Grief Refuge

Grief doesn't just break your heart—it can quietly change how you see yourself. In this episode, we explore the often-overlooked connection between grief and self-love, and why losing someone you love can make everyday life feel so much harder than expected. When grief enters your life, it can disrupt your sense of identity, trigger guilt and self-blame, and leave you feeling disconnected from the...

Listen to explore how grief shapes your thoughts, and how small shifts can make the journey more manageable and meaningful. For more support, download the Grief Refuge app

This interview with Belinda Koch, Author of Becoming a Mindful Mourner , shares insights from her professional experience as a Licensed counselor, and her personal experience as a grief companion. If you've ever thought you were stuck in grief or weren't grieving the right way, this conversation is for you. 

Today's episode is an interview with Chelsea Ohlemiller. Chelsea shares pieces of her grief journey and how she took to writing to honor her mother's legacy, process her grief, and create a community for people navigating their own grief journey. Please visit  griefrefuge.com to download the Grief Refuge app and learn more about Grief Care services.

Understanding whether you're grieving or experiencing depression can be challenging and the symptoms for each can be similar. This episode helps you distnguish your emotnaion statle by asking yourself reflective questions and recognizing key differences to gain clarity and take important steps to care for your mental and emotional health. For more grief support, visit griefrefuge.com

Today I am joined by Lisa Marie Conine to talk about the unique way she supports people in grief. Lisa Marie uses plant medicine. She views plants as helpers when people need extra support and I find it fascinating how she approaches her work. Lisa Marie is doing special work and you've got to listen to hear how she does it.  Also, join us for a 4-week workshop series starting January 30th learn h...

Today we talk about a difficult emotion to manage when grieving. It's anger. Anger can cause a lot of problems and when you're grieving, and it's a very common emotion to feel. Today, I'm joined by Sandy Linda, who is a grief and women's empowerment coach. Sandy and I talk about her difficult experience of feeling heaps of grief related anger for over a 2 year period + the things she did to resolv...

Today I would like to share a guest interview with you. My guest is Yuivany Aguilar who lives in California and has a powerful story to share about the loss of her twin daughters and how she worked through her grief.  Yuivany is a caregiver by nature. She's a professional nurse and has a lot of wisdom to share about navigating grief. Much of her wisdom has been documented in her new book titled Pe...

Today I would like to share a webinar replay about grieving in isolation. The webinar shares some important perspectives from some of the world's leading experts on grief support. If isolation has been something you've felt during your grief, this information is for you. As you listen in, do your best to let go of any self judgements you may have about how you're grieving. Please enjoy the informa...

Today I would like to share a guest interview with you. My guest is Bryan Jung and he created a platform for individuals who have lost a parent as a child or teen. It's called "This Is Why" and it's found online at thisiswhy.life.  In our conversation, Bryan shares some of the trauma he and his family endured after tragically losing his father at 10 years old. He also shares some of the things tha...

On this Grief Refuge podcast episode, Founder and Host, Reid Peterson, shares a guest interview with you. His guest is Barb Higgins and she has a helpful perspective on giving grief a voice. She shares her journey publicly on her "A Thousand Tiny Steps" podcast and Youtube channels.  One of the things that really stands out about this interview is her visual analogies for some of the harder experi...

On this new Grief Refuge podcast episode, Founder and Host, Reid Peterson, shares his thoughts regarding some of the initial responses and reactions to a death related loss. These include:  Shock Numbness Denial Disbelief Repression Distraction Avoidance It's tragic. Losing someone you love so deeply or someone who had such an impact on your life is very painful. It hurts in ways that some people...

Today's episode is a sequel to Episode 64: As a Grieving Spouse… but today we hear the experience, perspective and support provided by a grief counselor. On today's episode, Carol Goldfain Davis shares what she observed in Marv's process as he experienced anticipatory grief, deep sorrow, and his journey for coping and finding his footing in life again. Carol's empathy clearly speaks as she shares...

This new Grief Refuge podcast episode is a story and conversation of love, loss, and repair. Repair in a sense of how a person with a broken heart got support and was able to put the pieces back together again.  On this podcast episode, I interview Marv Weidner, a grieving spouse who authentically articulates his grief and healing  journey.  There's so much beauty in this conversation because Marv...

Are you tired of people trying to fix your grief or judging you for feeling a certain way? If so, you will want to listen to this Grief Refuge podcast conversation with Stephenie Zamora.  On this podcast episode, Grief Refuge founder, Reid Peterson, and Stephanie discuss the ways grief's "Dark and Twisty" overwhelm someone experiencing loss and not knowing who they are right now, or who they are g...

It's very rare to hear of someone who works as a Clinical Psychologist and has the gift of communicating with deceased loved ones. Today's guest, Dr. Amy Robbins is that person. Dr. Robbins is a Psychologist in the Chicago area and has a powerful story of losing her aunt unexpectedly, grieving, and opening up to communication with loved ones who have crossed over. Dr. Robbins has a very practical...

There are people who feel lost and alone because their grief journey is 'a-typical'. Today's guest interview with Candace Cahill is filled with her story about relinquishing her son, Michael, and then grieving the loss of his death. Candace shares several examples of what helped her work through her grief so that she no longer felt lost. Part of her process led to the writing and publishing of her...

Of the many descriptions for what grief feels like, a common one is "weight that holds you down."  This is hard and painful. No one really wants to feel this way. But it happens. And people struggle when they don't know what to do when they feel this way. On today's episode of the Grief Refuge podcast, Founder of Grief Refuge, Reid Peterson, shares some thoughts and reflections for what to do when...

Life's curve balls can seem even more tumultuous when you're grieving. Today, Shelley Knight shares her story about the loss of her stepfather, 'Badger', and how it impacted her to leave nursing, get back into education, and write a book for the grieving titled "Good Grief: The A to Z Approach of Modern Day Grief Healing". If you need more support for your grief journey, download the Grief Refuge...

There's a risk in sharing grief and mourning on social media. The risk includes how vulnerable you feel and how that vulnerability is, or is not received. Negative comments may (and often do) happen, and when vulnerable, can cause a lot of pain and hurt. Is it helpful to share your grieving soul on social media? It's a question that has a lot of different opinions and answers. On today's Grief Ref...

"Death is not a medical experience. It's a human one." That is a quote from Suzanne O'Brien, my guest for this Grief Refuge podcast episode. If you haven't met Suzanne O'Brien, you'll be glad you listened to this podcast episode. Suzanne is the Founder of Doulagivers, an organization that trains people who care for other people at the end of their life. Suzanne is a very passionate person who is h...

Long before I put my professional experience out on the air waves, I listened to the Grief Out Loud podcast. It's hosted by Jana DeCristofaro and is produced at the Dougy Center. If you are not familiar with the Dougy Center, it is an organization in Portland, OR that provides support to grieving children, teens, and young adults. The Dougy Center is highly acclaimed for their work. In fact, many...

Getting grief support can be a very difficult thing. You may find some available resources but they can come with strings attached. Often, people that are grieving feel like they have to be a certain way or they will be judged for what feels more authentic to them. Kind of like a "my grief must fit in this box in order to feel accepted in order to experience a sense of healing." In order to heal a...

Often in grief, the language used to support another is well intended but hard to receive. The language used to communicate is filled with cliches and platitudes that are painful to hear, not relatable at all, and frequently upsetting to people who are grieving. How can language be used to help grievers be more supported? And how do the supporters learn language that is authentic and helpful? On t...

As a parent, there are timelines that start long before your child is born. When you lose a child during pregnancy or infancy, the timelines often get dismissed and written off as "less than" losses by our society. TEARS is an amazing resource that provides financial and emotional support to families that want to honor their child and make sure they are never forgotten. On today's Grief Refuge pod...