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Sunita Puri is a Palliative Medicine physician and author of the incredible book That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour, a critically-acclaimed literary memoir examining her journey to the practice of palliative medicine, and her quest to help patients and families redefine what it means to live and die well in the face of serious illness. In this episode, she explores her experiences in palliative medicine, the role of spirituality and the sacred practice of accompanying someone in their pain and suffering, what it means to have a good death, and so much more. Just like in her writing and in her practice as a palliative physician, Sunita brings so much wisdom, warmth and insight to our conversation.  About the guest Dr. Sunita Puri is the Program Director of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellowship at the University of Massachusetts, where she is also an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine. She completed medical school and residency training in internal medicine at the University of California San Francisco followed by a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at Stanford. A graduate of Yale University and the recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship, her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Slate, JAMA, and, forthcoming, the New Yorker. She and her work have been featured in the Atlantic, People Magazine, PBS’ Christian Amanpour Show, NPR, the Guardian, BBC, India Today, and Literary Hub. She is passionate about the ways that the precise and compassionate use of language can empower patients and physicians to have the right conversations about living and dying.  Episode Resources I HIGHLY recommend buying her book That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour. Other guests who’ve explored aspects of this topic include Dr. BJ Miller and Social Workers Rachel Rusch and Rachel-Carnahan Metzger. Jump Straight Into It (14:00) – Sunita talks about how in her training she always gravitated towards “the why” – why is a particular intervention being given? To what end? (33:15) – Sunita explores the importance of showing up as your authentic self – whether you’re the physician, a family member or a friend. It’s not about a perfect phrase or perfect act, it’s about showing up as you. (44:00) - Sunita explores the importance of listening versus talking when accompanying someone who’s in pain or suffering. Recognizing the paternalistic approach of fix-it when it comes to patient’s emotions. Podcast Merch Alert You asked, I answered. I finally created some GSB Podcast merch from tees to hoodies to coffee mugs, journals and stickers. Head over to the Grief Happens Shop at www.lisakeefauver.com/griefhappensshop  Stay Connected to Our Host   SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform. INVITE HER TO YOUR INBOX to get behind-the-scenes on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.  IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too.@lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mary-Frances O’Connor is my special guest in this episode. I devoured her book, The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss last year and knew I needed to have a conversation with the author on this show. I’m grateful to share that late last year, I had the honor of sitting down with Mary-Frances to explore the fascinating work she has been doing studying the Grieving Brain. I’m 100% confident you will learn so much and appreciate the warmth and wisdom she brings to this conversation.  EPISODE RESOURCES: Mary-Frances O’Connor is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, where she directs the Grief, Loss and Social Stress (GLASS) Lab, which investigates the effects of grief on the brain and the body. O’Connor earned a doctorate from the University of Arizona in 2004 and completed a fellowship at UCLA. Her work has been published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, and Psychological Science, and featured in Newsweek, the New York Times, and The Washington Post. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND buying her book, The Grieving Brain here at Amazon or any major booksellers. You can also learn more about her and her work by visiting her website: www.maryfrancesoconnor.org JUMP STRAIGHT INTO: (13:46) – Explains shift from understanding grief effect on physiology to effect on the brain (21:-00) – Mary-Frances explains our need for attachment and security and what happens when we lose that relationship. (36:45) – Explains how understanding how the brain maps our relationships and why each grief journey is unique  (43:00) - Explains while it’s common for us to think about the shoulda, coulda, wouldas in loss, rumination is actually a form of avoidance. She offers some alternative ways to consider the loss. NEW MERCH ALERT You asked, I answered. I finally created some GSB Podcast merch from tees to hoodies to coffee mugs, journals and stickers. Head over to the Grief Happens Shop at www.lisakeefauver.com/griefhappensshop  3 WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED   SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review. INVITE ME TO YOUR INBOX to get behind-the-scenes on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter. IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too. @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I explore the creative response to loss and trauma with my dear friend, artist, and former GSB podcast guest Krissy Teegerstrom.   In A Grief Journey Delayed in Season 1, Krissy explored the delayed and disenfranchised grief over the death of her father. Not long after that conversation, Krissy came to recognize the  unnamed neglect and emotional abuse by her mother in the wake of her father’s death. In this episode, she speaks openly and vulnerably about coming to grips with the resulting grief and trauma she endured, and the difficult, oftentimes painful, but profoundly healing journey she’s been on ever since. All of that led to her following her intuition to create one of the most exquisite and deeply profound one-of-a-kind experiential art exhibitions, entitled I Was Already Everything   EPISODE RESOURCES Krissy Teegerstrom is a self-taught artist who lives in Austin. In 2017, she returned to her native state of Texas after living in New York City and the Bay Area. Drawing inspiration through her intuition, faith in the unseen, and a connection to the natural world, Krissy creates by hand with pencil, paper, paint, thread and fabric, sewing on her 1948 Singer Featherweight sewing machine. She is dedicated to sustainability, utilizing secondhand materials in the majority of her work. Her artwork includes murals, collage, drawings and sculpture. Her design work, under the name Featherweight Studio, focuses primarily on clothing. Clients and collaborators include Eddie Vedder, Phoebe Bridgers, X, Heritage Boot, Tellason Denim and Wrong Marfa. You can learn about her work at: www.featherweightstudio.com JUMP STRAIGHT INTO (04:03) - Krissy’s ideal way of dealing with sadness and loss.  (09:52) - Grief and trauma as a form of revelation of other Krissy's loss (16:13) - The moment Krissy realized it was the time to heal (20:22) - Krissy reclaims her artistic side and creativity as instruments for healing and self-awareness.  (28:33) - Important symbolism that Krissy uses in her artwork to convey feelings  (36:16) - Krissy's work as a safe space for us to be vulnerable STAY CONNECTED   1)     SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.   2)    STAY UP TO DATE on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.   3)    IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too. @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus Holiday Episode Somehow the holiday season snuck up on us, didn’t it? Host Lisa Keefauver knows that whether this is your first or 21st holiday in the wake of loss, it can be tough. So in this bonus holiday episode, she is speaking directly to you. She put together 10 tips for you to consider as you navigate the holidays in grief. While she can’t promise you that grief won’t show up over the holidays (because of course grief will, even and especially when not invited), she offers you 10 invitations to help you navigate the holidays with a little more ease and a lot more grace. She will also be sharing these 10 tips in a blog post and in her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, so sign up at www.lisakeefauver.com/newsletter  Stay Connected SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review. STAY UP TO DATE on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.  IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too. @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What must it be like to be a pediatric ICU Nurse day in and day out, witnessing children and families in the most vulnerable and often grief-filled moments of their lives? Today’s guest, Hui-Wen Sato weaves a beautiful narrative about the realities of professional grief and the important cultural shifts needed to better serve both families and the medical professionals that serve them. She also shares the personal resources she draws on to sustain her and the role of storytelling as healing for all involved. And, as the title implies, she also implores us to stop putting healthcare workers on a pedestal.   Hui-wen is a pediatric ICU nurse based in Los Angeles. She holds an MPH and MSN from UCLA, and is currently obtaining her Certification in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University. She and her husband have two daughters, two tortoises and one complicated dog.  EPISODE RESOURCES: Check out Hui-Wen's TEDx Talk: “How Grief Helped Me Become a Better Caregiver.” She has been featured in podcasts with NPR TED Radio Hour and The Silent Why, as well as webinars for Happify and the Speaking Grief Initiative. You can follow her work at http://heartofnursing.blog.  JUMP STRAIGHT INTO: (06:30) - Hui-Wen’s first memory of loss and what she learned from it  (17:06) - What led Hui-Wen to become an ICU nurse  (26:20) - Grieving as a nurse  (45:18) - Letting go of the fix-it narrative  (57:25) - The big gulf: the expectation of healing vs. the harsh reality  (01:08:43) - The healing power of storytelling    STAY CONNECTED: SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.  STAY UP TO DATE on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.  IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too. @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest Myra Sack shares the heart break and the beauty of what it was like to be with her daughter Havi in her too short life. She and her husband Matt ended up having only 13 months between Havi’s diagnosis of Tay-Sachs Disease at just 15 months old and her death at home with them. In that time, the created a sacred weekly ritual that combined the Jewish tradition of Shabbat with birthday celebrations that Havi would most likely not be alive for. The result was 57 Shabbirthdays and the recognition that we can all hold joy and pain in these liminal spaces. What a sacred and beautiful conversation we shared.  EPISODE RESOURCES: A Mother’s Letter On The Passing Of A Young Daughter by Myra Sack Visit the Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport   JUMP STRAIGHT INTO: (06:06) - Approach Behavior vs. Avoidant Behavior: Why approaching grief as a community should be encouraged - “We see grieving people somehow as scary or you know, this negative stimulus as opposed to seeing grieving people as beautiful and wise and light.”   (09:18) - Myra’s story: How she met her Husband Matt, became the mother of Havi and a fatal error that changed their lives forever.    (13:36) - Shabbirthday: Moving from shock and anger to active living and celebrating the time Havi had left - “It was in that moment that I realized that she was here with me in this physical world for only a brief moment more, and so I was going to summon whatever courage.”    (26:19) - Finding solace as a community: How people became present in the Shabbirthdays and accompanied Myra’s family.   (35:53) - How Myra continued a relationship with Havi after her death.  STAY CONNECTED SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review. STAY UP TO DATE on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter. IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too. @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WELCOME TO SEASON 4! In this first episode of the season, host Lisa Keefauver invites Dr. Rachel Yehuda, a researcher she has long admired, to join her in a conversation that explores grief, stress, and rituals. Although they do touch on the wisdom she has gained from her seminal work in the areas of intergenerational trauma and stress and PTSD, they also got much more personal, including exploring what Dr. Yehuda learned about grief and ritual growing up in an observant Jewish household and community.  Dr. Rachel Yehuda is an Endowed Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Trauma. She is also Director of Mental Health at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Dr. Yehuda is a recognized leader in the field of traumatic stress studies, PTSD, and intergenerational trauma. In 2019, Dr. Yehuda was elected to the National Academy of Medicine for her seminal contributions to understanding the psychological and biological impact of traumatic stress. In 2020, Dr. Yehuda established and now directs the Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research. EPISODE RESOURCES Learn more about Dr Yehuda’s work on psychedelic psychotherapy: The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research And don’t forget to check out Rachel Yehuda’s Publications.   JUMP STRAIGHT INTO (03:01) - Her earliest memory of grief (07:27) - How different cultures see death and grief, and how to express empathy and compassion with actions rather than words  (20:55) - Making space for emotions in early grief (25:20) - Acknowledging your own grief so that you can be present and supportive for others when a loss occurs.  (35:29) - The process of grief - moving on without letting the past take away your future   (44:21) - The impact of grief and the importance of meaning making  STAY CONNECTED FOR MORE GRIEF SUPPORT Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review on Apple Podcast Stay up-to-date on the podcast including behind-the-scenes scoop by signing up for host Lisa Keefauver's Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter. If you’re feeling social, connect with the host on all your favorite social channels too. @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever devoured a book in a day?   Well that’s exactly what I did with The Healing Power of Storytelling - an incredibly profound book written by my guest, Annie Brewster. Annie is an Assistant Professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, a practicing physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, a writer, and a storyteller. She is also a patient, diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2001. She started recording patient narratives in 2010 and, integrating her personal experiences with the research supporting the health benefits of narrative, founded Health Story Collaborative (HSC) in 2013.   In this episode we explore the grief involved in a diagnosis, the lessons she learned about the healing power of narratives, the elements of storytelling that can help bring improved outcomes to our physical, psychological and emotional well-being and so much more.  EPISODE RESOURCES Read The Healing Power of Storytelling by Annie Brewster, MD JUMP STRAIGHT INTO (03:32) - A Traumatic childhood event as an early experience of grief (07:32) - Addressing grief inside the medical field (11:14) - Disappointment as a form of grief and the diagnosis that encouraged Annie to write a book  (20:28) - Collective patient stories: A call to integrate grief into our own personal narratives (25:37) - The five key qualities behind Annie’s methodology of meaning making (35:08) - Shaping our own stories to overcome the universal ‘master’ Narratives (43:25) - The transformative power of sharing stories between doctors and patients ABOUT THE SHOW If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today! Learn more about becoming a GSB Podcast Supporter here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh my friends, I’m thrilled to bring you this beautiful and rich conversation I had with Naomi Edmonson. Naomi offers so much wisdom and insight as she explores her experiences and lessons learned after losing both a mother figure and her mother. She also shares the journey she’s been on creating safer grief spaces for Black people, something she felt missing in her early grief where she was often the only Black Queer person in the room. We explore the expectations we have about being alongside someone in their dying process and the importance of truly being seen and held in grief.  EPISODE RESOURCES Follow Naomi at The Glorious Hum on Instagram  EPISODE SPONSOR Thanks to our sponsor Empathy. GSB listeners get a complimentary phone consultation call with a Care Specialist. Get immediate support and guidance for your particular situation today. Go to www.empathy.com/gsb for more info.  JUMP STRAIGHT INTO: (03:42) - Naomi’s anticipatory grief experience regarding the passing of her mother figure (13:14) - Accepting the version of ourselves that comes out when in grief (17:27) - Caregiving and the endeavors of showing up during a loved one's last (29:02) - Becoming more present and attentive after experiencing multiple losses (34:06) - From safe to safer space: How The Glorious Hum and Black Folks Grieve emerged and what it means for Naomi’s own processes (44:42) - Acknowledging less tangible types of loss, permission-giving and grief gone invalidated (53:06) - Adulthood and finding space to be: Reflections from Naomi’s birthday trip to Jamaica  ABOUT THE SHOW: If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today! Learn more about becoming a GSB Podcast Supporter here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cecilie Surasky is my guest in this special episode of GSB. Her stories of love and loss and ritual and divine connections with her 18 year old son Teo, who passed accidentally by unknowingly ingesting a lethal substance, will move you, sometimes make you laugh, and honestly might just inspire you to think differently about we can stay connected with our loved ones even after they’re physically gone from this earth. Cecilie is a longtime movement-builder who is currently the Director of Communications at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, and she reached out to me last year to share a sweet note of praise after her colleague john a powell was a guest on my show. We soon entered a beautiful back and forth series of emails about the nature of grief and how Immediately following the sudden loss of their 18 year old son Teo, Cecilie and her spouse Carolyn Hunt reached out to their son's friends and their extended family and friend network so they could all grieve and heal together. The result, still in progress, is an entire community that has been forever changed through storytelling, ritual, and deep listening...and also regular Zoom calls.   Episode Resources A recent article Cecilie wrote about Teo in the Berkleyside  Episode Sponsor Thanks to our sponsor Vida Health. Visit www.vida.com to learn more. Jump straight into (06:04) - Cecilie’s earliest memories of grief (and how her family addressed it) (18:18) - A blended family: Cecilie shares stories about the life and personality of her son Teo (26:55) - Teo’s passing event: Why is anxiety among adolescents so normalized? (30:30) – Cecilie’s observations about the fact that this loss happened in an uncertain moment in history? (35:07) - The lack of farewell rituals due to the pandemic and Teo’s garden ceremony (47:59) - The magic of building a supporting community of humans around grief (55”42) - The afterlife: Recent spiritual experiences that have connected Cecilie and Teo About the show If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!   Learn more about becoming a GSB Podcast Supporter here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About this episode: My friends, what can I say about today’s guest. The minute we were introduced last year, we fell into deep and ongoing discussions about the importance of narrative and storytelling in healing spaces. Rachel Rusch is a social worker, educator and researcher specializing in pediatric palliative care in Los Angeles, California. Her work centers on the intersection of narrative and storytelling in healthcare the relationship between patient, family and clinician perseverance. We explore all of these subjects in today’s episode including her personal experiences of loss and the insights she’s gleaned from some of the incredible narrative medicine and improv projects she’s involved in today.  Episode Resources Follow Rachel on Twitter to learn more about her incredible work with support of the Cambia Health Foundation Harnessing the Power of Improv During Uncertain Times  Episode Sponsor Thanks to our sponsor Vida Health. Vida – healthcare designed for the body and mind! Visit www.vida.com to learn more. Jump straight into: (03:36) - Rachel’s earliest memory of grief   (10:21) - Rachel’s time as an artist performing in New York City   (18:04) - Becoming a social worker: Rachel’s experience as a volunteer for the 52nd street project   (24:46) - The Perseverance Project: Behind Rachel’s awarded storytelling project   (34:25) - The relationship between palliative care and storytelling   (39:05) - ‘Lift of personhood’: The art of addressing vulnerability in the medical field   (48:43) - How are we walking into forever shifted unprecedented times after experiencing so much loss?  About the show: If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!   Learn more about becoming a GSB Podcast Supporter here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: My guest J’aime Morrison and I dove right in to such a rich and beautiful conversation about grief and loss and the way our bodies hold and can be used to express our grief. She is a former professional dancer and now a professor of theater and movement at California State University at Northridge. She's also a woman who fell in love with surfing later in life, which turned out to be a profoundly important passion that has helped her navigate the waters of deep grief after the death of her husband to a brain tumor. In fact, she's created a Cannes Film Festival award-winning short experimental called Upwell, that is such a beautiful and powerful reminder, really capturing the experience of grief so beautifully through dance, and surf, and community. Her ability to interweave story and metaphor and movement into this episode was such a gift in this conversation.  Episode Resources Dr. J’aime Morrison is a Professor of Theatre Movement at California State University, Northridge and she holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from New York University. Learn more about her Cannes Film Festival Award winning film and the incredible retreat she is a part of by clicking the links below.  Upwell https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/370342378/914bfb68c9  Retreat information https://www.twocanretreats.com/mourning-surf-grief-retreat-santa-teresa-costa-rica  Instagram @mourningsurf  Jump straight into: (10:20) - A language beyond words: J’aime’s journey to recognize the therapeutic value within movement (16:06) - Building a family: The day J’aime met her husband, his illness and the anticipatory grief experience (35:53) - Surfing is like grief (46:53) – The experience of community working on the film  Episode Sponsor Thanks to our episode sponsor Eterneva. Eterneva is helping you remember your loved ones remarkably. Visit www.eterneva.com today to learn more. Don’t forget to check them out on Tik Tok too.  About the Show If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own.To learn more about the show and how host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: I’ve been a fan of today’s guest for a long time so I’m thrilled to share my conversation with Dr. BJ Miller with you today. BJ is a longtime hospice and palliative medicine physician and educator. He has worked in all settings of care: hospital, clinic, residential facility, and home. Led by his own experiences as a patient, BJ advocates for the roles of our senses, community, and presence in designing a better ending.   We began our conversation with the story of how he came to be a patient after a catastrophic injury in his 20’s. Together we explored the challenges of acknowledging grief and humanity in traditional systems of care and why it’s important to grapple with the truth that suffering, illness, and dying are fundamental and intrinsic aspects of life. His warmth and wisdom and insight taught me so much throughout our conversation and I know you’re going to learn so much too.  EPISODE RESOURCES: Mettle Health BJ's Ted Talk  JUMP STRAIGHT INTO: (03:52) - BJ’s earliest memory of loss (11:07) - BJ’s injury and loss: How it lead him into palliative medicine (17:46) - What did palliative care look like when BJ entered that field (and how is it different from hospice) (25:44) - Notions of enthusiasm and resistance among patient population and fellow doctors (36:26) - Primary palliative care: How is the pandemic changing the perception around the palliative field?   (40:06) - How BJ explores suffering to his patients (49:23) - How did Mettle Health come into existence and how is it helping people? EPISODE SPONSOR: Thanks to our sponsor Vida Health. Vida – healthcare designed for the body and mind! Visit Vida.com/bcbsil to learn more. ABOUT THE SHOW: If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own.   To learn more about the show and how host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In today’s episode, my guest Dr. Lizzie Cleary is bright and warm and engaging and her training in psychology and work in the fields of oncology meant we spent some time exploring the professional borne wisdom on the topics of grief and loss and post traumatic growth. She currently serves as a Senior Psychologist and Clinical supervisor at the Simms/Mann UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology. But our conversation begins with a much more personal experience of loss that happened at the time Lizzie was studying to be a psychologist. Lizzie’s Mom Sylvia sounds like she was a trailblazer! And just as Lizzie was launching her own career, in psychology, Sylvia died while out on her kayak in one of her favorite places to be. That was 2005. Lizzie and her family began grieving this as an accidental death only to discover nearly 4 years later, based on the finally completed autopsy report, that she had died by suicide. While Lizzie doesn’t go into details about her death, I appreciated the way she illuminated the unique aspects of grieving this type of death and the added layer of complexity this new information brought forth. Lizzie’s warmth and wisdom and insight taught me so much throughout our conversation and I know you’re going to learn so much too.  Episode Resources Dr. Lizzie Cleary is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in oncology, grief, and making meaning out of life’s most challenging experiences. She is a senior psychologist at the Simms/Mann UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology, where she teaches and supervises graduate students in psychology, social work, medicine, and chaplaincy. She can be found at drlizziecleary.com and on IG @drlizziecleary   Growth After Trauma by Richard G. Tedeschi Episode Sponsor Thanks to our sponsor Vida Health. Vida – healthcare designed for the body and mind! Visit Vida.com/bcbsil to learn more. About The Show If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: My conversation with widower Wesley Bain is truly one of the most profound and important conversations I've had on this show, and in my life. In October 2020 I had the honor of interviewing his late wife, Christina Bain who at the time had been experiencing chronic Stage 4 Colon Cancer at age 36. On February 8, 2021Christina died. Eight months later I got a note from Wesley. Wesley’s note began a conversation that blossomed into the interview we recorded on February 9, 2022. In this episode, we explored their love, what it was like to be by her side as the cancer wreaked havoc on her, how inspired he was by her commitment to helping other cancer patients, the conversations he had and continues to have with their daughter Marlowe, the complexity of navigating her death amid the pandemic and so much more. All I can tell you is that I felt Christina in the room with us.  EPISODE RESOURCES:   What to Make When You’re Dying by Christina Bain GSB Podcast Episode: Bearing the Wait with Christina Bain  EPISODE SPONSOR: Today’s episode is brought to you by Eterneva. Eterneva created a way to help you remember your loved ones remarkably, by turning their ashes into diamonds. Visit www.eterneva.com to learn more. You can also check them out on Tik Tok too.  JUMP STRAIGHT INTO: (08:38) - United by improv: How did Wesley and Christina meet (12:33) - Making sense of incomprehensible news: What did Wesley experience when Christina got diagnosed? (17:46) - ‘Get back to normal’: Wesley’s process of recognizing anticipatory grief and having time for himself (26:19) - On Christina’s legacy and the gifts she crafted before passing away (33:43) - Christina’s work as a patient advocate for the Livestrong Cancer Institutes (38:36) - How did Wesley spend his last days with Christina? (46:40) - On Christina’s farewell ceremony and the snowstorm that followed (01:00:16) What has Wesley learned about himself through all of this?  ABOUT THE SHOW:If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: I’ve been desperately wanting to include climate and ecological grief in this show for such a long time and I’m thrilled to begin it with today’s guest, Ashlee Cunsolo. Ashlee is the Founding Dean, School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies at Labrador Institute of Memorial University. She is a Researcher, Educator, and Environmental Advocate   Ashlee offers so much wisdom today born of her lifelong personal passion for the environment and because of the deep and extensive qualitative and quantitative research she has been doing in Northern Labrador in Canada with indigenous Inuit people. She shares the wisdom she has learned from Elders, explores the deep grief scientists are facing as the the populations they love, and study are disappearing before their eyes, and helps us connect to the need for a kind of gritty hope necessary to stay active in saving this ecosystem that we are a part of, that we are in relationship with. She invites us to see more fully that we are part of a collective that is a much bigger WE than we often imagine.  EPISODE RESOURCES: You can learn more about Ashlee Cunsolo and her research by visiting www.ashleecunsolo.ca  EPISODE SPONSOR: Today’s episode is brought to you by Vida Health. Vida Health, now in-network with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, lets people get the mental healthcare they need when, where, and how they need it. Visit Vida.com to learn more. Vida – healthcare designed for the body and mind!   JUMP STRAIGHT INTO: (04:10) - Ashlee Cunsolo, a health Geographer. What is her first grief memory   (15:26) - Understanding ecological and climate grief   (27:53) - How is intergenerational storytelling around ecological grief being expressed in this current era   (33:39) - How to handle ecological grief from the scientific perspective   (44:41) - How has the relationship between emotional intelligence and science progressed in the academic field?   (52:43) - Monuments, memorials and other manifestations for people to honor their ecological grief  ABOUT THE SHOW: If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs, scientists and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:   I’m so thrilled to bring you a conversation with my new friend, Marisa Renee Lee. Marisa shares what it was like to be a teenager and young woman caring for her mother who was ill with MS and breast cancer in the most formative years of her young life, with her mother dying just a few years after she graduated from Harvard. Marisa and I explore how her CEO personality was helpful in keeping her family together and getting things done and yet likely delayed her inevitable need to face her grief. Marisa also shares some of the surprising experiences she had with workplace culture around grief from Wall Street to the 4 years she spent in the Obama White House.  EPISODE RESOURCES:   You can learn more about Marisa Renee Lee and her forthcoming book, Grief is Love by visiting www.marisareneelee.com   SPONSOR The team at Eterneva is on a mission to help you remember your loved one remarkably. They’ve created a way for us to celebrate our remarkable loved ones by turning their ashes into a diamond. You can learn more about them by visiting www.eterneva.com. Oh, and don’t forget to check them out @eterneva on TikTok too.  JUMP STRAIGHT INTO: (04:49) - Marisa’s first childhood encounter with grief   (12:07) - Marisa’s journey being a caretaker for her mom   (18:40) - Anticipatory grief: Conversations on how to spend the last moments with someone with a terminal disease   (27:05) - What Marisa learned about herself when founding The Pink Agenda   (30:38) - Lisa reads a passage from an article about a museum exhibition on grief   (36:22) - The experience of grief in the workplace when working on Wall Street and then in Obama’s administration   (42:43) - On perinatal losses, trauma, and support circles  ABOUT THE SHOW:  If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow.   From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:   In 2012, Beth’s partner went mountain biking and that was the day their lives changed forever. In Accidental Grief, guest Beth Erlander explores what it was like to process the news that her life partner was quadriplegic, the grief that accompanied that news, how her personal, professional, and spiritual practices helped her healing process and how she’s using all that she’s learned to tend to those of us who tend for others. I really can’t wait for you to meet her.  EPISODE RESOURCES: Beth Erlander, MA, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor (in the state of Colorado), an Art Therapist, a Creative Grief Support Practitioner, and an EMDR practitioner. She recently became a Cowry Shell Diviner taught by blessed memory Elder Malidoma Patrice Somé. She’s also an unofficial nurse or CNA for her partner with quadriplegia. She’s passionate about helping others navigate loss from having apprenticed to her own grief process when her partner broke his neck in 2012. Beth is currently writing her memoir about the trauma and grief of losing her able bodied partner to quadriplegia. She currently runs an online support group for therapists called Tending the Tenders where she provides grief support and teaches about how to do grief better. She strives to live in a world where grief is as normal as eating, peeing and sleeping. Learn more at https://betherlander.com/  JUMP STRAIGHT INTO: (01:48) - Beth’s first encounter with grief: Wearing Great Aunt Abba's hat   (06:21) - Life upside down: Dealing with her partner’s life-changing moment   (14:18) - Assumptions and first steps when seeking help after a tragic event   (19:07) - Beth’s findings doing a grief ritual from the Dagara African tribe   (24:53) - On guilt associated with feeling anger during grief and how to handle it   (31:49) Why is EMDR so helpful for processing trauma?   (36:40) - Grief is forever: How have those different practices evolved and melted together  ABOUT THE SHOW:  If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow.   From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: My guest Ilyse Kennedy of Moving Parts Psychotherapy is a trauma-informed therapist who has a passion for supporting and educating her clients, the general population, and fellow clinicians like myself about the myths and realities of what it means to experience trauma. In this episode, she helps us understand what trauma is and isn’t, the relationship between grief and trauma, the importance of understanding our physiology, getting the right kind of trauma-informed support and so much more.   Ilyse Kennedy, LPC, LMFT, PMH-C, PSEP is a trauma therapist, educator, and author located in Austin, TX. She owns a group practice, Moving Parts Psychotherapy, where she leads a team of clinicians in offering comprehensive trauma treatment to children through adults. As a trauma survivor herself, her mission is to create a more trauma informed world. This includes advocacy work on Instagram, education through courses, consultation work for other clinicians, and a forthcoming book.  EPISODE RESOURCES: Visit her website Moving Parts Psychotherapy or follow her on Instagram and TikTok. Also, here is the kids' book Ilyse talked about during the episode: Death is Stupid by Anastasia Higginbotham JUMP STRAIGHT INTO: (02:13) - llyse’s remembrances of grief as a child and how she talks about death with her kids (11:28) - Approaching grief and trauma from a physiological perspective (18:04) - Understanding EMDR therapy and the different layers of memory within traumatic events (23:26) - Differences between normative response to grief versus a traumatic trigger (28:09) - Internal Family Systems therapy as a way to comprehend how the mind splits when processing trauma (39:43) - On shame and why it’s such a powerful emotion (46:56) - The slow process of therapy and digging up past grief while dealing with a current loss  ABOUT THE SHOW: If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About this Episode: In this episode, my guest Barbara Jones and I explore a wide range of topics from grief in the adolescent oncology population, the innovations she is seeing in cancer care to help address the WHOLE person (not just the disease), the very real and frightening moral distress and empathetic strain our health care professionals are under today and so much more. I can’t wait for you to meet her!   Dr. Barbara Jones is Associate Dean for Health Affairs at UT Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work. At Dell Medical School, she is Chair of the Department of Health Social Work, Associate Director of Social Sciences and Community-Based Research in the Livestrong Cancer Institutes, and Distinguished professor of social work, oncology, population health, and psychiatry. She was a Founding Board Member of the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network and served as Secretary. She is past president of the Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers. Dr. Jones is a Founding Steering Committee Member of UT Center for Health Interprofessional Practice and Education.  Episode Resources: If you’d like to dig in The CaLm Model, you can download it here: Cancer Life reiMagined: The CaLM Model of Whole-Person Cancer Care  Jump straight into: (05:43) - Barbara’s early vision of hospice and social work as her life project (11:28) - CaLM model: Growing empathy and compassion to reimagine cancer treatment (18:20) - Addressing the structural issues within young adults facing complex medical diagnosis (25:54) - Channeling self-compassion to young cancer patients and their parents (33:34) - How are adolescents grieving? (43:38) - Grief, loss, and moral injury that's happening among health providers (55:20) - Dignifying the social workers’ labor at healthcare centers  Episode Sponsor: Thanks to Mir Care Consultants, whose licensed clinicians and social workers help navigate and provide solutions for care management and provide support during what can be a difficult and challenging time. You can learn more at www.mircareconsultants.com. About The Show: If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, the founder of Reimagining Grief, holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more sign up for her newsletter or follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.