Grief Is My Side Hustle

Michele Benyo is a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, parent mentor and founder of Good Grief Parenting, whose purpose is to support parents who are raising young bereaved siblings after child loss.  Her mission is to be a voice for the youngest of grievers and to help parents nurture and understand the unique needs of the children who have lost a sibling in early childhood. https://www.goodgrie...

On the day of his sister’s funeral, while standing alone at her grave, Matt Bays tells the truth for the very first time; that he is gay. At forty-six years old, and with a highly religious worldview, Matt sets out on a powerful journey to grapple with this new reality and find the part of himself that was buried in his youth. Together, Bays and his dead sister take to the open road, listening to...

Parents of 18 year old sons with severe autism, Una and Amit Basak discuss the beauty and the challenge of children with disabilities, the community that supports them and the techniques they use to regulate stress, and stay resourced and hopeful.  

The extraordinary author of "Lemons" and "The Truth About Martians" joins Meghan on the podcast to talk about child loss, using writing to grieve and what children can teach adults about how to grieve. https://www.melissadsavage.com

Join me as I talk to the my three kids about what it was like to live through the death of their papa, and nana in the past 4 years, as well as my inpatient hospitalization for PTSD. Come learn from Lucy (13), Daniel (11) and Nicky (9) about loss.

This episode got to me.  I cried (not just teared up) for the first time on the podcast. I just loved learning about how our subconscious can help us move toward healing even when we are sleeping. To learn more about Dr. Black go to his web page https://www.griefdreams.ca

Laila's husband died of an accidental overdose, within a few weeks her father died, and shortly after her mother.  In this discussion we talk about compound loss, avoiding feelings and what it looks and feels like to honor them. Strong Like Water:  Lessons Learned From Leading With Love  https://shewritespress.com/portfolio/laila-tarraf/ https://www.lailatarraf.com  

Widowish author Melissa Gould talks about her husband's death from West Nile virus, raising a teenage daughter with a legacy of loss, and writing as a way to navigate grief. An award winning screenwriter who worked on such shows as Bill Nye the Science Guy, Beverly Hills 90210, Party of Five and Lizzie McGuire, Melissa's   book is a quick, compelling beautiful read that will leave you thinking.  R...

Join Meghan as she talks with the brilliantly warm, trauma informed author, Jessica DuLong, about her extraordinary book: Saved At The Seawall.  A deeply emotional, and personal telling of one of the greatest stories of hope from 9/11, that you may have never heard before.  Jessica and Meghan talk  PTSD, brain science and the ways in which writing can help manage trauma and allow us to tell some o...

Dr. Lisa Shulman is an award winning neuroscientist and prolific author including of the truly singular book:"Before and After Loss: A Neurologist's Perspective on Loss, Grief and Our Brain." In her conversation with Meghan, Dr. Shulman talks about how the brain cannot distinguish between the emotional trauma of bear attack versus the emotional trauma of a sudden attachment loss, discusses her hus...

David Richman is an author, philanthropist, and athlete who was so impacted by his sister's death from cancer he not only wrote a beautiful book including 15 stories that cover a wide breadth of people whose lives were impacted by cancer, he also rode his bike 5,000 miles across the county to connect the stories and the story tellers.  Don't miss this warm and thoughtful episode as he shares his e...

Join Meghan for this discussion with perinatal mental health specialist Megan MacCutcheon about where grief can shows up in the processing of trying to get pregnant, being pregnant and new motherhood.  Both mother's of three, who experienced miscarriages (with the same name) these two therapists discuss the importance of opening up the conversation on pregnancy in a way that dispels obstacles to t...

In this Episode Meghan talks with Sherri Puzey, Director of "Mom's Don't Have Time to Grieve", a new off shoot of Zibby Owen's "Mom's Don't Have Time To..." media powerhouse. Sherri reflects on her trajectory of grief after her brother's murder when she was only 21, and her passion project of creating a resource clearinghouse to help others in grief.  For those still new to grief, Sherri offers so...

In this episode Meghan talks with Episcopal priest and author Liz Tichenor about the death of her son Fritz at only 40 days old as well as the legacy of her mother's suicide.  Liz reflects how running, community, family and eventually her religion helped to support her through her loss and find her way back to life.

20 years after her mother's death, Author, cancer survivor, mother and wife, Dara Kurtz's  found a bag full of letters from her mother and grandmother. A mother to a new baby at the time of her mother's death, Dara's did not truly begin to process the depth of her grief until she began reading and ultimately writing " I Am My Mother's Daughter: Wisdom on Life, Loss and Love, about all she had lost...

Dr. Kathryn Mannix is an expert in Palliative Care and death and dying educator based in the UK.  Author of the best selling With the End in Mind and upcoming Listen, Dr. Mannix has revolutionized our understanding of end of life care, and authored guidebooks for those wanting to learn more about death and how the body dies.  In this delightful conversation, Dr. Mannix gives Meghan a generous tuto...

Peg Conway is a writer, and energy healer who shares her story of losing her mother at age seven, the protracted grief that didn't really manifest until her 20's after she witnessed a dear friend injured by a car. Peg discusses how reading and writing her own book has helped her come to know her loss better and as well as face the surprising ways that grief shows up even 50 years on.    Peg says:...

In the final episode of our Father's Day Series, Meghan interviews her friend, colleague and podcast co-host Brooke James of the Grief Coach.  With more laughter than tears Brooke and Meghan talk anniversaries and counting days, living into loss, and setting boundaries. Don't miss this one.  Brooke is truly something special.   https://www.thegriefcoach.co/about

Father's Day Special Join Meghan in this special conversation with her long time high school friend, Lindsey Mead Russell, about losing her father-in-law and father within six weeks of each other. Lindsey talks poetry, writing and long months of tears as ways we actively grieve.

Join Meghan as she talks with Orange is the New Black Actress, Alysia Reiner (Fig) about losing her dad over a decade ago, growing in grief, maintaining a relationship with his memory for herself and her daughter and how she celebrates the anniversary of his death.  Alysia is so warm and generous with her thoughts and feelings on grief and self care, you will find yourself wanting to listen again....

Join Meghan as she talks books with writer/editor and author of THE HOT ONE: A MEMOIR OF FRIENDSHIP SEX AND MURDER, Carolyn Murnick.  Carolyn discusses the gruesome death of her childhood best friend and how writing is a tool to process grief. https://www.carolynmurnick.com/

You all are in for such an incredible treat. Poet Tetyana Denford joins Meghan's on Grief is My Side Hustle to discuss Tetyana's ethereal book of poetry "Conversation with Grief." Meghan fan girls big time as she and Tetyana discuss writing, walking in nature and connecting to others as a way to grieve. Join Meghan as she falls in love with this extraordinary poet and her beautiful words.    https...

Holidays can be so painful without your loved one.  Join Meghan as she talks with mother, advocate, writer and force of nature Carrie Schmitt about living through the sudden death of her 7 year old son, Jackson, from a rare form of cancer only a short time after his diagnosis.  This conversation is full of heart and courage as Carrie helps us think about learning to grieve while still parenting he...

In this episode I talk with Liz Gleeson of "Shapes of Grief" Podcast. Liz is a therapist in Ireland who specializes in grief and loss. She is a truly compassionate and skilled interviewer who has brings extensive knowledge and curiosity to her interviews, helping us all to become better grief informed. 

What a delight to have Amanda Seyderhelm, therapist, writer and host of the podcast Helping Children Smile Again as my guest on the podcast.  Our conversation opens up some of the mysteries of navigating loss with children and what play therapy is all about.  Such a warm, thoughtful and smart therapist, Amanda talks generously about her life's work and why she finds it so rewarding. For more infor...