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Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully
What if we didn’t consider death the worst possible outcome? What if we discussed it honestly, embraced end-of-life care and prepared for the end of our lives with hope and acceptance?In this empathetic and knowledgeable guide, TikTok star Julie McFadden – known online as ‘Hospice Nurse Julie’ – shares the valuable lessons she’s learned in her fifteen years as a palliative care nurse. Expertly weaving emotional insight with practical advice, you’ll find
which medical interventions help and which make things worsefacts and myths about hospice carethe most important conversations to have before you diethe many inexplicable and fascinating deathbed experiences people havehow to navigate the grieving journey, before and after deathSet to become a go-to resource for years to come, Nothing to Fear shows how a better death goes hand-in-hand with a better life.
which medical interventions help and which make things worsefacts and myths about hospice carethe most important conversations to have before you diethe many inexplicable and fascinating deathbed experiences people havehow to navigate the grieving journey, before and after deathSet to become a go-to resource for years to come, Nothing to Fear shows how a better death goes hand-in-hand with a better life.
225 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 13, 2024
910 people are currently reading
8102 people want to read
About the author
Julie McFadden
3 books80 followersJulie McFadden, BSN, RN, is a hospice/palliative care nurse with more than fifteen years of experience. Passionate about normalizing death and dying, she has more than one million followers on TikTok as @hospicenursejulie. She has been featured in Newsweek, USA Today, the Atlantic, Business Insider, the Patient Story, and many other media outlets worldwide. McFadden lives and works (and films and edits videos for social media) in California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 385 reviews
August 1, 2024
Nothing To Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully is an honest and open look into hospice, end-of-life, care by Julie McFadden - her Tiktok @HospiceNurseJulie - is filled with informative and interesting videos, which made me want to check this book out for further details and information.
”What if we didn’t consider death the worst possible outcome? What if we discussed it honestly, embraced end-of-life care, and prepared for the end of our lives with hope and acceptance?” These are some of the questions posed in Nothing To Fear, as the subject of death is handled with such care, as the patients are given such dignity and respect.
Death is much larger than just being clinical and medical, it is purely human. We are wired, designed, to run away from death. But we need to remember that it will be the end of all our paths.
It is completely normal to fear death, but Julie McFadden wants to normalise conversations around it to help many people - the dying, the bereaved with their grief - comes to terms with the inevitable.
This is a very well-written book, one that will help many people. You never know, I may end up returning to it one day if ever I need to.
How strange that when I was around halfway through reading this, I received news that one of my friends sadly passed away. This book really did help me to process things, even though her death was shocking and sudden.
5 stars
”What if we didn’t consider death the worst possible outcome? What if we discussed it honestly, embraced end-of-life care, and prepared for the end of our lives with hope and acceptance?” These are some of the questions posed in Nothing To Fear, as the subject of death is handled with such care, as the patients are given such dignity and respect.
Death is much larger than just being clinical and medical, it is purely human. We are wired, designed, to run away from death. But we need to remember that it will be the end of all our paths.
It is completely normal to fear death, but Julie McFadden wants to normalise conversations around it to help many people - the dying, the bereaved with their grief - comes to terms with the inevitable.
This is a very well-written book, one that will help many people. You never know, I may end up returning to it one day if ever I need to.
How strange that when I was around halfway through reading this, I received news that one of my friends sadly passed away. This book really did help me to process things, even though her death was shocking and sudden.
5 stars
June 11, 2024
We are all going to die. Death is a part of our human experience and none of us can avoid it forever. What this book does is take away the fear of dying .
I started following Nurse Julie on Instagram a couple of years ago. She explains the dying process and answers questions about the different experiences before, during , and after. Before I started following her , I wrote down what I’d want in the event I was dying. I said I’d want food and hydration right up until the end because I didn’t want to starve to death. Julie lays out why that isn’t necessary , pointing out that it could actually make the end needlessly painful for the person who is dying.
This book addresses death from terminal illnesses such as cancer, ALS, dementia, etc. many of us don’t want to talk about it because it’s a difficult conversation to have. While the subject is death from medical problems, it still makes me less afraid of death. I also know that while I’m relatively healthy, at 60 years old it’s time to think about end of life decisions I can make now so my loved ones don’t have to agonize over what they think I want. The title of the book is “ Nothing to Fear” and this book can help to allay some of the anxiety and fear of death.
I started following Nurse Julie on Instagram a couple of years ago. She explains the dying process and answers questions about the different experiences before, during , and after. Before I started following her , I wrote down what I’d want in the event I was dying. I said I’d want food and hydration right up until the end because I didn’t want to starve to death. Julie lays out why that isn’t necessary , pointing out that it could actually make the end needlessly painful for the person who is dying.
This book addresses death from terminal illnesses such as cancer, ALS, dementia, etc. many of us don’t want to talk about it because it’s a difficult conversation to have. While the subject is death from medical problems, it still makes me less afraid of death. I also know that while I’m relatively healthy, at 60 years old it’s time to think about end of life decisions I can make now so my loved ones don’t have to agonize over what they think I want. The title of the book is “ Nothing to Fear” and this book can help to allay some of the anxiety and fear of death.
January 23, 2025
Hospice nurse Julie has put words to so many of the things I encounter daily as a hospice nurse. She eloquently breaks down why talking about death is essential in making it less scary, and gives so much wisdom and education about the death process. It has shed light on why I love what I do, and reminds me of the purpose behind my job which is beautiful, full of so much multitasking, and oh so bittersweet. I have never loved more deeply than I do encountering death in the ways she describes in this book. I would recommend it to anyone who works in healthcare, has a declining loved one, or who is considering a career in hospice.
October 19, 2024
3.5 stars, I think this book would have been better titled “Nothing to Fear: an Introduction to Hospice.” There are some death stories in here, but this book contains a lot of anecdotes from Julie’s YouTube that I have heard. This book is best for anyone interested in learning about what hospice is, for those who don’t or are afraid of death I think you could gain some good info from this. Julie read well in the audiobook
June 13, 2024
Nurse Julie’s YouTube/instagram really helped me be there for my 102 year old grandmama as she transitioned from her life on Earth to her next great adventure as I call it. I was so happy to read this book via Audiobooks from Apple. She did such a beautiful job reading the book and I highly recommend it. Thank you Nurse Julie for all of your support!!
September 29, 2024
This book changed my outlook on death for the better. I never realized all of the techniques we take in the ICU to stay alive and how it can make death so much more painful. This book comforted me as my dad is on hospice, and what I can expect in his death and my own someday. I can’t thank nurse Julie enough for writing this. If you or your loved one is dying, please read it ❤️
December 14, 2024
I really appreciate these kinds of books for someone who wishes death positivity was more mainstream. McFadden does a great job broaching a highly sensitive and virtually not talked about (when do you ever hear about hospice?) subject with such compassion and gentleness. It’s refreshing to hear someone also advocate for the patient’s right to choose their treatment and how they die, as well as how caregivers need to give them space and let them guide them, even though that’s a really tough position to be in. This opened my eyes to a lot of things regarding end-of-life care that will definitely be useful to me and others I know as we grow older :)
Highly recommend to every single person!
Highly recommend to every single person!
January 21, 2026
Julie (aka Hospice Nurse Julie) is such a great writer. I learned so much from this nonfiction book about death and dying.
Full review and discussion on my BookTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EURJy...
Full review and discussion on my BookTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EURJy...
April 19, 2025
So Good! Quality info for the end of life. I wish I had read this months ago.
September 29, 2024
I promise I don't only read books about death lol. But I would 10/10 recommend this for EVERYONE to read. We will all inevitably see someone we love die and Julie does a great job at explaining what that looks like and what to consider. The greatest gift we could give is a peaceful death for our loved ones.
July 7, 2024
As someone who has worked in hospice care, I've never read such a comprehensive, compassionate, and well rounded explanation of what it means to have a good death, and ultimately a good life.
February 13, 2025
No, I am not dying, nor do I know anyone personally who is (at the moment), though as the author, a Hospice Nurse named Julie points out, we're all dying - just maybe not in six months, which is one of the qualifying criteria for Hospice care. I chose to read this book because my mother is 90, and even though she's in very good health for her age, no one lives forever. I always have a level of background anxiety about her eventual decline and death, since I count her among my best friends and can't even imagine not having her in my life. This helpful, informative, and honest book helped me feel less anxious about her demise, when the time comes.
Julie chose to move into Hospice nursing from working in a busy ICU, where extraordinary means are performed to keep dying patients alive as long as possible. She didn't agree with people who have terminal illnesses having to submit to invasive, uncomfortable, and dehumanizing procedures just to prolong their lives a small amount even though the end result would be the same as if they were allowed to die a more comfortable, peaceful, and dignified death at home.
I listened to the audiobook and Nurse Julie has such a calming voice it really helped me relax about this "taboo" topic. She wants everyone to be able to more easily talk about death and use the actual words "death", "dying", "dead" instead of euphemisms (passed away, went to be with Jesus, and so forth). She provides much practical information on what Hospice is, what it isn't, what to do as a caregiver when a loved one is dying or when one is dying oneself. What to say, what not to say, what "active dying" and "the rally" are. What other experiences the dying person may have, like seeing dead loved ones. She also provides many additional resources in the final chapter, including other books, podcasts, and websites.
Nurse Julie has written an immensely valuable book that should be read by everyone. Dying is universal, but doesn't have to be a terrible thing -- it's a natural part of life.
Julie chose to move into Hospice nursing from working in a busy ICU, where extraordinary means are performed to keep dying patients alive as long as possible. She didn't agree with people who have terminal illnesses having to submit to invasive, uncomfortable, and dehumanizing procedures just to prolong their lives a small amount even though the end result would be the same as if they were allowed to die a more comfortable, peaceful, and dignified death at home.
I listened to the audiobook and Nurse Julie has such a calming voice it really helped me relax about this "taboo" topic. She wants everyone to be able to more easily talk about death and use the actual words "death", "dying", "dead" instead of euphemisms (passed away, went to be with Jesus, and so forth). She provides much practical information on what Hospice is, what it isn't, what to do as a caregiver when a loved one is dying or when one is dying oneself. What to say, what not to say, what "active dying" and "the rally" are. What other experiences the dying person may have, like seeing dead loved ones. She also provides many additional resources in the final chapter, including other books, podcasts, and websites.
Nurse Julie has written an immensely valuable book that should be read by everyone. Dying is universal, but doesn't have to be a terrible thing -- it's a natural part of life.
June 29, 2024
4.25 ⭐️
I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone - a great introduction to death, dying, hospice, palliative care, etc.
Truthfully I wish I had read this book around this time, 5 years ago, as it would’ve gone a long way in preparing me for my brother’s death. Unfortunately a topic we all shy away from discussing, even though we will all experience this at some point.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone - a great introduction to death, dying, hospice, palliative care, etc.
Truthfully I wish I had read this book around this time, 5 years ago, as it would’ve gone a long way in preparing me for my brother’s death. Unfortunately a topic we all shy away from discussing, even though we will all experience this at some point.
Read
July 7, 2024Those who read my little interviews will remember my existential dread surrounding death and my review earlier this year of “Embraced by the Light” which unfortunately made this dread worse.
This book however was a completely different experience. With first hand accounts and expert knowledge, Julie McFadden outlines her perspectives on death after years as a Hospice nurse. This stood as an excellent grief tool with my continual struggle surrounding the deaths of my grandfathers, and also helped address my devestating fear of the end of my life.
While McFadden does address ideas surrounding spirituality, this book is overall neutral in her discussions of it, and you can tell she is a wonderfully accepting person in all forms of philosophy surrounding death. Where McFadden stands proudly though, is her insistence on a rewriting of the societal conversations surrounding our own deaths and the deaths of others. She pushes for ethical, educated end of life care, and outlines what to expect with death from her personal experiences and the realm of science.
A very calming book for my very anxious heart.
This book however was a completely different experience. With first hand accounts and expert knowledge, Julie McFadden outlines her perspectives on death after years as a Hospice nurse. This stood as an excellent grief tool with my continual struggle surrounding the deaths of my grandfathers, and also helped address my devestating fear of the end of my life.
While McFadden does address ideas surrounding spirituality, this book is overall neutral in her discussions of it, and you can tell she is a wonderfully accepting person in all forms of philosophy surrounding death. Where McFadden stands proudly though, is her insistence on a rewriting of the societal conversations surrounding our own deaths and the deaths of others. She pushes for ethical, educated end of life care, and outlines what to expect with death from her personal experiences and the realm of science.
A very calming book for my very anxious heart.
August 30, 2024
I am honestly confused why this book is rated so highly on Goodreads. Perhaps the people reading it have a loved one dying and relate to it more. This was not my cup of tea. The book felt super repetitive and I felt like it could've just been 3 chapters.
One lesson I liked learning was: "We die the way we lived." She talks about people on their deathbed who lived intense and stubborn lives. These people would try to resist their death which likely made their death less comfortable. The author teaches that when you're dying to just accept your fate and not resist. You will essentially leave the world how you lived on it.
One lesson I liked learning was: "We die the way we lived." She talks about people on their deathbed who lived intense and stubborn lives. These people would try to resist their death which likely made their death less comfortable. The author teaches that when you're dying to just accept your fate and not resist. You will essentially leave the world how you lived on it.
March 27, 2025
As a hospice nurse I love the concept…but was mainly focused on educating on the dying process rather than speaking lots of patient experience focus…as a taboo subject I wouldn’t say that this book left me wanting to continue reading on a subject I deal with everyday at work….was just a little let down
Felt like an over explained version of Gone From My Sight…
Felt like an over explained version of Gone From My Sight…
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September 10, 2024I was expecting something slightly different when I picked this up at the library. I found the information educational but this book is geared more for families and persons thinking about or entering hospice care.
October 12, 2024
Definitely a must read.
December 29, 2024
Read this when I had non stop thoughts about death and it helped a lot! Still so fucking depressing but helpful
December 30, 2024
I thought at first that this book was going to cover the same ground as Being Mortal — focusing on quantity of life can come at the cost of quality of life — but McFadden quickly takes it in another direction. After explaining her own switch from ICU nurse to hospice nurse, she goes deep on specifics about what is normal to see in someone whose body is actively dying and the ways that are and are not helpful to respond to that. In detailing everything from the way the dying body naturally stops wanting to eat and drink to how common it is for dying people to see visions of deceased loved ones and beautiful light, McFadden paints a picture of death as just one more step on everyone's journey of life and not something to be feared or avoided at all costs. She also tries to educate about options, including debunking myths about hospice care and sharing information on how Death with Dignity works, and repeatedly encourages readers to have honest conversations acknowledging the reality of death. The book is specifically targeted at those who have received a terminal diagnosis and their loved ones, but given that that could be any of us at any time, I would recommend this widely. I am not familiar with McFadden's TikTok channel, so I'm very glad this one came across my radar another way.
July 23, 2024
A gem!
As a Certified Child Life Specialist who has worked with so many dying children, this book hits the nail on the head. It’s everything I know and advocate for.
Thank you Julie for putting this beautiful resource now out in the world. I hope you inspire so many to learn. We need to put death into our everyday conversations and you did it with ease and slight repetition.
The most powerful part of this book is how it allowed me to process my dad’s death this year and his 2 months on hospice. We did everything in our power to create a peaceful ending and it was honestly gut wrenching but beautiful. The exact ending my dad wanted was the gift we gave him. Myself, his sister and his best friend held space for his sacred transition out of this world.
As a Certified Child Life Specialist who has worked with so many dying children, this book hits the nail on the head. It’s everything I know and advocate for.
Thank you Julie for putting this beautiful resource now out in the world. I hope you inspire so many to learn. We need to put death into our everyday conversations and you did it with ease and slight repetition.
The most powerful part of this book is how it allowed me to process my dad’s death this year and his 2 months on hospice. We did everything in our power to create a peaceful ending and it was honestly gut wrenching but beautiful. The exact ending my dad wanted was the gift we gave him. Myself, his sister and his best friend held space for his sacred transition out of this world.
March 27, 2025
Hospice Nurse Julie McFadden writes with all the compassion, kindness and honor I would want for myself or my loved ones at any stage in life. I learned some good things from her book.
A very special friend of mine is turning 106 in a few weeks. She's declining. She's on hospice.
After visiting her the other day, I left with a lot of questions. When I arrived, she was trying, struggling, and failing to feed herself a bowl of icecream covered in strawberry syrup. She wanted help. I wasn't sure if I was "supposed" to help, what the latest rules from her caretakers and long distance family were. (Which, if I'm being honest, have not always aligned in the past. The caretakers tend to give her any help she requests, while some family are adamant she do things herself to maintain her independence.) I was the only one there, and helping when asked felt like the right thing to do. With my help, she eagerly relished nearly the whole big bowl.
I am reassured by Nurse Julie. My dear friend really wanted that icecream. Helping, when her hands simply weren't up to the task, was the right thing to do.
My biggest takeaway from the book is "Let your loved one be your guide." Let them guide you in how to take care of them. "Honor your loved one by allowing them to guide the process in all the ways they're able."
Respect their wishes.
Let them make personal choices for themselves.
When they no longer want the icecream, honor that, too.
The book answered questions I wouldn't have known specifically how to ask.
Nurse Julie includes useful scientific / medical information about end of life, as well as helpful information that will make end of life easier for the person dying, and their loved ones. There are task lists to help arrange affairs, make decisions known, have wishes fulfilled.
This is a book about death and dying, but it's also about living. Living the life we have as well as we possibly can - before dying as well as we possibly can.
There's a chapter titled Advice For the Dying that may as well be titled Advice for Living:
• Tell your family and friends you love them.
• Ask forgiveness from people you've hurt.
• Exercise healthy boundaries around your space, which might mean excluding people who may be harmful to you.
• Ask yourself what brings you the most joy and then do it.
A very special friend of mine is turning 106 in a few weeks. She's declining. She's on hospice.
After visiting her the other day, I left with a lot of questions. When I arrived, she was trying, struggling, and failing to feed herself a bowl of icecream covered in strawberry syrup. She wanted help. I wasn't sure if I was "supposed" to help, what the latest rules from her caretakers and long distance family were. (Which, if I'm being honest, have not always aligned in the past. The caretakers tend to give her any help she requests, while some family are adamant she do things herself to maintain her independence.) I was the only one there, and helping when asked felt like the right thing to do. With my help, she eagerly relished nearly the whole big bowl.
I am reassured by Nurse Julie. My dear friend really wanted that icecream. Helping, when her hands simply weren't up to the task, was the right thing to do.
My biggest takeaway from the book is "Let your loved one be your guide." Let them guide you in how to take care of them. "Honor your loved one by allowing them to guide the process in all the ways they're able."
Respect their wishes.
Let them make personal choices for themselves.
When they no longer want the icecream, honor that, too.
The book answered questions I wouldn't have known specifically how to ask.
Nurse Julie includes useful scientific / medical information about end of life, as well as helpful information that will make end of life easier for the person dying, and their loved ones. There are task lists to help arrange affairs, make decisions known, have wishes fulfilled.
This is a book about death and dying, but it's also about living. Living the life we have as well as we possibly can - before dying as well as we possibly can.
There's a chapter titled Advice For the Dying that may as well be titled Advice for Living:
• Tell your family and friends you love them.
• Ask forgiveness from people you've hurt.
• Exercise healthy boundaries around your space, which might mean excluding people who may be harmful to you.
• Ask yourself what brings you the most joy and then do it.
September 5, 2024
After getting this book from the library, it made such an impact that I intend to purchase it and refer to it when necessary. Julie has a very down to earth style and talks about everything involving death the way I’d want a medical professional to do. Highly recommend as she also gives advice on how to fill out power of attorney, living will etc. She’s amazing!
June 28, 2024
I have been following Hospice Nurse Julie for quite some time on social media. She is amazing, and I was so excited for this book. Although some of the messages were familiar for me due to working in palliative medicine, she does such a great job of explaining some of the more difficult topics surrounding death. I definitely will be incorporating some of her messages in to my practice. Anyone and everyone should read this book.
August 26, 2024
An honest yet gentle overview of death and how to navigate it. Julie explains several aspects around death such as palliative care, hospice, the process of dying, grief, and how to navigate the feelings and decisions that come with it. Death is still stigmatized in our society but it doesn't have to be and Julie is a compassionate teacher. Though this was a difficult read after experiencing multiple family deaths in the last year, I'm glad I read this to better understand some of the things that happened and to ease my mind. Everyone should read this book.
February 21, 2025
This book, written by a hospice nurse, is about death and dying. And it’s SO good. It really does help with the fear of dying, or of losing a loved one. Dying doesn’t need to be a taboo topic, and this book helps demystify it.
July 28, 2024
Well written and really accessible for not only professionals, like Julie, but also the general public, patients, their families and loved ones.
February 26, 2025
Im currently a newly hospice nurse and this has helped me realize so many of the changes I’ve seen at the SNFs and also currently in my career. It all make sense. It has helped me understand the stages of death and how to cope with death on my own and also explaining things to family members who don’t understand the process. Great book.
January 4, 2025
Perhaps a bit unfortunate that this was the first book I read in the new year, but I found this book exactly when I needed it. Truly a perfect read if you have a loved one approaching hospice or in hospice.
December 19, 2025
I’m not sure why I chose to read this book right now, but with some personal things in my own life and my own parents aging, this was hard to get through.
This is an important book, but not an easy one. It asks you to sit with fear, mortality, and the realities of illness and caregiving in a very direct way, all of which make me uncomfortable to talk about or think about in general.
One thing I deeply appreciated was how much this book reinforced my respect for hospice nurses and the medical profession as a whole. The compassion, steadiness, and humanity required in that work is extraordinary.
I wouldn’t recommend this casually…
This is an important book, but not an easy one. It asks you to sit with fear, mortality, and the realities of illness and caregiving in a very direct way, all of which make me uncomfortable to talk about or think about in general.
One thing I deeply appreciated was how much this book reinforced my respect for hospice nurses and the medical profession as a whole. The compassion, steadiness, and humanity required in that work is extraordinary.
I wouldn’t recommend this casually…
Displaying 1 - 30 of 385 reviews