Grief Episodes

A world class cellist felt relief, not grief, the night her career quietly ended. Kate Kayaian on identity, permission, and starting over at midlife.

Matin Miryeganeh lost her mother at 13, her family's support, and the permission to grieve. This episode is about what happens when you survive alone and slowly find your way back to yourself.

Matt Fogelson lost his father before they ever really knew each other, and when he became a dad himself, a single unplanned song in the middle of the night started him on a years-long journey back to himself.

When Rebe Huntman finally stopped moving forward and took a pilgrimage to Cuba, she discovered that her mother had been waiting there all along.

Stephen Panus lost his 16-year-old son Jake in a sudden accident. This conversation explores grief, forgiveness, guilt, and what it means to keep walking when part of you didn’t survive.

After losing her son at 23, adventurer and author Dianette Wells had to find her way back to a world that had lost its sparkle, and she did it one step, one trail, and one yes at a time.

A tender conversation about loving fully, grieving honestly, and staying open to life even after profound loss.

A quiet conversation about learning to stay open and find meaning when life moves you through loss and change.

A conversation about love, loss, and the quiet courage it takes to stay open when life refuses to follow the plan.

This episode is part of The Things We Carry, a solo series shaped by the themes that stay with me after the conversations on The Life Shift. Today I am talking about the quiet ways people rebuild after loss. Not the dramatic versions we often hear about, but the slow work that happens in ordinary moments. The rebuilding that takes shape in private. The kind no one sees. In this reflection, I talk about how grief reshapes us, how healing does not mean going back to who we were, and how rebuildin...

This episode is part of The Things We Carry, a solo series shaped by the themes that stay with me long after the conversations on The Life Shift. Today, I am talking about the way grief shows up differently for each of us. Grief is not a single feeling. It is not one path or one expression. It shifts. It breaks open. It softens. It surprises you. And sometimes it says the opposite of what you think it should. In this reflection, I talk about the pressure many of us feel to grieve a certain way,...

Therapist Brianna Laricchia shares how the loss of her dog Molly transformed her understanding of grief, love, and healing.

A reminder that grief shifts and changes, and you are allowed to move with it.

After losing his job right before the pandemic, Clay Garrett discovered that slowing down was the key to finding purpose, presence, and peace.

Author and retired psychiatrist Marty Ross-Dolen shares how 9/11, motherhood, and multi-generational grief reshaped her life and inspired her memoir Always There, Always Gone.

Dan Boettcher shares how a mental health crisis unraveled his carefully planned future and led him to rediscover meaning through jewelry and storytelling.

After the loss of her mother and sister, Britt Michaelian shares how her journey with grief led her to rediscover healing through intuition, art, and energy work.

After losing her husband unexpectedly, Marie Alessi made a promise to choose happiness – and built a life of healing, light, and legacy.

A personal letter to my 8-year-old self, 36 years after losing my mom, on grief, love, and healing.

After surviving grief, burnout, and a wildfire that changed everything, Katie Svoboda-Rini shares how she finally stopped waiting for the perfect time and chose to begin again.

Recorded live at Reimagine.org, Giving Grief a Voice brings together five grief-focused podcast hosts for an honest, heart-level conversation on loss, love, and connection. Hear how sharing our stories can challenge cultural silence, deepen understanding, and help us feel less alone.

This is a personal invitation to something meaningful. On Thursday, August 7, I’ll be part of a virtual panel hosted by Reimagine called “Giving Grief a Voice.” We’ll be talking about how grief-focused podcasts – including Grief is a Sneaky Bitch (Lisa Keefauver), Grief and Light (Nina Rodriguez), Life with Grief (Tara Accardo), Where I Am (Grant Garry), and The Life Shift – are helping to normalize conversations about grief and offer meaningful connection in the wake of loss. I’ll be joining ...

When Lisa Sugarman was ten, she was told her father died of a heart attack. But decades later, one unexpected question revealed a long-held secret that shifted everything. In this open and emotionally honest conversation, Lisa and I explore what it means to grieve someone twice, how silence can shape our stories, and the power of finally speaking the truth out loud.

In this honest and deeply human conversation, Donna shares how she navigated grief, rebuilt her life, and created a purpose-filled path for her family. Through heartbreak, she discovered strength she didn’t know she had – and now, she’s helping others do the same.