In this powerful episode of Candid Minds with Dr. T & Friends, we welcome Penny Hawkins Smith—better known online as Hospice Nurse Penny. Over her many years in hospice and palliative care, Penny has witnessed over a thousand end-of-life journeys.
But Penny didn’t stop at clinical care. Using TikTok, Instagram, humor, storytelling, and bold visuals, she’s built a platform that normalizes conversations about death and dying. Her viral videos shine a light on the parts of life we often avoid: visions, fluid decisions, grief, anticipatory fear, and what “a good death” might even mean.
In this episode, we explore:
How Penny turned taboo into content — going viral by reframing death in human terms
The real physiological, emotional, and relational dynamics of the dying process
How families can better navigate grief, expectations, and “the last days”
Why storytelling, humor, and social media are surprisingly powerful tools for death literacy
What “living well with death in view” can teach all of us
Whether you’re caregiving, grieving, curious, or simply human, this conversation invites you to lean into life by acknowledging death.
