Moving Forward with Mia and Julia

When she was just 17, Susan Snow lost her father, an LAPD detective who was murdered as retaliation for testifying in a court case. She has overcome a lot of obstacles to get to where she is today and prides herself in helping others to heal. She is an author of the book, The Other Side of the Gun, a public speaker, and a Trauma Resiliency Coach. For more information about Susan, visit Susansnowsp...

Lisa Sugarman is a three-time survivor of suicide loss, author, and longtime mental health advocate. She co-hosts a podcast called The Survivors Podcast with Gretchen Schoser. Lisa is the creator of The Help Hub, a site with a comprehensive list of mental health resources. She also has a book coming out soon entitled, The Surviving.

Dr. Bruce Chalmer has been a couples counselor for over thirty years. He joins us today to talk about the grief we experience after a betrayal. As we often discuss on this podcast, we don't only grieve death, but so many other things. Dr. Chalmer is the author of several books including his latest on this topic, Betrayal and Forgiveness: How to Navigate the Turmoil and learn to trust again. He...

Christine tragically lost her husband a few years ago, but the grief she felt transcended his death due to family complications and social media. Her story is a hard one to hear, but a stark reminder about our words can leave an impact in person and online. This episode discusses suicide, murder accusations, and a missing persons case. If these topics might be triggering to you, we ask that you ta...

Joshua Wilson authentically shares his story of losing his brother. Josh is a wonderful father and husband and involved in his community in Atlanta, GA. This episode might be hard for some listeners as Josh's brother died by suicide. If you or anyone you know is in crisis, please call 988 to speak to someone who can help.

Though you may know Ben Higgins from Season 20 of ABC's, "The Bachelor," (which ultimately led to his platform that he uses to share more about his faith and hope for humanity), he's also the cofounder of Generous International, a for purpose company dedicated to contributing profits to social issues around the world and he has partnered with Culinary Creative Group to start over 20 restaurants wo...

We are super fans of Lisa's! Lisa Keefauver, MSW is a Grief Activist who transformed her personal and professional experiences with loss into a mission to reimagine grief. As host of a top-rated grief podcast, TEDx and keynote speaker, grief-smart workplace consultant, grief guide, and author of the highly-acclaimed book, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss, she is...

Dr. Javan Reed is a dynamic and visionary leader whose steadfast commitment to student success has driven transformative change in higher education. His career is marked by a passion for empowering students, fostering inclusive learning environments, and ensuring institutions deliver meaningful and lasting educational experiences. As the former Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Sim...

Nikki Thompson Frazier is a journalist, culinary entrepreneur, speaker, and creator of  A Life Worth Tasting . As the founder of Sweet Encounter Bakery Café and the innovator behind the nationally shipped Cupcakes in a Jar, Nikki blends purpose, passion, and storytelling into everything she does. She’s on a mission to help people heal, rise, and reclaim joy whether through a journal, a cupcake, or...

When Rachel Doyle was a high school junior, she started GlamourGals in honor of her grandmother to bring joy to seniors and alleviate their feelings of loneliness. What started as a personal project has now grown into a nationwide movement with over 10,000 teen volunteers making a difference in their communities. Now, with 25+ years of experience as a CEO and social entrepreneur, Rachel has led Gl...

Landrie Williams was raised and lives in Arizona. She has been married to her husband, Kade, for nearly six years and is a mom to Hazel, who is 4, and Rhett, who is 1 (and who joined us on the podcast). When she's not caring for her family, Landrie likes to remain active and spends time working out or being outdoors. She uses her free time to run a social media account for Hazel's medical...

Evangelist, Dr. Kiena Hackworth has stayed steadfast in her dedication to God throughout her life. She wrote the book, The Will to Live: My Testimony following the loss of both her husband and her son. Dr. Hackworth serves as the 1st lady of the Unity Church of God in Christ in Elkhart, Indiana, the president of the Women's Department of Unity Church, and serves as jurisdictional president of...

Justin Clifford is the CEO and cofounder of Bereave (beareave.io), after two of his friends lost their parents prematurely. They all learned that the system of loss can be more harmful than helpful. They supported each other and realized that it was clear that way people experience death, particularly in the workplace, needs an overhaul. This is an important conversation for employers and employee...

Heather Tracy (she/her) is a travel agent by day, and a masked copy editor and writer by night. As a travel agent, she plans Nerdventures—travel for the nerd in all of us. These can be anything from visiting New Zealand to see Lord of the Rings filming locations to visiting castles in Europe to following in the footsteps of your favorite author. As a copy editor, she’s found hundreds of typos, com...

After 25 years of experience in the fashion industry, Michelle Hansen knowsthat fashion is her first love. In 2010, she merged her passion with her education (Masters of Human Relations, University of Oklahoma) and 22 years of experience in the fashion industry, and launched her styling business, High Maintenance Image & Fashion Consulting, before opening Glam Boutique in Fredericksburg, VA in 201...

Heather Schilling is a lifelong educator, with over three decades of teaching at the high school and collegiate levels. The greatest gift of teaching is the opportunity to empower others - empower them to realize that regardless of the situation, their mindset matters. Heather loves to travel with her son and his fiancée as well as students. She is actively engaged in her community, serving on sev...

Sarah Annese is a writer who lives with her husband in California. Sarah was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2022. Sarah is raising funds for the National MS Society through Walk MS, an event happening in April in San Francisco. If you're able to make a donation, you can do so here: https://shorturl.at/UTgLH. Additionally, we will be donating $2 from each of our books that we sell in...

Marcee Doherty is a full-time healthcare analytics professional, a full-time PhD student, a part-time professional actor, and a full time dog mom. Both Dr. Mia Johnson and Dr. Julia Porter are adjunct professors in the PhD program in Global Leadership, where Marcee is a student. Once she heard their presentation on Grief, Trauma, and Leadership at a residency weekend, she realized she fell into th...

Mina Starsiak Hawk is a real estate agent, HGTV star, and co-founder of the home renovation company Two Chicks And A Hammer, known for her work on the show " Good Bones " . She has also appeared on several other network shows including "Rock the Block" and "A Very Brady Renovation". Mina is married to Steve Hawk and they have two kids; Jack (6) and Charlie (4). While...

oday, we are joined by journalist, Allison Gilbert, who shares more about her work with connection. Allison Gilbert is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and one of the most influential writers and speakers on how to find the inner resources to overcome life’s biggest challenges. Through research and lived experience, Allison helps audiences transform grief and loss and find connection amid the grow...

This week, on Moving Forward with Mia and Julia, Cara Bastone joins us to talk about grief in her new book, Promise Me Sunshine. Cara Bastone is a full time writer living and writing in Brooklyn with her husband, sons, and an almost-goldendoodle. Her goal with her work is to find the swoon in ordinary love stories.  She's been a fan of the romance genre since she found a grocery bag filled wit...

Rebecca Soffer  is cofounder of  Modern Loss , which offers creative, meaningful and encouraging content and community addressing the long arc of grief. She is also the bestselling author of   The Modern Loss Handbook: An Interactive Guide to Moving Through Grief and Building Your Resilience   (Running Press, 2022), which Gayle King named a favorite book of the year. Rebecca is also coauthor of th...

While certified as a coach and grief educator, Jai prefers to identify as a companion - someone who listens deeply, walks alongside, and meets you in the moment without judgement. Founder of Coaching for All of Life and owner of Quest for Balance Wellness, Jai has been helping others find meaning in loss through story, mindfulness, and movement for more than 20 years. Honoring a lifetime call to s...

It can be hard to find joy when you're grieving, but Allegra Cohen shares some tips. Allegra Cohen is the Chief Joy Officer and Founder of BRAVE LIFE . Her mindset coaching and wellness seminars have been incorporated into businesses, schools and groups around the country, inspiring thousands of people with her original micro-JOYS™ method. Allegra was recently recognized with an Inspiration aw...

Today, Autumn McNichols joins us to talk about grieving after the loss of a pet. Autumn is a faculty member at Ivy Tech Community College. Her professional career has also included more than 15 years of therapy work with hospice patients and their families, memory care units, adolescent inpatient and outpatient, schoolbased counseling, and intensive outpatient care utilizing DBT. Autumn's work exp...