Episode 19

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Published on:

28th Jan 2026

He Lost His Job and His Wife. Singing for Hospice Families Helped Him Rebuild His Life

What happens when life knocks you down and you choose service instead of fear?

Host Daryn Kagan sits down with hospice singer Kevin Dunn, a man whose life changed forever after losing his job, hearing a calling to serve, and spending over 23 years singing for patients at a hospice in West Georgia. What started as a moment of uncertainty became a lifelong mission of compassion, faith, and human connection.

Kevin shares how volunteering in hospice taught him that end-of-life care is not just about dying, but about dignity, peace, healing, and presence. He opens up about singing acapella at patients’ bedsides, the emotional moments families experience during final goodbyes, and how music creates comfort when words fall short.

The conversation takes a deeply personal turn when Kevin reveals how his own wife Deborah eventually entered the same hospice where he volunteered for years. Through grief, love, legacy, and resilience, Kevin continued to serve even after her passing, honoring her memory through service and a scholarship program in her name.

This episode explores how service helps you get out of a life slump, how volunteering transforms mental health, and why helping others can restore hope, purpose, and joy. If you’re searching for inspiration, personal growth, spiritual encouragement, or meaningful stories about hospice care and human connection, this one will hit different.

In This Episode You Will Learn

✅ How volunteering can pull you out of emotional burnout and life slumps

✅ Why hospice care is about comfort, dignity, and connection, not just death

✅ How music heals patients and families during end-of-life care

✅ What it means to live a life of service and faith

✅ How grief can deepen purpose instead of ending it

✅ Why modeling compassion impacts future generations


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Timestamps:

  • 00:00 He Lost His Job and His Wife. Singing for Hospice Families Helped Him Rebuild His Life
  • 05:50 Losing a job and hearing a life-changing calling
  • 07:36 The moment Kevin heard the word “hospice”
  • 09:06 Starting hospice volunteer training and committing to service
  • 10:51 Why Kevin shifted to pure acapella singing
  • 13:52 Deborah’s cancer journey and the road to hospice care
  • 16:15 Singing to Deborah and the power of hearing at end of life
  • 17:28 Returning to hospice after grief and honoring Deborah’s legacy
  • 19:57 A powerful bedside moment during “Amazing Grace”
  • 31:18 Service as the secret to escaping a slump

Key Takeaways

💎 Service creates healing for both the giver and the receiver

💎 Hospice care focuses on peace, dignity, and comfort

💎 Music creates emotional connection when words cannot

💎 Grief can transform into legacy and purpose

💎 Helping others breaks the cycle of personal burnout

💎 Small acts of compassion ripple across generations

Guest Bio

Kevin Dunn is a hospice volunteer and singer who has dedicated more than two decades to bringing comfort, peace, and hope to patients and families through music. After losing his job, Kevin followed a calling to serve in hospice care, where he sings weekly at patients’ bedsides. His story blends faith, resilience, grief, love, and the transformational power of service.


Resources & Mentions

hospice care, volunteering, inspirational podcast, overcoming grief, finding purpose, service leadership, faith stories, end of life care, personal growth, healing journeys, meaningful conversations, music therapy, resilience stories, Call Me Friend podcast, Daryn Kagan

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Call Me Friend
Who do you call when life gets real? When the good news hits, the heartbreak lands, or you're just having one of those days—you call a friend. That’s the heartbeat of Call Me Friend—a feel good biweekly podcast that drops you into the kind of conversations that remind us who we are, where we belong, and why friendship matters.

Hosted by former network news anchor, wife, mom, and Airbnb host Daryn Kagan, Call Me Friend is your weekly reminder of the joy, laughter, and healing that come with connection. Each week, Daryn picks up the phone from Ms. Lou’s Cabin—a 50-year-old log home she and her husband lovingly restored and turned into an Airbnb—to chat with someone in her world, whether it’s a celebrity, her childhood bestie, or someone she just met along the way or maybe even YOU. No matter who she’s calling, the focus is always the same: celebrating the power of friendship and connection.

Every episode kicks off with a ring-ring and drops you into a real-life conversations between friends. These aren’t interviews with hot takes or polished soundbites—just raw, funny, heartfelt, deeply human chats between people who genuinely know and care about each other. From lifelong friendships to surprise connections, everyday legends to familiar names, Call Me Friend is a front-row seat to how beautiful, messy, and meaningful friendships can be.

This show is for anyone craving more depth, more heart, and more of the good stuff that makes life not just bearable—but beautiful. It’s a cozy corner of the podcast world where emotional wellness, storytelling, and humor live in harmony. Whether you’re looking for comfort, relatable stories, or a pick-me-up on a hard day, this podcast is for you, yes YOU. Expect wild stories, sweet memories, laugh-out-loud moments, and those quiet “Yeah… me too” pauses that make you feel truly seen.

Fun segments like “You Gotta Meet My Friend” spotlight special guests introducing someone they love, while “Call Me, Friend” invites listeners to write in with questions and stories. And the “Friend Questionnaire” keeps things surprising, uncovering the quirks and connections that make every friendship unique.

What makes Call Me Friend stand out? This show isn’t about networking or hustle. It’s not self-help. It’s heart-help. Because friendship isn’t just background noise—it’s the main character. If you’ve ever found joy, comfort, or healing through a friend—or just needed someone to say, “I get it”—this is your space.

Call Me Friend is more than a podcast. It’s a weekly call you can count on. A soft place to land. A reminder that even when life feels messy, everything gets better when you talk to a friend. If you love heartfelt conversations, personal stories, and a little laughter with your life lessons, this is the one you’ve been waiting for.

So whether you're commuting, folding laundry, walking the dog, or just trying to quiet your mind—remember this: you’re not alone. Someone out there gets it. Someone out there would totally take your call.

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About the Host:

Daryn Kagan is a former CNN anchor turned full-time storyteller. After leaving the fast-paced world of network news, she built a life rooted in purpose, connection, and authenticity. Now living on the quiet Georgia coast, Daryn records Call Me Friend from Ms. Lou’s Cabin, a restored 50-year-old log home turned Airbnb. From there she runs the nationwide Just One More Foundation giving grants for second chances. A wife, mom, dog mama, and connection junkie, Daryn’s superpower is bringing people together—and her gift for real conversation is what makes this podcast feel like catching up with your favorite friend.

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