Faith & Grief Podcast

We talk with Crystal Webster, Creator of SharingSolace.com , a company focused on helping others remember their loved ones and support those who are grieving. After the death of her daughter, Madelyn Elizabeth, Crystal searched for a way to find purpose in her grief. She started SharingSolace.com as part of her journey. She wanted a way to support those who are grieving and help them remember thei...

We talk with David James, co-founder of The Peyton Heart Project , about suicide prevention, challenges in the school systems, and finding purpose. David and other volunteers started The Peyton Heart project to remember David's son Peyton, who died by suicide, and to offer words of hope to those who find the hearts. The hearts are left in places worldwide in hopes that those who find them are enco...

We talk with Autumn Toelle Jackson , about her grief journey after the death of her husband and later her there month old daughter. In her book, Boldy Into the Darkness , she writes about how she survived these unimaginable deaths, Her book is our February book club selection . Autumn also started the website growingingrief.com to provide other grievers resources and support. Her book is avai...

We sit down and talk with Amanda Held Opelt about her upcoming book, A Hole in the World: Finding Hope in Rituals of Grief and Mourning coming out in July 2022. When Amanda suffered a season of loss—including three miscarriages and the death of her grandmother and culminating in the unexpected death of her sister, New York Times bestselling writer Rachel Held Evans —she was confronted with sorrow...

We talk with educator and author, Mallory McDuff about her latest book, Our Last Best Act: Planning for the End of Our Lives to Protect the People and Places We Love and her own grief journey. After the deaths of both her parents, Mallory realized how helpful it was to know what they wanted when they died. Mallory spoke with experts and researched best practices for end of life planning. She offer...

We sit down with five of the thirteen writers, from the Farther Along writing group , all bereaved mothers, who have been writing together for almost 20 years. Julie Hester, Carol Henderson, Kelly Sechrist, Kay Windsor, Beverly Burton join us to talk about the writing process, the book, Farther Along: The Writing Journey of Thirteen Bereaved Mothers , and most importantly the family they have crea...

We interview Steve Leder about his best selling book, The Beauty of What Remains  As Senior Rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles, Steve has counseled grieving families for over 30 years, yet the death of his father gave him a new perspective on grief. We talk about grief during the pandemic, his own grief experiences as a rabbi and what was different as a grieving son. You will a...

Faith & Grief is commemorating our 10th Anniversary as a grief support nonprofit. So, we sat down and talked with the three co-founders of Faith & Grief, Sharon Balch, Wendy Fenn, and Fran Shelton. We discussed the history, programs, and the compassionate vision they shepherded. We talk about the 10th Anniversary events, like the River of Time art installation at the Crow Museum for Asian...

We talk with The Widowed Parent Podcast host and author, Jenny Lisk about parenting grieving children, grief during the pandemic, and her new book, Future Widow . Jenny shares an intimate look into her own grief journey and experiences after the death of her husband, Dennis. In the book, she shares honestly how she learned to parent grieving children and about her challenges in parenting her griev...

We talk with speaker and host of the Resilient Heart Podcast , Beverly Shoemaker . Having faced serious trauma in her own life, Beverly is no stranger to adversity. After losing a husband to suicide and her son in a drunk driving crash, she wanted to give up. She battled depression and discouragement, loneliness and pain, yet she persevered and ultimately found hope. Now she seeks to share that ho...

We sit down for a conversation with Alan Pesky, Social Entrepreneur, Author & Co-founder of the Lee Pesky Learning Center . We discuss his book More to Life Than More and how he found meaning after the loss of his beloved son Lee. More to Life Than More is a memoir of misunderstanding, loss, and learning. After Lee’s death, Alan’s conception of more crumbles. He launches himself into keep...

We welcome artist and creative director of Superdoodlegirl.com, Roxanne Glaser. Roxanne is a self taught artist who also teaches yoga and coaches others in wellness and healing. In our conversation, she shares how her art and her faith supported her healing in her own grief journey after the death of her husband and then recently the death of her sister. Roxanne has created several books and a jou...

Part 1 - Music Therapists, Jennefer Dixon & Kathleen Montes from Faith Presbyterian Hospice are our guests for two episodes of the podcast. We talk about   music therapy in the hospice setting, what hospice are provides and the impact music has at the end of someone's life. Join us for both episodes where Jennefer and Kathleen share their musical talent and their stories of hope. Tha...

Part 2 - Music Therapists, Jennefer Dixon & Kathleen Montes from Faith Presbyterian Hospice are our guests for two episodes of the podcast. We talk about   music therapy in the hospice setting, what hospice are provides and the impact music has at the end of someone's life. Join us for both episodes where Jennefer and Kathleen share their musical talent and their stories of hope. Tha...

In recognition of National Suicide Prevention Month , we talk with Terry Bentley Hill about her mental health advocacy work and her project StopMindingYourOwnBusiness.org . Terry shares her powerful story with grief as a suicide loss survivor. She has experienced the death by suicide of her daughter and her first husband. As a an attorney and a staunch advocate for the rights of others, particular...

We sit down with Tyra Damm to discuss grief, the pandemic and finding ways to remember your loved ones. Tyra is a columnist with the Dallas Morning News and an educator, currently teaching 7th Grade Gifted and Talented Language Arts. We talk about her grief journey after the death of her husband in 2009 and walking that journey as a mother and a writer.  The guest's opinions expressed in the...

We talk with Lindsey Encinias, suicide loss survivor & suicide prevention advocate about loss, sobriety, and grieving during the pandemic. Lindsey has experienced the death of her father and her aunt by suicide. She has also begun her walk-in recovery during the pandemic which she wrote about in an article for The Grit & Grace Project. We talk about how loss affects all of you. The guest's...

We talk with Sara Cobb, founder of mygriefconnection.org , a portal for finding grief resources online and in your community. Sara started her website in 2019 after her own frustrating search for grief resources online. Again, she was grieving the loss of a brother; both of her older brothers died over 40 years apart, one in an accident and another in a murder/suicide. Sara talks about how love an...

We talk with Melissa Gould, award-winning screenwriter & author of Widowish . When Melissa became a widow, after the death of her beloved husband, Joel, she found she didn’t look like a widow or act like a widow, but she felt like one. We talk about becoming a young widow, grieving with her daughter and how grief feels now. Widowish is our book club selection for March & April; RSVP for th...

We welcome Bari J. Himes, founder of In Loving Memory 19 , a COVID loss survivor group she started on Facebook. She started the group after the death of her mother, Rose. She has worked to build a community for COVID loss survivors, so no one has to grieve alone. Bari is also a highly respected educator and brings that experience to her care for others. We talk about loss during the pandemic and h...

We talk with Nicole Baker Fulgham, Founder & President of The Expectations Project . We talk about her grief journey after her beloved father's death due to COVID-19 and the relentless grief that accompanies a loss during a global pandemic. She wrote an insightful piece for Medium and talk about loss during a global event and how it carries its own burdens for the griever. We talk about how th...

We welcome photographer and entrepreneur Jessica White to talk about how she is finding her way after the death of her beloved husband, Nathan. She shares their story, the practices that have brought her comfort, what it's like grieving with children, and the importance of resilience. Follow her journey, @jessicawhitephoto. The guest's opinions expressed in the podcast are solely those of the...

We sit down to talk with Rabbi Richard F. Address, D.Min, the founder and director of jewishsacredaging.com . Rabbi Address served for over three decades on staff for the Union for Reform Judaism. His work now focused on creating awareness and resources for congregations on the implication of the emerging longevity revolution. We talk about his work, grief during this time, and the importance of r...

We sit down and talk with Ashley Fields of @Orphan_ish . She began her Instagram postings in 2019 following the heartbreak of losing her Dad & Mom in three short months. She began blogging about the experience of being an adult orphan and what happened to her when her whole world changed after the death of her parents.  The guest's opinions expressed in the podcast are solely those o...

Our guest for this conversation is COVID Survivors for Change founder Chris Kocher. We talk about a year into the pandemic, what we have learned, and the importance of supporting those who are grieving. You may have seen the empty chair memorials in Washington D.C. and around the country hosted by COVID Survivors for Change . These memorials are just part of their mission. COVID Survivors for Chan...