Coming Back: Conversations on life after loss

Colorful death doula Alua Arthur is helping people die better. She founded Going with Grace to educate and hold space for people facing their own deaths... or the death of someone they love. Today, we're talking about what we can learn about our own end-of-life by watching others experience death, what happens when we don't agree with the way someone has chosen to die, and the myriad of ways we ca...

Sarah Nannen got the worst news of her life on a sunny day in 2014: her husband, Reid, had been killed in a military aviation accident. With four kids in tow, Sarah began walking the unexpected road of widowhood. Today, we're talking about how the reality of death in the military often looks like "compartmentalizing the elephant," how breaking the news of a death to kids is really the first of man...

Writer and kindergarten teacher Rachel Whalen is a mother to many, but has just one living child. After two miscarriages and the unexpected stillbirth of her daughter, Dorothy, Rachel conceived and delivered her daughter Frances. Today, we're talking about the differences between parenting a dead child vs. a living one, what makes grieving parents want to try to conceive again after miscarriage an...

Christina Rasmussen had a master's degree in counseling and psychology, but nothing prepared her for the death of her 35-year-old husband in 2006. One snowy day, after running after the mailman to claim her undelivered mail, she realized that she needed to consciously DECIDE to come back to life after loss. This week, we're talking about her book Second Firsts, why Christina believes devastating l...

As we get older (and our griefs get older), self-compassion is the greatest way to honor our humanity according to Rebecca Soffer and Gabi Birkner of Modern Loss. Modern Loss's work: https://modernloss.com/ Season 7 of Coming Back premieres September 4, 2019! In the meantime... Enter to win a copy of Modern Loss by Rebecca Soffer and Gabi Birkner and And Then I Got Fired by J Mase III by entering...

After her husband took his own life, Marlie Rowell somehow knew that should would come out the other side. Marlie Rowell's work: http://www.suicidewidowetiquette.com Season 7 of Coming Back premieres September 4, 2019! In the meantime... Enter to win a copy of Modern Loss by Rebecca Soffer and Gabi Birkner and And Then I Got Fired by J Mase III by entering your email address at  http://www.shelbyf...

Time itself doesn't heal all, but Richard Pryor believes time made the grief of losing his son easier. Richie Pryor's work: https://richiepryor.com/ Season 7 of Coming Back premieres September 4, 2019! In the meantime... Enter to win a copy of Modern Loss by Rebecca Soffer and Gabi Birkner and And Then I Got Fired by J Mase III by entering your email address at  http://www.shelbyforsythia.com/give...

After R. Glenn Kelly's son died, his managers and direct reports stopped coming by his office to chat. R. Glenn Kelly's work: https://rglennkelly.com/ Season 7 of Coming Back premieres September 4, 2019! In the meantime... Enter to win a copy of Modern Loss by Rebecca Soffer and Gabi Birkner and And Then I Got Fired by J Mase III by entering your email address at  http://www.shelbyforsythia.com/gi...

Black trans queer poet J Mase III reads his poem, "Grieving Bill of Rights." J Mase III's work: https://jmaseiii.com/ Season 7 of Coming Back premieres September 4, 2019! In the meantime... Enter to win a copy of Modern Loss by Rebecca Soffer and Gabi Birkner and And Then I Got Fired by J Mase III by entering your email address at  http://www.shelbyforsythia.com/giveaway-coming-back-podcast Giveaw...

Musician Neil Davis talks about how music is like "meditation for your brain!" Neil Davis' work: http://www.neildavismusic.com/music Season 7 of Coming Back premieres September 4, 2019! In the meantime... Enter to win a copy of Modern Loss by Rebecca Soffer and Gabi Birkner and And Then I Got Fired by J Mase III by entering your email address at  http://www.shelbyforsythia.com/giveaway-coming-back...

That's all for Season 6 of Coming Back! I'm sharing some final thoughts with you from this season's episodes as well as some upcoming events, including another double-book giveaway! In the meantime... Enter to win a copy of Modern Loss by Rebecca Soffer and Gabi Birkner and And Then I Got Fired by J Mase III by entering your email address at  http://www.shelbyforsythia.com/giveaway-coming-back-pod...

Modern Loss founders Rebecca Soffer and Gabrielle Birkner are members of the "Women With Dead Parents Club." Rebecca's mom died after a car accident and her dad had a heart attack while traveling abroad. Gabi's father and stepmother were murdered in a robbery when a recently released methamphetamine addict was sent to their home to make what should've been a run-of-the-mill home repair. Rebecca an...

After Marlie Rowell's husband took his own life, she became a suicide widow. Her art project and website Suicide Widow Etiquette sheds light on the shamed, hidden conversation surrounding suicide. We're talking about how we must "feel to heal," how secrets keep us sick, and, my favorite... the refrigerator analogy of grief. Marlie is also sharing her suicide etiquette tips for friends and family o...

Just six weeks after a family vacation, Richard Pryor received word that his 27 year old son, Richie, died in his sleep. For the next year or two, Richard was caught in what he refers to as the "loop of grief," watching videos of his son and trying to fix the griefs of the people around him. Attending a seminar where the speaker talked about focus and meaning got the ball of Richard's new identity...

People have a lot of misconceptions about grief professionals—one of the biggest being "They know all about grief, so loss is easy for them!" Nothing could be further from the truth. This week, I'm speaking to Cole Imperi, a dual-certified thanatologist about the grief of grief professionals. She's sharing her experience of the death of her sister in March 2019, how practices like Americanized yog...

After his son, Jonathan, died unexpectedly, R. Glenn Kelly faced grief in a myriad of places, including at work. He's since taken his loss to conferences, businesses, and keynote presentations across the country to share the importance and financial significance of honoring workplace grief. We're talking about workplace indifference regarding grief, best practices for employers and coworkers, and...

Kat Bonner was just 18 years old when her mom was killed instantly in a car accident. She went to live with her grandmother, but just two and a half years later, her grandmother—Kat's second mother figure—died. This week on Coming Back, Kat is sharing what it was like to discover her mom was an alcoholic after her death, how to navigate grief in college, and how at some point, coming back is consc...

After a violent and dysfunctional childhood, Non Wels is harnessing massive amounts of empathy and vulnerability to cope with anxiety, depression, and anorexia. We're talking about what it's like for Non to create safe spaces for others that he did not have access to growing up and why humor and levity are important in the midst of recovery. He's sharing his list of favorite books and podcasts for...

Susan Angel Miller's daughter died suddenly after being diagnosed with a rare form of childhood brain cancer. Not four years later, Susan was diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent surgery—and the parallels to her daughter's experience are incredible. Susan's book Permission to Thrive recounts the experience of her oldest daughter's death, Susan's experience of having a brain tumor, and the co...

J Mase III lost his father, grandmother, and job in 2012. His new book And Then I Got Fired: One Transqueer's Reflections on Grief, Unemployment & Inappropriate Jokes About Death is an exploration of his grief as well as a love letter to other trans people experiencing loss. We're talking about how death is the ultimate abandonment, how our job as the living is to continue healing after death, and...

On Mother's Day 2007, Julie Cluff was driving the car that rolled over, killing two of her six children and injuring a third. Since that day, she has wrestled with the identity of "the mom who lost two children." On this episode of Coming Back, Julie and I are talking about how our losses do and do not define us, how traumatic grief can cause PTSD, and how Julie has shifted her spiritual beliefs t...

Singer, songwriter, and pianist Neil Davis wrote his single "Not Better" after the sudden death of his father in 2017. We're talking about the power of music to bring us back from devastating loss as well as how we can best "conjure up" memories of loved ones when they're no longer around. Neil is also giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the grief thoughts that created his song, "Not Better" and...

Off-air, Emily Ruth commented on my intuition, so I'm sharing a behind-the-scenes look at how I prepare (or don't!) for interviews on Coming Back. Emily Ruth's work and Instagram: emilyruthcoach.com https://www.instagram.com/emilyruth_/ Season 6 of Coming Back returns May 1, 2019! In the meantime... Enter my giveaway to win a copy of Now You See the Sky by Catharine H. Murray and Becoming Starligh...

Dr. Sharon Prentice shares the immediate attitude change she experienced as a result of her Shared Death Experience (SDE) with her husband. Dr. Sharon Prentice's work and book, Becoming Starlight: https://sharonprentice.com/ Season 6 of Coming Back returns May 1, 2019! In the meantime...  Enter my giveaway to win a copy of Now You See the Sky by Catharine H. Murray and Becoming Starlight by Dr. Sh...

Latina griever Vivian Nunez is actively working to normalize grief, anxiety, and conversations around mental health in the Latina community. Vivian Nunez's work, podcast, and community: http://toodamnyoung.com/ https://www.instagram.com/vivnunez/ Season 6 of Coming Back returns May 1, 2019! In the meantime... Enter my giveaway to win a copy of Now You See the Sky by Catharine H. Murray and Becomin...