On today's podcast, we interview Steve Pantilat about his new book "Life After the Diagnosis: Expert Advice on Living Well with Serious Illness for Patients and Caregivers." Steve is a Professor of Medicine, the Department of Medicine at UC San Francisco, Kates-Burnard and Hellman Distinguished Professor in Palliative Care, and Founding Director, the UCSF Palliative Care Program. In his book, Steve writes to patients and family members coping with serious illnesses about the difficult decisions they face in a convoluted medical system, giving them practical advice on a wide range of common concerns. We talk with Steve about how he came up with the idea of the book, his views on living well and what a "good death is", the role that hope plays in decision making, and the language that we use in medicine that can easily be misunderstood.