Where's The Grief?

In this episode I talk with Author Judy Lipson about her book "Celebation of Sisters - It Is Never Too Late To Greive." Judy lost her younger sister Jane to a car accident at 22 and nine years later her older sister Margie at 35 to a twenty year battle with anorexia and bulimia. Realizing that Siblings are often the forgotten mourners, Judy began finding ways to keep her sisters memories alive.  G...

Hooray! It's hard to beliieve that I've been doing this show long enough to rack up 150 episodes, but here we are! This episode features a whole lot of Jordon! I was lucky enough to have two gigs last month that fit pretty well together - I was a Key Note speaker at a TCF Regional Conference in Hawaii, followed the very next day by being on a virtual comedy show focused on death and grief.  You ca...

In this episode, I talk with Author Deena Goldstein about her book, "Ok, Little Bird," about the life and death of her father, and her process of navigating the world without him. We talk about the importance of finding humor even in our darkest moments, and how important it is to let ourselves feel all the feels. Follow Deena and get the book at https://OkLittleBird.com

While most people were working from home, if at all, during the pandemic, Lauryn Petrie got a job working in the NYC morgue, spending 11 months hauling bodies and assisting on autopsies (despite having no prior medical experience.) In this very frank discussion, we talk about how humor is necessary in the face of devestation, and how quickly we can become numb to every day death. We also talk abou...

After the death of her partner, Janine Kwoh began transforing her greeting card business "Kwohtations" to include condolance cards. What followed was the writing of "Welcome To The Grief Club," a book of brief observations, illustrations and diagrams that capture the absurditiy and isolating experience of grief. Janine's ability to share the hardest parts of her own process of grief with both humo...

I got to talk with New Yorker staff writer and Pulitzer Prize winning author Kathryn Schulz about her new book, "Lost and Found."  After the death of her father Kathryn found ways to incorporate her grief with her gratitude in also finding love. We talk about the importance of sharing our selves, and the difficulty these past two years have been to connect with people. Get the book and follow Kath...

In this episode I talk with comedian Rob Montemarano! We talk about a number of losses that Rob has had over the years, and his relationship with death and funerals. We also talk about his new live comedy venture "Last Laugh Comedy" at an actual funeral home in Brooklyn.   

After the death of his father followed by a string of traumatic losses, comedian Ben Wasserman began exploring ways of expressing his grief on stage as a way to relate to a world that keeps moving forward regardless of what we've been through. We talk about the importance of community as well as the difference between catharsis and active coping, and the ways in which we can connect with an audien...

In this episode I talked with Female Empowerment Coach and Podcaster Eleanor Beaton! After the death of her father, Eleanor struggled with her own identity, which led to her starting SAFI Media, an education company for women Entrepreneurs, as well as hosting the "Power + Presence + Position Podcast." We talk about the importance of acknowledging our own story and identity, the changing family dyn...

In this episode I talk to singer/songwriter Gina Harris! After the death of her parents, Gina began writing songs to help her process the emotions. Eventually the songs themselves began to take on their own form, telling Gina, "we're a one-person show now." Her show, which then became a podcast, "The Magic of Ordinary Things" is a 7 part audio drama that weaves together stories and songs that have...

In this episode I got to talk to comedian Jason Salmon about his experience taking care of his dad after 10 years of living with Alzheimers disease. As our parents get older, we often find ourselves in the Care-giver role that they played for us for so long. We talk about how important communication is, as well as the ability to enjoy a cupcake even on our hardest days. Follow all things Jason at...

Here's my conversation with Brennan Wood, executive director of The Dougy Center, an org that provides grief peer support to children and families dealing with loss and illness.  Brennan walked through the doors of Dougy Center for the first time in 1987 at the age of 12 just three days after her mother died. At 14, she was a featured speaker at many Dougy Center events, and was so inspired by the...

In this episode I got to talk to my good friend and comedian Leighann Lord, who found herself to be the primary care taker for both of her parents prior to their deaths. We talk about the difficulty of watching our parents deteriorate in front of us, and how it can feel like we end up losing them twice. We also talk about how acknowledging our feelings and letting our emotions out when they strike...

After becoming an "adult orphan" in her formative years, Alexandra Locker channeled her grief into cooking, going on to create The Grief Kitchen as a way to bring people together in times of isolation and loss. Her Instagram and FB pages provide a grief-positive community to share memories and recipes with others struggling with life after loss. We talk about how much food plays a factor in every...

In this episode, I talk with Comedian Shawn Hitchins about his new book, "The Light Streamed Beneath It" -  a memoir of grief and celebration of the two loves of his life after they both died unexpectedly within a short period of time. We talk about the importance of having a community to hold us up, finding humor in the darkest parts of our lives, and the power of gratitude in the face of devasta...

In this episode, I got to talk to Hip-Hop Artist Kursive, who has dealt with a fair amount of loss all while battling his own demons as well. Having lost his brother as well as a number of friends to addiction and other mental health issues, Kursive has used these tragedy's to propel himself forward. We talk about the importance of gratitude, and the value of being present and truly listening.  Fo...

In this episode, I talk with men's mental heath advocate, Addison Brasil! After a string of devastating losses, including his brother to cancer, his father to suicide and a friend in a car accident, Addison struggled with his own mental health, and found that men in general are not always encouraged to be as open with their feelings as he needed. He has gone on to create Tethr, a mobile app focuse...

In this episode I talk with my good friend and comedian Mark Anthony Ramirez about a wide range of topics, including the death of both his parents, and the ways in which he has coped with life and death after the fact. We talk about the importance of leaning into your grief, and how cathartic it can be to process some of the hard feelings through humor with an audience that really gets it. Follow...

In this episode I talk with author David Richman, about his new book "Cycle of Lives," an incredible look at 15 different stories of dealing with cancer, interwoven with David's own literal journey across the country to connect with his interviewees. We talk about just how powerful and healing it can be to show our vulnerabilities and actively listen to those whose paths we cross.  Find out more a...

In this episode I talk with Author Emma G Rose about her new book "Assembling Ella," a contemporary fantasy novel that incorporates Emma's own feelings about loss and life into the story. After the death of her cousin, Emma moved halfway across the world, and began to write as a way to cope and entertain at the same time. We talk about the importance of family support, as well as the isolation we...

In this episode I talk to author Kathy Benjamin about her new book, "It's Your Funeral! Plan The Celebration of a Lifetime Before it's too Late!" Part instructional guide, and part workbook, Kathy manages to tackle a difficult topic with equal amounts of seriousness and whimsey. When people die, very often the task of figuring out what one's final wishes were and how to carry them out falls to the...

In this episode, I talk with Comedian Stuart Preston about his new book, "The Grief Trip; Learning to Heal WITH Grief and Psychedelics." After his son Ian died by suicide, Stuart began an unorthodox journey of self discovery and has continued to find ways to express his feelings through comedy and performance. It's important to note that the use of drugs to cope, even when done for medicinal purpo...

Here's my conversation with Author Autumn Toelle Jackson, whose new book, "Boldly Into The Darkness; Living with Loss, Growing with Grief & Holding on to Happiness" provides insight into her process of healing after the loss of her husband, a cousin and a child in the span of just a few years. We talk about how important community is, and why having a bouncy-castle makes any event more fun, even a...

Hooray! After a much needed month off for my own sake and sanity, I am back with more grief! I talked with Michael Lalor, MD, Chief Medical Officer for Trellis Hospice and Palliative Care about the difficulties this past year and half have brought in being able to properly grieve. Already a difficult topic to tackle without a pandemic, we talk about how important it is to understand the human elem...

In this special SOLO episode, I check in with you guys regarding why there aren't as many new episodes this month. July 6th marked 19 years since the death of my brother Russell, and as such I tend to take July off of doing too much. Also, This Wednesday, July 14th is the 16th Annual Russell Ferber Foundation Comedy FUN!draiser! Tickets for our IN PERSON or our VIRTUAL LIVE STREAM are both availab...