Podcast appearances and mentions of lisa keefauver

What happens when grief enters your life? How do you move forward when everything feels shattered?In this episode of Life in Transition, Art Blanchford sits down with grief activist Lisa Keefauver to dive into the messy, complicated layers of grief. Lisa opens up about her personal journey of loss, including the tragic death of her husband and how that led her to a path of activism and healing.With warmth and wisdom, Lisa shares how grief isn't something you "move on" from, but something you can move forward with. Through her own experiences and her work with others, she emphasizes the importance of holding space for grief and seeing it as a catalyst for transformation. Whether you're dealing with personal loss or supporting someone who is, this episode provides profound insights on navigating grief, finding community, and reclaiming joy in the midst of sorrow.Listeners will gain practical tools for reimagining their own grief journeys, along with a fresh perspective on how loss can lead to personal growth and deeper emotional understanding. Tune in for a conversation that will leave you feeling seen, supported, and empowered to embrace the complexity of grief.In this episode, we'll talk about:Grief as a Catalyst for Growth: Lisa explains how her personal grief transformed her into an advocate and activist.The Importance of Community: Building a support system and finding ways to speak openly about grief.Healing Isn't Linear: Lisa emphasizes that the grief journey doesn't follow a set timeline, and it's important to honor every emotion.Moving Forward, Not Moving On: How to navigate life after loss without feeling pressured to "move on" from the pain.Reimagining Grief: Lisa's mission to change the way we view grief, seeing it as an essential part of life's growth.Holding Space for Grief: The importance of acknowledging grief instead of avoiding or pathologizing it.Tools for Grief: Practical advice for dealing with loss and fostering emotional resilienceConnect with Lisa Keefauver:WebsiteFacebookInstagramXLinkedInYouTubeMentioned on the Show:Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating LossLet's connect! Follow us on social media for a daily dose of inspiration, updates, and behind-the-scenes moments.FacebookInstagramXLinkedInYouTubeExplore our website for more in-depth information, resources, and to download the 8-step guide to mastering mid-life transitions.My new book PURPOSEFUL LIVING is out now. Order it now: https://a.co/d/cJKOpo6The views and opinions expressed on the Life In Transition podcast are solely those of the author and guests and should not be attributed to any other individual or entity. This podcast is an independent production of Life In Transition, and the podcast production is an original work of the author. All rights of ownership and reproduction are retained—copyright 2024.

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 RESOURCESFrom 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 & HOSTLisa 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 hereSPECIAL EPISODE NEWSSubmit 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.

In this episode I sit down with grief activist Lisa Keefauver to explore her unique approach to navigating grief. We discuss her book, "Grief is a Sneaky Bitch," and how she uses humor and narrative therapy to help others process their losses. Lisa shares her personal journey through grief, the importance of community support, and practical tips for living with grief in a way that honors our experiences. Join us for a heartfelt conversation that challenges the traditional narratives around grief and offers a fresh perspective on healing.00:00 - Introduction to Grief and Kindred Spirits05:32 - Lisa's Journey to Grief Activism11:06 - The Cheeky Approach to Grief15:07 - Understanding Narrative Therapy21:01 - Grief Beyond Death25:06 - The Inflammatory Nature of Grief30:07 - The Importance of Community Support35:01 - Diving into Grief: A Metaphor41:02 - The Power of Asking for Help***********************************************SUPPORT DR. AMY ROBBINS: If you're enjoying the podcast and finding value in guest interviews, ghost stories, and the content I share, please consider supporting the show by becoming a Patreon member for as little as $5 a month at Patreon.com/DrAmyRobbins As a member you'll get more say in the content we cover and exclusive access to behind-the-scenes goodness! Stay Connected with Dr. Amy Robbins: ● Instagram● YouTube● Website● Facebook ***********************************************FOLLOW LISA KEEFAUVER: https://lisakeefauver.com/https://www.instagram.com/lisakeefauvermsw/?hl=en Life, Death and the Space Between is brought to you by:Dr. Amy Robbins | Host, Executive ProducerPodcastize.net | Audio & Video Production | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I've been very present to the fact that there have been these huge, huge joys. But every time I meet a huge joy, it just drops me deeper into the grief, which is part of what I always say about grief. The more you open yourself to the joy, the more you open yourself to the grief and vice versa. So that kind of feels like where my journey has been this summer.” ~ Naila Francis In this episode, inspired by our conversation with grief activist, author and podcast host Lisa Keefauver, we reflect on where our journeys have taken us these last few months, including the grief we're both living with. As we invite you into these personal experiences, we share the ways grief continues to surprise and teach us — and how challenging it can be to lean into those lessons that come ‘round again and again. Given all the wisdom Lisa shared with us from her new book, “Grief is A Sneaky Bitch” (also the title of her podcast) in the previous episode, we also explore some of the threads that most resonated with us, especially the value of seeking support, which can be tricky to do when you're the one often giving it. We're so grateful for Lisa's work challenging conventional narratives around grief. And we invite you to consider the narratives you hold around loss, how they might be impacting you and how you care for yourself and others in times of grief.  To find out more about this episode, listen to the episodes referenced, and subscribe to the newsletter, visit the show notes.

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RESOURCES- Go to earthechofoods.com and use the code PODCAST at checkout to receive a 15% discount on your first order- Right now, my listeners can save up to 44% OFF - as little as $28 per bottle when you try Native Path Hydrate! Just go to

“So if our narrative understood that it's emotional and cognitive and physical and spiritual and relational, how might we attend to ourselves differently?  How might we attend to other people in our lives differently? How, if we believed it as a culture, would we institute policies and systems that attended to grief differently?” - Lisa Keefauver In this episode, we talk with Lisa Keefauver, grief activist, author and podcast host of “Grief is a Sneaky Bitch,” about grief as a multidimensional experience that encompasses more than death and more than our emotions. With compelling insight, compassionate warmth, the truth of her own lived experience and her background as a narrative therapist, Lisa shines a light on some of the stories, beliefs and habits that cause us more suffering as we grieve — while also offering tips and suggestions to help soften grief's hard edges. She talks about the vulnerability and bravery of inviting in support and candidly shares her own struggles with receiving care. In fact, Lisa is nothing but candid throughout this entire episode, as she reflects on grieving and being grateful for her late husband Eric, her journey with breast cancer and what grief has taught her about living a fuller, richer life. You'll probably want to listen with a journal or come back to this episode again, as, with fall right  around the corner, it feels like a timely roadmap to help us all navigate this human experience with more grace for ourselves.  To find out more about this episode, listen to the episodes referenced, and subscribe to the newsletter, visit the show notes.

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I had such a great discussion with Lisa Keefauver for this episode. You may know Lisa from her popular podcast, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch, and now she has a brand new book out by the same name. In this episode, we talk all about ambiguous losses, disenfranchised grief, how the three most important rules of scuba diving also apply to life—and, of course, the origin of her podcast and its name. Lisa is a widowed parent and a therapist, and her book has “invitational” language, not “instructional” language. I invite you to check it out. And for the Grief Allies out there, Lisa reminds us to remove the words “at least” from our grief support vocabulary and that'll go a long way toward supporting our friends who are grieving. Links & show notes The Widowed Parent Institute guides the journey of solo parenting after loss. Get free resources for widowed parents and for supporting grieving friends. -=-=-=-=- Thank you sponsors & partners: Help Texts - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://helptexts.com/jennylisk BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent Support the show - Buy Me a Coffee -=-=-=-=-

In this Nightside News Update, Lisa Keefauver - social worker, grief activist, and author of "“Grief is a Sneaky Bitch”Nick Neonakis - Expert on Franchises with the 10 most offensive things you can do at a restaurant.And AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Thompson with this week's incoming Heat Wave in Boston.Ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio

Lisa Keefauver is a widow, a grief activist, social worker, and host of the podcast, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Now, in her new book of the same title, she helps people navigating grief orient themselves to their new reality and shares tools they can use to move forward, not on.This segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar

Lisa Keefauver MSW and host of the popular podcast Grief is a Sneaky Bitch joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about what happens when we revisit our stories to more deeply understand what has happened in our lives, a look at ambiguous loss, the shoulds and shouldn'ts about grief we tell ourselves that can cause us unnecessary suffering, grief brain, memoir writing for insight and self-compassion, earning reader trust, deep mindfulness, pausing even when we have deadlines, and exercises to calm our nervous system from her new book Grief is a Sneaky Bitch.   Also in this episode: -showing our full selves on the page -soothing the nervous system -how we speak to ourselves    Books mentioned in this episode: Fifty-Seven Fridays by Myra Sack Finding the Words by Colin Campbell What Looks Like Bravery by Laurel Braitman When She Comes Back by Ronit Plank   Lisa Keefauver, MSW is a grief activist and the founder of Reimagining Grief. Lisa has more than two decades of professional experiences with grief and loss; working as a social worker, narrative therapist, and educator within multiple settings from non-profits to corporations and universities. Lisa's wisdom and understanding of grief is also embodied from her personal losses including the death of her husband in 2011.   Lisa's grief advocacy has inspired her to create and host the top-rated podcast, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch; serve as an adjunct professor of Loss and Grief at the University of Texas at Austin; act as an organizational consultant to facilitate grief-smart organizations; write/appear as a thought leader across media platforms. Watch her popular TEDx Talk, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less. You can pre-order her heavily anticipated book, Grief Is A Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss now. It arrives in bookstores June 4, 2024.   Connect with Lisa: Website: www.lisakeefauver.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisakeefauvermsw/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisakeefauvermsw/ Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grief-is-a-sneaky-bitch/id1474558908 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPQt3ARzpzeRl5ckN1k-h-g Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lisakeefauvermsw Get the book on Bookshop Get the book on Amazon — Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards 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 2023 Page 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 teaches memoir workshops and is working on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com   Sign up for monthly podcast and writing updates: https://bit.ly/33nyTKd Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Newsletter sign-up: https://ronitplank.com/#signup   Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://twitter.com/RonitPlank https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank Background photo credit: Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash Headshot photo credit: Sarah Anne Photography Theme music: Isaac Joel, Dead Moll's Fingers

Lisa Keefauver is a lot of things - she's a writer, speaker, educator, social worker, podcast host, mother, widow, and grief activist. She came to the last two titles when her personal experience of grieving for her husband Eric, who died of a brain tumor in 2011, intersected with her professional life as a clinician. At this intersection, Lisa realized just how grief illiterate the world is and how that illiteracy creates unnecessary suffering for those who are grieving. Lisa hosts the acclaimed podcast, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch and recently published her book, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss.    We discuss: The gift of love from her husband Eric Living in the both/and of grief and life Being a mental health professional while grieving Navigating a breast cancer diagnosis in a medical system that failed her husband How we bring our full history into each new loss The "shoulds" that hassled Lisa The grief time warp Grief thieves - including the one in the mirror Lisa's go-to skill in her own grief The power of observation & being with grief as it is Lisa Keefauver is a grief activist, speaker and author. She began her career as a social worker and narrative therapist in 2004. She expanded her activism in a variety of roles: clinical director, non-profit co-founder, clinical supervisor, facilitator of personal and professional growth and healing, and mentor. Lisa's wisdom and insights on grief are also embodied from her personal losses, including the death of her husband Eric in 2011.

Lisa Keefauver--Tedx speaker, consulatant, grief educator and host of the Grief is a Sneaky Bitch podcast has written a book of the same name.  Written in the tone of your "wise best friend" this book will keep you company, teach you, and support you as you navigate loss.  Be sure to follow her      https://lisakeefauver.com

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.

On this episode of The Power of Love Show we welcome special guest, Lisa Keefauver, MSW. Lisa Keefauver is a grief activist and the founder of Reimagining Grief. Lisa has more than two decades of professional experiences with grief and loss. She has worked as a social worker, narrative therapist, and educator within multiple settings from non-profits to corporations and universities. Lisa's wisdom and understanding of grief is also embodied from her personal losses, including the death of her husband in 2011. Lisa's grief advocacy has inspired her to create and host the top-rated podcast, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch; serve as an adjunct professor of Loss and Grief at the University of Texas at Austin; act as an organizational consultant to facilitate grief-smart organizations; write and appear as a thought leader across media platforms, including her viral TEDx Talk, ‘Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less' and write her heavily anticipated book, Grief Is A Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss which is set to released in June 2024. Learn More About Lisa: Website: LisaKeefauver.com Instagram: @LisaKeefauverMSW & @GriefIsASneakyBitch Facebook: Reimagining Grief Podcast: ‘Grief Is A Sneaky B!tch' - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grief-is-a-sneaky-bitch/id1474558908 TED Talk: ‘Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make It Suck Less' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYtwSU-qaWc Forthcoming Book: ‘Grief Is A Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss' (published by UT Press June 2024). Learn More About DDJF: Website: DDJF.org Instagram: @DeeDeeJacksonFoundation Facebook: Dee Dee Jackson Foundation LinkedIn: Dee Dee Jackson Foundation Twitter: @DDJFoundation Leave a podcast review: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-power-of-love-show/id1282931846 Spotify Podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/show/6X6zGAPmdReRrlLO0NW4n6?si=koXehESfSrSwA-zWi2vf-w Can't make the live-stream? You can always watch our syndicated interviews later on YouTube or Facebook! Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-Nd1HTnbaI Like Our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/884355188308946/ Join our Official Facebook Group full of supportive community members: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1500933326745571/?ref=share_group_link Visit the DDJF official website: http://www.ddjf.org/ Follow us on Instagram: @DeeDeeJacksonFoundation --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepowerofloveshow/support

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 ConnectedFollow her on socials @lisakeefauvermswOh and if you love the show, don't forget to leave a 5-star rating and write a review hereLisa'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.

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.comPick 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 CONNECTED1) 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.

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 RESOURCESSince 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.

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 RESOURCESSteph 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 CONNECTED1) 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.

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.

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 ALERTYou 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.

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.

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 hereAt 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 ALERTYou 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.

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 ALERTYou 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 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.

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 ALERTYou 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 CONNECTED1) 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 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 RESOURCESConnect 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 ALERTYou 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.

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 guestDr. 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 ResourcesI 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 AlertYou 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 SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform.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. 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.orgJUMP 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 ALERTYou 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 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.

Grief is a real part of being human. If that is the reality, how come we tend to be “grief illiterate” when providing support for those going through loss? We all have experienced some sort of loss or grief, but it is still a topic we don't discuss.Today's guest is Lisa Keefauver, MSW, a social worker, and widow turned grief activist. She has faced unthinkable tragedy from a young age and since then has helped open the field of grief discussion. A speaker, a podcaster, a professor, a writer, and a really cool woman, Lisa jumped into this important subject matter knowing that her whole life has brought her to this.I found her podcast called “Grief Is a Sneaky Bitch” and I knew I needed to listen to Lisa and invite her to The Second Wind podcast. I also wanted to bring support to the honest and authentic discussion of grief and how to bring that same support to others going through the process of trauma and loss. How can you show up?Heal your body and mind with RYZE mushroom coffee. Click here to get started! Visit secondwindthepodcast.com for full show notes. Join My Second Wind Facebook Group 

Grief activist and founder of Reimagining Grief Lisa Keefauver is talking about her work to transform and expand our understanding of grief and change the lives of individuals, communities, and organizations along the way.  According to lisakeefauver.com, Lisa is “using my personal and professional experiences with grief and loss over the past 20 years to create a grief-smart culture.” She's the founder of Reimagining Grief, Host of the top-rated podcast, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch, and Adjunct Professor of Loss and Grief at Steve Hicks School of Social Work at University of Texas at Austin. She brings her “whole self to the work, which includes warmth, vulnerability, humor and therapeutic skills”.  Lisa experienced the loss of her husband, leaving her a 40-year-old widow with a seven-year-old daughter.  She's spent almost 2 decades as a clinical social worker and narrative therapist and realized grieving individuals weren't receiving the support they needed from family, community, and cultures.  Connect with Lisa Keefauver at lisakeefauver.com. Listen to the Grief is a Sneaky Bitch podcast here.   Learn more about supporting grieving employees here. Find support with Reimagining Grief here.   Connect with podcast host Helen Bauer at helen@theheartofhospice.com. Find more information about hospice philosophy, end of life care, and self-care for both personal and professional caregivers here.   Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak for your podcast, event, or conference by sending an email to helen@theheartofhospice.com.  Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com)  

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 RESOURCESKrissy 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.comJUMP 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 vulnerableSTAY 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 EpisodeSomehow 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 ConnectedSUBSCRIBE 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.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. 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.

ABOUT THE EPISODE: 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: 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. 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. 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.

ABOUT THE EPISODEMy 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 SackVisit 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 themother of Havi and a fatal error that changed their lives forever. (13:36) - Shabbirthday: Moving from shock and anger to activeliving and celebrating the time Havi had left - “It was in that moment that Irealized that she was here with me in this physical world for only a briefmoment more, and so I was going to summon whatever courage.” (26:19) - Finding solace as a community: How people became presentin the Shabbirthdays and accompanied Myra's family. (35:53) - How Myra continued a relationship with Havi after her death. STAY CONNECTEDSUBSCRIBE 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.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.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.

ABOUT THE EPISODEWELCOME 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 RESOURCESLearn 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 SUPPORTSubscribe 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 PodcastStay 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.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.

ABOUT THIS EPISODEHave 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 RESOURCESRead The Healing Power of Storytelling by Annie Brewster, MDJUMP 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 SHOWIf 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 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODEOh 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 RESOURCESFollow Naomi at The Glorious Hum on Instagram EPISODE SPONSORThanks 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 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

About this episodeCecilie 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 died from an accidental drug overdose 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 ResourcesA recent article Cecilie wrote about Teo in the Berkleyside Episode SponsorThanks to our sponsor Vida Health. Vida – healthcare designed for the body and mind! 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 showIf 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 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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 ResourcesFollow Rachel on Twitter to learn more about her incredible work with support of the Cambia Health FoundationHarnessing the Power of Improv During Uncertain Times Episode SponsorThanks 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 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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 ResourcesDr. 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. Upwellhttps://vimeo.com/manage/videos/370342378/914bfb68c9 Retreat informationhttps://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 SponsorThanks 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 ShowIf 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 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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 HealthBJ'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! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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 ResourcesDr. 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. TedeschiEpisode SponsorThanks to our sponsor Vida Health. Vida – healthcare designed for the body and mind! Visit Vida.com/bcbsil to learn more. About The ShowIf 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! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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 BainGSB 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 andChristina meet(12:33) - Making sense of incomprehensible news: What did Wesley experience whenChristina got diagnosed? (17:46) - ‘Get back to normal': Wesley's process of recognizing anticipatory grief andhaving time for himself(26:19) - On Christina's legacy and the gifts she crafted before passingaway (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! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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 SPONSORThe 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! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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, 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! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Lisa Keefauver, my guest on episode 45, is authoring a book to help guide us through our grief. Titled, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch, the same name as her highly rated podcast, Lisa is providing snack sized commentary that is digestible even during our well documented grief stricken, foggy brain phase. Lisa came to know personal grief when her husband Eric succumbed to a brain tumor on August 16, 2011. Married since 2002 and parenting a daughter, without Eric by her side, Lisa found herself as a single parent to their 7-year-old and a widow. Lisa and Eric faced an uphill battle with what became a misdiagnosed illness. Mental health was blamed for Eric's erratic change in behavior, drastic weight gain and significant memory loss. You will hear Lisa exclaim her concern and encouragement for everyone needing health or mental care to be a persistent advocate for yourself and loved ones. As her curious, intelligent, and athletic life partner died in her arms, Lisa was devastated by the realization that their lives should not have been as chaotic as they were during his final year of life. With an education and career in social work and non-profits Lisa's life had already been filled with holding space for others, particularly during their grieving of life's unfortunate circumstances. Then in 2018, after a personal health scare, Lisa had an “aha” moment. Looking at her life's work, creative writing skills and gathering determination, Lisa quit her job to focus on changing our narrative on grief, one conversation at a time. Reimagining Grief was born alongside her podcast titled Grief is a Sneaky Bitch and a line of very cool and much needed empathy cards. Like each of my guests on Real Grief – Real Healing with Mindy Corporon, Lisa channeled her own grief into healing actions for herself and others. There is a clear pattern, although different channels, that seems to help many of us find post traumatic growth after grief events. Most recently, finishing her first semester as an adjunct professor with the Steve Hicks Schools of Social Work at The University of Texas, Lisa is finding joy in passing her well-worn knowledge on holding space and bearing witness to young adults. Writing for Thrive Global and offering her own newsletter, Lisa has found her calling and is living IN her purpose. I am grateful to have been a guest on Grief is a Sneaky Bitch, aired on October 12, 2021. The opportunity to meet and engage with Lisa as an interviewee and now interviewer presents a unique journey for each of us to share our similar and unique healing strategies with you.You will be blessed by Lisa's calm nature as she opens her heart to help each of us change the narrative on grief.Reaching for Courageous Kindness every day!•Find Mindy on Social Media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MindyCorporonLLCInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindycorporon/Twitter: https://twitter.com/MindyCorporonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindycorporon/•This channel is made possible because of listeners just like you. If you would like to support the channel with your tax-deductible contribution on an ongoing basis or through a one-time gift, head over to ExperienceOfTheSoul.com/support.Real Grief - Real Healing is copyright 2021, Mindy Corporon. All Rights Reserved. Our theme music is composed by Dave Kropf and used with permission.The Experience of the Soul Podcast Channel is a production of 818 Studios.

Grief support and empathy education is so important in the context of value-based health care as it connects us to our own humanity.  It speaks to why we entered into the altruistic practice of providing care, yet our fee-for-service model overvalues transactional activities without a whole-person orientation.  This leads to medical professionals becoming detached from the grieving process of patients, families, and caregivers and results in our own moral injury along the way. Providers who lack an understanding in the grieving process or fail to adequately express empathy will also have patients with diminished clinical care outcomes.  Moreover, doctors without empathy are more likely to get sued for malpractice compared to doctors who make the same mistake but do emphasize the human connection. In this week's episode, we invited one of the leading experts in grief and empathy, Lisa Keefauver to discuss a health system's role in supporting patients, families, and caregivers through the grieving process. Lisa is the Founder & CEO of Reimagining Grief and is working to shift the narratives of grief at the individual, community, and organizational levels. Her wisdom as a grief and empathy leader runs deep and wide, rooted in her personal and professional experiences over the past 20+ years. You can find out more about Lisa's work at her website: https://reimagininggrief.com/ Episode Bookmarks: 01:45 Introduction to Lisa Keefauver – a Speaker|Educator|Writer|Podcaster|Social Worker turned grief and empathy activist 03:30 Grief during the season of Thanksgiving and the important message of transcending it 05:30 Lisa shares the personal story of her harrowing experience with the healthcare system preceding her husband's death from brain cancer 08:50 Lack of empathy and compassion from providers leads to missed information at the point-of-care 10:30 The assumption of clinical expertise at the expense of accounting for the humanity of patients 11:00 Anticipatory Grief - feeling of grief occurring before an impending loss, i.e. the forthcoming the death of someone close due to illness 11:40 Research shows that a direct correlation exists between anticipatory grieving and the caregiver's quality of life. 12:40 The importance of grief support and empathy education in the context of value-based health care and how anticipatory grief is so widely misunderstood 13:00 Pronounced anger and loss of control during anticipatory grief and how conventional medical misunderstanding pathologizes that behavior 14:00 Using tools (e.g. mindfulness, sleep, rest, and nutrition) to help patients, family, and caregivers with anticipatory grief 16:00 Stress-related health problems are responsible for up to 80% of visits to the doctor and account for the third highest health care expenditures, behind only heart disease and cancer. 16:30 Meditation programs could translate into health care savings as much as $25,500 per patient each year because of the lowered utilization of medical services and emergency room visits. 17:20 “As we move to value-based care, we need to think about covering mindfulness meditation as an integral service for patients, families, and caregivers.” 18:00 What mindfulness is (and what it isn't) and the power of the present moment in eliminating stress and supporting emotional regulation. 19:45 Referencing Kristin Neff's book, “Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself” 20:20 The need for mindfulness to be an important part of medical education training 22:15 Heart condition associated with grief - takotsubo cardiomyopathy (“broken heart syndrome”) 23:15 The role of social workers as part of an interdisciplinary team, particularly in the disease prevention aspect of grief counseling and support 26:40 How people of color can grieve differently and the reliance of human connectivity in BIPOC communities 29:00 The shared experience in dealing with the m...

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, 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 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 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"I think we are craving in our pain a way to feel less alone. And sometimes that can't come from the people closest to us because they're in pain too." CW Rape Our guest this week, Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy expert. In this extraordinarily tender and moving podcast Lisa talks to Julian about her career and her life which have led her to her current work now, educating people on how to be there for those in grief, and how as a society we can better accommodate those who are grieving. Follow Survival of the Kindest on Twitter, Instagram and subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to get our episodes as they are released. Email us on sotk@compassionate-communitiesuk.co.uk

Our guest this week, Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy expert. In this extraordinarily tender and moving podcast Lisa talks to Julian about her career and her life which have led her to her current work now, educating people on how to be there for those in grief, and how as a society we can better accommodate those who are grieving. CW Rape

In this episode, Mari Marquez interviews Lisa Keefauver, the founder and CEO of Reimagining Grief and the Creator and Host of the podcast "Grief is a Sneaky Bitch" (with over 100k downloads worldwide!), about using her personal and professional experience of more than twenty years as a clinical social worker and narrative therapist, to make a global impact in changing the narratives of grief. Lisa is also a grief activist, educator, writer and provides grief support at an individual and organizational level.  Website: https://reimagininggrief.com/ Podcast:  Grief is a Sneaky Bitch    

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, the founder of Reimagining Grief, holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. To learn more visit www.reimagininggrief.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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. Lisa's thoughts on this episode: “Dr. Neff shared so much practical wisdom in this episode. Her research and insights on self-compassion have served me so profoundly in my personal and professional grief work, I tried my best to keep my cool and not be too much of a groupie/nerd!”Jump straight into:(00:47) - Kristin's earliest memory of grief: A different kind of loss - “I've had much more ambiguous loss. Grief about people not being what you hoped they'd be as opposed to losing what they actually were.”(05:43) - The ability of uncertainty and the power of self-compassion - “Every single thing is going to end and the courage to look at that and to be open to it is the most powerful form of practice.”(11:25) - How to transform your connection with emotions - “At some level, you get to the point where the whole goal is just to be present with the arising of each moment that we have no control over.”(20:47) - Shock and the physical impact of self-compassion - “What is really most important is that you have the door of compassion open as much as possible, even if that's open to numbness.”(26:21) - Self-compassion as an antidote to shame and guilt - “When we take things personally and identify with them, and say what does this mean about me? That's when things get really sticky.”(31:40) - Caretaker burnout: What is empathetic distress and how to manage it - “There's a lot of satisfaction that comes from compassion, giving, and helping. But if you're so drained, and burned out, you can't connect with that.”(36:48) - What is rumination and how can we cut it out? - “Rumination is directly tied to both anxiety and depression. Anxiety is ruminating on worries, depression is ruminating on the past, on what went wrong or regret.”(42:17) - Self-compassion self vs. self-pity: How to be kind but motivated - “Being supportive to yourself helps a lot, makes you a lot stronger than cutting yourself down and shaming yourself. But the number one block, the research shows, is the motivation piece.”Thanks for listening! If you're feeling social, don't forget to follow Lisa on Instagram. Make sure to leave a rating and write a review today on Apple Podcasts so that more people can find us. Episode ResourcesVisit Dr. Neff's website self-compassion.org to learn more about her work including her books, research, blog posts, and other great resources around self-compassion. While you're there, we highly recommend you get her books, Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself and Fierce Self-Compassion: Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power and ThriveEpisode SponsorSpecial thanks to our episode sponsor, Recalibrate, providing workplace mental wellness that empowers mental & emotional learning. Visit www.recalibratemind.com to learn moreAbout The showIf 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 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. Through her work at Reimagining Grief, Lisa offers a variety of services and products from individual grief sessions, to guided meditations, workshops, company culture consulting and even a line of beautiful and authentic Empathy Cards. To learn more visit www.reimagininggrief.comInviting you to follow @reimagininggrief on all your favorite socials too for the latest news on this podcast, daily invitations on grief wisdom and so much more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Grief Counselor Lisa Keefauver & Wellness Plus Podcast host Corrina Rachel discuss the affects of Grief & Loss. In today's climate Lisa Keefavuer explains that in today's western culture we're generally silent about how we feel and are hesitant to speak about feeling sad. Lisa Keefauver discusses not everyone experience's grief the same, and certainly not with just death, but among other topics i.e. feeling isolated or shut off from the world.   visit Lisa Keefauvers website www.reimagininggrief.com

When it comes to dealing with grief and loss never will we be more tested than in the middle of a Global Pandemic! Life continues even in the middle of it all and almost daily, we are forced to deal with our feelings surrounding death and loss. In this episode, I talk to Lisa Keefauver, who tells me about what an unexplained illness and the sudden death of her husband taught her about loss and grieving. This social worker turned grief and empathy activist, is using the power of narrative to create a Grief-Smart Culture. Lisa shares what we can all learn from death and loss, for although we grieve, hope in the future is still ours to explore.

In episode 66, I interview Grief Guide and Host of the top ranked grief podcast, "Grief is a sneaky B!tch," Lisa Keefauver. We discuss grief and loss in all its forms, not only from the loss of a loved one, but also a loss of a dream or change in health status. Lisa shares her story with us and how she worked through her own grief after her husband suddenly passed away leaving her a widow and a single parent. This episode is packed with juicy grief and loss information straight from an expert and someone who has lived through grief firsthand. She shares how you could support someone on their grief journey, the do's and don'ts as well as advice for grievers. I trust this episode will help you along your healing journey, so curl up on the couch or go for a walk and get ready to tune into today's episode as we chat all things grief. Connect with Lisa Instagram: @reimagininggrief website: www.reimagininggrief.com podcast: Grief is a sneaky B!tch https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grief-is-a-sneaky-bitch/id1474558908   To connect with me and see what services I offer please visit www.eiditc.com or find me on Instagram @healwitheidit for inspiration & mental wellness tips. Enjoy the show! Have a topic suggestion? Email me your ideas at hello@eiditc.com  Please be sure to subscribe to the show and leave an honest review. Thank you so much! Disclaimer: I am a licensed therapist, but this show or myself does not replace seeking professional mental health services, including but not limited to therapy. If you or someone you know needs mental health support please visit www.nami.org to access free nationwide mental health support and resources or www.psychologytoday.com/us  to find a therapist near you.

About the show:If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Lisa Keefauver, founder of Reimagining Grief, holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. She brings her deep curiosity, love of conversation, and knowledge of how language and culture shapes our experiences of ourselves and our world, including our grief, to each unscripted conversation. From CEO's and social workers to 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.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. “ it's about style. And so part of what I invite you to do is to think a little bit about what you need. What are your expectations? Have you been in traditional therapy before? What was helpful and what wasn't do you like someone who gives you practical advice and homework, or do you just need to be seen and heard.”8:36 Dating in Widhood (or after loss in general) - “And the truth is. It's a journey just like dating is frankly, any time in our lives. Take it slow and take it easy.”13:46 Anger and Betrayal in Grief - “So take a moment to maybe hold your anger again with that same compassion, that same loving kindness and just soften to it. And maybe just listen, what is it trying to tell you?”22:34 Complicated Grief - “If the intensity of your grief remains high. And with real honest reflection, you don't see any improvement as the months go by. And I mean, up and down, it doesn't have to be linear totally in an upward direction. But with honest reflection, if you see no improvement as the months go by and months and months and you're not sure how else to cope.”25:27 Grief Brain - Grief brain is totally normal. I'm not sure I've met a single griever who hasn't experienced it. So what is grief brain? Well, some people call it a fog and I think that's a pretty apt description because of what happens”.30:02 Returning to Work After Loss - “When is it okay to return to work? Should I have returned full-time or part-time if I have a choice, what are my options and how will I know what the right thing is?”38:46 Grieving a Friend - “Particularly when it comes to grief, the reminder is that we can't control other people's beliefs or expectations. All we can do is listen and word and be kind and compassionate to ourselves.”40:55 Ambiguous Loss- “It's actually quite common and yes, it can feel complicated because it invites us to hold more than one thing to be true. And so this is definitely an area of loss where I encourage you to find a support system in your life.”43:54 Secondary Loss - “Secondary losses, not unlike ambiguous loss, are the unsuspecting and surprising, and in some ways hurtful losses...sometimes there are practical things like then we lose our job or maybe our home...oftentimes we lose friendships because our friends don't know how to show up for us in our pain.”46:45 Responding to the Innocent Questions -”Those punch in the gut questions. You know, the questions I'm talking about, the questions, iIf you've lost a child, “do you have any children or how many children do you have?””Thanks for listening! If you're feeling social, don't forget to follow Lisa on Instagram. Make sure to leave a rating and write a review today on Apple Podcasts so that more people can find us. Our host, Lisa Keefauver, offers a variety of services and products from individual grief sessions, to guided meditations, workshops, company culture consulting and even a line of beautiful and authentic Empathy Cards. To know more visit www.reimagininggrief.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"Part of the healing work in a way of grief is taking a look at how can you be more intentional and pay more attention." - Lisa Keefauver Today we are joined by a fly widow, Lisa Keefauver who after losing her husband was transformed and became a voice to help people in their grief. Lisa Keefauver, MSW is a social worker and widow turned grief and empathy activist; using her personal and professional experiences with grief and loss over the past 20 years to create a grief-smart culture. As founder of Reimagining Grief and Host of the podcast, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch, she uses her warmth, vulnerability, humor and therapeutic skills in her work as an inspirational speaker, writer, grief guide and educator. She also leads guided meditations for grief. You can learn more by visiting www.reimagininggrief.com In this episode you can expect to hear: - Lossing someone will transform you and your life. - Grieving is not being sad all the time, we can grieve and still be happy. - What does reimagining grief mean? - Sharing your story has a big part in the process of healing. - Know what you need to do if you are new to grief. Listen to this episode to learn more! You can connect with us @flywithalishareed

On this episode-Unpacking grief beliefs-Western culture and grief illiteracy-How to show up for others that are grieving by “showing up, shutting up, and listening”-Navigating the process of grief for yourself-Whole self healing in the midst of grief-How grief changes fundamentally who we areFind Lisa Keefauver at the following WebsiteReimagining Grief WebsiteReimagining Grief InstagramReimagining Grief TwitterReimagining Grief FacebookLisa Keefauver, MSW on LinkedIn PodcastGrief is a Sneaky B!tch (available on all platforms or stream on website) ArticlesWhy The Stages of Grief are Limiting. Instead, think 'Yes and' - ArticleBack to Normal? Not so fast: Employee burnout, grief and trauma is real - Article Find us on Social MediaInstagram @dopeshttherapypodClubhouse @dopeshttherapypodTik Tok @dopeshttherapypodemail us at dopeshttherapypod@gmail.comLogo artwork by Nora Padison: Instagram @bynorajayne***Disclaimer***Dope Sh*t My Therapist Says Podcast is not a replacement for therapy. The conversations, guests, and tips talked about on the episodes are provided as educational, thought provoking, and to be inspiring and are NOT specific theraputic advice. The views of our guests reflect their own personal experiences and perspectives. Information and tips heard on the episodes are to be used at your own caution and discretion as they are not being given by a therapist that knows you personally. As always please seek out your own individual mental health care to best serve you.

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Lisa Keefauver, founder of Reimagining Grief, holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. She brings her deep curiosity, love of conversation, and knowledge of how language and culture shapes our experiences of ourselves and our world, including our grief, to each unscripted conversation. From CEO’s and social workers to 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.About the episodeFor 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 ResourcesIf 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.”Thanks for listening! If you’re feeling social, don’t forget to follow Lisa on Instagram. Make sure to leave a rating and write a review today on Apple Podcasts so that more people can find us. Our host, Lisa Keefauver, MSW offers a variety of services and products from individual grief sessions, to guided meditations, workshops, company culture consulting and even a line of beautiful and authentic Empathy Cards. To know more visit www.reimagininggrief.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

About the showIf you love deep, honest, authentic conversations get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Lisa Keefauver, founder of Reimagining Grief, holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. She brings her deep curiosity, love of conversation, and knowledge of how language and culture shapes our experiences of ourselves and our world, including our grief, to each unscripted conversation. From CEO’s and social workers to 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.About the episode 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 ResourcesReflection and Refraction by F KhorsandjamalQuixotic Nature by F Khorsandjamal Reimagining Grief Newsletter Sign-UpJump straight into(03:29) - The cherry tree story: Pad’s first experience with grief - “I just remember being almost in shock that this thing that I had always really appreciated and loved and obviously got enjoyment out, was gone.”(16:39) - Numbness: False beliefs and assumptions about grief - “I remember it was pretty much a year later. Suddenly, I think I was in bed or something, I woke up and I just burst into tears.”(25:53) - Fad’s poetic Persian heritage and three of her beautiful poems: Numb, Carnival of Dark & Cabin - “I was brought up with a lot of reference to poetry because Persian poetry and poetry within Persian culture, as a broader sense, is huge.”(35:02) - Writing poetry as a way to cope with loss - “As the title suggests it's Reflection and Refraction, you kind of go through these things to come out the other side, like the creation of a rainbow.”(40:30) - Don’t Sweep it under the rug!: How to honor and give space to different types of grief - “Little people are given the opportunity to grieve things that aren't a death, a physical death.”(48:12) - Looking at darkness in the face and not letting it take over - “There is a point where you feel like you're bereft and there's nothing left, but it's actually an opportunity. There will come a time when you'll want to fill it again with love, light, laughter, and delight.”Thanks for listening! If you’re feeling social, don’t forget to follow Lisa on Instagram. Make sure to leave a rating and write a review today on Apple Podcasts so that more people can find us. Our host, Lisa Keefauver, offers a variety of services and products from individual grief sessions, to guided meditations, workshops, company culture consulting and even a line of beautiful and authentic Empathy Cards. To know more visit www.reimagininggrief.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Grief is something that we will all experience. It's also something that most of us are bad at. My guest today, Lisa Keefauver wants to change that. In this episode we discuss: · Grief is a universal yet unique experience · The importance of the language you use towards yourself and others who are grieving · Ditching the “shoulds” · Making time and space for all your emotions · How to show up for someone who is grieving · Re-writing the manuscript of your life, after a loss You can find Lisa, her work, empathy cards, daily invitations, and podcast at: Her web site: www.reimagininggrief.com Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/reimagininggrief _____________________________________________________________________________________ Drink of the Week #DOTW: Rose Margarita _____________________________________________________________________________________ Let me know your thoughts on the show and connect with me at: Send me a voice note! No really, share your thoughts, questions, suggestions: https://anchor.fm/haveacupwithjo/message Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haveacupwithjo/ Twitter: twitter.com/haveacupwithjo E-mail: haveacupwithjo@gmail.com