Breathing Wind

What is meaning making, mortality, and medicine? In this episode, Ken Breniman from Season One ( ep 08 ) and Sarah Davis, founder of the Breathing Wind podcast, talk about belonging, medicine, ritual and normalizing healing. This episode is part of a Breathing Wind miniseries titled Meaning Making, Mortality and Medicine , hosted by Ken Breniman, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, certified yoga the...

How might we learn to find safety again after loss? In this episode, Wendy Rolón from Season One ( ep 15 ) and Emma Stern, AMFT, trauma-informed yoga teacher and counselor with a focus on somatics, talk about trauma-informed yoga, self-soothing, and community. This episode is part of a Breathing Wind miniseries titled Transforming Grief , hosted by Wendy Rolón, end of life doula, bereavement couns...

How might we use sound to work with grief? In this episode, Wendy Rolón from Season One ( ep 15 ) and Serena Malkani, Sound Practitioner, Ayurvedic Counselor and Intuitive Coach, talk about sound healing with grief, healing through vocal/musical expression, and the ways this works with self and community. This episode is part of a Breathing Wind miniseries titled Transforming Grief , hosted by Wen...

" You know, this is not just an emotional experience, but a physical one, often a spiritual one, to explore those aspects of what is changed in you when grieving and then to start to take stock of resilience and find that hope together, I think those are the values of grief counseling." Christine Kovach Is there hope in grief? In this episode, Wendy Rolón from Season One ( ep 15 ) and Christine Ko...

“Grief is this way that we metabolize loss, and grief affords us the chance to really get intimate with our experience with our own needs.” - Wendy Rolón “Healing is both a journey and a process. And healing involves a willingness to offer ourselves care and kindness along the way.” - Ken Breniman “Healing really means acknowledging what's at the root of the grief-- whatever was lost -- and workin...

What is the focus, is it grief plus change, or change plus grief? This is the first episode of Season Two (technically, though, it’s 1.5), and Sonia Loredo Traviesa and I have a conversation about her work, as well as change, grief, and our parallel struggles during 2020. To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes . Connect with us on social media: Facebook I...

What role does wonder have in grief? How do we change when grief affects us so young? This is the last episode of Season One and I’ve chosen Surya Ohara to represent the conclusion, as she also represents the beginning of this podcast. We met at The Everything Conference in 2019, at a time when I really needed to have a community of others pursuing nontraditional paths to inspire me to keep going....

How does who we are carry on from who our parents are? Christopher Williams’ dad , Donald, passed away suddenly when he was in his late thirties. In this episode, we talk about his dad, his family and upbringing, his values around family, and even his plans for his dad’s barbeque sauce. To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes . Connect with us on social me...

How might death shape us as compassionate and connected human beings, and how do we hold our community and allow our community to witness us during the hardest times of our lives? Daisy’s mom, Kim, passed away from breast cancer when she was 30. In this episode, she talks about how she made it through that loss and how she continues to honor her today. To learn more about the resources mentioned i...

What role does our gender play in grief? Paul Sockett is from England and has been developing his career as a professional actor and performer for 15 years. Paul considers himself an empath and, during the time of this recording, he was with his partner, supporting her through her loss. His feelings related to grief, even anger, came forward in this recording. In this episode, we talk about Paul’s...

As grievers, I think we can all relate to hearing something like, “At least they didn’t suffer,” or “Well, they had a good life.” These cringe-worthy glass-half-full clichés are etched into how our American culture processes loss. So, what do you say to someone who’s grieving? This is what Laura specializes in. In this episode, I interview Laura Jack , a Mastery Level Transformational Life Coach,...

What do you prioritize in life and why? In this episode, I interview Andrew Kaufteil, a marketing executive and friend of mine. When he lost his dad, he shifted his approach to prioritizing relationships over success and status. Andrew discusses his dad’s memory, his loss, and how he focuses now on his mom. To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes . Connect...

What effect does trauma have on our bodies? How does grief fit in? Joie Seldon is a trainer, coach, and specialist in the field of Emotional Intelligence. In this episode, she talks about the type of parent loss and trauma situation that Saam faced ( Episode 18 ) and goes beyond this to focus on grief and parent loss in general, in context of how our body processes emotions, the lost expectations...

Can genetics determine our future? What do we do when permanent loss creates mixed feelings and outcomes? Saam Barringer explores some of these ideas and how losing his dad shaped how he parents his children today. To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes . Connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram This is a public episode. If you would like to di...

What does it mean to tend to our grief? Alica Forneret is a writer, facilitator, and Grief Guide who creates spaces for people to explore their grief. She is fiercely committed to making sure that we have more conversations about grief, death, and dying - whether that’s at home, at work, or with strangers on the bus. This episode was recorded live in collaboration with the “ Reimagine: Life, Loss,...

How can we make sense of and reshape our narratives around loss when the loss is so formative? In this episode, I interview Christina Vo , a women's mentor and guide, about the experience of losing her mother at age 14, and how she's understood and incorporated her mother’s death into her narrative over time. Christina talks about: Her mother’s journey from Vietnam, and how her experience was refl...

When we die, what choices do we consciously make? How might we be guided through this major transition? Wendy Rolón ’s background is in birth and end of life doula work, music, writing and fiber art. She is particularly awed by grief's ability to transform and expand our lives. A long-time supporter of those in transition, Wendy brings a calm and loving presence to any situation . In this episode,...

How can we make sense of tragedy? In this episode, I interview April Rinne , a public speaker, advisor, writer, and globetrotter. She advises, speaks, writes, and advocates for businesses and policies fit for the 21st-century change (adopting what she calls a "flux mindset") . April discusses the experience of losing both of her parents in a car accident when she was 20, and how, out of that trage...

Grief is at an unprecedented level during Covid-19 and yet we are losing the normal in-person ways we grieve. How can we stay connected? Lennon Flowers is the co-founder of The Dinner Party, a platform for connecting mostly 20 and 30 somethings, as well as early 40 somethings, people who are often among the first in their peer community to experience a loss. In this episode, Lennon and I have a di...

Grief is at an unprecedented level during Covid-19 and yet we are losing the normal in-person ways we grieve. What can we find from the spirit world to guide us during these times? And, what can we do to show our loved ones we care when they’re transitioning? Sand Symes is a Northern California-based modern medicine woman, shamanic practitioner, spiritual teacher, certified coach, former social wo...

Grief is at an unprecedented level during Covid-19 and yet we are losing the normal in-person ways we grieve. How can we create connected ways to grieve? Siena Tenisci is a facilitator, or “grief tender,” of the Pacific Healing Circle’s online grief rituals. She brings her background in body-based somatic healing practices, group therapy, and ceremonial work to community grief tending. Siena and I...

Grief is at an unprecedented level during Covid-19 and yet we are losing the normal, social ways we grieve. What are some tools we can use to process our grief? Charlotte Fox Weber and I talk about grief and bibliotherapy as an approach to processing grief during the age of Covid-19. Charlotte and I discuss: Her work with the School of Life and bibliotherapy The value of reading and re-reading dur...

What is the value of hearing stories from others? In this episode, I interview Dara Kosberg, Director of Programming for Reimagine, who discusses art and connecting as ways to process her grief, her views on her parents, and how she has chosen to live her life in the present. She talks about: Her changing views on her loss over the years How she processed grief through art and connection, and how...

How should we respond to grief? In this episode, I interview Ken Breniman, a licensed yoga psychotherapist specializing in providing trauma-informed, bereavement-sensitive, thanatologically-inspired yoga therapy to individuals and groups in the Bay Area. Ken discusses his views on his mother’s journey, his experience of prolonged grief and connectedness, as well as his views on mortality. He talks...

Is there anything that can teach us about loss? Sara Karbeling, as part of a close family, discusses how her father’s death helped her family understand death, how she learned that death is a part of life, and how she chooses to maintain his spirit today. Sara talks about: The sudden loss of her father How her father’s loss taught her to help others deal with loss Keeping her dad’s memory alive th...