Tendrils of Grief

Sometimes the shortest lives leave the deepest footprints. Noah's story reminds us that a life isn't measured by its length, but by the love it gives, the lives it touches, and the hope it leaves behind. Even though we grieve… we can still choose love. Even though life changes… we can still choose hope. Even though loss hurts… we can still move forward. Today I'm with  with Matthew Efird—author, e...

Our grief tells the story of our love. When we share our stories with people who truly listen, we keep that love alive—and remind one another that even after profound loss, hope is still possible. In this episode of Tendrils of Grief , I sit down with author Neil Adams for a moving conversation about love, courage, loss, and the lasting impact of sharing our stories. Neil shares the remarkable lif...

The memories aren't in the walls. They're not in the furniture. They're not even in the house itself. They live in our hearts, our stories, and the lives we've built together. And while we may leave a place behind, we never leave the love behind. I share a deeply personal chapter of my grief journey: putting the home my husband Paul and I built together on the market after 22 years. This house has...

Today in Tendrils of Grief, host Susan welcomes guest Ted Neil, an author and advocate who shares his deeply personal and transformative journey through grief. Together, they explore the complex emotions of loss, the often-unspoken aspects of male grief, and the healing power of storytelling. Ted opens up about how writing helped him process the pain of losing loved ones and how grief has reshaped...

Healing starts when we stop avoiding the hard questions and start telling ourselves the truth. Because growth doesn't come from pretending the pain never happened— it comes from learning what to do with it.  Today with Army veteran and author Devin Fish for a deeply honest conversation about trauma, addiction, self-worth, and the difficult questions we're often forced to confront after pain and lo...

We can't stop time. But we can change how our pets age. And sometimes, the greatest act of love  is learning how to care for them before something goes wrong. I sit down with Dr. Kevin Toman, DVM—known as The Longevity Vet—to talk about something every pet owner wishes they had more of: time. With more than 40 years of clinical experience, Dr. Kevin has become a leading voice in veterinary longevi...

Today I'm with Bob Arrington, funeral director, Past President of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), and a lifelong leader in funeral service, to talk about a topic most people avoid—but one that has a profound impact on the people we love. We talk about end-of-life planning, funeral pre-planning, and why these decisions matter long before they're needed. Bob shares insights from m...

In this episode of Tendrils of Grief, I sit down with Dr. Stephen Paul Edwards to explore how grief doesn't just affect our emotions—it shapes our relationships, our behaviors, and the patterns we carry forward in life. We talk about how loss can influence the way we connect with others, the unconscious patterns that show up after grief, and why so many of us find ourselves repeating the same emot...

I sit down with Robin Swan, plant alchemist and founder of Swan Apothecary, to explore a different perspective on grief—one that looks at healing through the lens of plant medicine, holistic health, and whole-body integration. Robin brings over 30 years of experience in holistic healing and cannabinoid medicine, blending ancestral herbal wisdom with modern science. Her approach goes beyond just ph...

Today with Julie Ryan, psychic medium, medical intuitive, and host of the Ask Julie Ryan podcast, to explore the connection between grief, spirituality, and the unseen world around us. Julie shares how intuitive and healing abilities aren't just gifts—they're skills that can be developed. We talk about what it means to connect with loved ones who have passed, how spirit communication works, and wh...

I'm sharing something deeply personal. This is a solo episode, and honestly—it's a hard one. On Monday, I had to say goodbye to my 16-year-old dog, Joven. And while I expected to feel sadness, I didn't expect the depth of grief that followed. This loss didn't just stand on its own—it opened the door to so many other layers of grief I've been carrying. Joven was a complicated, deeply loving presenc...

Today with Steve Beal Sr., author of Generation Jumping: Losing Those Who Are Not Lost, to explore a perspective on grief that is both deeply personal and rooted in hope. Steve shares how a lifetime of loss—especially the passing of his father—shaped the way he understands grief today. We talk about the moments that stay with us, the memories that resurface when we least expect them, and why grief...

I sit down with Jackie Disch , a lifelong writer and author of Losing Katie: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Living Grief. Jackie shares the deeply personal story behind her book—written from journal entries spanning the time before, during, and after the loss of her partner, Katie. What makes Jackie's perspective so powerful is her honesty about what grief really looks like. Not something you "move o...

In this deeply moving episode of Tendrils of Grief, I welcome memoirist and book coach Carolyn Flynn for an honest conversation about grief, storytelling, and healing after loss. Together, we explore how the stories we tell shape our grief—and our lives. From sudden loss to prolonged goodbyes, I share my experience losing my husband, Paul, while Carolyn opens up about untended grief, motherhood, i...

In this powerful episode of Tendrils of Grief , I sit down with psychotherapist and author Sally Dukes for a deeply personal and layered conversation about grief, identity, attachment, and the stories that shape our lives. During our discussion, I share my own journey with abandonment wounds and the loss of my husband — how those early attachment patterns resurfaced in grief, and how loss forces u...

In this powerful episode, I dive into a deeply honest conversation about what it really means to live with grief—not fix it, rush it, or silence it. Drawing from personal experience and the themes we explore in this episode, I unpack how loss reshapes identity, challenges faith, and forces us to confront the parts of ourselves we often avoid. We talk about the waves of grief that return years late...

In this moving episode of Tendrils of Grief, I sit down with Barry Hoffner, a widower whose life changed forever after his wife was tragically killed in a sudden accident while they were traveling in Botswana. In the wake of devastating loss, Barry made an extraordinary decision: to honor his wife by visiting every country in the world. What began as heartbreak became a journey of purpose, connect...

I open my heart and share where I truly am in my grief journey—eight years after losing Paul, and after walking through layers of loss I never imagined I'd have to carry. This episode was born out of a quiet but powerful realization during the holidays: that grief evolves, that endings can bring clarity, and that moving forward doesn't mean forgetting—it means choosing alignment, peace, and authen...

In this thoughtful and deeply grounded episode, I sit down with Gyani Richards, MA—a grief counselor, Certified Grief Educator, and lifelong student of meditation and wisdom traditions—to explore what it truly means to live with grief over a lifetime. Gyani's path into grief work began early, following the death of his father when he was just 13 years old. That loss set him on a lifelong journey o...

In this episode of Tendrils of Grief, we are honored to welcome Kelly Daugherty, a seasoned social worker with over two decades of clinical experience and a Fellow in Thanatology: the study of death, dying, and bereavement. Based in Malta, NY, Kelly is the founder of Greater Life Grief Counseling and the Center for Informed Grief, LLC. Her personal journey with grief began as a teenager following...

In this deeply grounding episode of Tendrils of Grief, I'm joined by Sheena Nancy Sarles—lifelong student of well-being, certified yoga teacher, author, and creator of Yoga for Living with Loss™—for a powerful conversation about grief as an embodied experience and the wisdom of learning to live with loss rather than trying to heal or fix it. After the profound losses of her parents, sister, and be...

In this deeply moving episode of Tendrils of Grief , I sit down with Ksenia Merck—artist, architect, and creative storyteller—to explore how love, creativity, and spiritual connection continue long after loss. Ksenia shares her powerful grief journey following the death of her husband, William F. Merck II, and how honoring his final wish led her to bring his genre-blending science fiction novel, G...

In today's episode with Karen Roldan, a licensed funeral director, embalmer, and the creator of Behind the Funeral, to pull back the curtain on one of the most misunderstood industries in our lives — death care. With nearly twenty years of experience and a deep respect for the families she serves, Karen brings honesty, compassion, and clarity to conversations many of us avoid until we're forced to...

Today I sit down with Kyle Kittleson, the on-camera host for MedCircle, known for making complex mental health topics accessible through thoughtful, compassionate conversations. Kyle opens up about his personal grief journey after losing his mother as a teenager and how unprocessed loss shaped his emotional world for years. Drawing from both lived experience and thousands of interviews with leadin...

In this episode of Tendrils of Grief, I sit down with Samina Bari—a corporate leader, author, and grief advocate whose life changed forever after the sudden loss of her husband. Known for advising CEOs and boards on over $40 billion in global M&A transactions, Samina brings that same clarity and strength to a deeply personal conversation about grief, widowhood, and rebuilding life after loss. We t...