Little Losses Everywhere (and some big ones too)

Today's conversation is for anyone who has experienced the death of child. Our guest, Joanie Amato Spain, knows this tender journey well. Her son Will, her only child, was born with a life-threatening heart condition. A medically fragile child, he died suddenly in his early 30s just as he was experiencing the fullness of adult life.  Joanie shares with us more about how she coped with never k...

Jan's guest in this episode is Kristina Kaiser, pastor, author and spiritual companion/guide and educator. Together they discuss collective (or communal) grief.  Collective grief is a shared emotional response that occurs when a large group of people—such as a community, nation, or even the global population—experiences a significant loss, trauma, or crisis simultaneously. Examples are natura...

This podcast episode focuses on the concept that the body has a story to tell, particularly in grief, with Cami Beecroft-Mann discussing her approach to grief companionship and the upcoming Center of Sorrow in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Cami explained how the body communicates through sensations and gestures during grief, emphasizing the importance of gentle invitation rather than expectation when wo...

Join host, Jan Lundy, as she shares her perspectives and practices on how to navigate the difficult emotions of grief. She shares three mindsets and practices which help us "tend" the strong feelings that come with grief and loss. These practices are rooted in mindfulness, neuroscience and compassionate care. She stresses that any and all emotions are normal in grief; the importance of h...

Join host, Jan Lundy, as she explores a powerful question that grievers can ask themselves to bring relief and more ease to their days. "The Kindest Thing" question is a surefire way for anyone experiencing loss: 1. to begin a process of deepening self-awareness 2. to learn how to listen deeply to the voice of inner guidance (intuition) 3. to uncover what self-compassionate choice may be...

Divorce often brings unexpected grief. In fact, feelings of loss because of divorce are a form of disenfranchised grief which is unrecognized, unacknowledged and unsupported grief. Our special guest expert is Lauren Moore, founder of Sacred Living Arts, whose healing arts specialty is guiding and supporting women as they navigate the potent losses and life changes that come with divorce. Jan and L...

In today's podcast, we welcome two special guests, Rev. Annalouiza Armendariz, an Interfaith Chaplain, and Rev. Wakil David Matthews, MA, an interfaith minister, who are hosts of the popular podcast, "End of Life Conversations."  Listen in to this insightful conversation about their mission—life work and podcast—what it was from the very beginning, normalizing conversations about de...

Guest Bio: In this episode, we feature Nancy Philpott who serves as the Research Manager for the Shared Crossing Project and the Shared Crossing Research Initiative. She shares her expertise and personal experience with what is known as a Shared Death Experience. The term “shared crossing” (or Shared Death Experience) "broadly refers to an experience that one or more people may have before, d...

In today's podcast, Dr. Jan hosts two very special guests who have been with us on the podcast before: Kelly Guest and Christine Hiester. Each is a spiritual director/companion/guide, and also a Grief Companion. Living gently with ourselves is generally not a message we receive from our modern Western culture—and this is where our conversation begins. We explore why and how we can overcome th...

Join host, Jan Lundy and two very special guests, each a wise woman in her endearing years, pondering her own aging and giving voice to the feelings of grief that emerge during the aging process. Elizabeth Ritz, PhD, and Rebecca Serpe, both spiritual directors and grief companions, share tender thoughts about how it feels to age and the many changes that arise as one's body-mind experiences t...

In today's podcast, meet the co-creator of the world's first virtual Near Death Experience, Daniel Ryan. "The Virtual NDE" can be viewed through virtual reality technology to help those who have not had a near death experience better understand them, and develop positive views about life, death and what comes next. The Virtual NDE was created in collaboration with "The Int...

Many people believe when it comes to loss and the grief that follows happiness and joy cannot, maybe even should not, be experienced. Today's guest invites us to reconsider this misconception and plants the seeds for joy, even during times of grief. Dr. Kristina Kaiser, author of the new book, Abundant Joy: A 90-Day Journey towards Sustainable, Authentic, Life-Changing Joy, offers unique insi...

Do you know what to say to someone who has suffered a significant loss? If you don't, you're not alone. Many people struggle with how to respond and realize they aren't equipped with the proper tools. Meet Catherine Hodge, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor from Tampa, FL who has authored a beautiful little book on the subject. "What Do I Say: How to Support Others in Grief&quo...

Be prepared to feel your heart fill with wonder and gratitude as our conversation unfolds today with special guest, Sarah Hill. Sarah is an end-of-life doula who brings keen insight and profound presence to an individual's dying time. Sarah unpacks for Dr. Jan and listeners how she prepares and companions the dying and their families to approach this sacred time of life. Just as doulas have b...

Liza Hyatt is our return guest, this time sharing her perspectives on "Earth Grief," something she experiences along with millions of others around the world. In this heart-touching podcast, we explore what Earth Grief is, and how it's showing up individually and in the collective. We also explore compassionate ways to tend this kind of grief, including how each of us can creatively...

Today's podcast focuses on how our intuition may serve us especially well during times of grief and loss. Our special guest is Betty Kovacs, Hospice and Grief Companion.   During grief, when feelings can be most strong, we may experience "nudges" or prompts to make particular choices. Betty calls these "God Winks" and shares how she has learned to pay attention to these an...

In this episode, we meet Courney Ronca, a hypnosis and healing arts practitioner and a grief companion with years of experience in the mortuary field. A unique combination of gifts and skills for a care provider! Courtney and Dr. Jan discuss the many ways that hypnosis can be helpful when it comes to not only grief, but all kinds of loss and life transitions, death and dying, end-of life-anxiety,...

Dr. Jan welcomes Dreamwork Practitioner, Liza Hyatt, to discuss the ways that engaging in Dreamwork can be helpful and healing to people experiencing grief. They discuss: •What led Liza to become a dreamwork practitioner and how she uses it in her own life • What role Dreamwork can play in spiritual direction/companionship • How talking about dreams with a trained Dreamwork practitioner can help s...

If you are someone, or you love someone, who lives with chronic illness, this podcast is for you because grief is likely present.  Our special guest is Maddy Marr, a wise spiritual guide and someone who lives AWAP ("As Well As Possible") with chronic illness, addressing with transparency, humility, and kindness, what it means to have grief around your illness.  In this podcast, we explor...

In this episode, we explore how creative expression helps us process and navigate loss in a meaningful way. Dr. Jan hosts special guest Christine Hiester, a spiritual director and grief companion, and the creator/teacher of a new class offered by The Metta Center, Translating Our Grief: Creativity as a Language for  Exploring Experiences of Loss.*  Christine is a musician and self-taught artist wh...

What does it mean to open to grief? To allow the reality of loss and the feelings of grief to sink into our experience? Dr. Jan hosts special guests Christine Hiester and Kelly Gest, both spiritual directors and grief companions, to the podcast to discuss this important topic.  Together, we explore what allows us to open to our grief, and what prevents us from opening up to this potentially this t...

Premier episode of the podcast, "Little Losses Everywhere (and some big ones too)" with Dr. Jan Lundy of The Metta Center and special guest Ashley Davis Bush, author and grief counselor. Their conversation focuses on the varieties of non-death losses that people experience throughout their lives; shedding light on the current losses so many people struggle with in these challenging times...