Real Talk with Life After Grief Chris

Send us Fan Mail Today I had the extreme pleasure of interviewing and learning from Megan Kopka, CFP®, CRPC®.  Megan is wonderful financial planner with a ton of experience in both life and career.  Megan is also a widow who had the daunting experience of being a caregiver for her husband, while raising two children.  Her ability to not only make it through the experience, but to help others in th...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode I talk about grief reminders.  I want to be clear that grief reminders are different than grief triggers. I explore the technical definition by the Mayo Clinic. I also use a personal example of a grief reminder that I recently experienced. I also mention free resources for Grief Trigger support . If you like this episode, please free to pass this along to a...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode I have the distinct pleasure of RE-Introducing Carolyn Moor.  Although she needs no introduction, Carolyn was the first to introduce me to the idea of Super Survivors.  She is well known as the founder and director of the Modern Widows Club. Today, I have the honor of picking Carolyn's brain in terms of what made her a Super Survivor.   We focus on 4 m...

Send us Fan Mail Super Survivors Volunteer! Super Survivors Volunteer!! Super Survivors Volunteer!!!  I have spoken in previous podcasts about the power of volunteering.  In this podcast I talk about 10 definitive benefits of volunteering.  Furthermore, Super Survivors embrace volunteering in the format of striving to help others.  Here are the 10 benefits mentioned above: 1. Provides you with a s...

Send us Fan Mail In this final episode of season 5, I interview my brother, Mike.  His experiences coupled with mine bring our shared experience full circle.  Forgiveness is the key.  Looking at the bright side of life does make things better.  We survived with a lot of trauma along the way.  Our hope is that by talking about the hard stuff, it allows just one other person the ability to change th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we explore Brain Fog.  Simply stated, Brain Fog is the brain's way of protecting itself. Brain Fog  clouds memory function during times of grief, trauma or extreme stress.   Specifically, concentration and  mental acuity are affected.   I noted having a hard time juggling normal tasks without feeling overwhelmed.  I also seemed to forget things with regularity...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s podcast I have the distinct pleasure of interviewing Lisa McFarland.  If you recall I interviewed Lisa in Season 3.  Lisa is a mother who has thrived through significant grief from child loss, divorce and caring for a special needs child.  In our conversation today, we talk at length about her uncanny ability to become a Super Survivor. During her explanation you will u...

Send us Fan Mail As we begin Season 5 with a bang, I have encountered so many strong, enduring and growth minded folks.  In this episode I speak about Resilience.  The power of resilience can be inherited and/or acquired.  In my case, I gained resilience through a combination of both.  Throughout this season you will hear me bring up the concept of Super Survivor.  I was fortunate to be introduced...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is all about Super Survivors. A Super Survivor is an individual that faces tragedy head on, turns it on its head and makes use of the tragedy in a manner that helps others.   I talk about a book, which I will refer to periodically this season---Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges by Steven M. Southwick & Dennis S. Charney. On Page 230 w...

Send us Fan Mail I am pleased to introduce Super Survivor Donna Kendrick.  Donna was widowed in 2013.  Remarkably, she made Super Survivor status in her plight to make life easier for other widows after her own experience.  Donna found life after grief when she found new love and remarried in 2022.  She now enjoys an expanded family with six children.  Donna focuses on helping families in transiti...

Send us Fan Mail In the final episode of Season 4, I would like to extend my complete gratitude to all guests, listeners and supporters of the podcast. In my wildest dreams, I  would never have  imagined that my experience, let alone my podcast, would be able to touch so many folks.   I have been told over and over that my podcast has given life, eased the burden, provided perspective and renewed...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I have an awe inspiring guest. Please meet Kathi Balasek, MA. Kathi is an educator, grief literacy communication coach, corporate consultant, university lecturer, speaker, podcast host, and widow advocate. She teaches professionals how to improve their grief literacy communication skills to best serve bereaved clients. I asked Kathi to be on the podcast, n...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode I talk about my experience with Meningitis and the financial impact to my family.   I was in the hospital for 7 days as a child and the financial impact on my family was real. My mother was always a saver and put funds away for rainy days.  #Saving #financialawareness #emergencyfunds  Support the show Did you know you can now Help Us Continue Making Awe...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I am reaching across the globe. I am excited to interview a like minded financial professional all the way from South Africa. Please meet Louis Van Der Merwe.   Louis  a fellow Certified Financial Transitionist® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, Podcaster, Financial Planner, husband and  father. Louis is unique in his practice as he specializes in working...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode, I am delighted to meet and introduce a marvelous lady with a ton of wisdom, perspective and life experience. Please meet Liz Snyder, CFP®.  Liz is a former therapist, turned financial planner. I love her gentle disposition and the way she helps clients, unlike any other financial planner I have met.  Liz really dives deep with her clients, understandin...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I have the distinct pleasure of introducing Carolyn Moor. Carolyn needs no introduction as she is very well known even before this podcast. She is the founder and director of the Modern Widows Club. Carolyn's  organization grew out of 11 years of widowhood and the figuring out of resources on her own. Since 2011 her organization is known worldwide and...

Send us Fan Mail You heard that right!!! Hamsters and Grief. In this episode I speak about the opportunity cost of having a hamster in terms of children bearing the responsibility of caring for a living creature.   The opportunity cost for my son to learn responsibility the hard way after losing Otis, the hamster, twice was roughly $1000. The experience was priceless. Luckily for us, Otis has 9 li...

Send us Fan Mail On the heels of an amazing episode with Carolyn Moor of the Modern Widows club, I thought it would be appropriate to share Financial Steps for Widows.  I break the steps into Emotional and Technical (Financial). Emotional.... As emotions drive decision making, I encourage all grievers to give themselves space to breathe.  Let your emotions out.  They are normal.   Surround yoursel...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode I dig headfirst into a very sensitive topic -- Marriage and Child Loss. I wanted to start out the podcast with a powerful resource for any parent facing child loss. https://marriagemissions.com/childs-death-changes-everything/  I also wanted to provide a list of tips from the resource above. You Become Different People after Child Loss Work together in grie...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode I touch on a subject matter not broadly discussed-- Sibling Loss. I discuss this subject from the point of view of my own children and that of two dear friends who have also lost a child. This is a sensitive topic, which forced me out of my comfort zone. Through my discovery, there are clear signs siblings display during their struggles with grief. I lo...

Send us Fan Mail I have the pleasure of introducing Season 4 with a rockstar. Please meet Brian Thompson, JD, CFP®  of Brian Thompson Financial (BTF). He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and tax attorney.  Brian runs a truly unique firm, but I will get to that in a bit. Brian and I have both struggled as African American brothers in the financial industry. We have both persevered and achieved hap...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode, I have the pleasure of introducing a fellow griever and financial planner. Meet Dillon Cobb of Simply Human Advisors. Dillon's firm was born out of the tragic loss of his best friend. The loss was tragic and affected two families deeply with many repercussions. Simply listening to his story brought tears to my eyes.  Dillon has a passion for helpi...

Send us Fan Mail In week's episode, I have a special guest who has come from some very humble beginnings.  Meet Elizabeth Ramos, MBA.  Liz also holds a Master of Science in Management and Leadership.  Liz is also a Certified Master Financial Coach.  On today's episode Liz talks about her own struggles as a single mother amassing huge amounts of debt in order to support her and her son. ...

Send us Fan Mail In this final episode of Season 3, I discuss "Surrounding Yourself with Good People." This very concept has taken me years and a lot of grief to truly understand. As I navigated the grief journey through baptism by fire, I realized that not everyone was a good fit for my life going forward. Through the process, I had to eliminate certain individuals who brought no positi...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode, I speak about one of the most common by products of grief--Overwhelm, Fog and Confusion. I describe what Overwhelm, Fog and Confusion is, how to combat it and how to display empathy to someone in this situation. If you have ever experienced this daunting phase of grief you completely understand what I am talking about. If you like this episode, please...