Tendrils of Grief

Rachel Kodanaz has been speaking passionately to national audiences of all sizes for 20 years, addressing all aspects of change, growth, and acceptance that comes with embracing life's challenges – those expected and unexpected. Through her books, Living with Loss, One Day at a Time and Grief in the Workplace, Rachel offers a wealth of knowledge, inspiration and practical advice for those who have...

Rebekah Saltzman is passionate about the Zero Waste Movement and uses her professional design skills to help her clients create organized and beautiful spaces for themselves and their families. She is the Founder of Balagan Be Gone and it's her mission to have her clients get the most out of their possessions and stress less about managing it all. What do you do with all of your loved one's things...

Phil Pinti is a full-time single parent, widower, as well as a military veteran, philosopher, and ultra runner. He lost his wife to cancer at the young age of 33, which left him reexamining his life and his purpose. Phil believes you can wallow in your story or use your experiences to push you forward. You can be your best advocate or your own worst enemy, but the good news is you can choose.    K...

Dr. Kirsten Turkington is a Family Nurse Practitioner and a Forensic Nurse Expert. Dr. Kristen has seen her elderly clients go through this form of financial abuse by scammers who are presented as 'the love of their life'. It's lonely after you've lost someone, but that doesn't mean you should build a love relationship that's purely based on how much money you send them. Here are some of the thing...

Gennye Lion is a Light Activator, Mentor, and Purpose Visionary. She helps women visionaries become impactful leaders through deep inner work and light body activation. She also helps women unlock their potential, balance their body and mind, as well as their life and business, to find soul success that achieves self-mastery. Gennye opens up about her grief journal and dives into why embracing the...

Dr. Melissa Mork is a Professor and Chair of The Department of Psychology Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement at the University of Northwestern St. Paul. Dr. Melissa lost both of her parents within a short span of each other when she was still in college, and this led her to dedicate her career to learning about and understanding grief. Her career has since evolved and she shares why it's critica...

Victoria Shaw received her PhD in Cognitive Psychology from Princeton University and completed her postdoctoral training in the department of Educational and Developmental Psychology at Columbia University Teachers College. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a State Certified School Counselor, but what makes Victoria unique is that she has a very high intuitive nature and can use this ab...

Susan Hannifin-Macnab is the Founder of A2Z Healing Toolbox®, an organization which provides powerful tools and resources to accompany and accelerate the healing journey of those living with grief and/or trauma. She is also a social worker, education, speaker, and an author of the five-time award winning book, A to Z Healing Toolbox . Susan H. shares her grief story, why you need community to heal...

Mansi Jain is a Mindset Transformation Coach and helps people break through on their limiting beliefs, which are preventing them from living their dream life with joy, enthusiasm, and abundance. When it comes to grief, we can get stuck in a negative self-talk cycle where we don't believe we deserve happiness. Mansi shares best practices on how you can overcome your grief, even when it feels imposs...

Susan's daughter, Madison, had a wide range of challenges when her father passed. Some of her friends were not able to show up for her, but there are some silver linings that happened from the experience. Madison has some of her friends on today's show to discuss how to show up for a grieving teenager, and how to be supportive no matter what.    Key Takeaways: When you have a friend that's grievin...

Brian Waters is a licensed Indiana Funeral Director and also the co-host of the podcast, Undertaking, where he shares stories about his profession and how we navigate life and death. Brian shares his grief story and gives perspective on what it's like working as a funeral director, and how he helps people navigate their pain during their most vulnerable times.   Key Takeaways: Funeral directors bu...

Dylan King is a Spiritual Alignment & Success Coach. Dylan had a gift ever since she was 14 years old and would physically see her grandfather, who had since passed, and listen to his messages. He was her spirit guide and the reason why she started on this journey. Today, she helps her clients reconnect with their heart and to get out of their logical head in order to live a more fulfilling spirit...

Susan celebrates a year of podcasting, she also is recording this on the third anniversary of her husband's passing. There's a lot of lessons she's learned over the years about grief and how to best manage it. She shares the top ten tips that have helped her through her grief journey and in processing a lot of complex emotions coming at her. It is definitely a process, but the good news is that re...

Brigette Squire is a recent graduate of IIN and she is dedicated to working on issues that trouble people in areas of mental, reproductive, and digestive health. She also mentors members of the community on how to eat holistically. She has her own business, Ebb And Flow Holistic Care, and is a community volunteer within the Christian Roberts Foundation.    Key Takeaways: Brigette shares her grief...

Tope Folarin is a Nigerian-American writer. He won the 2013 Caine Prize for African Writing for his short story "Miracle". In his first novel, A Particular Kind of Black Man, Tope writes about a Nigerian family, new to America, as they try to assimilate and it takes from themes he had experienced throughout his life in America. Tope shares his grief story about his mother and her struggles with me...

After losing her infant son in 2011, Catherine McNulty embarked on a journey to do more than survive grief. The loss forever changed the trajectory of her life and sent her looking for meaning and purpose for the life she was given. She channeled the love for her son into her own healing, self-growth and personal empowerment. In this week's episode, she shares her grief journey and how we can get...

Paula Stevens is the author of 'From Grief to Growth', which details how you can give grief a purpose. She wrote the book and got into grief and trauma after her son passed away unexpectedly while home on leave from the army. Paula focuses on how we can become whole again and work on ourselves in the face of tragedy. In this episode, Paula shares why people, especially close friends, choose to dis...

Judy Thureson has a genuine desire to see people live their most authentic life. In the last decade, she has helped hundreds of clients focus on their mental, physical, and spiritual health. In 2019, Judy experienced the tragic loss of her eighteen-year-old son, Jacob, to an opioid overdose. She wrote the book Beautiful Tragedy chronicling her experience and introduces the GIVE Principle.   Key Ta...

Sean Tobias Ambriz is an American soldier that has served in a variety of duties in the military including driver, gunner, platoon medic, team leader, designated squad marksmen, and more. Sean enlisted in 2008 at the height of the war and shares his experiences as a soldier who has lost important people in his life from act of war or from suicide. Listen in as we hear from his perspective on traum...

Meghan Smith Brooks is an Ordained Unity Minister and the author of Unraveling Grief: A Mother's Spiritual Journey of Healing and Discovery, which details her grief experience when she lost her son when he was just 19 years old. Meghan shares how she was able to pull herself out and find a sense of gratitude to this new path she has been set on in this week's episode.    Key Takeaways: Meghan shar...

Sandy Weiner, founder of Last First Date and The Woman of Value, is passionate about helping women communicate and lead with power and grace. She guides women to know their true worth, do work that lights them up, and live up to their potential in every way. Sandy shares her grief story and how to navigate grief.    Key Takeaways: Sandy shares her grief story with her son. At the age of 5, Sandy l...

Christi Staib is the President of Silver Sail Wealth Advisors and works with her clients on making sure they have a secure financial future. After losing her husband, Christi found herself in grief and navigating this complex financial world. This is the second episode with Christi as she discusses how to make the best financial decision for your family while in grief, how to avoid scams and the b...

Christi Staib is the President of Silver Sail Wealth Advisors and works with her clients on making sure they have a secure financial future. After losing her husband, Christi found herself in grief and navigating this complex financial world. There are so many things you don't consider after a loved one passes and this is why Christi has created a financial checklist to help fellow widows navigate...

Autumn Toelle-Jackson felt so cursed when she lost both her husband, cousin, grandfather, and later her daughter, in less than a four year period. She really hit bottom, but what helped her out of her depression was the ability to focus on the life these people brought to you. She knew and trusted there were good people in the world, and she knew she would find love again, and that was the hope sh...

Reverend Anne Presuel suffered intense grief over 20 years ago and it sparked her down this journey of intuitive energy and healing. Her grief shook her to her core where she didn't know if she could even trust God again. However, there is hope. Today, not only is Anne an Interfaith Minister, but she is also a certified Emotional Freedom Technique Practitioner, Master Alignment Therapist, and Ange...