How the podcast started

In January 2022 I launched Conversations About Advance Care Planning with Clare Fuller. The podcast has evolved from my passion to support professional understanding and raise public awareness about Advance Care Planning, it’s aims to normalise conversations and show the many elements of Advance Care Planning.

I had been thinking about how to raise awareness of Advance Care Planning for some time and unsure of the route to take, a website, book and on-line tool all were thoughts. Late 2021 I responded to a Tweet from the incredible Clair Fisher in which Clair spoke of her frustration at not being “heard” during an acute admission. Clair was an advocate for living well while dying and promoted Advance Care Planning as a powerful wellbeing intervention. I had the honour of working with Clair on previous projects and responded to her message with, “I feel a podcast coming on!” Clair generously agreed to be my first guest and the rest, as they say, is history.

Clair’s episode was recorded in December and released officially on 3.1.2022, the episode was released informally prior to this as Clair was so very poorly. Clair was admitted to a hospice for the final stage of her life and died on 26.1.2022; in true Clair style her last blog prepared as part of Advance Care Planning. Thank you, Clair, for your work and legacy.

A Steep Learning Curve

My first brush with podcasting was in 2020 when I was invited to be a guest on The Business of Healthcare with Tara Humphrey. Until this point I admit to being a podcast virgin having not even listened to one. Nervous? Extremely. I went on to record a second episode with Tara focussing on the Lasting Power of Attorney side of my business. Being a guest has really helped me to understand how my guests feel and the importance of good communication and preparation before every episode.

When it came to producing the first episode I had no experience, it was an exceptionally step learning curve. Clair’s episode was recorded on my phone via Zoom, not the most technical but it worked. I am grateful to my cousin for advice, support and translating a technical language new to me.

This proved to be only the beginning and the steps that followed felt so complex for a non-techie like me. Suffice to say many accounts needed setting up and RSS rapidly entered my vocabulary. To this day I don’t know how I did it, but I do remember being up in the early hours and eventually joining the dots to publish the podcast.

Going forwards I realised I couldn’t manage alone. I didn’t know what or who could help me and reached out to a person who looked as if they knew what they were doing with recording kit. Martin Whiskin proved to be my saving grace, we connected at a Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce networking meeting and I remembered Martin presenting in a highly professional manner. The networking meetings are exactly what they say, a chance to connect with local business owners and share practice. I joined because I had just launched my independent work and was keen to learn as much as I could from others. I am grateful to Martin for coming on board with the project and for his skilful editing and production.

This week I used upgraded kit for the first time, a PodTrack, a decent microphone & some scary looking headphones. I have had to learn how this works, then the process of retrieving, converting and storing the created files. I am three recordings in with this and the terror of not capturing an interview is gradually easing.

I have been interrupted by a neighbour’s angle grinder, the post person and my cats. In one episode my unflappable guest carries on talking as I remove my cat from the room and silently return, in another I fear the cat’s purring may yet be audible.

The Story So Far

I am releasing new episodes every Monday, the preparation, interview, editing and resource are intense but I am loving working with incredible guests and, I hope, making something really worthwhile. A summary of the episodes to date:

Episode 1 Clair Fisher The Challenges of ensuring your Advance Care Plans are heard

Episode 2 Miriam Colleran How to use the What Matters Most and Dignity Question in Advance Care Planning

Episode 3 Amy Heskett The role of Treatment Escalation Plans in Advance Care Planning

Episode 4 Sonia Kinnair Talking about planning ahead with friends and family

Episode 6 Jim Walmsley Talking ahead for End of Life Care from a paramedic perspective

Episode 7 James Norris How to start your Digital Legacy

Episode 7 Celia Kitzinger Advance Decisions to Refuse Treatment (to be released 14.2.22)

Every episode has a show notes section where the guest’s key messages are captured and resources are listed.

All Usual Platforms?

The podcasts are available on my website , this is where the extra resource can be found too. They are also on “all usual platforms” – and here is another term I never thought I’d utter. It took me a while to work out that this meant they were magically sent to many podcast platforms like Amazon and Spotify , which I had heard of, alongside other such as Gaana and Player FM which I hadn’t. I learned the advantage of the platforms is that people can curate their own playlists through them and subscribe to the episodes and never missing a new release. I also learned I need to ask for a five-star review if you enjoyed the podcast and please do leave a review.

I realise now the full title is a little too, well, a little too full. “Conversations About Advance Care Planing with Clare Fuller” seemed a good idea at the time but is a challenge with the Twitter word count. It is what you need to find it on all those usual platforms though.

What Next?

I have so many episodes planned, and so people to talk to. Advance Care Planning means so many things and I am constantly thinking of what next to explore. Using conversations brings the reality of planning to life and different episodes will resonate with different people.

The episodes are built to be heard and shared, if that means starting a family conversation or used in education, that’s brilliant. The series is not for “professionals” or “the public”, it is for everyone, we all need to think about planning ahead for different stages of life.

I would love to be hosted on other websites so the episodes reach more people and will explore options to be sponsored to help keep the series viable one day. I have ideas to generate infographics and more resource but, for the time being, my what next is simply to produce great content every Monday.

There is a call to action in each episode, a #WhatOneThing challenge and I love hearing what people are doing or pledging to do after hearing an episode.

If you have ideas or requests or if you would like to be a guest do contact me.

It’s about What Matters Most

Yesterday I attended the What Matters Most: Important Conversations for Living and Dying Well co-hosted by the @rcgp and @MarieCurieEOLC. The event was fabulous with inspiring speakers and we listened to Advance Care Planning framed as a person to person approach rather than a professional intervention. This makes sense to me; Advance Care Planning is simply about asking What Matters Most to us all.