In this episode of Grief is a Sneaky B!tch, I sat down with Heather Saucedo, a young woman I first met back in 2014. Our first encounter was during one of the scariest times in her young life. At just 22, she had just learned that her fiancé was facing a cancer diagnosis. Not long after that, they welcomed their beautiful daughter Aubree into the world. She was considered medically fragile from birth. By 23, Heather had become a mother and a widow, two titles we happen to have in common. But as Heather will tell you herself, don’t you pity her. She means it!

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Grief is a Sneaky Bitch, host Lisa Keefauver, sat down with her dear friend Romy Suskin at her Photography Studio to talk about her early experiences of watching and caring for her father during her formative years as he endured nearly a decade long journey with Lou Gherig’s disease and how that period and her subsequent grief journey has shaped her outlook on life and love and even how she shows up now as a caregiver for her mother.

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, host Lisa Keefauver is joined with a new friend, Mickey Kay. Mickey shares a bit about how a horrific bike accident at age 20 changed the trajectory of his life. And perhaps more importantly, what he has learned over the last 15 years about grief, love, life, sorrow, and joy.

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode has been one of the most powerful and transformative experiences for me so far this season and I hope it will be for you too. As a trained narrative therapist, I understand that words and language are constitutive of our identity, our experience, our world view. And yet, there are some words that evoke so much shame, judgement, blame, vitriol and other emotions that they make conversations feel off-limits. And when we can't talk about things, we can't process our emotions or make meaning of our experiences, and that is well...really problematic.

I was joined in- studio by a woman who, because of everything I just mentioned, is choosing to remain anonymous. Though she holds no shame about terminating her pregnancy, which she did for medical reasons, she knows there is judgement, perhaps from other family members and likely vile and acidic reactions to come from some who want to shut down conversations like these. Well, by now, you know I'm all about conversations. About showing up, holding space, and bearing witness to the experiences of others. In that act we can all begin to find the language we need to make meaning of our experiences and begin to rebuild a new narrative that will guide us along our grief journey.

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I was joined by a very special human, Kelly Abbott. On a call from his home in San Diego, Kelly was open, thoughtful, and at times poetic about the journey he has been on for the past 4 1/2 years since his son Will drowned a few months before his 5th birthday.

He shares what it has meant to him to have people show up for him and his wife in the beginning … and now. He explores what it means to do the work of grief. He reflects on how the nature of relationships is amplified in the face of great tragedy. He opens up about the powerful impact EMDR therapy has had on his healing. And he shares sweet memories of Will and the wisdom that his passing has offered him. I’m so grateful to know him, to now call him a friend, and to introduce him to you. 

You can read Kelly’s beautiful article, Grief Work, HERE.

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, my guest Mark Garza reminds us that honoring someone after loss can look like so many different things. Since the loss of his father, Mark has dedicated his life to shining a light on a critical but often unmet need in everyone’s grief journey - access to quality mental health services. Through his work at the Flatwater Foundation, Mark is carrying on a family legacy of honoring those we’ve lost. This tradition of giving back to the community was started by his father after the loss of Mark’s twin sister during his childhood. In this conversation, Mark is thoughtful, curious, and passionate about ensuring we all find a way to care for our minds and hearts as we face loss. He understands deeply that it starts at home with him.

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I was joined by Renee Rouleau.

She is a dynamic and inspiring woman who has many titles. Founder and CEO. Esthetician to the stars. Globe-trotter. Adventurer. Motorcyclist. About one year ago she added another title. Widow. Renee shares the lessons she learned from her business partner and husband, Florian, over their 22 year relationship. She reflects honestly and openly about the myths and the realities of accompanying someone through a cancer diagnosis. And she lets us in on how she is blazing a shining trail as she adventures on, carrying his memory into the future. 

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I was joined by Krissy Teegerstrom, an Austin-based artist and creative consultant at Featherweight Studio, and podcast host of Beyond and Back Podcast.

Krissy bravely explores how her father’s death due to addiction when she was 11, a condition her family never discussed, profoundly impacted her life. She reveals how her mother’s insistence on not talking about it, virtually removing traces of his existence from their home, taught her some damaging lessons about love, grief and loss. Krissy illuminates what her grief work has looked like, a journey she says she only began a few years ago, nearly 3 decades after her father’s death. 

She explores the power of a good question to break open the embodied trauma she had been carrying around since childhood. Krissy reflects honestly and openly about the various paths she has traveled to find healing. She is putting into practice a commitment she made recently on her healing journey, to use her voice.

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

On the next episode of Grief is a Sneaky B!tch, I was joined by international filmmakers Ryan Bouman and Michael Janke who created a beautiful short-film documentary called We, The Bereaved. I highly encourage you to watch it now before their episode airs on February 18th, 2020.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this final episode of Season 1, I was joined by Ryan Bouman and Michael Janke, two filmmakers out of Calgary. They recently released a powerful short-form documentary film on grief called We, The Bereaved. In this meditation on grief, their goal was to show solidarity for those who are grieving and permission for those who felt they were never allowed.

From the beginning of our conversation, Ryan and Michael demonstrated deep vulnerability. Both men shared their initial trepidation about taking on the awesome responsibility of telling other people’s grief story. They revealed how tackling this topic was a shift from their more commercial work and how it challenged them to think, act and structure the entire process in a new way. 

Their approach to conveying the stories of the 10 individuals they captured on film was a beautiful example of what ideal grief support looks like. They showed up, they let go of any direction or sense of authority, and they just listened.

The impact of their choices for the film were profound. You can feel how much the bereaved felt safe and supported to share both their experiences and the wisdom they’ve gained on their journeys. The outcome for these filmmakers has been a deeper confidence in showing up for themselves and others in their grief journey.

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BONUS EPISODE

I set aside my title as host and took a turn as a guest on The Death Dialogues Project, a podcast hosted by the talented and generous Becky Aud-Jennison. Much like the work I’m doing Reimagining Grief, Becky is seeking to do the same with death.

As the guest, on the other side of the microphone, we shared a deeply honest, reflective, and emotional conversation about the experience of losing my husband when I was 40 and our daughter was just 7. I share what it was like to be holding Eric for the last 9 hours of his life until he passed in my arms. You will hear the surprising self-discovery I make on-air as I explain why being with my friend Joe a few years later when he died was actually a gift. One that brought a greater sense of peace to the memories of being by Eric’s side.

I KNOW it can feel frightening to think about that moment. I get that it feels that if you bring it up, you will somehow manifest it into existence. The truth is I learned first-hand, that the only thing that happens by talking about people’s wishes, about the reality of this experience, is that you are better prepared when the moment arrives and better able to be fully present.

If you want to be informed and inspired and join Becky in bringing death out of the closet, make sure you subscribe to her incredible show: The Death Dialogues Project!

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 2, Episode 1: What I’ve Learned So Far

Whether you’re a first-time listener or you have listened to every episode, I’m thrilled you’re here. And today, I’m equally excited to say, welcome to SEASON 2 of Grief is a Sneaky Bitch! 

This episode is a little bit unique because I don’t have a guest. Today I’m talking directly just to you, my incredible listeners. I'm sharing some things that are on my mind right now since we last connected in Season 1, including:⠀

1. Some reflections I’ve had about what I learned from each of my incredible guests last season.
2. How your response to the show has impacted me and my work.⠀
3. What I’ve been thinking about and discovering during this time of the pandemic and the national reckoning on systemic racism.
4. And of course, a sneak preview of some of the incredible conversations coming your way in Season 2!

But I'm not just talking to you, I'm listening too! I'm asking you to share your ideas with me about the topics and guests you would like to see included in Season 2!

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In This Episode

Do you ever have a moment when you meet someone, a fellow traveler on their grief journey, and you know immediately you’re going to be friends?

Well that’s how I felt the first time Elizabeth Benton and I spoke. Her warmth, thoughtfulness and tenderness shone through.

Elizabeth is a successful entrepreneur, owner of Primal Potential. An inspirational author of the book Chasing Cupcakes. Host of the wildly popular Primal Potential Podcast. She is passionate about using her own experiences of transformation to help others.

She is a wife. She is a friend. And she is a grieving mother who is opening up about the recent loss of her 2 week old daughter Dagney at the beginning of the COVID19 Pandemic. She is sharing her story with all of us, because like me, she believes if we’re going to show up in community and love one another through the pain of loss, we have to speak openly and honestly about it all.

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

With gratitude,

Lisa Keefauver, MSW

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If humor is the best medicine, then my guest today is going to make you feel so much better!

When you find someone who just gets it, you want to hold on to them forever. That’s how I felt as I laughed and cried my way through today’s conversation with my guest, Leslie Gray Streeter.

Leslie is the absolute queen of pop-culture references and she found a way to weave in more than a dozen as we explored her love and loss of her late husband Scott, the heartbreak of knowing her son will grow up without him, and the lessons life hands you when you become a widow.

Leslie’s memoir, Black Widow - A Sad-Funny Journey THrough Grief for People Who Normally Avoid Books with Words Like “Journey” in the Title hooked me from the front cover. I could not put down this book until I had devoured it all. She speaks so much truth about the thoughts, feelings and experiences of widhowhood that I practically got whiplash from nodding so vigorously as I read.

If you’re a fellow widow, I’m sorry you’re in this club, but I know you’ll find solace in her insights and her humor. If you’re someone who is grieving a different loss, or trying to show up for someone in your life who is grieving, she offers wisdom there too.

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The River in Her Heart with guest Amber Smith

I am so honored to be bringing you the conversation Amber Smith and I shared recently. Amber’s wisdom, warmth and kindness touched my heart and I know it will touch yours too. Amber and her husband, country music singer Granger Smith, lost their 3-year old son River in an accidental drowning in their backyard pool in the summer of 2019.

In today’s episode Amber opens up about what it’s like to be grieving in the public eye. She shares the advice she received about how to tell their other two children about River’s death. She reveals what’s helping her navigate grief in year 2, about their decision to donate River’s organs, and about the work she is doing to carry River’s memory forward through the River Kelly Fund. If you want to learn more about the River Kelly Fund, visit www.riverkellyfund.org.

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THE EPISODE

My guest, Michael Hebb, is an innovative and influential cultural figure and our conversation was fascinating, inspiring, and frankly blew me away. In End of Life Conversations, you’ll hear from a man who, since losing his father at 13, and feeling like a teenager out of touch with his peers and his family, has been on a quest to understand the secrets of human connection. 

His journey has been a wild and interesting ride so far, from studying the great philosophers and mystics of the ages, to considering how architecture impacts belonging, to staging large-scale community civil disobedience efforts to strengthen communities. He eventually ended up collaborating with some of THE greatest writers, thinkers, and creators of our time to transform human connection. 

With the metaphor of gathering around the table, Michael Hebb has created culture-shifting movements such as the City Repair Project, Death Over Dinner, and his most recent creation, the End of Life Collective. Each has offered participants a deeper level of human connection, most recently focusing on the thing that we have most in common. Death.

You can learn more about Death Over Dinner by visiting www.deathoverdinner.org. His newest initiative, End of Life Collective (which I’m grateful to say I’m involved in) can be found by visiting www.eol.community

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Bearing The Wait, my guest Christina Bain and I sat down together (physically distanced of course), to hold this beautifully intimate and special conversation about the grief that comes about when you face your own mortality. Christina was so honest and vulnerable as she opened up about the journey she’s been on over the past 5 years. She is 36, married to Wes, her husband of 12 years, and she has an 8-year-old girl named Marlowe. She also has Stage 4 Colon Cancer. She is wise and kind, she offers insights and humor, and she expands our understanding of grief. She is such a gift in my life and I’m so grateful to have this chance to introduce her to you too. As mentioned in the show, you can read What to Make When You're Dying, the beautifully insightful article she published earlier this year. You can also follow her cancer journey on Christina’s blog at Bearing the Wait

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Expansiveness of Grief, I’m bringing you a very special and personal conversation. I’m actually inviting you to listen in on a pretty typical conversation I have quite often with my longtime friend, Shonagh Taruza. In addition to being one of the most insightful and deeply compassionate human beings I know, She is a daughter without parents, losing her mother at 17 then her father at 30. She is an immigrant several times over, from Scotland to Zimbabwe to England to the US. She is a mother, an artist, a Minister and a Racial Justice Advocate

In addition to exploring the very intimate losses she faced in her life, we explore grief in its most expansive definition to include the losses faced through experiences like immigration, global movements, and cultural upheavals. We explore the impact of compounding loss and the physical aspects of grief work.

Shonagh and I have been book swapping for a decade and a half now, constantly learning and sharing with one another, so I’m not surprised we ended up talking books in today’s show including 

How to Be an Anti-Racist by Dr. Ibram X Kendi and My Grandmothers Hand by Resma Menakem

I want to thank Justice Leaders Collaborative for support of today's show. Learn more about the White People Working for Racial Justice series by visiting Justice Leaders Collaborative today.

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m thrilled to be bringing you a conversation I had with not just one, but two incredible humans, Michelle Williams and Rachel Bensoussan. These two are bringing their unique lived experiences, both personally and professionally, to honor the humanity in death, dying and grief. Both have faced personal loss, including the death of Michelle’s mother and the death of Rachelle’s partner Diane nearly 15 years ago. 

They also both recognize and are making visible the trauma and grief passed down through generations, helping us to understand the intergenerational impact of grief. As practitioners in the palliative care field, both of my guests have witnessed and experienced racism, classism, and homophobia in the current model of care. These shared experiences led them to co-found Being Here Human, an organization that centers anti-racism, anti-oppression, and inclusiveness in their work. 

Like me, they’re also taking a stance to denounce the pathology-focused language and systems that currently exist within standard grief delivery models. We explore some of the unexplored terrain of grief, including the consequences of unacknowledged grief and trauma across generations. We uncover some of the biases in the systems of care, and together invite you to honor what it means to be grieving and to being here human.

You can learn more about their work at Being Here Human here.

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I'm re-airing an episode (with a new introduction) that was originally released in October 2019. In When Stillness Silences Our Grief with my guest Autumn Campbell, we explored the incredible harm and isolation she experienced in the wake of delivering her son Zion stillborn more than 19 years ago.

The reason I'm choosing to re-air this episode today is that 1 in 160 pregnancies ends in stillbirth in the U.S. One in 160. And yet, I'm disheartened to see how little has changed in terms of the isolation & suffering so many women experience because of the stigma and shame and silence that still exists.

Most recently, we all watched as Chrissy Teigen and John Legend shared the heartbreaking news that their son Jack died at 20 weeks. Over the years, we've heard from singers like Lily Allen. We’ve heard from actors like Keanu Reeves who speaks openly about the grief he and his girlfriend Jennifer faced over the stillbirth of their daughter Ava - a pain that resulted in the dissolution of their relationship. And yet, there is still such a profound stigma and shame around this very real and all too common experience.

Since the mission of my show is to change the narratives of grief and because I never want a single grieving person to feel alone in their grief, I'm bringing back this conversation. If you’ve experienced this type of loss, I hope you will feel seen and held in your grief. If you know someone who's been through this, I hope you will discover how to show up for them in their grief.

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You’re going to meet my inspiring new friend Kate Manser. She is the author of the book (and the movement), YOU MIGHT DIE TOMORROW. SO LIVE TODAY. What you will quickly discover through our conversation is that this isn’t just a flippant slogan or catchy phrase aimed to shock. It comes from hard-won growth in response to the loss of 4 friends in a span of 2 years.

Though her initial response to these devastating deaths was fear, anxiety, and retreating from the world, she discovered that the best way to honor them, to carry their memory forward, was to live each day fully and to encourage others to do the same. One of the many things my conversation with Kate confirmed for me is that you DO NOT have to choose between honoring your loss and living a joyful life. I can’t wait for you two to meet!

If you want to learn more about Kate, her work, or pick up a copy of her book, you can visit www.youmightdietomorrow.com

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest Junice Rockman is a Neuropsychotherapist, Media Correspondent & Mental Health Policy Advocate. In this episode, she brings her personal and professional wisdom to our powerful and far-reaching conversation. We explore so many topics from the impact of unprocessed grief and trauma across generations to the embodied nature of grief. We share some of the insights and practices we’ve both discovered over our careers that people have found helpful in honoring grief and oh so much more. Junice and I are kindred spirits and I can’t wait for you to meet her.

If you want to learn more about Junice and her incredible work, you can visit www.jrocktherapyinstitute.com or follow her on Instagram @ jrocktherapy When you do, tell her I said hi!

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

About The Sponsor - GiftPod

Julian and TJ, co-creators of GiftPod, are two special guys who created a beautiful product I just know you’re going to love. They see podcasts as much more than a collection of digital audio files; they see them as opportunities to share and eternalize memories with loved ones. TJ lost his father when he was young. His family often shares stories of his dad’s laugh; TJ wishes he could hear it again. GiftPod was created to capture these memories. Their support of this show means the world to me AND it also means they support my listeners too! Visit www.giveagiftpod.com and enter our special discount code, GSB10, at checkout. Oh, and tell them I said hi too!

P.S. Oh, and I mentioned two books in the show that are really powerful reads I thought I'd share here. My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem. and All About Love by Bell Hooks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I was joined by a beautiful soul, Shelby Forsythia. College years can be full of new beginnings. For Shelby, they became what she describes now as her 4 years of hell, resulting in the death of her mother. While I’ll let her tell you about it in her own words, what I want to tell you is how much I appreciate the way she thoughtful peels back all of the secondary losses many of us experience beyond death loss.

She has taken what she has learned from her own healing and transformed it into her own unique grief support offerings to the world including her podcast Coming Back and two books, including her latest release Your Grief, Your Way. If you want to learn more about Shelby, you can visit www.shelbyforsythia.com or follow her on Instagram @shelbyforythia. When you do, tell her I said hi!

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Thanks to our Sponsor - GiftPod

Julian and TJ, co-creators of GiftPod, are two special guys who created a beautiful product I just know you’re going to love. They see podcasts as much more than a collection of digital audio files; they see them as opportunities to share and eternalize memories with loved ones. TJ lost his father when he was young. His family often shares stories of his dad’s laugh; TJ wishes he could hear it again. GiftPod was created to capture these memories. Their support of this show means the world to me AND it also means they support my listeners too! Visit www.giveagiftpod.com and enter our discount code, GSB10, at checkout. Oh, and tell them I said hi too!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I was joined in conversation by the warm and wise Dr. Carolina Giacobone. Carolina’s grief experiences spans two continents, two cultures, and two lives - her personal and her professional. From Argentina to Ireland, from the loss of her mother to a miscarriage, from her role as a Perinatal Psychiatrist across continents, she reminds us that self-compassion and showing up in our full humanity is at the center of all our healing. Her wisdom runs deep and I can’t wait for you to meet her. If you want to learn more about maternal mental health, perinatal psychiatry and more, you can follow her insights on Instagram at @perinatal.psychiatry or checkout her novel, Lucy in the Skye.

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.

Thanks to our Sponsor - GiftPod

Julian and TJ, co-creators of GiftPod, are two special guys who created a beautiful product I just know you’re going to love. They see podcasts as much more than a collection of digital audio files; they see them as opportunities to share and eternalize memories with loved ones. TJ lost his father when he was young. His family often shares stories of his dad’s laugh; TJ wishes he could hear it again. GiftPod was created to capture these memories. Their support of this show means the world to me AND it also means they support my listeners too! Visit www.giveagiftpod.com and enter our discount code, GSB10, at checkout. Oh, and tell them I said hi too!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I was joined by two incredible women, Rachel Carnahan-Metzger and Sierra Herbort. Rachel and Sierra are really special humans, who have both dedicated their careers to supporting children and families going through the most difficult times in their lives. Working at Dell Children’s Medical Center, Rachel serves as a pediatric palliative care social worker and Sierra as a Certified Child Life Specialist. They have made a career out of bearing witness, educating, and supporting families to be able to navigate the unimaginable, the death of a child. They do this every day with such compassion, such heart, and such wisdom. They bring that and more to today’s conversation. I can’t wait for you to meet them

Jump straight into:

(09:56) - Educating families through hard times: How to have conversations about death with children

(17:58) - Death play: Expressive ways in which kids understand death

(25:11) - How do you do it right?: Why the perfect conversation doesn't exist

(34:13) - Talking about a bad diagnosis and why it is okay not to disclose all the information

(42:42) - Dealing with questions: Best ways to guide and help children after a loss

(53:32) - On the roots of guilt and shame

Episode Resources:

Mustard by Charlotte Graeber

Healing Your Grieving Heart by Alan D Wolfelt, PhD for Children and teens

Fred & Red Say Goodbye  by Alan Schlichtman

Episode Sponsor:

Today’s episode is sponsored by Jae Kim, Founder and CEO of Chi’lantro BBQ (who was a guest on this show last season, Life Lessons From A Little Sister. Instead of telling you about their amazing food, he invited me to share one of my favorite non-profits with you. Visit the Phoenix Stone Foundation to learn how Ben and Heather are honoring the memory of their son Phoenix by supporting families facing childhood cancer treatment and the medical team who care for them.

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lisa was joined by Biological Anthropologist and author, Barbara J King, for an eye-opening and compassionate conversation about grief and love in the animal kingdom. They explored how Barbara has come to understand grief in the animal kingdom, how finding compassion for animals helps us be more compassionate to our fellow humans, and why this perspective requires us to call into question some of our most fundamental beliefs and behaviors. 

The author of seven books, including the new Animals’ Best Friends: Putting Compassion to Work for Animals in Captivity and in the Wild, Barbara focuses on animal emotion and cognition, the ethics of our relationships with animals, and the evolutionary history of language, culture, and religion. Her book How Animals Grieve has been translated into 7 languages and her TED talk on animal love and grief has now received over 3 million views. 

Episode Resources

Barbara tweets about animals, science, and books @bjkingape.

Visit Barbara’s website

How Animals Grieve by Barbara J King

Grief and Love in the Animal Kingdom TED Talk

Animals Best Friends by Barbara J King

Jump straight into:

(03:38) - Barbara’s first experiences with grief - “It struck me very much how it seemed a little bit unwelcome to show that emotion and my parents didn't completely shy away from it, but yet it didn't seem completely natural either.”

(08:17) - Growing stronger in conviction and the cross-cultural variations of grief - “What we do in the United States, our overarching culture and our overarching traditions of tamping down our grief expressions, physically and emotionally is not the only way.”

(11:30) - Are humans exceptional? Barbara’s work with animal grief - “Animals need to see other’s bodies in order to get closure.”

(22:02) - Is grieving only a mammalian behavior? - “We don't necessarily expect to see grief and spiders or frogs or trout. This does not mean we shouldn't look, because of course 20, 30 years ago, we didn't think we would be seeing it in the variety of animals we're seeing it in now. “

(27:03) - The importance of having compassion for the animal experience

(39:49) - From researcher to animal activist: Barbara’s journey to animal compassion

(44:36) - Climate grief: How to turn compassion into action

To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get ready y’all. This is an episode unlike any other I’ve had. My guest, Tawny Platis, is a voice actor, a comedian, host of her own podcast, and well, she uses dark humor as a tool to navigate the traumatic death of her husband George, who was just 29. We explored how Tawny uses her comedic instincts to help her navigate this tremendous loss, even just moments after she found her husband in a messy scene dead on the floor of their home. We talk about the expectations people have about how widows should behave and the discomfort and judgment some people feel when someone is grieving differently than them. We drop some truth-bombs about grief in general and young widowhood in particular. We do it all with humor, profanity AND sincerity and insight because, yes, we used all the tools at our disposal to talk about this difficult topic and you should too. I can’t wait for you to meet her.

Episode Resources:

Follow Tawny on Instagram, TikTok or check out her podcast Death is Hilarious 

Jump straight into:

(03:25) - Tawny’s first experiences with grief - “I remember being told not to be so emotional because I was being dramatic and I was making other people uncomfortable.”

(09:00) - Using comedy as a coping mechanism - “My family didn't really have a lot of love for me, but if I could make them laugh, it felt like they did. And then that extended towards everybody in my life.”

(11:30) - George’s terminal illness and finding unconditional love - “He told me right off the bat what was going on with him, that he could die at any moment. I was completely in love with him, it wasn't even a second thought to break up with him or to not pursue a relationship with him.”

(20:48) - Finding your own capacity to heal - “There's a black bag right there, and they're going to zip him up and take him away and I just go ‘I'm not really ready for you to take his body, but I guess if you don't, that kind of makes me liable to get into a Norman Bates situation here’. ”

(30:08) - Tawny and George’s podcast and how it evolved into Death is Hilarious - “If we hadn't shared so much I wouldn't have all of that recording to go back and visit. It reminds me it was real and it happened. He was real. What we had was real.”

(39:08) - Are you past it? Coping with people who don't show up for you - “So often people don't even bring it up now or they don't check on me because I'm making jokes about it, they see me getting jobs, they see me posting these episodes...”

(47:08) - Secondary loss and finding the right support system - “My girlfriends were able to do that. When I was in the mood to laugh, they crack jokes right alongside me, and when I was on the ground and I couldn't even make it to the couch they crawled down on the ground and just sat with me.”

About the show

Lisa Keefauver, founder of Reimagining Grief, holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Lisa talks to British-Iranian poet Fad Jamal (Khorsandjamal) about the power of artistic expression in the process of grieving. Fad intertwines her love of nature, the losses she’s faced, both death and non-death, and the poetic notions and sensibilities of her Persian heritage and the Farsi language to explore love and loss in two volumes of poetry - Quixotic Nature and most recently, Reflections and Refractions.

Our conversation was so rich and expansive as we explored what nature has taught her about loss in its various forms and the ways in which metaphor and poetry has allowed her to explore the dark shadows of pain and grief. Fad brings forth such light, wisdom and hope, and even shares a few of her poems with us. I just can’t wait for you to meet her.

Episode Resources

Reflection and Refraction by F Khorsandjamal

Quixotic Nature by F Khorsandjamal 

Reimagining Grief Newsletter Sign-Up

Jump straight into

(03:29) - The cherry tree story: Fad’s first experience with grief

(16:39) - Numbness: False beliefs and assumptions about grief

(25:53) - Fad’s poetic Persian heritage and three of her beautiful poems: Numb, Carnival of Dark & Cabin

(35:02) - Writing poetry as a way to cope with loss

(40:30) - Don’t Sweep it under the rug!: How to honor and give space to different types of grief

(48:12) - Looking at darkness in the face and not letting it take over

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

We'd love to hear from you. Leave a rating and write a review today on Apple Podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this episode, I was joined in conversation by the lovely Lindsay Joy Taylor, the owner of The Joyful Jewelry Box, jewelry and keepsakes to honor and remember your loved ones. Lindsay’s grief story begins early on, her mother was murdered when she was only one and even if she doesn’t have explicit memories of her, the grief and trauma it left on her family made an impression on her throughout her life. Like me, Lindsay is now an advocate for thinking about grief from a different angle than we were taught. She believes it is absolutely possible to feel joy and hold space for your mourning at the same time. In fact, that is one of the messages she hopes to put out in the world through her jewelry line and the grief work she does. Can’t wait for you to meet her!

Episode Resources

If you wanna know more about Lindsay’s work, follow her on The Joyful Jewelry Box Instagram. Also, check out Lindsey’s beautiful products on The Joyful Jewelry Box website.

Jump straight into:

03:22 - Lindsay’s first memory of grief - “I'm a motherless daughter, but more specifically, my mother was murdered when I was only one year old. So naturally, I don't have any explicit memories of her.”

11:17 - Holding space for grief doing the best we can - “We need to engage with and tend to our grief because if not, we're going to pass it onto somebody else.”

20:06 - Getting stuck on grief: Is closure a real thing? - “We never caught her killer. There was a forced resignation in terms of how you pick up life and move forward.”

22:45 - Helping kids understand and tell their loss story - “It was still really helpful for me to feel seen and to feel acknowledged, to be given attention, regardless of whether or not the context was my mother.”

27:20 - Telling your story to people: Should I disclose or not? - “It created this outlet where people think that they have a right to help you figure out your own damn story.”

33:02 - Therapy for therapists: Can I do this? Lindsay’s path in the psychology world - “I felt burdened by the experience. I didn't feel like I was equipping them with skills and so it just became overwhelming.” 

45:21 - How The Joyful Jewelry Box was created - “I took a hard left and then decided, instead of just designing jewelry on a whim, now I was doing remembrance and memorial jewelry to help other grievers honor and remember their loved ones.”

About the show

Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about how Lisa is reimagining grief, sign up for her newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About the episode:

You asked and I answered! In this final episode of Season 2, I invited the Reimagining Grief community and listeners of the podcast to ask me anything about grief and loss. I am so incredibly moved by the flood of DMs, comments, and emails I received from so many of you. I take seriously the vulnerability it took you to ask the questions and I did my best to answer many of them and hope in doing so, I will be helping other grievers just like you. I covered 1. Finding a grief counselor, 2. Dating in widowhood (after loss in general), 3. Feeling angry and betrayed, 4. Complicated grief, 5. Grief brain (brain fog), 6. Returning to work, 7. Grieving a friend, 8. Ambiguous loss, 9. Secondary Losses, and 10. Handling the innocent questions.

Episode Resources:

If you want to learn more about Individual Grief Support with host Lisa Keefauver, MSW visit www.reimagininggrief.com/support. If you want to join the GSB Fan Club and be a part of 2 LIVE Q&A Zoom sessions with her and other listeners from around the world, visit www.reimagininggrief.com/gsbfanclub.

Jump straight into:

5:49 - How to find a good grief counselor or therapist.

8:36 Dating in Widhood (or after loss in general)

13:46 Anger and Betrayal in Grief

22:34 Complicated Grief

25:27 Grief Brain

.

30:02 Returning to Work After Loss

38:46 Grieving a Friend

40:55 Ambiguous Loss

43:54 Secondary Loss

46:45 Responding to the Innocent Questions

About the show:

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About the episode 

Welcome to Season 3 of Grief is a Sneaky Bitch! In Self-Compassion and Grief, host Lisa Keefauver sat down with world-renowned self-compassion researcher, Dr. Kristin Neff. She is author of the bestselling book Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, and recently released her new book Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power and Thrive. 

Jump straight into:

(00:47) - Kristin’s earliest memory of grief: A different kind of loss

(05:43) - The ability of uncertainty and the power of self-compassion

(11:25) - How to transform your connection with emotions

(20:47) - Shock and the physical impact of self-compassion

(26:21) - Self-compassion as an antidote to shame and guilt

(31:40) - Caretaker burnout: What is empathetic distress and how to manage it -

(36:48) - What is rumination and how can we cut it out?

(42:17) - Self-compassion self vs. self-pity: How to be kind but motivated

Episode Resources

self-compassion.org

Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself

Fierce Self-Compassion: Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power and Thrive

Episode Sponsor

Special thanks to our episode sponsor, Recalibrate, providing workplace mental wellness that empowers mental & emotional learning. Visit www.recalibratemind.com to learn more.

About The show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa is reimagining grief, sign up for her newsletter, follow on Instagram or visit her website!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About the episode

Host Lisa Keefauver sat down for a very intimate and revealing conversation with Mindy Corporon, a grieving mother and daughter. In 2014, her very personal tragedy made headline news around the world. Her son and father were shot and killed at a Jewish Community Center outside of Kansas City by a white supremacist gunman, intent on killing Jews. In the intervening years, Mindy has worked tirelessly to heal her shattered soul, also the title of her beautiful book, and in today’s episode she shares what she’s learned about grief and healing and courageous kindness along the way.

Jump straight into:

03:40 - Mindy’s first experience with grief - “My parents allowed me to say goodbye. They allowed me to understand that it was a reality and I'm sure if I was sad, they allowed me an opportunity to be sad.”

10:28 - Mindy’s story of losing her son and father in 2014 - “I'll start on April 12th, because on April 12th, we were a family of four.”

20:18 - Justice, compassion and forgiveness: Dealing with violent murder - “My reality is that they were murdered and have had to process that. And I look for things that bring me joy and I look purposely for kindness.”

32:50 - Shock and how our bodies begin to understand death - “I wanted them to walk through the door. I wanted them to appear in the house. I just kept thinking, I'm in a nightmare. This didn't happen.”

39:26 - Grief support and the surprising ways people show up - “They breathe life and joy and talking and smiles into our home. They helped me eat again. They helped my husband eat again. They helped get Lucas what he needed.”

48:59 - Post-traumatic growth and embodying love - “Each of us needs to feel comfortable in finding whatever our path is to helping ourselves heal.”

57:33 - A story of Popeye and Reat and the importance of courageous kindness - “We received hundreds of cards from students and student parents telling us what an amazing friend he was. And that is always with my heart, that he was an amazing friend and his friends still remember him.”  

Episode Resources

Healing A Shattered Soul by Mindy Corporon

Episode Sponsor

Thank you to Eterneva for sponsoring this important episode. Visit www.eterneva.com to learn more about how they help you celebrate your remarkable loved ones (and check them out on TikTok too).

About The show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa is reimagining grief, sign up for her newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit her website today!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, host Lisa Keefauver spent some time, in person, with her dear friend john a powell. john is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of civil rights, racial identity, fair housing, poverty, and democracy. He is the Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute, a UC Berkeley research institute. john offers so much wisdom about the shared human experiences of loss caused not just be death, but by our unwillingness to see ourselves in one another, and invites us to discover how the wisdom we gain from having lost might be exactly what we need to discover our way back to each other, by expanding the circle of human concern.

Jump straight into -

(07:51) -On john’s first encounter with loss and grief - “When I was nine my grandmother died and it started a rupture in the world. The world was magical and relatively safe, then she died, and all those things went away.”

(41:03) -On our society’s dysfunctional grief culture - “What is the cost to belong? Mutilate yourself and maybe, maybe you can belong.”

(57:01) -Othering & Belonging- “We don't have to learn to be connected, we are connected physically, spiritually, emotionally. We have to learn the illusion of disconnectedness.”

Episode Resources -

Learn more about the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley by visiting their website, or following them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. You can also discover more about john's career by visiting his website

Episode Sponsor -

The team at Justice Leaders Collaborative believes it is our human responsibility to work toward social justice, equity, diversity & inclusion in all areas of our life and work. They provide workshops, seminars, coaching, and consulting to organizations and individuals like you. To find out more, visit their website and follow them on Instagram or Facebook.

About The Show -

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. To learn more about Lisa, sign up for her newsletter, follow on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Widowhood is obviously a topic very close to host Lisa Keefauver’s heart, and it’s also an experience no one is prepared to go through as her guest Melissa Gould shares in her best-selling book Widowish and in their conversation in this episode.

Jump straight into -

(05:18) - On Melissa’s first experience with loss and the importance of exploring grief without judgement

(10:27) - A love story: The value of friendship and the importance of memory keeping

(20:13) - Managing anticipatory grief and the cruelty of ambiguous loss

(29:42) - Imagining the unimaginable: How Melissa and Joel navigated his last year of life

(39:13) - Widowish: On the double standard expectations around widowhood

(45:26) - Finding love after death: A conscious and empathic approach to “moving on”

Episode Resources -

You can find out more about Melissa Gould, buy her best-selling book Widowish, and learn more about the other work she does as a writer and writing coach by visiting www.widowish.com

Episode Sponsor –

While there are a lot of simple everyday ways we can memorialize our loved-ones, Eterneva, our sponsor for today’s episode, can help you do it, well remarkably. They’ve created a way to transform memorial ashes into a diamond, and along the way they help you carry their memory forward. Visit www.eterneva.com to learn more about how you can remember remarkable. Don’t forget to check them out on @tiktok too

About The Show -

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow.

From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My conversation with today’s guest, Allan Cole, was such a powerful reminder that loss comes from so many places, not just death and that even those of us trained to help others need help sometimes too. He offers up so much warmth and wisdom as he shares the story of his diagnosis of early-onset Parkinson’s disease at the age of 48. The layers of loss he unpacks for an individual with a progressive illness like Parkinson’s and the road to mean-making he shares is shaped not just by his personal experiences but also by the decades his spent as a social work educator, clinician, author and more.

Episode Resources:

If you’d like to buy Allan’s beautiful book you can find it here: Counseling Persons with Parkinson's Disease. In the Care of Plenty (Poems) is now available too!

Jump straight into:

(04:21) - Allan’s earliest memory of grief: Losing a beloved

(11:12) - Uncertainty and fear: Getting diagnosed with Parkinson’s at 48

(22:05) - Fighting a lonely battle: When do we experience ambiguous loss?

(28:03) - Help for the helpers? How to seek support even as a professional

(33:27) - A new life: How illness can be a transformative and constructive

(46:06) - Allan’s daughter’s experience with the diagnosis

(50:17) - Allan’s approach to loss-based counseling

Episode Sponsor –

We all need help sometimes. That is a universal truth. Mir’s dedicated and compassionate staff of Life Care Managers support their clients, their families, friends and caregivers through their care journeys. Their licensed clinicians and social workers help navigate and provide solutions for care management and provide support during what can be a difficult and challenging time. You can learn more at www.mircareconsultants.com. They even offer a free 30-minute consultation by contacting info@mircareconsultants.

About The Show:

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow.

From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About this Episode:

In this episode, my guest Barbara Jones and I explore a wide range of topics from grief in the adolescent oncology population, the innovations she is seeing in cancer care to help address the WHOLE person (not just the disease), the very real and frightening moral distress and empathetic strain our health care professionals are under today and so much more. I can’t wait for you to meet her!

Dr. Barbara Jones is Associate Dean for Health Affairs at UT Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work. At Dell Medical School, she is Chair of the Department of Health Social Work, Associate Director of Social Sciences and Community-Based Research in the Livestrong Cancer Institutes, and Distinguished professor of social work, oncology, population health, and psychiatry. She was a Founding Board Member of the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network and served as Secretary. She is past president of the Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers. Dr. Jones is a Founding Steering Committee Member of UT Center for Health Interprofessional Practice and Education.

Episode Resources:

If you’d like to dig in The CaLm Model, you can download it here: Cancer Life reiMagined: The CaLM Model of Whole-Person

Cancer Care

Jump straight into:

(05:43) - Barbara’s early vision of hospice and social work as her life project

(11:28) - CaLM model: Growing empathy and compassion to reimagine cancer treatment

(18:20) - Addressing the structural issues within young adults facing complex medical diagnosis

(25:54) - Channeling self-compassion to young cancer patients and their parents

(33:34) - How are adolescents grieving?

(43:38) - Grief, loss, and moral injury that's happening among health providers

(55:20) - Dignifying the social workers’ labor at healthcare centers

Episode Sponsor:

Thanks to Mir Care Consultants, whose licensed clinicians and social workers help navigate and provide solutions for care management and provide support during what can be a difficult and challenging time. You can learn more at www.mircareconsultants.com.

About The Show:

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, the founder of Reimagining Grief, holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more sign up for her newsletter or follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

My guest Ilyse Kennedy of Moving Parts Psychotherapy is a trauma-informed therapist who has a passion for supporting and educating her clients, the general population, and fellow clinicians like myself about the myths and realities of what it means to experience trauma. In this episode, she helps us understand what trauma is and isn’t, the relationship between grief and trauma, the importance of understanding our physiology, getting the right kind of trauma-informed support and so much more.

Ilyse Kennedy, LPC, LMFT, PMH-C, PSEP is a trauma therapist, educator, and author located in Austin, TX. She owns a group practice, Moving Parts Psychotherapy, where she leads a team of clinicians in offering comprehensive trauma treatment to children through adults. As a trauma survivor herself, her mission is to create a more trauma informed world. This includes advocacy work on Instagram, education through courses, consultation work for other clinicians, and a forthcoming book.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Visit her website Moving Parts Psychotherapy or follow her on Instagram and TikTok. Also,

here is the kids' book Ilyse talked about during the episode: Death is Stupid by Anastasia Higginbotham

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(02:13) - llyse’s remembrances of grief as a child and how she talks about death with her kids

(11:28) - Approaching grief and trauma from a physiological perspective

(18:04) - Understanding EMDR therapy and the different layers of memory within traumatic events

(23:26) - Differences between normative response to grief versus a traumatic trigger

(28:09) - Internal Family Systems therapy as a way to comprehend how the mind splits when processing trauma

(39:43) - On shame and why it’s such a powerful emotion

(46:56) - The slow process of therapy and digging up past grief while dealing with a current loss

ABOUT THE SHOW:

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow.

From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

In 2012, Beth’s partner went mountain biking and that was the day their lives changed forever. In Accidental Grief, guest Beth Erlander explores what it was like to process the news that her life partner was quadriplegic, the grief that accompanied that news, how her personal, professional, and spiritual practices helped her healing process and how she’s using all that she’s learned to tend to those of us who tend for others. I really can’t wait for you to meet her.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Beth Erlander, MA, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor (in the state of Colorado), an Art Therapist, a Creative Grief Support Practitioner, and an EMDR practitioner. She recently became a Cowry Shell Diviner taught by blessed memory Elder Malidoma Patrice Somé. She’s also an unofficial nurse or CNA for her partner with quadriplegia. She’s passionate about helping others navigate loss from having apprenticed to her own grief process when her partner broke his neck in 2012.

Beth is currently writing her memoir about the trauma and grief of losing her able bodied partner to quadriplegia. She currently runs an online support group for therapists called Tending the Tenders where she provides grief support and teaches about how to do grief better. She strives to live in a world where grief is as normal as eating, peeing and sleeping. Learn more at https://betherlander.com/

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(01:48) - Beth’s first encounter with grief: Wearing Great Aunt Abba's hat

(06:21) - Life upside down: Dealing with her partner’s life-changing moment

(14:18) - Assumptions and first steps when seeking help after a tragic event

(19:07) - Beth’s findings doing a grief ritual from the Dagara African tribe

(24:53) - On guilt associated with feeling anger during grief and how to handle it

(31:49) Why is EMDR so helpful for processing trauma?

(36:40) - Grief is forever: How have those different practices evolved and melted together

ABOUT THE SHOW:

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow.

From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

I’m so thrilled to bring you a conversation with my new friend, Marisa Renee Lee. Marisa shares what it was like to be a teenager and young woman caring for her mother who was ill with MS and breast cancer in the most formative years of her young life, with her mother dying just a few years after she graduated from Harvard. Marisa and I explore how her CEO personality was helpful in keeping her family together and getting things done and yet likely delayed her inevitable need to face her grief. Marisa also shares some of the surprising experiences she had with workplace culture around grief from Wall Street to the 4 years she spent in the Obama White House.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

You can learn more about Marisa Renee Lee and her forthcoming book, Grief is Love by visiting www.marisareneelee.com  

SPONSOR

The team at Eterneva is on a mission to help you remember your loved one remarkably. They’ve created a way for us to celebrate our remarkable loved ones by turning their ashes into a diamond.

You can learn more about them by visiting www.eterneva.com. Oh, and don’t forget to check them out @eterneva on TikTok too.

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(04:49) - Marisa’s first childhood encounter with grief

(12:07) - Marisa’s journey being a caretaker for her mom

(18:40) - Anticipatory grief: Conversations on how to spend the last moments with someone with a terminal disease

(27:05) - What Marisa learned about herself when founding The Pink Agenda

(30:38) - Lisa reads a passage from an article about a museum exhibition on grief

(36:22) - The experience of grief in the workplace when working on Wall Street and then in Obama’s administration

(42:43) - On perinatal losses, trauma, and support circles

ABOUT THE SHOW:

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow.

From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

I’ve been desperately wanting to include climate and ecological grief in this show for such a long time and I’m thrilled to begin it with today’s guest, Ashlee Cunsolo. Ashlee is the Founding Dean, School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies at Labrador Institute of Memorial University. She is a Researcher, Educator, and Environmental Advocate

Ashlee offers so much wisdom today born of her lifelong personal passion for the environment and because of the deep and extensive qualitative and quantitative research she has been doing in Northern Labrador in Canada with indigenous Inuit people. She shares the wisdom she has learned from Elders, explores the deep grief scientists are facing as the the populations they love, and study are disappearing before their eyes, and helps us connect to the need for a kind of gritty hope necessary to stay active in saving this ecosystem that we are a part of, that we are in relationship with. She invites us to see more fully that we are part of a collective that is a much bigger WE than we often imagine.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

You can learn more about Ashlee Cunsolo and her research by visiting www.ashleecunsolo.ca

EPISODE SPONSOR:

Today’s episode is brought to you by Vida Health. Vida Health, now in-network with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, lets people get the mental healthcare they need when, where, and how they need it. Visit Vida.com to learn more. Vida – healthcare designed for the body and mind!

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(04:10) - Ashlee Cunsolo, a health Geographer. What is her first grief memory

(15:26) - Understanding ecological and climate grief

(27:53) - How is intergenerational storytelling around ecological grief being expressed in this current era

(33:39) - How to handle ecological grief from the scientific perspective

(44:41) - How has the relationship between emotional intelligence and science progressed in the academic field?

(52:43) - Monuments, memorials and other manifestations for people to honor their ecological grief

ABOUT THE SHOW:

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs, scientists and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

My conversation with widower Wesley Bain is truly one of the most profound and important conversations I've had on this show, and in my life. In October 2020 I had the honor of interviewing his late wife, Christina Bain who at the time had been experiencing chronic Stage 4 Colon Cancer at age 36. On February 8, 2021Christina died. Eight months later I got a note from Wesley. Wesley’s note began a conversation that blossomed into the interview we recorded on February 9, 2022.

In this episode, we explored their love, what it was like to be by her side as the cancer wreaked havoc on her, how inspired he was by her commitment to helping other cancer patients, the conversations he had and continues to have with their daughter Marlowe, the complexity of navigating her death amid the pandemic and so much more. All I can tell you is that I felt Christina in the room with us.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

What to Make When You’re Dying by Christina Bain

GSB Podcast Episode: Bearing the Wait with Christina Bain

EPISODE SPONSOR:

Today’s episode is brought to you by Eterneva. Eterneva created a way to help you remember your loved ones remarkably, by turning their ashes into diamonds. Visit www.eterneva.com to learn more. You can also check them out on Tik Tok too.

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(08:38) - United by improv: How did Wesley and

Christina meet

(12:33) - Making sense of incomprehensible news: What did Wesley experience when

Christina got diagnosed?

(17:46) - ‘Get back to normal’: Wesley’s process of recognizing anticipatory grief and

having time for himself

(26:19) - On Christina’s legacy and the gifts she crafted before passing

away

(33:43) - Christina’s work as a patient advocate for the Livestrong Cancer Institutes

(38:36) - How did Wesley spend his last days with Christina?

(46:40) - On Christina’s farewell ceremony and the snowstorm that followed

(01:00:16) What has Wesley learned about himself through all of this?

ABOUT THE SHOW:

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

In today’s episode, my guest Dr. Lizzie Cleary is bright and warm and engaging and her training in psychology and work in the fields of oncology meant we spent some time exploring the professional borne wisdom on the topics of grief and loss and post traumatic growth. She currently serves as a Senior Psychologist and Clinical supervisor at the Simms/Mann UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology. But our conversation begins with a much more personal experience of loss that happened at the time Lizzie was studying to be a psychologist.

Lizzie’s Mom Sylvia sounds like she was a trailblazer! And just as Lizzie was launching her own career, in psychology, Sylvia died while out on her kayak in one of her favorite places to be. That was 2005. Lizzie and her family began grieving this as an accidental death only to discover nearly 4 years later, based on the finally completed autopsy report, that she had died by suicide. While Lizzie doesn’t go into details about her death, I appreciated the way she illuminated the unique aspects of grieving this type of death and the added layer of complexity this new information brought forth. Lizzie’s warmth and wisdom and insight taught me so much throughout our conversation and I know you’re going to learn so much too.

Episode Resources

Dr. Lizzie Cleary is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in oncology, grief, and making meaning out of life’s most challenging experiences. She is a senior psychologist at the Simms/Mann UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology, where she teaches and supervises graduate students in psychology, social work, medicine, and chaplaincy. She can be found at drlizziecleary.com and on IG @drlizziecleary

Growth After Trauma by Richard G. Tedeschi

Episode Sponsor

Thanks to our sponsor Vida Health. Vida – healthcare designed for the body and mind! Visit Vida.com/bcbsil to learn more.

About The Show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

I’ve been a fan of today’s guest for a long time so I’m thrilled to share my conversation with Dr. BJ Miller with you today. BJ is a longtime hospice and palliative medicine physician and educator. He has worked in all settings of care: hospital, clinic, residential facility, and home. Led by his own experiences as a patient, BJ advocates for the roles of our senses, community, and presence in designing a better ending.

We began our conversation with the story of how he came to be a patient after a catastrophic injury in his 20’s. Together we explored the challenges of acknowledging grief and humanity in traditional systems of care and why it’s important to grapple with the truth that suffering, illness, and dying are fundamental and intrinsic aspects of life. His warmth and wisdom and insight taught me so much throughout our conversation and I know you’re going to learn so much too.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Mettle Health

BJ's Ted Talk

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(03:52) - BJ’s earliest memory of loss

(11:07) - BJ’s injury and loss: How it lead him into palliative medicine

(17:46) - What did palliative care look like when BJ entered that field (and how is it different from hospice)

(25:44) - Notions of enthusiasm and resistance among patient population and fellow doctors

(36:26) - Primary palliative care: How is the pandemic changing the perception around the palliative field?  

(40:06) - How BJ explores suffering to his patients

(49:23) - How did Mettle Health come into existence and how is it helping people?

EPISODE SPONSOR:

Thanks to our sponsor Vida Health. Vida – healthcare designed for the body and mind! Visit Vida.com/bcbsil to learn more.

ABOUT THE SHOW:

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own.

To learn more about the show and how host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

My guest J’aime Morrison and I dove right in to such a rich and beautiful conversation about grief and loss and the way our bodies hold and can be used to express our grief. She is a former professional dancer and now a professor of theater and movement at California State University at Northridge. She's also a woman who fell in love with surfing later in life, which turned out to be a profoundly important passion that has helped her navigate the waters of deep grief after the death of her husband to a brain tumor. In fact, she's created a Cannes Film Festival award-winning short experimental called Upwell, that is such a beautiful and powerful reminder, really capturing the experience of grief so beautifully through dance, and surf, and community. Her ability to interweave story and metaphor and movement into this episode was such a gift in this conversation.

Episode Resources

Dr. J’aime Morrison is a Professor of Theatre Movement at California State University, Northridge and she holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from New York University. Learn more about her Cannes Film Festival Award winning film and the incredible retreat she is a part of by clicking the links below.

Upwell

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/370342378/914bfb68c9

Retreat information

https://www.twocanretreats.com/mourning-surf-grief-retreat-santa-teresa-costa-rica

Instagram

@mourningsurf

Jump straight into:

(10:20) - A language beyond words: J’aime’s journey to recognize the therapeutic value within movement

(16:06) - Building a family: The day J’aime met her husband, his illness and the anticipatory grief experience

(35:53) - Surfing is like grief

(46:53) – The experience of community working on the film

Episode Sponsor

Thanks to our episode sponsor Eterneva. Eterneva is helping you remember your loved ones remarkably. Visit www.eterneva.com today to learn more. Don’t forget to check them out on Tik Tok too.

About the Show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own.To learn more about the show and how host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About this episode:

My friends, what can I say about today’s guest. The minute we were introduced last year, we fell into deep and ongoing discussions about the importance of narrative and storytelling in healing spaces. Rachel Rusch is a social worker, educator and researcher specializing in pediatric palliative care in Los Angeles, California. Her work centers on the intersection of narrative and storytelling in healthcare the relationship between patient, family and clinician perseverance. We explore all of these subjects in today’s episode including her personal experiences of loss and the insights she’s gleaned from some of the incredible narrative medicine and improv projects she’s involved in today.

Episode Resources

Follow Rachel on Twitter to learn more about her incredible work with support of the Cambia Health Foundation

Harnessing the Power of Improv During Uncertain Times

Episode Sponsor

Thanks to our sponsor Vida Health. Vida – healthcare designed for the body and mind! Visit www.vida.com to learn more.

Jump straight into:

(03:36) - Rachel’s earliest memory of grief

(10:21) - Rachel’s time as an artist performing in New York City

(18:04) - Becoming a social worker: Rachel’s experience as a volunteer for the 52nd street project

(24:46) - The Perseverance Project: Behind Rachel’s awarded storytelling project

(34:25) - The relationship between palliative care and storytelling

(39:05) - ‘Lift of personhood’: The art of addressing vulnerability in the medical field

(48:43) - How are we walking into forever shifted unprecedented times after experiencing so much loss?

About the show:

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Learn more about becoming a GSB Podcast Supporter here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cecilie Surasky is my guest in this special episode of GSB. Her stories of love and loss and ritual and divine connections with her 18 year old son Teo, who passed accidentally by unknowingly ingesting a lethal substance, will move you, sometimes make you laugh, and honestly might just inspire you to think differently about we can stay connected with our loved ones even after they’re physically gone from this earth.

Cecilie is a longtime movement-builder who is currently the Director of Communications at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, and she reached out to me last year to share a sweet note of praise after her colleague john a powell was a guest on my show. We soon entered a beautiful back and forth series of emails about the nature of grief and how Immediately following the sudden loss of their 18 year old son Teo, Cecilie and her spouse Carolyn Hunt reached out to their son's friends and their extended family and friend network so they could all grieve and heal together. The result, still in progress, is an entire community that has been forever changed through storytelling, ritual, and deep listening...and also regular Zoom calls. 

Episode Resources

A recent article Cecilie wrote about Teo in the Berkleyside

Episode Sponsor

Thanks to our sponsor Vida Health. Visit www.vida.com to learn more.

Jump straight into

(06:04) - Cecilie’s earliest memories of grief (and how her family addressed it)

(18:18) - A blended family: Cecilie shares stories about the life and personality of her son Teo

(26:55) - Teo’s passing event: Why is anxiety among adolescents so normalized?

(30:30) – Cecilie’s observations about the fact that this loss happened in an uncertain moment in history?

(35:07) - The lack of farewell rituals due to the pandemic and Teo’s garden ceremony

(47:59) - The magic of building a supporting community of humans around grief

(55”42) - The afterlife: Recent spiritual experiences that have connected Cecilie and Teo

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Learn more about becoming a GSB Podcast Supporter here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh my friends, I’m thrilled to bring you this beautiful and rich conversation I had with Naomi Edmonson. Naomi offers so much wisdom and insight as she explores her experiences and lessons learned after losing both a mother figure and her mother. She also shares the journey she’s been on creating safer grief spaces for Black people, something she felt missing in her early grief where she was often the only Black Queer person in the room. We explore the expectations we have about being alongside someone in their dying process and the importance of truly being seen and held in grief.

EPISODE RESOURCES

Follow Naomi at The Glorious Hum on Instagram

EPISODE SPONSOR

Thanks to our sponsor Empathy. GSB listeners get a complimentary phone consultation call with a Care Specialist. Get immediate support and guidance for your particular situation today. Go to www.empathy.com/gsb for more info.

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(03:42) - Naomi’s anticipatory grief experience regarding the passing of her mother figure

(13:14) - Accepting the version of ourselves that comes out when in grief

(17:27) - Caregiving and the endeavors of showing up during a loved one's last

(29:02) - Becoming more present and attentive after experiencing multiple losses

(34:06) - From safe to safer space: How The Glorious Hum and Black Folks Grieve emerged and what it means for Naomi’s own processes

(44:42) - Acknowledging less tangible types of loss, permission-giving and grief gone invalidated

(53:06) - Adulthood and finding space to be: Reflections from Naomi’s birthday trip to Jamaica 

ABOUT THE SHOW:

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own.

To learn more about the show and how host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Learn more about becoming a GSB Podcast Supporter here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever devoured a book in a day?

Well that’s exactly what I did with The Healing Power of Storytelling - an incredibly profound book written by my guest, Annie Brewster. Annie is an Assistant Professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, a practicing physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, a writer, and a storyteller. She is also a patient, diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2001. She started recording patient narratives in 2010 and, integrating her personal experiences with the research supporting the health benefits of narrative, founded Health Story Collaborative (HSC) in 2013.

In this episode we explore the grief involved in a diagnosis, the lessons she learned about the healing power of narratives, the elements of storytelling that can help bring improved outcomes to our physical, psychological and emotional well-being and so much more.

EPISODE RESOURCES

Read The Healing Power of Storytelling by Annie Brewster, MD

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO

(03:32) - A Traumatic childhood event as an early experience of grief

(07:32) - Addressing grief inside the medical field

(11:14) - Disappointment as a form of grief and the diagnosis that encouraged Annie to write a book 

(20:28) - Collective patient stories: A call to integrate grief into our own personal narratives

(25:37) - The five key qualities behind Annie’s methodology of meaning making

(35:08) - Shaping our own stories to overcome the universal ‘master’ Narratives

(43:25) - The transformative power of sharing stories between doctors and patients

ABOUT THE SHOW

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

Learn more about becoming a GSB Podcast Supporter here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WELCOME TO SEASON 4! In this first episode of the season, host Lisa Keefauver invites Dr. Rachel Yehuda, a researcher she has long admired, to join her in a conversation that explores grief, stress, and rituals. Although they do touch on the wisdom she has gained from her seminal work in the areas of intergenerational trauma and stress and PTSD, they also got much more personal, including exploring what Dr. Yehuda learned about grief and ritual growing up in an observant Jewish household and community. 

Dr. Rachel Yehuda is an Endowed Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Trauma. She is also Director of Mental Health at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Dr. Yehuda is a recognized leader in the field of traumatic stress studies, PTSD, and intergenerational trauma. In 2019, Dr. Yehuda was elected to the National Academy of Medicine for her seminal contributions to understanding the psychological and biological impact of traumatic stress. In 2020, Dr. Yehuda established and now directs the Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research.

EPISODE RESOURCES

Learn more about Dr Yehuda’s work on psychedelic psychotherapy: The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research And don’t forget to check out Rachel Yehuda’s Publications. 

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO

(03:01) - Her earliest memory of grief

(07:27) - How different cultures see death and grief, and how to express empathy and compassion with actions rather than words 

(20:55) - Making space for emotions in early grief

(25:20) - Acknowledging your own grief so that you can be present and supportive for others when a loss occurs. 

(35:29) - The process of grief - moving on without letting the past take away your future  

(44:21) - The impact of grief and the importance of meaning making

STAY CONNECTED FOR MORE GRIEF SUPPORT

1. Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review on Apple Podcast
2. Stay up-to-date on the podcast including behind-the-scenes scoop by signing up for host Lisa Keefauver's Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.
3. If you’re feeling social, connect with the host on all your favorite social channels too. @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest Myra Sack shares the heart break and the beauty of what it was like to be with her daughter Havi in her too short life. She and her husband Matt ended up having only 13 months between Havi’s diagnosis of Tay-Sachs Disease at just 15 months old and her death at home with them. In that time, the created a sacred weekly ritual that combined the Jewish tradition of Shabbat with birthday celebrations that Havi would most likely not be alive for. The result was 57 Shabbirthdays and the recognition that we can all hold joy and pain in these liminal spaces. What a sacred and beautiful conversation we shared.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

A Mother’s Letter On The Passing Of A Young Daughter by Myra Sack

Visit the Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport 

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(06:06) - Approach Behavior vs. Avoidant Behavior: Why approaching grief as a community should be encouraged - “We see grieving people somehow as scary or you know, this negative stimulus as opposed to seeing grieving people as beautiful and wise and light.”

(09:18) - Myra’s story: How she met her Husband Matt, became the

mother of Havi and a fatal error that changed their lives forever. 

(13:36) - Shabbirthday: Moving from shock and anger to active

living and celebrating the time Havi had left - “It was in that moment that I

realized that she was here with me in this physical world for only a brief

moment more, and so I was going to summon whatever courage.” 

(26:19) - Finding solace as a community: How people became present

in the Shabbirthdays and accompanied Myra’s family.

(35:53) - How Myra continued a relationship with Havi after her death.

STAY CONNECTED

1. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.
2. STAY UP TO DATE on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.
3. IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too. @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What must it be like to be a pediatric ICU Nurse day in and day out, witnessing children and families in the most vulnerable and often grief-filled moments of their lives? Today’s guest, Hui-Wen Sato weaves a beautiful narrative about the realities of professional grief and the important cultural shifts needed to better serve both families and the medical professionals that serve them. She also shares the personal resources she draws on to sustain her and the role of storytelling as healing for all involved. And, as the title implies, she also implores us to stop putting healthcare workers on a pedestal.

Hui-wen is a pediatric ICU nurse based in Los Angeles. She holds an MPH and MSN from UCLA, and is currently obtaining her Certification in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University. She and her husband have two daughters, two tortoises and one complicated dog.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Check out Hui-Wen's TEDx Talk: “How Grief Helped Me Become a Better Caregiver.” She has been featured in podcasts with NPR TED Radio Hour and The Silent Why, as well as webinars for Happify and the Speaking Grief Initiative. You can follow her work at http://heartofnursing.blog.

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(06:30) - Hui-Wen’s first memory of loss and what she learned from it 

(17:06) - What led Hui-Wen to become an ICU nurse 

(26:20) - Grieving as a nurse 

(45:18) - Letting go of the fix-it narrative 

(57:25) - The big gulf: the expectation of healing vs. the harsh reality 

(01:08:43) - The healing power of storytelling

STAY CONNECTED:

1. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.
2.  STAY UP TO DATE on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.
3.  IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too. @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus Holiday Episode

Somehow the holiday season snuck up on us, didn’t it? Host Lisa Keefauver knows that whether this is your first or 21st holiday in the wake of loss, it can be tough. So in this bonus holiday episode, she is speaking directly to you. She put together 10 tips for you to consider as you navigate the holidays in grief. While she can’t promise you that grief won’t show up over the holidays (because of course grief will, even and especially when not invited), she offers you 10 invitations to help you navigate the holidays with a little more ease and a lot more grace.

She will also be sharing these 10 tips in a blog post and in her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, so sign up at www.lisakeefauver.com/newsletter

Stay Connected

1. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.
2. STAY UP TO DATE on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.
3.  IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too. @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I explore the creative response to loss and trauma with my dear friend, artist, and former GSB podcast guest Krissy Teegerstrom.

In A Grief Journey Delayed in Season 1, Krissy explored the delayed and disenfranchised grief over the death of her father. Not long after that conversation, Krissy came to recognize the  unnamed neglect and emotional abuse by her mother in the wake of her father’s death. In this episode, she speaks openly and vulnerably about coming to grips with the resulting grief and trauma she endured, and the difficult, oftentimes painful, but profoundly healing journey she’s been on ever since. All of that led to her following her intuition to create one of the most exquisite and deeply profound one-of-a-kind experiential art exhibitions, entitled I Was Already Everything

EPISODE RESOURCES

Krissy Teegerstrom is a self-taught artist who lives in Austin. In 2017, she returned to her native state of Texas after living in New York City and the Bay Area.

Drawing inspiration through her intuition, faith in the unseen, and a connection to the natural world, Krissy creates by hand with pencil, paper, paint, thread and fabric, sewing on her 1948 Singer Featherweight sewing machine. She is dedicated to sustainability, utilizing secondhand materials in the majority of her work. Her artwork includes murals, collage, drawings and sculpture. Her design work, under the name Featherweight Studio, focuses primarily on clothing. Clients and collaborators include Eddie Vedder, Phoebe Bridgers, X, Heritage Boot, Tellason Denim and Wrong Marfa.

You can learn about her work at: www.featherweightstudio.com

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO

(04:03) - Krissy’s ideal way of dealing with sadness and loss. 

(09:52) - Grief and trauma as a form of revelation of other Krissy's loss

(16:13) - The moment Krissy realized it was the time to heal

(20:22) - Krissy reclaims her artistic side and creativity as instruments for healing and self-awareness. 

(28:33) - Important symbolism that Krissy uses in her artwork to convey feelings 

(36:16) - Krissy's work as a safe space for us to be vulnerable

STAY CONNECTED

1)     SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.

2)    STAY UP TO DATE on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.

3)    IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too.

@lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mary-Frances O’Connor is my special guest in this episode.

I devoured her book, The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss last year and knew I needed to have a conversation with the author on this show. I’m grateful to share that late last year, I had the honor of sitting down with Mary-Frances to explore the fascinating work she has been doing studying the Grieving Brain. I’m 100% confident you will learn so much and appreciate the warmth and wisdom she brings to this conversation.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Mary-Frances O’Connor is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, where she directs the Grief, Loss and Social Stress (GLASS) Lab, which investigates the effects of grief on the brain and the body. O’Connor earned a doctorate from the University of Arizona in 2004 and completed a fellowship at UCLA. Her work has been published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, and Psychological Science, and featured in Newsweek, the New York Times, and The Washington Post.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND buying her book, The Grieving Brain here at Amazon or any major booksellers. You can also learn more about her and her work by visiting her website: www.maryfrancesoconnor.org

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(13:46) – Explains shift from understanding grief effect on physiology to effect on the brain

(21:-00) – Mary-Frances explains our need for attachment and security and what happens when we lose that relationship.

(36:45) – Explains how understanding how the brain maps our relationships and why each grief journey is unique 

(43:00) - Explains while it’s common for us to think about the shoulda, coulda, wouldas in loss, rumination is actually a form of avoidance. She offers some alternative ways to consider the loss.

NEW MERCH ALERT

You asked, I answered. I finally created some GSB Podcast merch from tees to hoodies to coffee mugs, journals and stickers. Head over to the Grief Happens Shop at www.lisakeefauver.com/griefhappensshop

3 WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED

1. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.
2. INVITE ME TO YOUR INBOX to get behind-the-scenes on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.
3. IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too. @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sunita Puri is a Palliative Medicine physician and author of the incredible book That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour, a critically-acclaimed literary memoir examining her journey to the practice of palliative medicine, and her quest to help patients and families redefine what it means to live and die well in the face of serious illness. In this episode, she explores her experiences in palliative medicine, the role of spirituality and the sacred practice of accompanying someone in their pain and suffering, what it means to have a good death, and so much more. Just like in her writing and in her practice as a palliative physician, Sunita brings so much wisdom, warmth and insight to our conversation.

About the guest

Dr. Sunita Puri is the Program Director of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellowship at the University of Massachusetts, where she is also an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine. She completed medical school and residency training in internal medicine at the University of California San Francisco followed by a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at Stanford. A graduate of Yale University and the recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship, her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Slate, JAMA, and, forthcoming, the New Yorker. She and her work have been featured in the Atlantic, People Magazine, PBS’ Christian Amanpour Show, NPR, the Guardian, BBC, India Today, and Literary Hub. She is passionate about the ways that the precise and compassionate use of language can empower patients and physicians to have the right conversations about living and dying. 

Episode Resources

• I HIGHLY recommend buying her book That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour.
• Other guests who’ve explored aspects of this topic include Dr. BJ Miller and Social Workers Rachel Rusch and Rachel-Carnahan Metzger.

Jump Straight Into It

(14:00) – Sunita talks about how in her training she always gravitated towards “the why” – why is a particular intervention being given? To what end?

(33:15) – Sunita explores the importance of showing up as your authentic self – whether you’re the physician, a family member or a friend. It’s not about a perfect phrase or perfect act, it’s about showing up as you.

(44:00) - Sunita explores the importance of listening versus talking when accompanying someone who’s in pain or suffering. Recognizing the paternalistic approach of fix-it when it comes to patient’s emotions.

Podcast Merch Alert

You asked, I answered. I finally created some GSB Podcast merch from tees to hoodies to coffee mugs, journals and stickers. Head over to the Grief Happens Shop at www.lisakeefauver.com/griefhappensshop

Stay Connected to Our Host

1. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform.
2. INVITE HER TO YOUR INBOX to get behind-the-scenes on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.
3.  IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too.@lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest in this episode is Fatema Jivanjee-Shakir. We met in 2022 when we were serving together on a Mental Health Panel for a large corporate event. The minute I heard her talk about the experiences of body grief, I knew instantly that I had a lot to learn from her and that my listeners did too. That’s why I’m thrilled to be sharing our conversation with you in this episode. She helps us understand the impact of culture on our sense of self and our body-image. We explore some of the many causes of body grief as well as some common maladaptive ways we cope with it.

Fatema Jivanjee-Shakir, LMSW is an eating disorder & body image therapist, writer, and speaker. Her work is strongly informed by the Health at Every Size perspective and intersectional approaches to healing. Fatema has a special interest in working with BIPOC clients. Fatema is a therapist at Conason Psychological Services and a Board Member of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals New York chapter.

EPISODE RESOURCES

Connect with Fatema on Instagram at @YourSouthAsianTherapist or find her on her website: fjshakir.com. Reach out to her for individual and couple’s therapy at www.conasonpsychologicalservices.com.

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO

(19:11) – Fatema explores how cultural biases, including ageism, impacts our self-image and can impact our sense of our body, and the grief we experience over normal changes.

(29:15) – Sunita explores the secondary losses that can arise when we experience body grief as a result of all sorts of losses.

(45:00) - Fatema explains how the Body Mass Index (BMI) was invented and why it’s use is harmful, problematic, and can have real world negative consequences to our mental, emotional and physical health.

NEW MERCH ALERT

You asked, I answered. I finally created some GSB Podcast merch from tees to hoodies to coffee mugs, journals and stickers. Head over to the Grief Happens Shop at www.lisakeefauver.com/griefhappensshop

STAY CONNECTED

1)     SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.

2)    INVITE ME TO YOUR INBOX to get behind-the-scenes on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.

3)    IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too.

@lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What I quickly discovered in my conversation with my guest, Cyndie Spiegel today is that we are kindred spirits. We went deep and wide. We cussed. We laughed. We reflected on the both/and of life and loss and how microjoys are the gift we need in these times. Don’t worry, this isn’t toxic positivity, It’s the opposite. Microjoys invites us to make space for all the feels, including the accessible moments of joy that might be hiding in plain sight. I can’t wait for you to meet her.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Cyndie Spiegel is a bestselling author, and the founder of Dear Grown Ass Women -- a hyper-inclusive social community for women 35+. Cyndie's new book MICROJOYS: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life is Not Okay was born in 2020, an awful year for most that was especially awful for Cyndie. She lost her mother to cancer. Her nephew was murdered. Her sibling spent months in the hospital with a stroke and heart failure. And then she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Loss and grief came at her in crashing waves, and she found it nearly impossible to surface for happiness, except in small moments that she began to call "microjoys" -- little bits of beauty or pleasure or unexpected light amidst the darkness. Pick up a copy of Microjoys at your favorite local bookstore or online here

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(11:45) – Cyndie explores why the power of positive thinking wasn’t enough after her own year of hell.

(28:00) – Cyndie and I explore that while being present with your grief is important, we all need respite from the deep emotions of grief. That’s where microjoys come in.

(49:11) - Host Lisa Keefauver reads an excerpt from Cyndie’s book, Microjoys about holding the paradox of darkness and light, and the need for us to stay awake for all of it.

NEW MERCH ALERT

You asked, I answered. I finally created some GSB Podcast merch from tees to hoodies to coffee mugs, journals and stickers. Head over to the Grief Happens Shop at www.lisakeefauver.com/griefhappensshop

STAY CONNECTED

1)     SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.

2)    INVITE ME TO YOUR INBOX to get behind-the-scenes on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.

3)    IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too.

@lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Media Executive Michelle Hord, was no stranger to trauma. Having started her professional career as an award-winning producer on America’s Most Wanted, she expertly guided families through every facet of unthinkable crisis. Later, she covered heartbreaking stories while working at The Oprah Winfrey Show and Good Morning America. She sat with survivors of the unimaginable. When the unimaginable struck at home, when her daughter was murdered, her world changed forever.

In our conversation, just like in her beautiful book, The Other Side of Yet, Michelle has culled lessons learned from mental health experts, therapists, spiritual leaders, and survivors. Michelle offers a beautiful and emotional story about how to keep moving with bravery and defiant faith through life’s most challenging moments. Her hope and defiant faith are infectious. I can’t wait for you to meet her.

A note for listeners, while Michelle doesn’t go into detail, she does recount the day her child was murdered.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Pick up a copy of her beautiful book, The Other Side of Yet, at your favorite local bookstore or online here

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(29:51) Michelle shares acts of meaningful grief support she experienced, including by others impacted by this same traumatic event.

(36:50) Michelle reflects on the importance of distinguishing what we do and don’t have control over in the wake of loss. She explores the importance of agency and choice in grieving as critical to healing.

(52:30) Michelle explains how she has grown to appreciate the importance of hope and defiant faith.

NEW MERCH ALERT

You asked, I answered. I finally created some GSB Podcast merch from tees to hoodies to coffee mugs, journals and stickers. Head over to the Grief Happens Shop at www.lisakeefauver.com/griefhappensshop

STAY CONNECTED

1. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.
2. INVITE ME TO YOUR INBOX to get behind-the-scenes on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.
3. IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too.@lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m thrilled to bring you my conversation with Rabbi Steve Leder. Steve is the senior rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles. He is the author of five books and in our conversation today, we explore his latest: For You When I Am Gone: Twelve Essential Questions to Tell a Life Story.

We explored so much from the wisdom we gain in the wake of loss, to the most important gifts we can give others – both in our lives and in our deaths.

Spoiler alert, it’s not our money, our record collections, or anything tangible – it’s our stories. He’s learned so much from his personal losses and from the decades he’s spent in his role as a Rabbi about what it is our loved ones will want from us when we’re gone. It’s such a generative and thought-provoking conversation, I can’t wait for you to listen!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Pick up a copy of For You When I’m Gone at your favorite local bookstore or online here

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(24;24) Rabbi Steve Leder explains why our current system of the last words we leave our loved ones are the legal verbiage of a will is so profoundly problematic. That’s why he suggests creating an ethical will instead.

(46:00) Rabbi Steve Leder shares a beautiful phrase from the Talmud that is a reminder that we need one another. We can’t endure pain without community, without the caring support of others. Loss reminds us that we don’t need to navigate grief alone.

STAY CONNECTED

1)     SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.

2)    INVITE ME TO YOUR INBOX to get behind-the-scenes on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.

3)    IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too.

@lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest, Colin Campbell is a writer and director for theater and film. He’s also written a truly powerful and personal exploration of grief, in his book, Finding The Words. In our conversation today, Colin shares his experience of losing both his children, Ruby and Hart when a drunk driver hit their car and changed a pleasant family outing into the worst day imaginable. He addresses the fear, pain, denial, guilt, rage, despair, and isolation that accompanies grief. You will also hear us explore the profound power of rituals and the impact of our words as we move forward with grief.

I absolutely devoured his book and delighted in our conversation. He offers so much wisdom about how we keep living when the worst happens to us. I truly can't wait for you to meet him.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Pick up a copy of Finding the Words  at your favorite local bookstore or online here

At the time of our conversation, he was speaking to me from New York as he was wrapping up performances of his creative response to loss called Grief: A One-Man Shitshow

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(20:00) Colin explains that even though he considers himself an Atheist, he’s found so much help and healing in rituals. He has leaned on Jewish traditions, but her reminds us all that rituals don’t have to be related to organized religion to be beneficial in our grieving.

(43:00) Colin explains how and why he found the word Solace versus Healing, resonates more deeply for him as he moves forward with his grief. Like me, he focuses on the impact of our word choices and explains why healing doesn’t fit the mark for his experience of grief, nor his goals for his future.

NEW MERCH ALERT

You asked, I answered. I finally created some GSB Podcast merch from tees to hoodies to coffee mugs, journals and stickers. Head over to the Grief Happens Shop at www.lisakeefauver.com/griefhappensshop

STAY CONNECTED

1)     SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.

2)    INVITE ME TO YOUR INBOX to get behind-the-scenes on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.

3)    IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too.

@lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From her pregnancy losses to accompanying her parents and aunt through Alzheimer’s to her work in human rights advocacy and the hundreds of people she’s sat with at the end of their lives as a hospice volunteer, my guest Barbara Becker, shares what she’s learned about the art of living with the end in mind.

She is the author of the extraordinary book Heartwood: The Art of Living with the End in Mind which won the Nautilus Gold Book Award and was featured by Katie Couric Media in her "Books That Will Change Your Life."

Both in her book, and in this episode, she offers us the wisdom she has gained as someone who has dedicated more than twenty-five years to partnering with human-rights advocates around the world in pursuit of peace and interreligious understanding. She has worked with the United Nations, Human Rights First, the Ms. Foundation for Women, and the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, and has participated in a delegation of Zen Peacemakers and Lakota elders in the Black Hills of South Dakota. She is an ordained interfaith minister who bridges the sacred and the secular and has sat with hundreds of people at the end of their lives.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Pick up a copy of Heartwood: The Art of Living with the End in Mind  at your favorite local bookstore or online here

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(20:00) Barbara shares what she’s learned about living with the end in mind from her colleagues in her work with global activism. I asked her to expand on a a particular story she shared in her book, about the lessons she learned from Console, a woman who survived the Rwandan Genocide.

(42:00) When we come back, Barbara shares what’s she’s learned in her work as a hospice volunteer about what it means to show up alongside someone in their suffering, and how that conflicts with our notion that it’s our job to fix, when it’s not.

STAY CONNECTED:

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.

INVITE ME TO YOUR INBOX to get behind-the-scenes on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.

IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too.

@lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, my guest Daniel Wallace and I will explore his memoir, This Isn’t Going To End Well: The True Story Of A Man I Thought I Knew, a heart-wrenching and deeply vulnerable portrait of the life and loss of his seemingly perfect and impossibly cool hero. Our conversation explores his brother in laws rise in stature in Daniel’s imagination, the decades long friendship they forged, the movie-like adventures and mis-adventures William embarked on, the incredible care William offered Daniel’s sister as she battled a debilitating illness, and the shocking discovery of a version of William neither of them ever knew when they found his journals in the wake of his death by suicide.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Daniel Wallace is author of six novels, including Big Fish (1998), and Extraordinary Adventures (May 2017). In 2003 Big Fish was adapted and released as a movie, directed by Tim Burton, and then in 2013 became a Broadway musical. His novels have been translated into over three-dozen languages. Daniel Wallace is the J. Ross MacDonald Distinguished Professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his alma mater. 

Pick up a copy of This Isn’t Going to End Well: The True Story of the Man I Thought I Knew  at your favorite local bookstore or online here

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(23:00) Daniel helps us see what we often miss in our grief-avoidant culture, that friendship loss can be just as devastating a blow to our sense of the world and our place in it as any other kind of loss. His relationship with his brother-in-law William was more profound than he had realized until he set out to write this book.

(42:00) Daniel explores what his sister Holly did, and mostly didn’t know, about William’s struggles. He also explores how discovering William’s journals, and gaining insight into a version of him neither of them had known added a unique layer to their grief.

NEW MERCH ALERT

You asked, I answered. I finally created some GSB Podcast merch from tees to hoodies to coffee mugs, journals and stickers. Head over to the Grief Happens Shop at www.lisakeefauver.com/griefhappensshop

STAY CONNECTED

1)     SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.

2)    INVITE ME TO YOUR INBOX to get behind-the-scenes on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver. Sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.

3)    IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too.

@lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest Laurel Braitman is an absolute damn delight! In today’s episode we’re exploring her beautiful brand-new memoir What Looks Like Bravery: An epic journey through loss to love. I appreciate so much the humor, wisdom, and insight she brought to our conversation about the expansiveness of grief in her life, from the death of her father as a teenager, to lost loves, pets, a home in the wildfires of Northern California, and more recently the death of her mother. Her adventurous spirit, which has taken her all over the globe, shows up in our conversation and her approach to living fully in the wake of loss.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Laurel is a writer, teacher and secular, clinical chaplain-in-training. She wrote a NYT bestselling book Animal Madness: Inside Their Minds. She also has an amazingly cool job, one I would love to have – as the director of Writing and Storytelling at the Stanford School of Medicine’s Medical Humanities and the Arts Program where she helps clinical students, staff and physicians communicate more clearly and vulnerably for their own benefit and that of their patients.

Pick up a copy of What Looks Like Bravery: An Epic Journey Through Love and Loss at your favorite local bookstore or online here

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(30:00) Laurel and I dive deep into how hyper-vigilance can show up for those of us who’ve experienced profound loss, in ways that don’t always make sense to others, or to ourselves for that matter.

(59:00) As we wrapped up our conversation, I asked Laurel to explore what she learned from the opportunity to be with her mom at the end of her life and how her parents love of storytelling was a gift to her and one she got to return to the them at the end of their lives.

STAY CONNECTED

1)     SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.

2)    INVITE ME TO YOUR INBOX to get behind-the-scenes on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.

3)    IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too.

@lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steph Jagger explores one of the most common ways we experience ambiguous loss - when someone we love is in the grips of Alzheimer’s Disease. In our conversation, just like in her exquisitely written memoir, Everything Left to Remember, Steph reveals what she learned when she took her mom, who was diagnosed with early on-set Alzheimer’s, on an adventure into big nature under the big Montana sky. While what she learned on this trip wasn’t what she expected, she gained more than she bargained for including insights on childhood, motherhood, personhood, the lessons of Mother Nature, and what it means to love someone who doesn’t quite remember the person she spent her lifetime becoming.

EPISODE RESOURCES

Steph Jagger is a sought-after mentor and coach whose offerings guide people toward a deeper understanding of themselves and their stories. Her work, including speaking and facilitating, lies at the intersection of loss, the nature of deep remembrance, and the personal journey of re-creation. Steph grew up in Vancouver, Canada and now lives and works on Bainbridge Island, WA. Everything Left to Remember is Steph’s second book. Her first, Unbound, was published in 2017.

Pick up a copy of Everything Left to Remember at your favorite local bookstore or online here

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO

(30:00) Steph explores what she had hoped to discover on this trip through big nature with her mother versus the gifts she received along the way.

(47:00) As we wrapped up our conversation, Steph and I explored what it means to practice being with our emotions in grief and the suffering we experience when we resist or hang on too tightly.

STAY CONNECTED

1)     SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.

2)    INVITE ME TO YOUR INBOX to get behind-the-scenes on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.

3)    IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too.

@lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, LinkedIn,YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, my guest Aly Bird shares the journey she’s been on since the untimely death of her young husband, the secondary and ambiguous losses she continues to uncover, and the inspiration to help create a culture of positive grief support which resulted in her beautiful book, Grief Ally. I can’t wait for you to meet her!

EPISODE RESOURCES

Since her husband’s untimely death, my guest Aly Bird has poured her heart into helping those who feel helpless during an unexpected crisis. Her extensive study of grief psychology and culture, combined with her own devastating first-hand knowledge, led her to create a roadmap for those committed to supporting the bereaved. A registered psychotherapist (qualifying), coach, and speaker, Aly offers a clear path to those who have the courage to take on the vital role of being a grief ally. 

Pick up a copy of Everything Left to Remember at your favorite local bookstore or online here

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO

(25:00) Aly shares how fortunate she was to receive tremendous support from her community. She was surprised to discover this wasn’t the case for most people and dismayed there wasn’t much out there on how to be a strong grief supporter, which is how her book Grief Ally was born.

(45:00) Aly and I explore this place we get to in our grief where we move from surviving to asking ourselves what does thriving look like. We also explore some of the key components of what it means to be a good grief ally, including not putting early pressure on the griever to be strong and in thriving mode.

STAY CONNECTED

1)     SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.

2)    INVITE ME TO YOUR INBOX to get behind-the-scenes on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.

3)    IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too.

@lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, LinkedIn,YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bethany Harvey, author of the beautiful memoir Dipped In It, shares the experiences and lessons she’s learned from several losses. Some we’ve explored in past episodes, such as the loss of a parent and other losses we haven’t touched on much over the seasons, the grief that results from divorce. At the end of Bethany’s marriage, her now ex-spouse came out as gay and trans-gender. And while Bethany shares that she initially grieved the loss of the “he” she was married too, she quickly realized that this person who now uses the “she” pronoun was the same exact person that made her laugh like crazy in her marriage and drove her nuts too. Bethany brings humor, metaphor, and deep wisdom to our conversation about things like secondary losses, grieve waves, grief expression and so much more.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Bethany Harvey is an award winning author whose debut memoir shot to the bestseller list at Barnes & Noble on the day of its release in 2021. “Dipped In It, a Memoir” is a deep dive into grief as Bethany explores her emotional well after the death of her father and the dissolution of her marriage. With heart and humor Bethany explores the question, “Can grief and gratitude co-exist?” Sharing so openly about her life, loves and losses has further deepened Bethany’s understanding that grief—in all its forms—changes us in ways we never imagined. New paths appear and we may need help illuminating the way forward. To that end, Bethany has recently completed training as a personal coach with renown coach, author and speaker, Martha Beck. Bethany is currently accepting coaching clients on her website www.dippedinit.com.

Pick up a copy of Dipped In It at your favorite local bookstore or online here or wherever books are sold.

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(30:00) Bethany explains how differently she and her now ex-spouse communicated and processed the divorce, a decision they came to in a therapy session at the end of their marriage. Bethany explains that though their verbal communication styles are very different, they shared some tender moments of grief expression in the month following the decision that didn’t rely on words.

(44:00) Bethany shares how the overwhelmingly personal and thoughtful response from readers to her memoir got her thinking about how she wants to show up in the world, both for herself and for others.

STAY CONNECTED

1)     SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.

2)    INVITE ME TO YOUR INBOX to get behind-the-scenes on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.

3)    IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too.

@lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, LinkedIn,YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some words become excruciating in the wake of loss. For my guest today, Katie Joy Duke, that word is expecting. After a whirlwind romance and engagement, Katie and her fiancé were over the moon with the discovery that they were expecting their first child together. A beautiful wedding ceremony and a fairy tale pregnancy, as Katie describes it, left them both shocked when after going into labor, they were told that their daughter Poppy, whose beautiful home had been Katie’s womb for the past 9 months, was dead. Katie’s relationship to her daughter, herself, to life, to the very notion of expectations is forever changed. In this episode, and in her beautiful memoir, Still Breathing, Katie brings vulnerability, wisdom, heart, and insight to the much-needed conversation around grieving stillbirth, something that affects 1 in 175 pregnancies in the U.S.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Katie Joy Duke is an attorney turned life coach who published her debut memoir, Still Breathing: My Journey with Love, Loss, and Reinvention in May 2022. Still Breathing is a heart-breaking love story that captures Katie’s experience birthing Poppy, her first daughter, who was stillborn at full-term in 2015. You can learn more about Katie and the work she is doing as a speaker and life coach at www.katiejoyduke.com

Pick up your copy of Still Breathing here along with many of the books featured on this podcast.

STRAIGHT INTO:

(33:00) Katie shares how and why she had developed a forever changed relationship with the words expecting and expectations. This shift comes not only because of the stillbirth of her daughter poppy, but more recently her diagnosis and treatment for stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.

(47:00) Katie shares her hard-worn wisdom about the grief support she had (and wanted) in the wake of the stillbirth of her daughter, Poppy.

STAY CONNECTED

1)     SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.

2)    INVITE ME TO YOUR INBOX to get behind-the-scenes on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.

3)    IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too.

@lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, LinkedIn,YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this final episode of the season, host Lisa Keefauver takes listeners behind-the-scenes. But instead of recapping the incredible conversations she had with 17 guests this season - from Sunita Puri to Colin Campbell to Cyndie Spiegel and so many more, she's offering you a behind-the-scenes peek into her life off the air. Lisa opens up about this season of her life - living with Breast Cancer. Lisa gets deeply personal in the hopes that we can learn, grow, and navigate grief, together.

In response to the aloneness and disconnection grievers often feel, Lisa guides listeners through a guided mediation on love for grievers, one she developed years ago in response to her own need for connection. In true end of season style, she also offers listeners a sneak preview of some of the incredible line-up of guests joining her in Season 5 of the podcast (launching in November 2023).

Episode Resources

Watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less to learn more about grief.

Watch the Media Maker Profile of Lisa recently released by Medicinal Media to understand how and why she became a grief activist and the host of this podcast,

Join her intimate workshop space, Reimagining Grief, Together – A Learning Circle Series, by visiting her website at www.lisakeefauver.com/workshopsandevents

Jump Straight Into

13:45 In the wake of her cancer diagnosis, Lisa shares what she learned after months of saying “yes” to offers of support.

22: 02        Lisa guides listeners in a meditation on love for grievers she created year ago in a time when her own grief made the notion of love feel out of reach.

Stay Connected

Follow her on socials @lisakeefauvermsw

Oh and if you love the show, don’t forget to leave a 5-star rating and write a review here

Lisa’s book, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss published by UT Press, will be available for pre-order soon and in bookstores June 4, 2024. Sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter here to get notified when you can order your copy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About this episode

Why are we talking about stress and burnout on a podcast about grief? Well, as you’ve likely experienced, grief is essentially a chronic stressor. This is particularly true in a culture that is grief avoidant, and where toxic positivity is rampant. Where we no longer live in tribes or communities that can help us discharge it. In essence, we’re left to our own devices to figure out how to be with our grief.

The good news is that today’s guest, Emily Nagoski, co-author of the phenomenal book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle will help us unpack the myths of stress and help us understand the strategies we need to discharge the stress we experience in grief and in life.

Get ready! She is full of wisdom, stories, humor, energy and so much more. You are going to learn so much from her.

About the guest

Emily Nagoski is the award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling Come As You Are and The Come As You Are Workbook, and coauthor, with her sister, Amelia, of New York Times bestseller Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. Her next book, Come Together: The Science (and Art!) of Creating Lasting Sexual Connections will be out in January 2024.

Emily earned an M.S. in counseling and a Ph.D. in health behavior, both from Indiana University, with clinical and research training at the Kinsey Institute. Now she combines sex education and stress education to teach women to live with confidence and joy inside their bodies. She lives in Massachusetts with two dogs, a cat, and a cartoonist.

Books and resources

You can find all the books featured on the show by visiting the Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Wishlist on Bookshop.org

You can learn more about all of Emily’s work and pick up a copy of her incredible book, Burnout, and the corresponding workbook by visiting www.emilynagoski.com. Stay tuned for her forthcoming book, Come Together, which drops January 2024.

You can learn more about Lisa’s work and pre-order a copy of her forthcoming book, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss by visiting www.lisakeefauver.com. While you’re there, you can sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded August 25, 2023

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About Episode & Guest

I think we can all agree that children and grief are two words we wish would never have to go together. Yet we do live in that world and the challenge we face is that we live in a culture that is grief avoidant which makes it difficult for us to know how to offer meaningful and age-appropriate support.

The good news is that today’s guest, Brennan Wood, Executive Director of the Dougy Center is here to help. The center’s mission is to provide grief support in a safe place where children, teens, young adults, and their families can share their experiences before and after a death.

Brennan’s connection to the place goes back decades. You see long before she became the Executive Director, she attended the Dougy Center as a client. Brennan walked through the doors for the first time in 1987 when her mother, Doris, died three days after Brennan turned 12 years old.

In this episode, Brennan leans on her own wisdom and the lessons she’s learned from the clinical staff of her organization in today’s conversation. She is a warm, caring, wise spirit and you are going to love her. Get ready! She is full of wisdom, stories, humor, energy and so much more. You are going to love her.

Resources and Books

You can learn more about Brennan and the Dougy Center by visiting www.dougy.org. They have tons of helpful tip sheets, podcasts, and have age-specific toolkits to help you show up for a grieving child in your life.

Host Lisa Keefauver's book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER. You can find it on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org or by visiting www.lisakeefauver.com

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

You can find all the books featured on the show by visiting the Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Wishlist on Bookshop.org

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded September 8, 2023

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As artist-in-residence at the Zen Hospice Project Guest House in San Francisco, Wendy MacNaughton witnessed firsthand how difficult it is to know what to do when we’re sharing final moments with a loved one. In this tenderly illustrated guide to saying goodbye, MacNaughton shows how to make sure those moments are meaningful. Using a framework of “the five things” taught to her by a professional caregiver, How to Say Goodbye provides a model for having conversations of love, respect, and closure: with the words “I forgive you,” “Please forgive me,” “Thank you,” “I love you,” and “Goodbye,” each oriented toward finding mutual peace and understanding when it matters most. In her book, and in our conversation in this episode, Wendy offers us a beautiful, poetic, masterful meditation on the art of presence as love.

If you liked this episode, you might also like my conversation with our mutual connection palliative Dr. BJ Miller. His episode, Unnecessary Suffering, aired in Season 3.

You can find all the books featured on the show, including How to Say Goodbye by Wendy MacNaughton by visiting the Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Wishlist on Bookshop.org

Visit www.wendymacnaughton.com to learn more about Wendy, and if you want weekly drawing lessons and assignments from Wendy delivered directly to your inbox, you can join the Grown-Ups Table.

Watch her TEDx Talk The Art of Paying Attention here: https://www.ted.com/talks/wendy_macnaughton_the_art_of_paying_attention?language=en

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org.

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYtwSU-qaWc

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded September 16, 2023

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sally Douglas and Imogen Carn met during the saddest time in both their lives, after the sudden deaths of both of their mothers. That’s when they had the lightbulb moment to start the Good Mourning podcast, and the rest is history. From their first recording on Sal’s sofa to 100 episodes, a top podcast and a global community that reaches over 100 thousand people each month, it’s been an incredible journey. They’ve helped each other to higher, happier ground, becoming soul sisters, pod-wives and co-authors in the process.

Hosts of the successful podcast Good Mourning and their popular book of the same name, these two Aussie women bring their accents, charm, and the wisdom they’ve learned along their grief journey to our conversation. You’re going to love these two!

You can find all the books featured on the show, including Good Mourning by Sal and Im  by visiting the Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Wishlist on Bookshop.org

Visit goodmourning.com.au to learn more about Sal and Im, their podcast, book, and how to get involved in their support community.

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org.

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded September 3, 2023 – Host Lisa Keefauver had just completed chemotherapy for Breast Cancer.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In her extraordinarily honest and beautiful memoir, End of the Hour, and in our conversation in this episode, Meghan Riordan Jarvis lays bare her experience of PTSD following the deaths of both of her parents within two years of each other. Meghan’s story and perspective is unique as she has spent the past 20+ years as a psychotherapist specializing in trauma, grief, and loss. She opens about her unraveling and the necessary courage it took to check herself into the same inpatient trauma center she had sent clients to over her career. You are going to love Meghan’s honesty, humor and insight.

Visit www.meghanriordanjarvis to learn more about Meghan, her podcast, TEDx talk, book, End of the Hour, the consulting work she does with companies and more.

You can find all the books featured on the show, including End of the Hour by Meghan Riordan Jarvis by visiting the Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Wishlist on Bookshop.org

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss is now available for PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. Drop her a DM on Instagram @lisakeefauvermsw to let her know you did and she’ll send you a party invite to her Book Launch Celebration

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded November 3, 2023 – Host Lisa Keefauver had just completed Radiation for Breast Cancer.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest, Stephanie Sarazin, is a writer, researcher, and ambiguous grief guide. In this episode, as in her award-winning book Soulbroken: A Guidebook for Your Journey Through Ambiguous Grief, she shares how her work began. After experiencing her own mid-life trauma, she embarked on an ambitious journey - spiritually and around the world—to understand, name, and heal the grief she found within her.  

Her efforts revealed a first-of-its-kind definition for “ambiguous grief,” whereby grief is onset by the loss of a loved one who is still living and wherein the experience of hope presents as a stage of the grieving process.  Stephanie’s work brings new resources to reframe disruptive, activating events as a gateway to discovering your highest self, in turn championing ambiguous grief as nuanced, natural, and navigable.

Visit www.stephaniesarazin.com to learn more about Steph, her research, her work as an ambiguous grief guide and her book, Soulbroken.

You can find all the books featured on the show, including Soulbroken by Stephanie Sarazin by visiting the Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Wishlist on Bookshop.org

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. Drop her a DM on Instagram @lisakeefauvermsw to let her know you did and she’ll send you a party invite to her Book Launch Celebration

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded October 27, 2023 – Host Lisa Keefauver had just completed Radiation for Breast Cancer.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest, Gina Moffa, author of Moving On Doesn't Mean Letting Go: A Modern Guide to Navigating Loss, is a licensed grief and trauma psychotherapist and mental health educator in New York City. In practice for two decades, Gina helps people seeking treatment for trauma, grief, as well as challenging life experiences and transitions.

Whether we’re grieving a death loss, the end of a friendship, a breakup or an ambiguous loss, 100% of us experience grief. Yet so many of us feel stuck because the old ways of thinking of grief don’t align with what we know we need deep down – to find a way to move forward, not on – and do be able to keep our person with us when we do.

Gina invites us to take an honest look at how grief affects our lives and offers a heartfelt and practical map through the dark terrain of loss. She is full of warmth and wisdom, and you are going to love the topics we explore in this episode.

Resources

Visit www.ginamoffa.com to learn more about Gina, her work as a psychotherapist and of course this wonderful book, Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go

You can find all the books featured on the show, including Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go by Gina Moffa by visiting the Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Wishlist on Bookshop.org

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. Drop her a DM on Instagram @lisakeefauvermsw to let her know you did and she’ll send you a party invite to her Book Launch Celebration

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded November 3, 2023 – Host Lisa Keefauver had just completed Radiation for Breast Cancer.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest, J.J. Duncan, knows firsthand both professionally and personally how powerful storytelling is and the openings they create. She is an award-winning television producer, writer, advocate, and co-founder of the nonprofit, “Not Today Cancer,” which raises funds for childhood cancer research. J.J. is widely known in the entertainment industry as an Executive Producer and Showrunner of such hits as Project Runway, and The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, among others.

After losing her eleven-year-old son Mason to leukemia, J.J. also became known as a childhood cancer advocate, using her influence as a top television producer to open up the very real human discussions of grief, mental health, and end-of-life care through storytelling. J.J. was a speaker at the EndWell conference in November of 2023, where she spoke about healing through personal storytelling. On multiple visits to Capitol Hill, J.J. has told her story to Congress in order to advocate for childhood cancer laws, and she has multiple projects in the works to continue the conversation for anyone looking to explore their own stories of loss.

With all her focus on loss, it may be surprising to learn that J.J. risks delight at every turn, always looking for the funny and striving to take the story to an unexpected place of joy. You can learn about J.J. Duncan by checking out her Endwell interview here.

Resources and Support:

In honor of our conversation about childhood cancer, I want to share links to 2 non-profits who are working to find the cure for childhood cancer while also supporting children and families enduring it now.

Learn more and consider supporting, Not Today Cancer at www.nottodaycancer.care

Learn more about and support the Phoenix Stone Foundation at https://phoenixstonefoundation.org

You can find all the books featured on the show by visiting the Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Wishlist on Bookshop.org

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. Drop her a DM on Instagram @lisakeefauvermsw to let her know you did and she’ll send you a party invite to her Book Launch Celebration

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded January 5, 2023

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this interactive bonus episode, host Lisa Keefauver invites listeners to reflect on the importance of honoring or creating ritual for the anniversaries of the day their lives changed - even when they're “not all better yet.” This episode emerged after the overwhelming feedback she received from an essay she recently shared called “Honoring the ‘Not All Better Yet’ Anniversaries” about the one-year anniversary of her Breast Cancer Diagnosis.

In this episode, listeners are:

• Guided through a compassion meditation,
• Invited to hold space for Lisa’s story of honoring the anniversary of her Breast Cancer diagnosis,
• Given a series of questions that will help them create their own ritual for honoring their "not all better yet" anniversaries,
• Read a short excerpt on the topic of starting close in from her forthcoming book, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss.

 “But what struck me last month is the lack of acknowledgment or ritual for those before/after days where we’re not in the “after” yet. How do we honor the time that’s passed since our lives shifted when we’re still in the middle of that change? When there is still a force in motion, and we haven’t arrived at the other side. For me, that day was last month on the one-year anniversary of the day I got my Breast Cancer diagnosis. One year later and I’m not all better yet, I’m not on the other side.” - Lisa Keefauver

Resources:

You can find all the books featured on the show by visiting the Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Wishlist on Bookshop.org

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. Drop her a DM on Instagram @lisakeefauvermsw to let her know you did, and she’ll send you a party invite to her Book Launch Celebration

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Recorded February 6, 2024

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As my guest, Asa Merritt knows, it's important that we see, hear, experience a wider expanse of grief stories that show the messy, beautiful, dynamic experience of a wide variety of losses.

That’s why I’m thrilled to share my recent conversation with him. In his most recent project, Six Sermons, a new Audible Original series starring Stephanie Hsu from Everything Everywhere All At Once, Asa spent a month embedded with a team of pastors at a Lutheran church in Cincinnati, OH. Six Sermons is dedicated to the actor and musician Caz Liske, who died by suicide in Moscow in 2017. He weaves his own personal process of grappling with anger, frustration, sorrow, and confusion he experienced after the death of his friend into a powerful narrative that models for all of us the messy, vulnerable, and important conversations we need to have to move forward in our grief, particularly in the wake of a loss by suicide.

Asa is a former international reporter for NPR, VICE Sports, The Guardian and ESPN’s 30 for 30 podcast. Asa brings a compassionate documentary eye to ambitious fictional projects.

Resources

You can download Six Sermon’s, an audible original by visiting www.audible.com.

If you’d like to learn more about the principles and practices of exploring your story in a healing way, I encourage you to check out my conversation with Dr. Annie Brewster entitled The Healing Power of Storytelling in Season 3 – 2022. I also HIGHLY recommend her book of the same title. You can find a link to her book and all those featured on this podcast at my Grief is a Sneaky Bitch podcast at lisakeefauver.com

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. Drop her a DM on Instagram @lisakeefauvermsw to let her know you did and she’ll send you a party invite to her Book Launch Celebration

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded January 19, 2024

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Darnell Lamont Walker joined me for an expansive conversation in this episode - from the questions you might want to ask yourself and others in life instead of waiting until death’s door, to the complex and layered experiences of grief and loss in the Black community, to the power of creativity and play as a tool of healing.

Darnell is an Emmy-Nominated children's television writer who understands the power of representation and joy, creating content in hopes that all children get the opportunity to not only see themselves, but see how incredible they are and can be. Darnell has written for outstanding shows, including PBS Kids’ Work It Out Wombats!, Netflix’s Karma’s World, and Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues & You.

He’s a death doula, helping individuals and communities move through grief and toward healing and happiness. Darnell’s goal with his is to continue to support children, adults, and whole communities around the world through the building of safe and happy spaces.

Resources

You can learn more about the work Darnell offers from his courses at the Esalen Insitute, to writing projects, his work as a Death Doula and so much more by visiting www.darnellwalker.com or following him on Instagram at hello.darnell

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. Drop her a DM on Instagram @lisakeefauvermsw to let her know you did and she’ll send you a party invite to her Book Launch Celebration

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded January 26,2024

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My conversation with guest Devin Moss was so rich and expansive, from our shared passion for the big existential questions to his rich and complex podcast series, Momento Mori (that dives deep into mortality), to his unexpected journey to becoming a Humanist Chaplain. He shares one of the most unique experiences of a bedside death I’ve ever heard. Soon after becoming certified Devin said yes to a request from an inmate on death row to have a non-theist chaplain accompany him in his final months on earth.

Devin Sean Moss is a Humanist (nontheist) Chaplain unwavering in his pursuit to relate stories that connect us to our humanity. A natural explorer, he uses playful inquisition to examine the complexity of the human condition and the intrinsic meaning of life. Moss maintains an interdisciplinary practice of storytelling, street philosophy, and practical altruism. 

In 2015, Moss created The Adventures of Memento Mori podcast.. The consequence of this deep meditation on impermanence was life-changing. Uncertain of what happens after we die, Moss has dedicated his life to the positive changes that can happen while we’re still alive.

Resources

You can learn more about Devin’s podcast, Momento Mori, and his work by visiting dsmoss.com or following him on Instagram at ds_moss

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. Drop her a DM on Instagram @lisakeefauvermsw to let her know you did and she’ll send you a party invite to her Book Launch Celebration

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded January 26,2024

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I bring you my conversation with the wise and warm grief therapist and author, Claire Bidwell Smith.

There are some common themes most grievers experience, regardless of the source of their loss. These include things like a loss of self-identity, heightened feelings of guilt, time spent ruminating on the what ifs, and increased anxiety and fear. What makes these typical experiences even more challenging is that they are so rarely named by others, or shown in media, and so we often feel even further isolated from the world and uncertain how to get ourselves unstuck.

That’s why I’m so grateful for Claire’s words and wisdom. In her recent book Conscious Grieving, and in our conversation, Claire opens up about her personal experiences with these themes in the wake of the death of both of her parents in her 20’s. Over the course of her career as a grief therapist both in private practice and hospice, she has gained such deep insight on how we move through various phases in grief, or orientations as she calls them. She helps us unpack what we might face in each and the roadblocks that can get in our way. From the insights she shares to her soft and warm voice, you are going to feel guided with care through today’s conversation.

Resources

Check out Claire’s body of work, including Conscious Grieving (her 5th book), hitting bookstores March 12th. If you’re listening before then, you don’t have to wait, you can pre-order it today on your favorite online bookseller. Also, Claire offers a wide array of workshops, retreats, and more, so head over to clairebidwellsmith.com to learn more.

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. Drop her a DM on Instagram @lisakeefauvermsw to let her know you did and she’ll send you a party invite to her Book Launch Celebration

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded December 1, 2023

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m thrilled to share my conversation with Peter A. Levine, the renowned developer of Somatic Experiencing - a naturalistic and neurobiological approach to healing trauma, which he has developed over the past 50 years. He holds a Medical and Biological Physics doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley and a doctorate in Psychology from International University. He is the recipient of four lifetime achievement awards and is the author of several books, including Waking the Tiger, which has now been printed in 33 countries and has sold over a million copies. His memoir, An Autobiography of Trauma: A Healing Journey will be published on April 9th,2024.

Resources

Order An Autobiography of Trauma at https://books.innertraditions.com/autobiography-of-trauma/

Dr. Levine is the author of several best-selling books on trauma, including Waking the Tiger, Healing Trauma (published in over 29 languages); In an Unspoken Voice,How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness; and Trauma and Memory,Brain and Body in a Search for the Living Past. Check out Peter Levine’s incredible resources on trauma and somatic experiencing (including videos, online courses, and his best-selling books) by visiting https://www.somaticexperiencing.com

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. Drop her a DM on Instagram @lisakeefauvermsw to let her know you did and she’ll send you a party invite to her Book Launch Celebration

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded March 8th, 2024.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 years ago, while today’s guest, Nikki Mark, was driving her 12-year-old son, Tommy, to a soccer game, he turned to her and asked, “Mom, is it possible to go to sleep and not wake up?” Nikki told him that’s how one of his grandmothers passed away: “it’s the best way to go-no pain, no drama.” He surprised Nikki further by stating, “It must be hard for a parent to lose a child.” Something told her in that car ride to tell him all the things she loved about him. Three days later, Tommy passed away in his sleep. There's still no medical explanation.

Since that day, Nikki says she surrendered and that act has taken her on a healing path unlike many others – one that has included psychics, mediums, psychadelics, astrologists, and more. Even more profoundly, she has brought her strength and sheer determination to fulfill the dreams of not just Tommy, but so many families, by fundraising and then donating public fields to create Tommy’s Field – an open-to-the-public athletic fields that keep Tommy’s love of soccer and community alive and well.

About the Guest & Resources

Nikki’s “inspirational debut memoir” (as lauded by Publisher’s Weekly) is entitled Tommy’s Field: Love, Loss and the Goal of a Lifetime. Prior to losing Tommy, Nikki released a children's book series - The MightyMom Series- which includes Mommy Brings Home the Bacon; Mommy's Got a Bun in the Oven; and MightyMom. All author’s profits from all book sales are being donated to the TM23 Foundation to build more athletic fields where they are most needed, and to brighten our world with the #powerofplay. Access Nikki’s free weekly articles, popular alternative healing toolkit, and other valuable resources at Nikkimark.com.

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. Drop her a DM on Instagram @lisakeefauvermsw to let her know you did and she’ll send you a party invite to her Book Launch Celebration

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded March 16th, 2024.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re all just briefly perfectly human. That’s the profound reminder from our guest today, Alua Arthur.

If we are brave enough to allow this truth be at the center of awareness in our day-to-day lives, Alua argues we could live a fuller, more compassionate, and even magic-filled existence. In our conversation today, and in her adventure-filled and beautifully honest memoir, Briefly Perfectly Human, she helps us see how we can make an authentic life by getting real about the end.

Alua Arthur is a death doula, recovering attorney, and the founder of Going with Grace, a death doula training and end-of-life planning organization that exists to support people as they answer the question, “What must I do to be at peace with myself so that I may live presently and die gracefully?” Going with Grace works to improve and redefine the end-of-life experience for people rooted in every community using the individual lived experience as the foundation.

Alua’s warmth, wisdom, wit, and passion for living - even while keeping the end in mind - is an inspiration to me and I know you will feel the same way after today’s episode.

About the Guest & Resources

Author of BRIEFLY PERFECTLY HUMAN: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End, Alua Arthur is the most visible and active death doula working in America today. She is a recovering attorney and the founder of Going with Grace, a death doula training and end-of-life planning organization. Her TED Talk titled, “Why Thinking About Death Helps You Live a Better Life,” went online in July 2023 and has already received nearly 1.4 million views. A frequent guest on TV and radio, Arthur has been featured on CBS’s The Doctors and in Disney's Limitless docu-series with Chris Hemsworth, as well as other national media outlets, such as Vogue, InStyle, the Los Angeles Times, The Cut, The New Yorker, New York Times, Marie Claire, and CNN. She has appeared on dozens of podcasts, and a Refinery29 video feature on Arthur and her work received ten million views across social platforms. In non-pandemic times, she travels the country and world as a keynote speaker, addressing audiences of several hundred to several thousand people at medical and end-of-life conferences, universities, seminaries, senior citizens’ communities, and more.

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. Drop her a DM on Instagram @lisakeefauvermsw to let her know you did and she’ll send you a party invite to her Book Launch Celebration. Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded March 22nd, 2024.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Ronit plank is a successful writer of fiction and non-fiction, an editor, a podcast host of not 1 but 2 shows, and a teacher. But long before she became all those things, she was a young girl born on a Kibbutz in Israel, shuffled across the globe to Seattle by 2 unhappily married parents. Soon after, her father left to start a new family on the east coast. And then the following year, her mother dropped her and her younger sister on his doorstep - announcing she was headed to India.

Her mother was sad and lost and was given cassette tapes by a guru called Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh – the man we now know as the leader of the cult featured in the Netflix Documentary Series Wild Wild Country. But back then Ronit didn’t know any of that, she just knew that she and her sister were abandoned repeatedly, leaving her with a deep well of grief that no one was naming as loss.

In her extraordinary memoir, When She Comes Back, she shares revelations and insights about the nature of loss when the person is very much alive. In our conversation today, we’re both deeply moved and reflective about the adultification that happens when we grow up in disorganized and chaotic households, and the importance of honoring with care the versions of us that never got what we deserved, a safe and loving home. I can’t wait for you to spend time with Ronit today. I know for sure you will be both touched and inspired by her story.

About the Guest & Resources

Ronit Plank is an award-winning writer, teacher, and podcaster who hosts Let's Talk Memoir featuring interviews with memoir writers and teachers. Her writing has earned Pushcart Prize, Best Microfiction, and Best of the Net nominations and has appeared or is forthcoming in The Atlantic, Writer’s Digest, The Washington Post, Hippocampus, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets and Writers, andelsewhere. WHEN SHE COMES BACK, her memoir about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation, was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards,the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts’ 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023Page Turner Awards for Short Stories. She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and lives in Seattle with her family where she editsmemoir manuscripts and teaches workshops. You can learn more at RonitPlank.com, follow her on Instagram, and subscribe to her Memoir Moments newsletter here.

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. Drop her a DM on Instagram @lisakeefauvermsw to let her know you did and she’ll send you a party invite to her Book Launch Celebration

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded April 5, 2024.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Known as Hospice Nurse Julie on TikTok and Instagram, today’s guest, Julie McFadden, with 16 years of experience as an ICU and Hospice/Palliative nurse, is passionate about normalizing discussions around death through education. She has garnered a significant TikTok following, covering end-of-life topics that have earned her recognition in Newsweek, USA Today, The Atlantic, and several other global articles. Julie actively engages with her audience across various social platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, fostering a more open conversation about death. Just like her videos, and in her forthcoming book, Nothing to Fear, in our conversation today she is kind and direct, helping to make clear what’s fact and what’s myth when it comes to hospice care.

About the Guest & Resources

You can learn more about Julie McFadden, her forthcoming book, Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully, and more by visiting hospicenursejulie.com or following her @hospicenursejulie on TikTok or Instagram.

Over the past five seasons of this podcast, I’ve invited various guests on to talk about the role of both palliative care and hospice care with you. From Palliative Drs. BJ Miller and Sunita Puri, to Palliative Social Workers Rachel Rusch and Rachel Carnahan-Metzger and others, this topic is profoundly important. Why? Well because so many of us will find ourselves in a position where someone we love will likely qualify for hospice someday. Perhaps we will too.

About the Host

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. Drop her a DM on Instagram @lisakeefauvermsw to let her know you did and she’ll send you a party invite to her Book Launch Celebration. You can also meet her in person at one of the stops on her book tour which begins June 4th and includes cities like L.A., San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Baltimore, Boston, New York City, and more.

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com and sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, to learn about her book tour, individual grief support openings, upcoming online and in-person grief workshops or to watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded April 5, 2024.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today J.S. (Joon) Park is a hospital chaplain. Some of the other descriptions he uses for himself include: former atheist/agnostic, sixth degree black belt, suicide survivor, Korean-American, and follower of Christ. He is the author of a profoundly insightful, and at times poetic new book, As Long As You Need: Permission to Grieve. It’s part hospital chaplain experience and part memoir.

In this episode, Joon shares a bit about his personal journey from growing up in a home with violence and a martial arts dojo to becoming a hospital chaplain, highlighting the similarities between the two roles in terms of being present and encouraging others to find their voice. We also discussed the importance of allowing individuals to talk about their hopes and dreams, even in the face of loss or adversity. Joon shared how he creates safe space where people can share their desires without feeling shame or judgment. One of the important themes Joon brings to light is the grief we often feel over future losses and the significance of giving oneself permission to grieve them.

The conversation also touches on the idea relocating hope, of staying close to one's dreams and finding new ways to honor them, even if the original path is no longer possible. We also explored the importance of self-care and pacing oneself in the work of caregiving, recognizing the need for rest and support. One of the many important reminders I learned from both his book and our conversation is recognizing loss of autonomy and the value of finding the smallest choices and moments. Joon’s vulnerability, wisdom, and heart shine through both in his book and in our conversation.

About the Guest & Resources

J.S. Park is a hospital chaplain, published author, and online educator. For eight years he has been an interfaith chaplain at a 1000+ bed hospital that is designated a Level 1 Trauma Center. His role includes grief counseling, attending every death, every trauma and Code Blue, staff care, and supporting end-of-life care. J.S. also served for three years as a chaplain at one of the largest nonprofit charities for the homeless on the east coast. J.S. has a MDiv completed in 2010 and a BA in Psychology. He also has a sixth-degree black belt. He is the author of As Long as You Need: Permission to Grieve. J.S. currently lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife, a nurse practitioner, and his daughter, newborn son, and adopted dog.

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. Drop her a DM on Instagram @lisakeefauvermsw to let her know you did and she’ll send you a party invite to her Book Launch Celebration

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop, find out if she is coming to a city near you for her book tour, or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less. You can also WATCH this episode now on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded April 24, 2024.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m inviting you to revisit a very special conversation I had from Season 4 of this podcast with my guest pediatric ICU nurse, Hui-Wen Sato.

Why? Well something absolutely crazy and horrible happened to the both of us shortly after we recorded that episode in November 2022. Just over 2 months later, on January 20th 2023, we BOTH received a Breast Cancer Diagnosis. On the EXACT SAME DAY. You'll hear a compelling new intro about the friendship that formed and of course have a chance to listen or re-listen to the profound wisdom Hui-Wen shares in our conversation.

What must it be like to be a pediatric ICU Nurse day in and day out, witnessing children and families in the most vulnerable and often grief-filled moments of their lives? Today’s guest, Hui-Wen Sato weaves a beautiful narrative about the realities of professional grief and the important cultural shifts needed to better serve both families and the medical professionals that serve them. She also shares the personal resources she draws on to sustain her and the role of storytelling as healing for all involved. And, as the title implies, she also implores us to stop putting healthcare workers on a pedestal.

Hui-wen is a pediatric ICU nurse based in Los Angeles. She holds an MPH and MSN from UCLA, and is currently obtaining her Certification in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University. She and her husband have two daughters, two tortoises and one complicated dog.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Her 2017 TEDxTalk was promoted to the main TED webpage in 2020, titled “How Grief Helped Me Become a Better Caregiver.”

You can also now view her powerful talk at End Well here

She has been featured in podcasts with NPR TED Radio Hour and The Silent Why, as well as webinars for Happify and the Speaking Grief Initiative.

You can follow her work at http://heartofnursing.blog.

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. Drop her a DM on Instagram @lisakeefauvermsw to let her know you did and she’ll send you a party invite to her Book Launch Celebration

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop, find out if she is coming to a city near you for her book tour, or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Original episode recorded October 28, 2022. Recorded New Intro May 6, 2023 - 14 months after both guest and host were diagnosed with Breast Cancer on the exact same day - January 20, 2023.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jessica Fein has faced a lot of loss. Siblings, parents, and in 2022 her daughter Dalia. At the age of five Jessica’s daughter Dalia was diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease that would claim her life at 17. Before that moment came, and inspired by Dalia’s own insuppressible zest for life, Jessica and her family would discover how to live in the present when the future can’t be fixed. In our conversation today, and in her beautiful book, Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes, Jessica maps both her journey to becoming an adoptive mom and the roller coaster ride of loving and caring for a terminally ill child, persevering when the simple act of taking a breath can become an act of courage. Through it all, she discovers the need to be both relentless advocate and calm presence, to show vulnerability as well as strength, and to allow joy to be louder than sorrow.

About the Guest & Resources

In addition to being a writer and a fierce advocate in the memory of her daughter, she's also host of the "I Don't Know How You Do It” podcast, which features people whose lives seem unimaginable from the outside. I’m grateful to share that I had the chance to be on the other side of the microphone and join her on her show recently too.

Host Lisa Keefauver’s forthcoming book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org and will be in bookstores JUNE 4th.

Visit www.lisakeefauver.com to learn more about Lisa, sign up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, register for an upcoming online grief workshop, find out if she is coming to a city near you for her book tour, or watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less.

Oh, and this season, if you want to WATCH the show, you can now watch it on YouTube @lisakeefauvermsw

Recorded May 8, 2024

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kicking off Season 6 of the show, actress and author Tembi Locke shares her experience of grief and the lessons she learned after the death of her husband. She discusses the importance of bringing awareness to grief and the opportunity it provides for connection and aliveness. She emphasizes the need to hold both the pain of loss and the joy of the person's life. Tembi also talks about the impact her husband had on her and the importance of sharing stories and memories of loved ones. In this conversation, Lisa Keefauver and Tembi Locke discuss the daily challenges of grief and the importance of finding agency and small moments of control amid loss. They also explore the vulnerability of being a young widow and the overwhelming weight of responsibility. Tembi shares her experience of navigating solo parenting and the importance of finding a partner who can understand and support her grief journey. They emphasize the need for rest, self-care, and finding moments of joy or ease in the midst of grief.

SHOW RESOURCES

From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home: https://www.amazon.com/Scratch-Memoir-Love-Sicily-Finding/dp/150118766X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

From Scratch (the Netflix special): https://www.netflix.com/title/81104486

ABOUT THE SHOW & HOST

Lisa Keefauver is a social worker, widow, and grief activist on a mission to reimagine the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

Learn more at www.lisakeefauver.com.

Follow @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram.

Listen to Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Podcast - Available on all podcast platforms.

Read Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. Available in bookstores, favorite online booksellers, including Bookshop.Org. Also available as an audiobook.

Watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less here

SPECIAL EPISODE NEWS

Submit your question: If you have a grief question, you’d like Lisa to answer on the air, record your question here: https://www.speakpipe.com/GriefIsASneakyBitchLive. Make sure you’re subscribed to the show so you get notified when these bonus episodes drop so you can hear your question, and her answer live on the air.

This conversation was recorded in May 2024 prior to the release of host Lisa Keefauver’s book and held to be the kickoff episode for Season 6 of the podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Joanne Cacciatore is an expert in traumatic grief and she is also a bereaved mother. The conversation today is wide and deep exploring themes including: traumatic grief, the loss of a child, the healing practices and rituals required to metabolize loss, the ways in which our culture makes navigating the messy non-linear path of grief unnecessarily difficult, and so much more. Her best selling book, Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief, is one of my all-time favorite books on loss and a national award winning best seller that has helped revolutionize the way our culture thinks, and feels, about grief. 

MORE ABOUT THE GUEST

Dr. Joanne Cacciatore is a Professor at Arizona State University, a Senior Sustainability Scholar, and Director of the Graduate Certificate in Trauma and Bereavement Program. She is in the top 2% of scholars in her field around the world, and has devoted her life to research, practice, and community based care of those suffering traumatic grief. She served on Oprah and Prince Harry’s Mental Health Committee for the Apple TV Series, The Me You Can’t See, which also featured her work at the Selah Carefarm, a therapeutic ecocommunity that combines rescued animals with humans who are grieving the tragic death of a child, parent, partner, or other primary family member. Her research has been published in the Lancet, and other medical journals, and she just released one the Great Courses called Understanding and Coping with Grief with Audible in 2022.

ABOUT THE SHOW & HOST

Lisa Keefauver is a social worker, widow, and grief activist on a mission to reimagine the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

Learn more at www.lisakeefauver.com.

Follow @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram.

Listen to Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Podcast - Available on all podcast platforms.

Read Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. Available in bookstores and on your favorite online booksellers, including Bookshop.Org. Also available as an audiobook.

Watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less here

SPECIAL EPISODE NEWS

Submit your question: If you have a grief question, you’d like Lisa to answer on the air, record your question here: https://www.speakpipe.com/GriefIsASneakyBitchLive. Make sure you’re subscribed to the show so you get notified when these bonus episodes drop so you can hear your question, and her answer live on the air.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this conversation, Dr. Red Hoffman shares her experiences with grief and loss, including the deaths of her grandparents, the murder of her father in a terrorist attack, and the death by suicide of her boyfriend. She discusses the challenges of navigating grief as a teenager and the lack of support and language to express her emotions. Red also talks about her journey into the medical field, combining her passion for surgery with her interest in palliative care and end-of-life conversations. She discusses the unique challenges faced by survivors of violent loss, including the loss of safety in the world and the complications of dealing with the legal system and media. Red emphasizes the importance of extending grace to oneself and others in the grieving process and highlights the need for understanding and support for survivors of violent loss.

MORE ABOUT THE GUEST

Melissa Red Hoffman, MD, ND, FACS began her professional career as a naturopathic physician and a yoga teacher and now practices as an acute care surgeon (a combination of trauma, emergency general surgery, and surgical critical) at Mission Hospital in Asheville. As one of just 90 US surgeons board-certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, she serves as an Associate Hospice Medical Director at Care Partners. Red is the co-founder of the Surgical Palliative Care Society. She recently launched a new podcast, The Surgical Soul with Red MD, focused on the joys and struggles of surgeons, both inside and outside of the operating room.

ABOUT THE SHOW & HOST

Lisa Keefauver is a social worker, widow, and grief activist on a mission to reimagine the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

Learn more at www.lisakeefauver.com.

Follow @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram.

Listen to Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Podcast - Available on all podcast platforms.

Read Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. Available in bookstores and Amazon, Bookshop.Org. Barnes & Noble. Also available in the UK and available as an audiobook.

Watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m thrilled to share that today’s guest is Alica Forneret. You might recognize her name as her writing and work about grief, work, and race have been featured in The The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Psychology Today, Huffington Post, GQ, and more. She is also an educator, speaker, and consultant dedicated to creating new spaces for people to explore grief and grieving. She is the Founder and Executive Director of PAUSE, a nonprofit focused on supporting Communities of Color through grief and end of life.

In this episode, we explore some very important themes, including the grief around adoption, mother loss, grieving someone who we had a complicated relationship with, and the experiences of grieving as a Black woman. I so appreciate Alica’s honesty, thoughtfulness, and directness in helping us better understand some of the more complex corners of grief.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Learn more about Alica by visiting https://alicaforneret.co/ and her incredible organization, PAUSE, at www.timetopause.org.

Don't forget to sign up for the PAUSE Resource Fair happening at Our House in Los Angeles on November 23rd.

ABOUT THE SHOW & HOST

Lisa Keefauver is a social worker, widow, and grief activist on a mission to reimagine the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

Learn more at www.lisakeefauver.com.

Follow @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram.

Listen to Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Podcast - Available on all podcast platforms.

Read Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. Available in bookstores and on your favorite online booksellers, including Bookshop.Org. Also available as an audiobook.

Watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less here

SPECIAL EPISODE NEWS

Submit your question: If you have a grief question, you’d like Lisa to answer on the air, record your question here: https://www.speakpipe.com/GriefIsASneakyBitchLive. Make sure you’re subscribed to the show so you get notified when these bonus episodes drop so you can hear your question, and her answer live on the air.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Answering your grief questions LIVE in this SPECIAL EPISODE of Grief is a Sneaky Bitch, with co-host Kousha Navidar. Co-host Kousha introduces 4 callers (Sachi, Robin, Bethany, and Sabrina) to Host Lisa Keefauver as she answers their questions in real time. They explore themes of compounding grief, the importance of communication in expressing needs, and the role of movement and rituals in processing loss. The conversation emphasizes the duality of experiencing joy amidst grief and the necessity of self-compassion in navigating the grieving process. Listeners are encouraged to find their own paths through grief, recognizing that there is no right way to heal.

ABOUT SPECIAL CO-HOST

Lisa and Kousha met in the summer of 2024 when she appeared as a guest on the WNYC NPR show, All of It, where Kousha was serving as a special host. Kousha is a host, writer, and producer. He has hosted national shows at WNYC / NPR, has been on-air talent at PBS, a former speechwriter for a member of President Obama's cabinet, and a high school math teacher. Kousha has hosted and produced shows on WNYC / NPR including The Brian Lehrer Show, All of It, and Notes from America. At WGBH / PBS, he helped launch the national show Point Taken, where he developed a companion YouTube series to reach younger viewers typically outside PBS's viewership. As a speechwriter, Kousha has written for and advised politicians, celebrities, and executives around the country.

ABOUT THE SHOW & HOST

Lisa Keefauver is a social worker, widow, and grief activist on a mission to reimagine the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

LEARN more at www.lisakeefauver.com.

FOLLOW @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram.

LISTEN to Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Podcast - Available on all podcast platforms.

READ Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. Available in bookstores and on your favorite online booksellers, including Bookshop.Org. Also available as an audiobook.

WATCH her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less here

SPECIAL EPISODE NEWS

Submit your question: If you have a grief question, you’d like Lisa to answer on the air, record your question here: https://www.speakpipe.com/GriefIsASneakyBitchLive. Make sure you’re subscribed to the show so you get notified when these bonus episodes drop so you can hear your question, and her answer live on the air.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jessica Waite, author of The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards is my guest in this thought-provoking episode. We explore the complexities of grief, betrayal, and healing through Jessica's personal journey as a widow. We discuss early memories of loss, the impact of mental health on relationships, and the importance of processing anger and forgiveness. Jessica shares her experiences with writing as a healing tool and the societal expectations surrounding grief. Our conversation emphasizes the significance of intuition, agency, and the need for compassion in navigating the aftermath of betrayal and loss.

ABOUT THE GUEST

When life handed Jessica Waite a riveting, horrifying and surprisingly beautiful story, she transformed herself into a writer. Her debut memoir, The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards (Atria) was an instant national bestseller, featured by The Washington Post, Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper, The Toronto Star and many other outlets. Jessica lives on Treaty 7 territory in the city of Calgary, Alberta. You can find her at JessicaWaite.work

ABOUT THE SHOW & HOST

Lisa Keefauver is a social worker, widow, and grief activist on a mission to reimagine the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

Learn more at www.lisakeefauver.com.

Follow @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram.

Listen to Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Podcast - Available on all podcast platforms.

Read Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. Available in bookstores and on your favorite online booksellers, including Bookshop.Org. Also available as an audiobook.

Watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less here

SPECIAL EPISODE NEWS

Submit your question: If you have a grief question, you’d like Lisa to answer on the air, record your question here: https://www.speakpipe.com/GriefIsASneakyBitchLive. Make sure you’re subscribed to the show so you get notified when these bonus episodes drop so you can hear your question, and her answer live on the air.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Doménica Feraud joined host Lisa Keefauver for a conversation about her play 'Someone Spectacular' and the experience of creating a play about grief. They discuss the early lessons about grief that Doménica learned from her parents, the losses she experienced as a child, and the impact of those losses on her understanding of grief. Doménica shares how her close relationship with her mother, Nathalie, shaped her identity and how her mother's sudden death led her to write the play. They also touch on the importance of open conversations about grief and the struggles of navigating life after loss. The play 'Someone Spectacular' explores the messy and complex nature of grief through the stories of six characters who come together in a grief support group. Each character represents a different type of loss, including the death of a spouse, the loss of a sibling, and the experience of miscarriage. The play delves into the individual experiences of grief and the ways in which people cope and support each other. It emphasizes the importance of staying connected and working through the pain together, even when it's messy and uncomfortable.

ABOUT GUEST

Doménica Feraud is a first-generation Ecuadorian writer, producer, and actor from New York City. Her groundbreaking play Rinse, Repeat premiered at the Signature Theatre in 2019 (NYT Critic’s Pick). Her sophomore play, someone spectacular, a tribute to her late mother Nathalie, is currently running at Signature Theater until September 7th. After the viral success of The Movie Star and Me and The 26-Year-Old Virgin, Feraud’s debut book, You Are What You See, will be released next summer. Acting credits include: Rinse, Repeat (Signature), The Wild Parrots of Campbell (Cherry Lane). Film/TV: Life After You, “Law & Order: SVU.” BA: NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

Learn more about her and her work at https://www.domenicaferaud.com

ABOUT THE SHOW & HOST

Lisa Keefauver is a social worker, widow, and grief activist on a mission to reimagine the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

Learn more at www.lisakeefauver.com.

Follow @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram.

Listen to Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Podcast - Available on all podcast platforms.

Read Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. Available in bookstores and on your favorite online booksellers, including Bookshop.Org. Also available as an audiobook.

Watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please welcome my wonderful friend, Jamie Thrower to the show. They are a Creative, Death Doula and founder of the Queer Grief Club. This episode is all about the intersections of grief, art, and community. Jamie and Lisa explore how personal experiences with loss shape grief beliefs, the importance of creative expression in processing grief, and the need for safe spaces for grieving individuals, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community. Jamie shares their journey of using photography and art as tools for mindfulness and connection, emphasizing the significance of community in navigating grief. Jamie explores their own losses, including a late pregnancy loss and how that informs the community work they do. The conversation highlights the necessity of witnessing grief and creating environments where individuals can both embody and express their grief.

ABOUT THE GUEST

You can learn more about Jamie’s work as a Death Doula, End-Of-Life Educator, and Grief Supporter at www.jamiethrower.com. They also host an incredible Substack called Mourning Glory. You can sign up here: https://jamiethrower.substack.com/

ABOUT THE SHOW & HOST

Lisa Keefauver is a social worker, widow, and grief activist on a mission to reimagine the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

Learn more at www.lisakeefauver.com.

Follow @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram.

Listen to Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Podcast - Available on all podcast platforms.

Read Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. Available in bookstores and on your favorite online booksellers, including Bookshop.Org. Also available as an audiobook.

Watch her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less here

SPECIAL EPISODE

Submit your question: If you have a grief question, you’d like Lisa to answer on the air, record your question here: https://www.speakpipe.com/GriefIsASneakyBitchLive. Make sure you’re subscribed to the show so you get notified when these bonus episodes drop so you can hear your question, and her answer live on the air.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kathleen Blackburn was the oldest of five children, a 12-year-old from Lubbock, Texas, whose evangelical family eschewed publ­ic education for homeschooling and wove improbable scientific theories into literal interpretations of the bible. Then her father, a former air force pilot, was diagnosed with stage IV cancer at the age of thirty-eight, and, as Kathleen writes in her searing memoir, Loose of Earth, “it was like pouring gasoline on the Holy Spirit.”

In this conversation, we explore the intricate relationship between personal grief, memory, and the political dimensions of loss. We dive dep into the complexities of memory, denial, and the impact of parental beliefs on childhood experiences of loss. As a memoirist, Kathleen explores the journey of humanizing those we’ve lost and shares her experiences growing up in a family that prioritized faith healing over medical care for her father's cancer.

Kathleen explores the impact of her father's military background, the denial surrounding his illness, and the emotional toll it took on her as a child. The conversation also explores the environmental factors contributing to her father's health issues, particularly PFAS contamination, and how these experiences shaped her understanding of grief and memory.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Kathleen was born in a military hospital on Guam in 1984. She was raised in Lubbock, Texas. She earned an MFA from the Ohio State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is the author of the memoir Loose of Earth, out with the University of Texas Press (April 2024). Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Texas Observer, Belt, Guernica, Gulf Coast, River Teeth, and elsewhere. For five years, she’s taught creative nonfiction workshops at the University of Chicago. In Fall 2024, she will join the English faculty at SUNY New Paltz as an Assistant Professor. You can pick up a copy of her extraordinary memoir, Loose of Earth online here or in your favorite local bookstore.

ABOUT THE SHOW & HOST

Lisa Keefauver is a social worker, widow, cancer survivor and grief activist on a mission to reimagine the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

LEARN more at www.lisakeefauver.com.

FOLLOW @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram.

LISTEN to Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Podcast - Available on all podcast platforms.

READ Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. Available in bookstores and on your favorite online booksellers, including Bookshop.Org. Also available as an audiobook.

WATCH her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less here or the video versions of this podcast here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emmy Award-Winning journalist and author, Allison Gilbert, joined host Lisa Keefauver for an important conversation on the intersections of grief, joy, and loneliness. They dive deep into the lessons from Allison's latest book, 'The Joy of Connections: 100 Ways to Beat Loneliness and Live a Happier and More Meaningful Life.' co-authored with the late Dr. Ruth Westheimer. They explore early experiences of grief, the importance of peer support, and the tough love lessons from her co-author, Dr. Ruth Westheimer. The conversation delves into defining joy, the structure of their book, and the significance of communicating needs in relationships. They also address the challenges faced by caregivers and the importance of maintaining connections amidst caregiving responsibilities.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Allison Gilbert is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and one of the most influential writers and speakers on how to find the inner resources to overcome life’s biggest challenges. Through research and lived experience, Allison helps audiences transform grief and loss, manage caregiving and chronic illness, and find connection amid the growing public health crisis of social isolation and loneliness. She is co-author of Dr. Ruth Westheimer’s final book, The Joy of Connections: 100 Ways to Beat Loneliness and Live a Happier and More Meaningful Life. The book stems from the article Allison wrote for The New York Times, “Dr. Ruth Saved People’s Sex Lives. Now she wants to Cure Loneliness,” about Dr. Ruth’s appointment as New York State’s Ambassador to Loneliness, the first such position in the United States. Allison is also the author of Passed and Present, Always Too Soon, and Parentless Parents. You can follow her on IG at @agilbertwriter.

ABOUT THE SHOW & HOST

Lisa Keefauver is a social worker, widow, cancer survivor and grief activist on a mission to reimagine the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

LEARN more at www.lisakeefauver.com.

FOLLOW @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram.

LISTEN to Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Podcast - Available on all podcast platforms.

READ Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. Available in bookstores and on your favorite online booksellers, including Bookshop.Org. Also available as an audiobook.

WATCH her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less here or the video versions of this podcast here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we discuss internationally celebrated celebrity intuitive medium Susan Grau’s new remarkable book, Infinite Life, Infinite Lessons. It is a deep dive into the soul's journey, offering insights into healing from grief and the afterlife. Susan shares her early memories of trauma and loss and the profound impact of her near-death experience. Our conversation delves into the definitions of spirit and soul, and how these concepts relate to our understanding of life and death. Susan explains what she’s experienced and learned about the spiritual connections that persist beyond death, the role of angels and guides, and the importance of being present in our lives. Susan offers practical advice for connecting with loved ones who have passed.

Please note: This episode does include discussions of childhood abuse and near-death experiences. Please take care and use your judgement on what’s best for you.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Susan Grau is an internationally celebrated celebrity intuitive medium, author, soul healer, and speaker. In addition to working as a professional medium and life path intuitive, Susan’s diverse range of certifications include: Reiki Master, Sai Maa Diksha Practitioner, Karuna Practitioner, and Certified CADC II - Addiction Specialist. Additionally, she is a licensed hypnotherapist specializing in past life regression, a respected professional teacher of the metaphysical arts and an honorary member of the Healing Touch Professional Association (HTPA). Susan specializes in grief therapy, guiding people to healing and recovery. Susan has just released her new book Infinite Life, Infinite Lessons (July 16, 2024) by Hay House. It is a deep dive into the soul's journey, offering insights into healing from grief and the afterlife and is now available to order on her website and a variety of retailers in the US.

ABOUT THE SHOW & HOST

Lisa Keefauver is a social worker, widow, cancer survivor and grief activist on a mission to reimagine the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

LEARN more at www.lisakeefauver.com.

FOLLOW @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram.

SUBSCRIBE to AFGO with Lisa Keefauver on Substack at lisakeefauver.substack.com

LISTEN to Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Podcast - Available on all podcast platforms.

READ Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. Available in bookstores and on your favorite online booksellers, including Bookshop.Org. Also available as an audiobook.

WATCH her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less here or the video versions of this podcast here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Susan Lieu is a multi-hyphenate storyteller, activist, and author helping people live the stories they’ve always wanted. Her award-winning solo show 140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother evolved into her debut and truly extraordinary memoir, The Manicurist’s Daughter. In this episode we explore the complexities of grief beliefs shaped by family dynamics, the silence surrounding loss, and the impact of cultural context on mourning. Susan reflects on her mother's legacy, the circumstances of her death, and the cascading losses that followed, including shifts in family structure and identity. The conversation highlights the importance of being seen and heard in the grieving process and the role of art in healing. Susan shares her profound journey of grief, justice, and self-discovery following the death of her mother. She discusses the complexities of carrying grief, the quest for accountability, and the transformative power of performance art in processing her experiences. Through her exploration of family dynamics, she uncovers the shared pain and resilience within her family, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding of love, compassion, and the importance of living with intention.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Vietnamese-American author, playwright, and performer Susan Lieu is the creator of her theatrical solo show "140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother," which received critical acclaim from LA Times, NPR, and American Theatre. Her debut memoir, The Manicurist’s Daughter (Celadon), is an Apple Book Pick of the Month and Must Listen of the Month, and has received accolades from The New York Times, NPR Books, Elle Magazine, and The Washington Post. The cofounder of Socola Chocolatier, she is a proud alumnae of Harvard, Yale, and Hedgebrook.

You can follow: @susanlieu @celadonbooks facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susanlieuofficial TikTok: @susanlieuofficial LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanlieu/ https://www.susanlieu.me/over-140-lbs

ABOUT THE SHOW & HOST

Lisa Keefauver is a social worker, widow, cancer survivor and grief activist on a mission to reimagine the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

LEARN more at www.lisakeefauver.com.

FOLLOW @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram.

SUBSCRIBE to AFGO with Lisa Keefauver on Substack at lisakeefauver.substack.com

LISTEN to Grief is a Sneaky Bitch Podcast - Available on all podcast platforms.

READ Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. Available in bookstores and on your favorite online booksellers, including Bookshop.Org. Also available as an audiobook.

WATCH her TEDx talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less here or the video versions of this podcast here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.