In the latest episode of On the Marie Curie Couch, bereavement expert Jason Davidson meets Owen Jones.
Journalist and author Owen Jones writes about social inequality and injustice. He describes himself as a ‘fourth-generation’ socialist and has amassed a huge social media following. In this episode of On the Marie Curie Couch, Owen opens up about the death of his father, who helped shape his political views, and the importance of making plans for those left behind.
The shock of loss
“I went up to Edinburgh with my partner to support my Mum and I was shopping, or something, waiting for my Mum to text,” says Owen. “My Mum texted – Mum’s quite blunt – she texted: ‘Not good, cancer. Two to four years expectancy.’ I remember I went into shock and my partner was like, ‘We have to go to the hospital.’ I was like, ‘No, I've got to buy a jumper.’”
Preparing for death
“Let’s talk about death. We do have to prepare for it.” says Owen. “It’s not like we have to spend every waking hour contemplating our mortality.”
Listen now
Tap the link near the top of this page to listen to Owen’s chat with Jason. Alternatively, listen to or download it via Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
If you'd prefer, you can read a full transcript of the episode. Be sure to like and subscribe so you know when we’ve uploaded a new episode – there are more conversations coming soon.
Content note: discussion of death and grief with reference to themes/topics that might be triggering or upsetting.
