights so impactful is the fact that, underneath their knowledge and experience as a deathcare professional, is a genuine person who allows their own tragic deathcare experience be the guide for their gentle expression and care for their guests…”

Mel Bennett
Creator and Co-Founder Life Forest Cemetery

Read Our Blog

The Top Death Curious Moments of 2023

As 2023 draws to a close, it’s nice to look back and reflect on the growth and accomplishments achieved in death care this year. I’ve always been a fan of a “tabula rasa” or a blank slate fresh start, and a new year is a great time to reflect, learn, and carry ourselves forward. 2023 was the first year for Death Curious. While our education platform has accomplished a lot in our goal to create healthy and honest conversations around death, there have also been a few major “death curious” moments in our wider society in the past year that are worth celebrating. This is my list of the top 4 Death Curious moments of 2023.

Grieving During the Holidays

For some of us, as the holiday season approaches each year things can often seem a bit heavier than usual despite the sentiments of “merry and bright” and “it’s the most wonderful time of the year”. Many people struggle with the holidays for a multitude of reasons: estrangement from family, financial struggles, Seasonal Affective Disorder, and grief. Believe it or not, many studies show that more deaths happen between late November and early January than any other time of year. This means more people than usual might be experiencing grief from a recent loss or marking a death anniversary as the holidays approach.  

However, there are some helpful things you can do to help move through grief during the holiday season. Grief rituals are a wonderful and accessible way to acknowlege and integrate grieving, especially during this time of year. As we find ourselves in the thick of the Holiday Season of 2023, let’s take a moment to learn about winter death rates, and how to better understand and support those of us who are grieving during the holidays.

The Real Environmental Impact of Funeral Options, Part 5: Natural Organic Reduction

One of the newest options for body disposition to become legal in the US with an incredibly low environmental impact is Natural Organic Reduction, or NOR (also known as “body composting”). NOR was first developed for humans by Katrina Spade of Recompose, and began as a way for people living in urban areas to have access to more natural and eco-friendly disposition options. It allows city dwellers a greener option than traditional burial or flame cremation, without having to transport a body miles outside of a city to a conservation or green burial cemetery.

First legalized in the US in Washington State in 2019, NOR is now available in Oregon, Vermont, and Colorado, and legislation is currently in the works to make it a legal disposition method in other states as well. Though this disposition method is still an outlier in the disposition arena, it is quickly gaining traction and popularity. The incredibly low environmental impact of Natural Organic Reduction is directly meeting the needs of death planners today and tomorrow, as we see more people are consistently searching for eco-friendly alternatives in death planning. 

Death Curious Podcast

Welcome to the Death Curious Podcast!

Death is really scary, and no one talks about it honestly. We are here to change that. Our mission is to eliminate death avoidance and bring people together through death-positive education.

The Voice Behind Death Curious

I’m Aries Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and the voice behind Death Curious.


I’m a queer first generation death care professional, and life-long death curious person.


I’ve made Death Curious a place for getting curious about all things death and dying, empowering ourselves with knowledge, and exploring new ways to make end-of-life care better for everyone.


I believe that death should never be a taboo subject, and learning how to talk about it honestly and intentionally improves life for everyone.

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