Grief Is My Side Hustle

Hope Edelman has been writing, speaking, and leading workshops and retreats in the bereavement field for more than 25 years. She was 17 when she lost her mother to breast cancer and 40 when her father died, events that inspired her to offer grief education and support to those who cannot otherwise receive it Hope’s first book, Motherless Daughters, was a #1 New York Times bestseller and appeared o...

Today we talk to Dr. Justin Yopp about the widowed parent program he and a colleague began after noting a lack of group support particularly for young father's recently bereaved.  https://widowedparent.org Dr. Yopp is a clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UNC. He is a member of the UNC Comprehensive Cancer Support Program at the North Carolina Cancer Ho...

Reid Peterson FOUNDER/CREATOR Grief Refuge content is created by Reid Peterson, MA. Reid achieved a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology (Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2007) and is certified in Death & Grief Studies by the Center for Loss & Life Transition. After losing his biological father to suicide in 2006 and his stepfather to cancer in 2016, Reid felt a calling to help the gri...

Marisa Renee Lee is the CEO of Beacon Advisors , co-founder of Supportal , and founder of The Pink Agenda . Supportal is a platform that makes it easy for people to respond when someone they care about is faced with a life-changing challenge. With a focus on experiences that are difficult to deal with and difficult to respond to, Supportal features first-hand accounts of people who have experience...

Kim Murray shares her story of her young husband, Mark's death from a brain tumor when she was just 44 and her kids were 8 and 10. Kim talks about the early days, how friends and spirituality helped, and the secondary hardships of loss.   Kim created widow 411 to provide support to others experiencing loss. https://widow411.com/start-here/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, where she directs the Grief, Loss and Social Stress (GLASS) Lab, which investigates the effects of grief on the brain and the body. O’Connor earned a doctorate from the University of Arizona in 2004 and completed a fellowship at UCLA. Following a faculty appointment at UCLA Cousins Ce...

Grief and Loss supporter and content creator Megan Hillukka's beautiful baby, Aria, died in her sleep 2.5 years ago.  She wasn't sick she just never woke up.  Since that impossible day, Megan spends every day grieving and living, using the tools she learned and now teaches to others. Join us for this moving conversation on how to move forward carrying grief. https://www.meganhillukka.com

Join Meghan for this discussion with Grief and Grits creator, Rani Pearlman Wolfson. Randi talks about her experience as a lifelong griever, and the legacy of hope she has created in with her children's book and her educational platform   https://www.griefandgrits.com

On 9/11 Inez Ribustello worked her dream job at Windows on the World at the top of the World Trade Center.  She lost 85 friends and colleagues. Inez talks to me about what it has meant to build a life after such tremendous loss.    Eastern North Carolina native, Inez Ribustello, got her start in the world of food and wine after moving to New York City to pursue a career in cooking. She chose New Y...

Meghan Talks to Eileen about her Book Time to Fly which tells the story of losing her beloved husband Brian in a plane crash on Christmas Eve when her three children were very small.  Creator of Fit Together, Eileen is a believes in taking care of your body, and also your mind.  Her book Time to fly highlights her belief that we are still connected even in death and all the signs we can receive if...

In This bonus episode I talk with journalist Simon Kuper about his recent article on Disenfranchised Grief in the Financial Times.  Simon explores the feelings of those left behind when an unvaccinated loved one dies of COVID.   https://www.ft.com/content/a1b5350a-4dba-40f4-833b-1e35199e2e9b

In this laughter filled episode Meghan talks with Leslie Gray Streeter, author of the beautiful book Black Widow, about the sudden death of Leslie's husband, Scott.  This show covers music, friendships, dating, and honoring the love that is left behind.   Leslie Gray Streeter: Born in hood-adjacent Baltimore City, Leslie is a University of Maryland College Park graduate, a veteran journalist and s...

On May 20, 2014, Susan’s world came crashing down. Her 54-year old husband passed of a sudden heart attack. The years since have been a whirlwind of emotion, trauma & joy (yes, joy, thanks mostly to the birth of her grandchildren). Over the next five years, Susan experienced additional heartache following the death of her dad & both of her brothers. She knew the only way to make sense of all her g...

Deborah Copaken is the New York Times bestselling author of several books, including Shutterbabe , The Red Book , and Between Here and April , among others. A contributing writer at The Atlantic , she was also a TV writer on Emily in Paris , a performer (The Moth, etc.), and an Emmy Award–winning news producer and photojournalist . Her photographs have appeared in Time, Newsweek, and The New York...

Two years ago, when she was in her early twenties, therapist Shea Wingate's father, sister and mother died in the same year.  Join us as we discuss loss from prolonged illness versus sudden unexpected loss, navigating grief when your peers and planning weddings and surviving multiple deaths.   https://www.wingatecounseling.com   Shea Wingate is a licensed clinical social worker. Her work centers o...

Bethany Harvey is a debut memoirist whose book, Dipped In It, reached the best seller list on both Barnes & Noble and Amazon when released in July of this year. Dipped In It came to life when Bethany’s "gratitude journaling" went awry. In Dipped In It, Bethany’s daily reflections during a period of deep grief explore the question, “Can gratitude and grief coexist?”  The answer is a resounding yes,...

Author and truth-teller Laura Parrott Perry joins Meghan on the podcast to discuss grief, sobriety, the legacy of sexual abuse, and the power of telling and owning your story.   Join us   https://lauraparrottperry.com

Join me as I talk with Rebekah Jacobs about surviving the destructive force that was her father who ran a Ponzi scheme and swindled friends and family and left her and her mother and brother financially and emotional bereft before landing himself in jail for fifteen years. You won't want to miss the discussion.   Rebekah Jacobs is a writer, reading specialist, and book reviewer.  She lives outside...

Author of the memoir Emma's Laugh: The Gift of Second Chances, Diana Kupershmit takes us into the life of a mother struggling to accept and care for her daughter with special needs. A Diana Kupershmit holds a Master of Social Work degree and works for the Department of Health in the Early Intervention program, a federal entitlement program servicing children birth to three with developmental delay...

Barri Leiner Grant certified Grief Coach and Creator of the Memory Circle shares her experience with her beloved mother, Ellen Jane's death in 1993 and her "calling" to grief work.   Links from today's episode: https://thememorycircle.com/about https://live-evermore.org https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomteicholz/2021/01/11/life-death-and-rabbi-leder-the-beauty-of-what-remains/?sh=4441ab50754b  

Cheryl lets us into her world of loss as a clinician, podcast host, author, and bereaved spouse.  Cheryl's first wife died over two decades ago when her daughters were 14 and two.  She shares with us her personal experience, clinical knowledge, humor, and deep commitment to joy. Also, we talk about my favorite grief movie, "Truly, Madly, Deeply." Join us.   Cheryl Jones is a grief counselor, educa...

David Pope has struggled with depression anxiety and suicidal ideation for most of his life and his battles with mental illness began at six years old. He was relentlessly bullied throughout primary and secondary school and suffered a double bereavement when he was 25 years old, losing both his parents within a year of each other. His constant battles with depression and anxiety fuelled his quest...

18 years after the death of her mother, author, baker, and all-round lovely human Rachel Levy Lesser joins the podcast to talk about living with loss over time and the ways in which she honors but does not dwell in her mother's death. https://rachellevylesser.com

Jessica Kantrowitz is the author of three books, The Long Night: Readings and Stories to Help You through Depression, 365 Days of Peace, and Blessings for the Long Night: Poems and Meditations to Help You through Depression. Her writing has appeared in Sojourners Magazine, The Good Men Project, and the Madeleine L’Engle blog, and she has worked as a storyteller for Together Rising. She also has ma...

Tech CEO Helkin Berg Talks to Meghan about what it's like to ascend to the top ranks in a field dominated by men.  Helkin talks about the challenge of feeling isolated as a leader, further isolated as a woman and the difficulty of trying to be an agent of change to get a wider diversity of voices at the table.