Friday, September 12, 2025
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Gail Rubin, CT, The Doyenne of Death®
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A one-day event with expert panels, Mortality Movies, Wind Phones, live music, and more ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — September 12, 2025: The Before I Die New Mexico Festival returns for its eighth year on Monday, October 13, 2025 (a holiday!), at the First Unitarian Universalist Church campus, 3701 Carlisle Blvd. NE, Albuquerque. From 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., attendees can explore meaningful, practical, and even playful ways to prepare for and talk about life's ultimate challenge—death. This year, the Festival combines forces with the Death is Not a Dirty Word Resource Fair for a lively day of learning, community, and connection. Highlights include: - Panel Discussion on Plant Medicine and Psychedelic Therapy for Grief and Death Anxiety (10:00 a.m. – Noon, Sanctuary, also on Zoom) featuring cannabis and psychedelic therapy experts, hospice professionals, and death doulas.
- Resource Fair (10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Social Hall) with vendors offering information on green burial, estate planning, hospice, caregiver resources, and more.
- Mortality Movies TV Show Screenings (10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Wesson Room) watch 30-minute episodes featuring film and TV clips with memorable end-of-life lessons.
- Death Café Discussion (Noon – 2:00 p.m., Arnold Room) where attendees talk openly about what's on their hearts and minds regarding mortality.
- Panel Discussion: Dying in New Mexico: Options and Choices (12:30 – 2:30 p.m., Sanctuary, also on Zoom) covering medical aid in dying, hospice, and community resources.
- Panel Discussion: Office of the Medical Investigator & Bernalillo County Indigent Program (3:00 – 4:00 p.m., Sanctuary, also on Zoom).
- Wind Phones in the Courtyard — inspired by Japan's Wind Phone memorial, attendees can speak across the wind to deceased loved ones.
- ABQ Skeleton Crew Concert & Dance Party (3:00 – 5:00 p.m., Courtyard), closing the Festival with joy and music.
"Talking about death won't kill you—but it can help you and your loved ones," said Gail Rubin, CT, pioneering death educator and festival coordinator. "This Festival gives people tools, resources, and conversations that make planning ahead easier—and even fun." View the full schedule here: https://beforeidiefestivals.com/2025-before-i-die-new-mexico-festival-schedule/. Registration is free and includes raffle tickets and access to follow-up video links to the panel discussions. Paid options add bonuses such as Gail Rubin's Mortality Movies list, her book A Good Goodbye, a "snappy death quote" T-shirt, The Newly-Dead® Game, or an intimate Death Over Dinner and Mortality Movie Night experience. Register at: https://beforeidiefestivals.com/product/2025-before-i-die-festival-and-fair-registration/ Festival Sponsors include A Good Goodbye, Albuquerque Center for Spiritual Living, Bosque Trails Hospice, End of Life Options New Mexico, First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque, French Funerals & Cremations, Keeper, and Passages International.
About Before I Die Festivals
Before I Die Festivals bring together people of all ages to openly discuss death and dying, with the goal of preparing for a good goodbye. Through films, panels, games, art, and music, the Festivals spark meaningful conversations that lead to action. Learn more at www.BeforeIDieFestivals.com.
Gail Rubin, CT, is author and host of the award-winning book and television series, A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die, Hail and Farewell: Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips, KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die and The Before I Die Festival in a Box™.
Rubin is a Certified Thanatologist (that's a death educator) and a popular speaker who uses humor and films to get the end-of-life and funeral planning conversation started. She "knocked 'em dead" with her TEDx talk, A Good Goodbye. She provides continuing education credit classes for attorneys, doctors, nurses, social workers, hospice workers, financial planners, funeral directors and other professionals. She's a Certified Funeral Celebrant and funeral planning consultant who has been interviewed in national and local print, broadcast and online media.
Known as The Doyenne of Death®, she is the event coordinator of the Before I Die New Mexico Festival and author of a guide to holding such festivals. Her podcast is also called The Doyenne of Death®. She produces videos about the funeral business and related topics. Her YouTube Channel features hundreds of videos!
Rubin is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, Toastmasters International and the National Speakers Association. Her speaking profile is available at eSpeakers.com.
Gail Rubin has been interviewed about funeral planning issues in national and local broadcast, print and online media. Outlets include The Huffington Post, Money Magazine, Kiplinger, CBS Radio News, WGN-TV, and local affiliates for NPR, PBS, FOX, ABC-TV, CBS-TV and NBC-TV. Albuquerque Business First named her as one of their 2019 Women of Influence.
Sign up for a free planning form and occasional informative newsletter at her website, AGoodGoodbye.com.
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