The Grief Cocoon Podcast

Dana Douglass Swann is a true Texan (born and raised in Leesville, Texas), who loves fashion, baking, teaching zumba, country and western dancing, and making people laugh. She is the proud mother of 3 sons and 4 beautiful grandchildren, as well as a TedX speaker and the long-standing Executive Assistant at Texas Commission on the Arts . Despite this long career in administration, if asked what she...

In this episode, Gaby speaks with artist, songwriter and performer Eileen Francisco about: grieving her separation how she used music to express her grief the role of both music and therapy in processing loss the toll on Eileen's mental health dissociation the use of a persona the perception of time while grieving how you can use music in your grieving journey. Listen to the end to hear one of Eil...

Book into next week's grief movement circle: https://thegriefcocoon.com/store/p/moving-through-grief-circle In this episode, Gaby shares the questions that can help you identity what you need when you're struggling emotionally. Grief can be overwhelming, but it can also give us a chance to stop and reflect. It can prompt us to hone in on what truly matters. With this, comes more intention. The que...

In this episode, Gaby speaks to educator, grief support advocate, and author Ashmeeta Madhav about: where her grief journey began the reality of loss wanting to talk with your loved one again the challenge of others not mentioning the person you've lost being intentional with who you share your feelings with how she approached self-care as the carer of her husband watching her dad grieve her mothe...

In this episode, Gaby dives deep into the benefits of nature, past the well-known physiological effects . Timestamps: 0.00 Intro 1:40 Nature poem by Aboriginal writer Gail Kay 2:30 Gleaning peace from nature 7:21 Awe and humility 10:16 How nature inspires connectedness and spirituality 13:26 Why being present matters 16:16 The benefits of witnessing beauty 18:26 What we can learn from how nature d...

In this episode, Gaby speaks with Christine Passo (Certified Support and Transformation Coach) about: her beloved dog Maya Ray what people said to her that wasn't helpful how to validate your grief what to do when you're struggling honouring your pain brain research on what happens after a person's heart stops beating how her surviving dog showed signs of grief Plus, she shares a writi...

In this episode, Gaby reflects on what she's learned about grief following the 15th anniversary of her Mum's death. She speaks about: the relationship between time and emotions the possibilities of grief the power of a movement practice how the relationship with your person can keep developing Gaby Georges is a multi-disciplinary artist, creative grief guide and founder of The Grief Cocoon. Her wo...

In this episode, Gaby speaks with Kay Backhouse (author and hospice worker) about: her younger brother Syd how she dealt with a particularly uncomfortable question after his death why she changed her way of life and occupation after loss what helped her to process her brother's traumatic death how she honours her brother Syd on his death day how the relationship with her parents and older brot...

In this solo episode, the host Gaby speaks about: experiencing guilt and regret after losing her mother acknowledging and validating your feelings how denial can connect to regret the should'ves and could'ves self-compassion benefits of talking to someone forming a balanced view ...plus she finishes this episode by guiding you through a movement sequence and meditation specifically for gui...

In this episode, Gaby speaks with Vanessa Azelis, (Your Grateful Guide) about: • her story of experiencing chronic illness • having a condition that's misunderstood • how she started to find her path towards healing • grief associated with chronic illness and why it's important to process it • experiencing the loss of her father • dealing with unhelpful advice from family members • how grief has t...

In this solo episode, host Gaby explores the relationship between grief and time. Listen to hear: about time blindness tips for dealing with time blindness whether time heal all wounds how time impacts grief how grief impacts time how time can support the grieving process Gaby Georges is a multi-disciplinary artist, creative grief guide and founder of The Grief Cocoon. Her work is inspired by her...

In this episode, Gaby speaks with Nina Rodriguez from Grief & Light about: her journey into grief work her brother Yosef and how they stay connected finding meaning in dreams and visitations the stigma surrounding losing a loved one to substance use disorder the words of a friend that really made a difference fighting the urge to "fix" grief the impact of community on her life the ro...

In this solo episode, host Gaby talks about how grief impacts different areas of life and also why we experience 'grief brain'. In the 1st half, she breaks down how grief can impact you: emotionally physically cognitively socially identity-wise spiritually In the 2nd half, she speaks about: the impact of grief on the brain how the brain perceives grief why we experience 'grief brain&#3...

In this episode, Gaby speaks with Avrille Burrows about: grief as a reckoning how she came to doing the work she's doing how grief shows up in therapy sessions the idea of externalising grief and why it helps what culturally responsive therapy is and why it matters how to support ourselves and others through grief how she explored the loss and grief within her family through her art practice h...

Season 2 is here! Thanks for your patience. In this solo episode, host Gaby shares what's happened since the last season, how it's been inspired by her Mum's final words, and what she's learning about grief and loss along the way. Listen to this episode for a personal perspective on: what Gaby's been up since the last season how she's honouring her Mum's final words wha...

In this solo episode, host Gaby shares: a snippet from her previous conversation with Aleesha Magpayo around jealousy her insights into how to process emotions how you can start to develop a different relationship with your emotions the importance of self-compassion If this episode has brought up anything that you need further support with, then please talk to a trusted person or contact a support...

In this episode, Gaby speaks to Dan Wei about: how her theatre show - 'Little Tadpoles Looking for Mama" - significantly impacted her grief how she found solace in Mother Nature her experience of losing a parent at 9 years old using stories as a way of exploring grief ...plus she shares how you can start connecting to nature as therapy. Dan⁠ is a Chinese-Australian multi-disciplinary arti...

[BONUS EPISODE] In this bonus episode, host Gaby shares tips around how to deal with grief over the holidays. The lead-up to special days, such as Christmas or Hannukah, can often bring on intense waves of grief and anxiety. It can be overwhelming to think about how you will get through the day without the person you've lost, or how you'll try and include them in the day. Listen to this episode fo...

[FINAL EPISODE OF SEASON 1] In this solo episode, host Gaby shares her research into the contributing factors that led to changing perspectives on grief, death, and dying in Western Society. It wasn't always the case that grief, death, and dying were uncomfortable topics of conversation in Western Society. There was a time when elaborate rituals were practiced and death was seen as a natural,...

In this episode, Gaby speaks with Thabani Tshuma about: - the connection between loss and addiction - how the stigma and attitudes around addiction can affect recovery - grieving your homeland after migration - how he’s recovering himself after addiction ...plus he recites one of his brilliant poems about grief and music. Thabani Tshuma is a multi-award-winning Zimbabwean writer and performance po...

In this episode, Gaby dives deep with Gloria Eid about: exploring who she is without her work developing self-trust how she supported herself through transitions (incl. career change) losing her father while away from home grieving while holding space for others in her own work developing presence with the uncomfortable loss of identity honouring endings ...plus advice on how you can start being m...

In this episode, Gaby speaks with Mae Yoshikawa about: losing her mother at a young age discovering yoga and how it impacted the way she lived the sudden death of her 2nd husband her unconventional funeral planning finding the courage to make decisions you won't regret cultural norms & perspectives on grief and funerals in Japan dealing with loss of identity her upcoming book 'Kizuki&#...

In this episode, Gaby speaks to her sister Mary about: her relationship with their mother before she became ill how she felt about being asked to move interstate following their loss grieving both her mother and the life she left behind the dreams and supernatural experiences she's had dealing with guilt ...plus Gaby shares a poem she wrote to her about a challenging time in their relationship...

In this episode, Gaby speaks to Zachary Phillips about: his connection to grief his complicated relationship with his father the challenges of being a father in the absence of a good role model tools for processing grief and developing self-awareness how to use poetry as a form of self-expression and processing ...plus advice for men who are missing a father figure. Zachary Phillips is a poet, aut...

In this episode, Gaby speaks to Annie Bolitho about: what inspired her to become an environmental activist how to recognise climate grief talking to children about climate grief and change what you can do to deal with climate grief/anxiety ...plus she shares a two poignant poems from young people about climate change and the environment. Annie loves the possibilities of friendship, artmaking, ritu...