How Do I Do This with Ryanne

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Noëlle Santorelli, a licensed clinical psychologist, and Christi, who shares her lived experience, to talk about a reality more people are facing than we realize. After I shared a reel about this topic, thousands of comments and messages came in with the same theme: “I feel like I lost both parents.” We talk about what it looks like when a surviving parent moves...

If you’ve ever felt like your grief is stuck in your body, this episode is for you. I’m joined by Kaley Decker to talk about what it looks like to carry emotional pain physically and how she turned her own grief into a path of healing. If you’ve been feeling stuck, this conversation offers a different way to think about healing. Connect with Kaley:Instagram: @kaley.decker Learn more about your ad...

If you’ve ever thought, “Is this grief… hormones… or am I losing it?” this episode is for you. I’m sitting down with Lisa Witzlib, a board-certified nurse practitioner, to talk about the overlap between grief, perimenopause, and hormonal changes and why so many women feel “off” and don’t know where to start. We discuss common symptoms of perimenopause and what often gets missed. And, how grief and...

Losing a pet is real grief. It is the loss of a companion, a routine, and a source of unconditional love. In this episode, I sit down with Brent Atwater to talk about how to cope with pet loss, why it can feel so overwhelming, and what it looks like to move forward while still honoring that bond. If you are grieving a pet, this conversation will remind you that you are not alone. Connect with Bren...

In this episode, Dr. Thompson breaks down the science behind grief and how it impacts the body and mind. We discuss brain fog, immune system changes, broken heart syndrome, and why people may feel physically unwell after loss. This conversation offers both clinical insight and compassionate understanding for anyone navigating grief and learning how to care for their body through it. Learn more abo...

Nikki Lanigan joins the conversation to talk about identity shifts, burnout, and what it looks like to pivot when your life or career no longer feels aligned. From raising teenagers to reevaluating long-held passions, Nikki shares how to step away from fear-based environments, prioritize mental health, and redefine purpose in a new season of life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastcho...

This episode explores the often unspoken grief that comes with friendship breakups. Dr. Santorelli shares insight into “ambiguous loss,” where the person is still alive but the relationship has ended or changed. Together, we discuss how to recognize unhealthy friendships, navigate difficult endings, process feeling blindsided, and give yourself permission to grieve a relationship that once meant a...

How do you live with grief that doesn’t end, but evolves? In this episode, I sit down with Kayce Smith to talk about discovering at 38 weeks pregnant that her son, Hayes, would be born with a limb difference. We explore what it means to carry “living grief” — the kind that shifts as your child grows, reaches milestones, and faces new challenges. Kayce shares how resilience is built in real time, h...

How do I handle funeral etiquette, thank you notes, receiving lines, and casseroles without getting it wrong? In this episode, I sit down with etiquette expert Alison Cheperdak of Elevate Etiquette to talk about modern funeral etiquette, what to say when someone is grieving, whether thank you notes are required, and how to show up with compassion instead of pressure. If you’ve ever wondered what t...

In this Season 3 episode, I sit down with Portia to talk about parenting boys during the pre-teen years, emotional changes in adolescence, and what moms should expect as independence grows. We also discuss stress, psychogenic stuttering, and how grief and pressure can impact your confidence, body, and identity. If you are navigating pre-teen parenting, stress-related health changes, or learning ho...

In this powerful season finale, Ryanne turns the microphone inward and shares twelve honest, heartfelt truths she wishes she could tell her pre-grief self. It’s part memoir, part manifesto: a love letter to who she was and who she’s becoming. Through laughter, reflection, and lessons learned the hard way, Ryanne reminds listeners that even in heartbreak, there’s beauty in rebuilding. And, that bec...

After a loss, the belongings left behind can feel overwhelming and emotional. In this episode, Ryanne talks with Sara McKavarich (certifiedbysara.com) of Certified Estate Sales Atlanta about how to let go of physical items without feeling like you are losing the memories attached to them. Together, they explore why stuff carries so much weight in grief and how to approach sorting and downsizing wi...

Hollywood lied. They made divorce look like a quick montage of glow-ups and new romances, but real life is far messier. In this powerful conversation, Ryanne sits down with a licensed professional counselor of 50 years (Vicki Favors) and divorce attorney Jessica Fagan of Fagan Law to unpack what rebuilding after divorce actually looks like - emotionally, financially, and spiritually. Together, the...

People love to say, “At least you had time to prepare.” But the truth is, nothing prepares you to lose your mama. Whether it comes slow through decline or fast like a sucker punch, grief doesn’t follow a polite timeline. In this intimate and powerful conversation, Ryanne sits down with her best friend Ellen Flechas, whose mother passed away after a battle with breast cancer that mestastised to her...

When Ryanne started How Do I Do This?, she thought she was creating a podcast to help others heal. What she didn’t expect was that the act of creating it would start healing her too. In this soul-stirring episode, Ryanne explores why creativity helps us process pain and how making something—whether it’s a painting, a poem, or a podcast—can make the weight of grief a little lighter. She’s joined by...

Parenting is hard on a good day, but parenting while grieving? That’s a language no one teaches you. In this deeply personal episode, Ryanne shares her own experience navigating grief alongside her son, who called her mom “Cookie,” and the moment she realized love sometimes has to lead before language catches up. To help guide this conversation, she’s joined by Lisa Aman, Executive Director of Kat...

Alright men, after this episode, “I don’t know what to do” is officially retired. This is the playbook. In one of the most heartfelt and practical conversations of the season, Ryanne sits down with her husband Dan Saucier and her friend Brandon Flechas to talk about what it really means to support your partner through grief. Both men have walked alongside women they love through profound loss, and...

The holidays can be the hardest time to grieve. For Ryanne, the first season after her mom’s passing was a blur—one she barely remembers through the numbness. This year feels different: it’s the first one she’s fully awake in the absence. In this heartfelt conversation, she sits down with Paige Ewing—certified grief and life coach, mom of two, and newly crowned Mrs. America—who knows loss on a dee...

Grief changes our relationship with memory. Some days, remembering feels like a gift. Other days, it feels like too much to hold. In this episode, Ryanne sits down with Marshall Ramsey—award-winning cartoonist, cancer survivor, husband, and dad—to explore how to honor loved ones when even the memories ache. Marshall opens up about losing both of his parents and how art helped him navigate that los...

No one warns you that when someone you love dies, the paperwork doesn’t stop. The bills still come. The accounts still need closing. And somehow, you’re expected to make impossible decisions while your heart is in pieces. In this episode, Ryanne sits down with Rachel Donnelly, founder and CEO of AfterLight, to talk about the real, unspoken side of loss. The logistics, the legalities, and the emoti...

Grief changes how we carry our stories—and sometimes it silences them. In this deeply personal conversation, Ryanne sits down with Denisse Tamez, who shares her journey of honoring her daughter Alana, gone too soon, while raising her two-year-old rainbow baby. Together, they explore what it means to mother while grieving, to speak aloud the losses previous generations kept quiet, and to find heali...

Some people treat uncertainty like a mindset challenge—but for guest Colleen Nichols, it’s real life. Living with a genetic diagnosis that has no cure and losing her father to the same disease, Colleen still built a multimillion-dollar business and a thriving online community. The bestselling author of Don’t Make It Weird: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Being Human on the Internet, Colleen joins Ryan...

Two voicemails from my mom saying “Call me back” left me wondering: what if connection with our loved ones was really that simple? In this episode, psychic medium Elias Patras returns to do a live reading for me. Whether you’re a believer or a skeptic, this conversation explores grief, signs, and how love keeps reaching for us—sometimes in the most unexpected ways. Learn more about your ad choices...

Grief: Healing Power of Yoga Episode Description: I’m joined by Moronke Ogundele, a doctor of physical therapy and yoga instructor to talk about how grief shows up in the body - and what it looks like to gently move through it. We explore why “just breathe” can feel impossible, but the one that will help the most.  How yoga became part of my healing (even when I wanted to roll my mat up and walk o...

Grief: Friends Saved Me Episode Description: Sometimes the family you are born into are not family - only relatives.  And, if you’re really lucky your chosen family becomes the links you never knew you needed in life.  This episode, I’m joined by two of my best friends Rachel Misenar and Devyn Baklini.  They have sat with me in the mess, poured the mimosas, and reminded me I’m still here.  We talk...