Episodes
Friday Sep 04, 2020
E169 - Barron Steffen - The Final Gift
Friday Sep 04, 2020
Friday Sep 04, 2020
Barron Steffen is a longtime student on the spiritual path of Siddha Yoga, a big band crooner, and a widower. He has been a big wave surfer, a 1980s Italian pop singer, and an award-winning elementary school teacher. Steffen has now fully transitioned from the elementary school classroom to his company, The Yoga of Mindset, where he teaches children and adults how to use their thoughts so they're not used by them. Barron recently published the book The Final Gift of the Beloved: Her Disappearance-13 Days
In this episode we talk about his interest in Siddha Yoga, the death of his wife, the 13 days after, finding meaning after the loss, his book, and grief dreams of his wife.
You can find more about Barron here https://www.barronsteffen.com/
Friday Aug 28, 2020
E168 - Lindsey Whissel Fenton - Speaking Grief
Friday Aug 28, 2020
Friday Aug 28, 2020
Lindsey Whissel Fenton is a senior producer at WPSU, the PBS/NPR affiliate station in Central Pennsylvania. She’s an Emmy award-winning storyteller who is passionate about using public media to build empathy. Lindsey produced, directed, and wrote the documentary Speaking Grief and continues to produce content for the initiative’s website and social media presence.
In this episode we talk about Shotokan karate, how karate relates to grief, the Speaking Grief documentary, learning to speak grief, holding space for grief, grief dreams mentioned within the documentary interviews, and her own grief.
To view the Speaking Grief documentary (starting August 30, 2020) visit https://speakinggrief.org/
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook: @wpsugrief
Instagram: @wpsugrief
Friday Aug 21, 2020
E167 - Julie Rennie - A Conversation With Dr. Black's Mother
Friday Aug 21, 2020
Friday Aug 21, 2020
Julie Rennie has done Accounting and Income Tax for most of her career primarily as a self-employed individual and currently runs a law practice as a Licensed Paralegal out of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Julie married Mark Black (Dr. Joshua Black’s father) in 1977 spending the next few decades as Julie Black. The positive blessings and outcomes from this marriage were building her faith in God and being a mother to her 4 children: Rebecca, Nathaniel, Joshua and Rachel. The marriage suffered challenges based on Mark’s excessive consumption of alcohol and poor coping skills. After the marriage ended, Julie remarried John Rennie.
In this episode we talk about the death of her grandmother, meeting Mark, their relationship, her health issues, being more open about her struggles, processing her emotions, and Mark's death.
You can find more about Julie’s paralegal practice at http://julierennieparalegal.com/
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
E165 - Flora Baker - The Adult Orphan Club
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
Flora Baker is a travel writer and author from London, UK. Flora was 20 years old when her mum died suddenly of breast cancer, and 29 when her dad died of fibrosis. After a decade of grieving, Flora now uses her personal narrative writing and her online presence to engage with the global grief community and help others through their own experiences of loss. Flora’s new book, ‘The Adult Orphan Club’, is a part memoir, part guide to grief which aims to be a companion to those coping with bereavement.
In this episode we talk about her love of travelling around the world, the death of her parents, her grief journey, traveling to cope after loss, her new book ‘The Adult Orphan Club’, her Instagram video, and grief dreams of her parents.
You can read more from Flora at www.floratheexplorer.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @FloraBaker, and find ‘The Adult Orphan Club’ on Amazon.
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
E164 - Philip Goldberg - Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
Philip Goldberg is the author or co-author of some 25 books published in more than a dozen languages; a public speaker and workshop leader; a spiritual counselor, meditation teacher and ordained Interfaith Minister. A Los Angeles resident, he cohosts the Spirit Matters podcast, leads American Veda Tours and blogs regularly on Elephant Journal and Spirituality & Health. His book American Veda was named by Huffington Post and Library Journal as one of the Top 10 Religion Books of 2010; it was followed in 2018 by the popular biography The Life of Yogananda. His newest book Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times, is set to be released on August 4th
In this episode we talk about his newest book Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times, becoming a writer, Paramahansa Yogananda, grief dreams of Yogananda, the love and loss of Philip’s mother, grief dreams of his mother, father, and friends.
You can find more about Philip here:
Sunday Jul 19, 2020
E163 - Jane Edberg - The Fine Art of Grieving
Sunday Jul 19, 2020
Sunday Jul 19, 2020
Jane Edberg is a published writer working in poetry, flash non-fiction and memoir. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Arts. She is a retired art professor who taught Art Appreciation, Photography and Design at various Universities and spent twenty years full-time at Gavilan College. She is currently working on a hybrid memoir of images and prose called “The Fine Art of Grieving” and authors a blog and Facebook page by the same title.
In this episode we talk about appreciating art, feeling “the big self”, using art during the pandemic, the death of her son, writing her book The Fine Art of Grieving, finding a new perspective, creative ways we grieve through art, and grief dreams before and after the death of her son.
You can find more about Jane here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefineartofgrieving/
Monday Jun 15, 2020
E160 - John Dietsch - Graced By Waters
Monday Jun 15, 2020
Monday Jun 15, 2020
John Dietsch is an award-winning writer, producer, director, talent, and consultant on hundreds of film and television shows focusing on the outdoors, travel, and fly fishing. As a life coach, teacher, TV personality, Aspen Colorado guide, and host of fly fishing trips across the globe, John helps his clients and students follow their passion by connecting with nature. He is perhaps best known in fly fishing circles for his supervision, doubling, and stunt work on the fly fishing scenes for the Oscar-winning film A River Runs Through It. His TV and film productions have garnered more than twenty-three awards, including a Telly for the primetime TV series "Adventure Guides: Fly Fishing Edition" that John hosted on Outdoor Channel and NBC Sports. His newest book, Graced by Waters, is his first collection of stories to celebrate and explore our spiritual connection to waters and the natural world.
In this episode we talk about fly fishing, his connection with the movie A River Runs Through It, the connection he has to nature, his newest book Graced by Waters, a dream he recently had of fly fishing, the death of his brothers, and grief dreams.
You can find more about John here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.dietsch.332
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dietschjohn/
Friday Jun 05, 2020
E159 - Erica Buist - This Party's Dead
Friday Jun 05, 2020
Friday Jun 05, 2020
Erica Buist is a journalist from London, England and writes mostly for the Guardian. February 2021 will see the publication of her first book, This Party's Dead, in which she investigates death anxiety by travelling to seven death festivals following the sudden loss of her father-in-law.
In this episode we talk about the death of her father-in-law, her agoraphobia following the loss, visiting 7 death festivals around the world, her book, and grief dreams.
You can find more about Erica here:
Website: thisisnotajourney.com
Facebook page: facebook.com/ericabuistwriter
IG: @ericabuist and @thispartysdead
Her book can be found here: https://unbound.com/books/this-partys-dead/
Saturday May 30, 2020
E158 - Chelsea Rushton - The Other Side of Chelshotel
Saturday May 30, 2020
Saturday May 30, 2020
Chelsea Rushton holds a BFA in Creative Writing and an MFA in Visual Art. Her art practice integrates somatics, ritual, and spirituality to explore how creative process can document and facilitate personal and collective growth and evolution. She works as a Technical Writer in the Department of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. Her parents both died suddenly, within eight months of each other, in 2018, when they were 69 and 71.
In this episode we talk with Chelsea about her passion for creative writing and visual art, the death of both her parents, the challenges of grieving multiple losses, her art series called The Other Side, and grief dreams of her parents.
You can find more on Chelsea at www.chelshotel.com or on IG @chelshotel
A video link to know more about Hilma af Klint (the person Chelsea wants to dream about) https://youtu.be/CHdud9km7bQ
Saturday May 23, 2020
E157 - Dr. Virginia Marsico - From Bruiser to Wall-E
Saturday May 23, 2020
Saturday May 23, 2020
Dr. Virginia Marsico is a Chiropractic Physician currently practicing in central Florida. After treating patients with conventional chiropractic care, she realized that many of the obstacles preventing her patients from achieving optimal health were not physical in origin. She now focuses on helping patients become their best by focusing on the mind-body-gut connection through functional medicine, addressing underlying issues involving emotional and physiological imbalances in the body.
In this episode we talk about moving to Los Angeles by herself, getting her first dog there, finding her now husband, chiropractic care, facing fears, the death of her dog, getting a new pet, and a grief dream of her dog.
You can find more of Dr. Marsico on IG @drmarsico
Sunday May 17, 2020
E156 - Guest Update - Rebecca MacDonald
Sunday May 17, 2020
Sunday May 17, 2020
In this guest update episode we talk with Rebecca MacDonald from episode 109. Rebecca is a self-taught keepsake artist working and living in Ontario with her husband and dog. Since immigrating to Canada in 2009, Rebecca has experienced loss many times. The passing of her grandfather in 2014 meant the loss of a loved one and a source of inspiration in her life. His courage and compassion continue to drive her to help others with their grief. Through the creation of custom jewellery and keepsakes, Rebecca seeks to provide comfort and connection to those experiencing loss.
In this episode we talk about changing her business name since being on the podcast, changing residence because of the pandemic, self-care during the pandemic, the recent death anniversary of her grandfather, and a new grief dream of her grandfather.
Rebecca's work can be found on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook
@comfortconnects or on www.comfortconnects.com
Sunday May 17, 2020
Rerelease: E109 - Rebecca MacDonald - Even in Sadness, There is Beauty
Sunday May 17, 2020
Sunday May 17, 2020
We rereleased this episode (E109) as our next episode features an update on the guest.
Rebecca MacDonald is a self-taught memorial jewelry artist working and living in Ontario with her husband and dog. Since immigrating to Canada 10 years ago, Rebecca has experienced loss many times as she moved throughout the country. Her grandfather has been a huge inspiration in her life and dealing with his passing from the other side of the Atlantic ocean has been one of her biggest struggles so far. By fostering connections with animals, she has also been able to connect with others. Through her work, she is learning how to manage her grief while helping others with their loss through her jewelry making.
In this episode we talk about her immigration from Ireland, her love of pets, starting her business making memorial jewelry, the death of her dog and grandfather, and a grief dream of her grandfather.
Rebecca’s work can be found on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook @comfortconnects or on www.comfortconnects.com
Wednesday May 13, 2020
E155 - Lisa Keefauver - Reimagining Grief
Wednesday May 13, 2020
Wednesday May 13, 2020
Lisa Keefauver spent the past 2 decades as a clinical social worker and narrative therapist. She witnessed first hand the unnecessary suffering of so many individuals because their families, communities, and culture weren’t supporting them in their grief. And then, it happened to her too. At 40, Lisa became a widow. In 2011, her husband Eric died in her arms, leaving her a single mother to their 7 year-old daughter. Just a few years later, she was by the bedside of a close friend when he succumbed to the ravages of Muscular Dystrophy. Lisa is the Founder & CEO of Reimagining Grief and host of the podcast, Grief is a Sneaky B!tch.
In this episode we talk about collective grief during the pandemic, reframing the concept of productivity, sitting with your emotions, the death of her husband and friend, and grief dreams of them.
You can find more about Lisa at https://reimagininggrief.com/
Saturday May 02, 2020
E154 - Dr. Sharon Prentice - Becoming Starlight
Saturday May 02, 2020
Saturday May 02, 2020
Dr. Sharon Prentice is a psychotherapist and spiritual counselor whose work focuses on helping patients process the grief of losing a loved one. Becoming Starlight is her memoir of healing from the devastating loss of her daughter and husband. She experienced a unique spiritual experience, known as a Shared Death Experience (SDE), which gave her a peek into foreverness and a sense of peace that was otherworldly.
In this episode we talk about meeting her husband, her pregnancy with her daughter, the death of both of them, her Shared Death Experience, and grief dreams of her daughter and husband.
For more information on Sharon, please visit https://sharonprentice.com
Thursday Mar 19, 2020
E150 - Andrea Wilson Woods - Being a Mother for Her Sister
Thursday Mar 19, 2020
Thursday Mar 19, 2020
Andrea Wilson Woods is a writer who loves to tell stories, and a patient advocate who founded the nonprofit Blue Faery: The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association. Andrea is the CEO and co-founder of Cancer University, a for-profit, social-benefit, digital health company. With Cancer U, Andrea synergizes her talents of coaching, writing, teaching, and advocacy. Andrea obtained her master’s degree in professional writing from the University of Southern California; her nonfiction writing has won national awards. Her newest book is a medical memoir titled Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days.
In this episode we talk about her life as a sister/legal guardian, her sister/daughter’s depression and cancer journey, her new book, giving her loved one a good death, meeting a stranger at her loved one's gravesite, and grief dreams of her.
You can find more about Andrea here: betteroffbald.com, bluefaery.org, cancer.university
If you use the promo code: GRIEFDREAMS at cancer.university, you will receive a free lifetime membership to Cancer University