What if the memories of someone you love had a real place to live, and you could walk through them whenever you needed to?
In this episode, I talk with architect Alexander Josephson about how to preserve memories of a loved one, and why grief may be something you move through rather than something you get over.
Alexander is the founder of Partisans, an award-winning design studio in Toronto. While sitting in a hospital room with his father, he listened to him dictate what he wanted on his tombstone, and realized a name and two dates were far too small for the story. That moment led him to build Cumulus, a living digital memorial you can add to, share with family, and return to for years.
I also talk about my daughter Shayna, who passed in 2015, and why I have never wanted her to be tied to one location. If you carry the fear that someone you love will be forgotten, or you have wondered where they are now, this conversation is for you.
In this episode, you'll discover:
✨ Why the "three deaths" idea makes community and storytelling so important
✨ How a $3 million tomb that was never built became a living, breathing memorial
✨ Why the body is temporary and the memories are what carry meaning
✨ How one family invited 90 people into a shared cloud, with pins from a golf course in Scotland to the middle of the Atlantic
✨ Why cemeteries can feel so disorienting, and where our loved ones are
✨ How a digital stone at a grave can bring their story to you with a tap of your phone
About Alexander Josephson:
Alexander Josephson is an architect and the founder of Partisans, an award-winning design studio in Toronto. He is also the founder of Cumulus, a digital memorial platform designed to hold the photos, stories, voices, and memories of the people we love. He is a new father to two daughters under two, and he is already making time capsules for them in his own Cumulus.
Links and resources:
Cumulus website: https://cumulus.world
Cumulus Companion app: search "Cumulus Companion" in the App Store or Google Play
Instagram: Cumulus World
Try Cumulus free on the app or the website.
Join the conversation:
Read the companion article and share your thoughts at https://grief2growth.substack.com
What resonated with you? Tell me in the comments:
💜 Who do you want to make sure is remembered, and what story would you want to keep?
💜 When you think of your loved one, where do you feel them?
💜 What is one memory you could add to a shared space today?
If this episode touched you, please share it with someone who is carrying a loss, and subscribe so you never miss a conversation.
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