In today’s episode I talk to Tess Clarkson about friend-loss grief, her beloved friend Eithne, and the act of finding meaning and healing through creative writing. We chat about:

• How she met her dear friend Eithne (pronounced Eth-na) through dance

• The story of their friendship

• Feeling lost, isolated, and misunderstood after Eithne’s sudden and tragic death on Air France 447

• The yoga retreat in India that helped her start to find her way

• The many healers she reached out to over the years

• How creative writing has helped her heal and process through "stuck" feelings

• The memoir she is writing about their friendship and her grief

• And more…

In today’s episode I talk to Novelette Monroe, a multiple loss survivor, trained Hospice and Peer Bereavement Care Facilitator, and certified Mindfulness & Grief Coach. She has facilitated many bereavement groups over the years with a special interest in Mindfulness for Grieving Loss. Novelette was born with the Recessive Dystrophic form of Epidermolysis Bullosa, RDEB—a rare life-limiting, progressive, and chronic condition. She was fortunate enough to develop lasting connections with others with RDEB when, at age 12, she attended a summer camp for children with skin disorders sponsored by the American Academy of Dermatology. The friendships she formed at camp became her life source for having folks in her life who knew what it is like to live in a body with this rare disease.

In today's episode, I chat with Tara Accardo—a Grief & Transformational Life coach and the host of the podcast Life With Grief—about finding a joyful, fulfilling, and meaningful life again after loss.

Grief expert David Kessler describes this as the “sixth stage of grief” in his book Finding Meaning. Now to be crystal clear: this is NOT referring to finding meaning in the death or horrific event, it’s referring to finding meaning in your life after the loss.

“Finding meaning” is different for everyone. It might involve completely changing your life; it might be folded into small but significant moments. For many people, it’s when we try to answer the question “what now?” after a loved one’s death. Tara and I talk about this, and much more.

In today’s Grief Note episode I talk about a time when I untangled a toxic belief—or story—I was holding related to my friend Lauren’s death.

It’s not uncommon for us to create stories around our loss. David Kessler talks about how when we create a story “that is not true and is not helpful,” we can “get stuck in the narrative.” In other words, stories can complicate our grief.

In today's episode, I chat with Rachel Dwyer and Kendel Rogers—the co-hosts of the podcast 2 Girls with Grief about integrating grief into your life, rather than emotionally severing.

In today's episode, I chat with guest Des Mathews (they them), a Yoga Guide and Grief & Death Doula, about the intersections between yoga philosophies and grief.

In today’s Grief Note episode I share my thoughts about liminal space – a term I read about in the book “The Art of Holding Space” by Heather Plett.

In today's episode, I chat with guest Brendan Shaw about navigating the many complex layers of tragedy and grief, and finding new purpose in life, after a traumatic loss. Since the 2022 murder of his brother, Philip, Brendan has been using storytelling, social media, and community work to process his own grief and help others feel less alone in theirs.

In today's episode, guest Amber Jeffrey shares stories about her beloved friend Poppy Chancellor, who died in September of 2023. The two of them met through their grief work in 2019 – Amber with The Grief Gang, and Poppy with The GriefCase – and what followed was a deep, loving friendship and creative partnership.

In the episode, I reflect on creative blocks I’m having with my memoir, continuing my friendship with Lauren, and my desire for community.

In this episode, I chat with Diandra about how we all express and experience grief differently, using writing as a tool for processing grief, signs from our loved ones, and more.

In this episode, Toby and I talk about her poetry book You Are Not Your Worst Mistake, and the unexpected sisterhood and lifelong friendships that she experienced while behind bars.  

Today I chat with Ken Barringer, a licensed mental health counselor, about society’s most toxic myths on grief — and what to replace those myths with!

Rather than an interview, this is me giving you a real-time update of my grief journey right after hearing some very important news about the man responsible for my friend Lauren’s death. This is sort of a Part 2 to episode 68 (My friend’s death is part of a True Crime. Can I talk about it?)

In this episode I talk to Rebecca Feinglos, the founder of Grieve Leave, about how friend-loss is a disenfranchised grief, and Rebecca’s dear friend Courtney, the complexity of the grief, Courtney’s celebration of life, and more.

Today’s episode is all about friendships. I talk to my guest Sydney about the book “Text Me When You Get Home: The Evolution and Triumph of Modern Female Friendship” by Kayleen Schaefer. This book includes history, sociological perspectives, research, and more, about how female friendships have evolved and changed over the years.

Today it’s just me, thinking out loud about something I’ve been grappling with for a while: if my friend died in a situation that is now a True Crime, can I talk about it?

Today we’re hearing from Ariel, a listener who shares her story of grieving a friend she was disconnected from at the time of their death.

How do you process your grief when an ex-friend has passed away? Today I talk to Alex Kuisis about the complicated and messy grief that can come after an ex-friend’s death – in her case, the death of a friend who had majorly betrayed her—falsely accusing her of 7 felonies she did not commit (which she details in her memoir Truth Matters, Love Wins).

If you’ve ever wondered how to support your loved ones who are grieving – far beyond the initial weeks of grief – you don’t want to miss this episode. My conversation today is with author and psychotherapist Aly Bird about her book Grief Ally, which teaches us how to support the bereaved.