In this promotional episode for the new season of The Pineapple Project, host Jan Friend engages in a mock therapy session that confronts the listener’s avoidance of death. The conversation reveals that most people, including Jan herself, are woefully unprepared for their own mortality: they lack wills, have not discussed funeral preferences with family, and have only vague ideas about who will handle their digital legacy. The podcast’s central mission is to transform death from a taboo, anxiety-inducing subject into a manageable set of practical tasks—what it calls "death admin." This includes everything from organ donation and insurance checks to closing social media accounts and obtaining death certificates. By facing these prickly details head-on, the show aims to reduce the emotional and logistical chaos left for survivors. The tone blends dark humor with genuine urgency, as the host admits her own naivety and pledges to guide listeners through the process. Ultimately, the season encourages proactive planning as an act of love and responsibility, reminding us that while death is certain, panic is optional.
ABC. This podcast contains audio advertising. To hear it without ads, head to the ABC Listen app now. Hi, it's Jan Friend. The new host of the award-winning podcast The Pineapple Project. Come in Jan and lie down. I'm here for my court-ordered therapy session. I want you to relax. Because in this therapy session, we're going to talk about something very common, so common that every single living being experiences it. Righto, yeah. We'll get comfy. Thank you. This is quite nice, actually. Nice count. Good, good, get comfy. Now on a scale of 1 to 10, how prepared are you for your own death? My what? Wait, what is this? I was expecting some kind of past life regression, isn't that what we're doing? No, no, we're here to discuss your inevitable death, Jan Friend. Because it's one of life's certainties. It is coming for you, but you, like most, will probably rock up to your final day on Earth with your shirt untucked and your tramp stamp revealed. Wait, are you even a real therapist? She's serious. How much am I prepared for my own death? A normal amount, which is to say no, a mount, or. What's everyone else say? I think I joke about it a lot. I don't think about my own death. Ever? No, not ever. No one is prepared even in the slightest bit. Because I don't think about it that often and I choose to believe it won't happen anytime soon. It's not something that would talk about. I don't plan on dying anytime soon. Have you talked to your family about Earth? Not a great deal. No, I haven't made any plans, but I do just sporadically think about it. Okay, why do you think you think about it, but you haven't made any plans? I guess I hope that I've got a lot of time before that seriality. It's passwords, it's closing accounts, it's checking on insurances, bank accounts. I know who I would ask to close down my social media and all that kind of stuff, browsing history and all that. Oh, okay, who would you ask? My best friend to do that. The one who I'm like, I don't care if she sees it, like she sees it. I just don't want other people to see it. I think I told them that I wanted to donate my organs. Yeah, that's what's up. Yeah, I don't think I've said anything more than that. I think in that way I am naive. I think I think about it in terms of sadness and I have no real thought about all the shit that I'm going to have to sort out, which now that you mention it has got me worried. Oh, turns out that no, no, we don't got this at all. So I don't know about you, but I don't have a will. My husband wouldn't have a clue about what sort of funeral I'd want. And if the roles were reversed and I was the one left behind, I wouldn't even be able to track down his dry cleaning, let alone respect his final wishes. Actually, that's not true. I do all the dry cleaning. Right, back to death. I guess we should get this stuff taken care of. So what do we know about death? Okay, one, we're all going to do it. And two, most of us won't know the exact hour or day or even the outfit you'll be wearing and frankly, that is quite a lot of uncertainty already. But instead of leaving that up to your nearest and dearest to deal with when you're gone, this season we are staring death in the face to say, "I can handle this." Yeah, we're going to get all pineapple on wheels and funerals and what if you're in a coma and who's going to manage your socials and how does one produce a death certificate to give to work when grammar dies? Er, yes, we're going to take all of the prickly bits and make them smoother and sweeter to deal with. I am talking death admin. I don't know if there's a will, I don't know anything. It's almost like a stranger has died. The logistics. The next minute the house is full of police officers, the ambulance officers, and investigators and funeral directors. The tricky conversations. You have terminal counts, you're never going to get better. I spent most of our time actually trying to avoid thinking about that stuff, so to actually look at the face is a little bit like staring into the sun. With a special guest appearance from the Grim Reaper. Hello. Shhh, not yet. Isn't this wild? Get on board, everyone's doing it. Get it? It means two things because everyone's going to be listening to these podcasts, but also they will all be dying at the same time. I really have to find a better way of saying that, that's a bit less of a bummer. Strap in for another groundbreaking season of the Pineapple Project. It's about death because it's coming for you, like it or not. Get your healthy norther love. Oh yeah, thanks Dr. Seanexley. Oh, I'm not a doctor. Did you charge me for all that time?
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
The Pineapple Project podcast, hosted by Jan Friend, launches a new season focused on confronting and preparing for death.
Most people avoid thinking about or planning for their own death, including making wills, discussing funeral wishes, or managing digital accounts.
The season aims to demystify "death admin" – practical tasks like organ donation, social media management, and legal paperwork – to make the process less overwhelming.
The podcast emphasizes that death is inevitable and urges listeners to face it proactively rather than leaving burdens for loved ones.
It promises to cover topics such as funerals, comas, death certificates, and difficult conversations, with a tone that balances humor and seriousness.
Summary:
In this promotional episode for the new season of The Pineapple Project, host Jan Friend engages in a mock therapy session that confronts the listener’s avoidance of death. The conversation reveals that most people, including Jan herself, are woefully unprepared for their own mortality: they lack wills, have not discussed funeral preferences with family, and have only vague ideas about who will handle their digital legacy. " This includes everything from organ donation and insurance checks to closing social media accounts and obtaining death certificates.
By facing these prickly details head-on, the show aims to reduce the emotional and logistical chaos left for survivors. The tone blends dark humor with genuine urgency, as the host admits her own naivety and pledges to guide listeners through the process. Ultimately, the season encourages proactive planning as an act of love and responsibility, reminding us that while death is certain, panic is optional.
FAQs
The new season focuses on death and death admin, helping listeners prepare for their inevitable death by tackling practical tasks like wills, funerals, and managing social media accounts.
Most people avoid thinking about death, haven't made plans like a will or funeral wishes, and leave their loved ones to deal with the logistics and emotional burden.
It covers death admin, including wills, funerals, comas, managing social media, and producing a death certificate, as well as having difficult conversations about terminal illness.
The host aims to take the 'prickly bits' of death and make them smoother and sweeter to deal with, encouraging listeners to face death head-on.
The host notes that many people haven't discussed their final wishes with family, like organ donation or funeral preferences, which can cause confusion later.
The host would ask their best friend to close down social media and handle browsing history, as they trust that friend not to judge.
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