Grief Out Loud

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 166: Emotions Aren't Problems - Krista St-Germain Oct 08, 2020

Show notes

Many of us grew up believing that some emotions are good, some emotions are better, and some (most) emotions are bad. When it comes to grief the list of emotions we'd like to not have can be long: guilt, anger, shame, regret, etc. What would happen though if we stopped ranking emotions? Stopped thinking of them as problems that need to be fixed? It was this shift that changed things for Krista St. Germain after her husband was killed by a drunk driver. Krista is the host of the Widowed Mom Podcast and a life coach who specializes in working with widows.

Listen to the Widowed Mom Podcast. Follow Krista on Instagram (@lifecoachkrista) & Facebook. Check out her website, Coaching With Krista.

Ep. 165: As The Shock Wore Off - Grief's Second Year (Mira Simone) Oct 02, 2020

Show notes

Mira Simone is a writer, mother, and grieving wife. Her husband Brian died of cancer in the winter of 2019, just seven weeks after a diagnosis of stage IV melanoma. When Brian died, their daughter Davida was about to turn three. Brian's death created a huge crater in their lives - leaving Mira to figure out how to live without Brian, who was the biggest love she'd ever known, while also supporting Davida in her grief. Writing has been a constant for Mira, both throughout Brian's illness and in the months since he died. You can find her published writings here. She posts regularly about grief on her Instagram (@newmoonmira).

Ep. 164: Supporting Children & Teens In Grief - Kevin R. Carter, LCSW Sep 22, 2020

Show notes

For the past three decades, Kevin Carter, LCSW, has worked as a clinician, administrator, and educator. He currently serves as the Clinical Director at the Uplift Center for Grieving Children in Philadelphia, PA. Kevin's work focuses on how grief and trauma affect youth, and particularly the African American children and families he works with. We discuss how the combination of COVID-19, protests against police brutality and racial violence, and the rising rates of homicide and gun violence in Philadelphia is impacting children and teens who are already carrying grief. Kevin also shares how the Uplift Center is serving families virtually and what he and his staff are learning about providing support in this new realm.

Here are the resources we touch on in our conversation: Dr. Tashel Bordere's work on suffocated grief My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem #upliftathome - Uplift Center's COVID-19 resources Speaking Grief initiative

Ep. 163: Capital L Love - Caring For A Parent With Alzheimer's (Brianne Grebil) Sep 15, 2020

Show notes

When Brianne Grebil's mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at the age of 62, Brianne packed up and moved from LA back to northern Idaho to help care for her. Over the course of her mother's illness, many of the moments Brianne dreaded the most ended up being the ones that shifted her understanding of love and what remains when we lose everything we knew to be true about the people in our lives. We talk about Brianne's book, Love Doesn't Care if You Forget: Lessons of Love From Alzheimer's and Dementia, and the complexities of planning a memorial during the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can purchase Brianne's book through Amazon, or get a signed copy from the Brianne's Love and Dementia website. You can also connect with Brianne on Facebook or Instagram

Ep. 162: When The Professional Becomes Personal - Alesia Alexander, LCSW Sep 08, 2020

Show notes

For the past two decades, Alesia Alexander, LCSW, has worked with grieving children, teens, and families. The original inspiration for doing this work was very personal. Alesia's father died of cancer in 1994 and before he died, he asked her to find a way to give back to the community that gave so much to them throughout his illness. From this death bed promise, Alesia went on to focus on supporting those in grief through therapy, consultation, education, and writing. She is the author of two children's books: Sunflowers and Rainbows for Tia: Saying Goodbye to Daddy (1999), A Mural for Mamita/Un Mural Para Mamita (2001), and a resource for professionals: Tapestries: A Creative & inclusive Approach to Grief Support with Young People & Communities (2013). Recently, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, grief has come home for Alesia again. Her daughter's father recently died of brain cancer and Alesia stepped into a new role of supporting her daughter, while attending to her own grief.

Alesia was a consultant for the Speaking Grief multimedia initiative. Watch the hour-long documentary and learn more at www.speakinggrief.org To learn more about Alesia's work, visit her site.

Ep. 161: Preserving Memories -Love Not Lost With Ashley Jones Aug 28, 2020

Show notes

To heal you have to feel it and to feel it you have to be present with it.

When Ashley Jones's infant daughter Skylar was diagnosed with SMA (spinal muscular atrophy), she wasn't unfamiliar with grief, but she had no idea how Skylar's illness and death would propel her into a new world of supporting others. What started as a photo session for a family grieving the death of their baby, has grown into Love Not Lost, a non-profit that provides free portrait sessions for families facing a terminal illness. Love Not Lost also offers tools and training for family, friends, and employers who want to provide useful support to those they care about. Follow Love Not Lost (@lovenotlost) on social media for updates on their events and opportunities.

Ep. 160: The Shared Room - Kao Kalia Yang Aug 13, 2020

Show notes

Children's books transport us – sometimes to places of imagination and sometimes to places rooted in place and culture. A children's book can also be doorway to emotional understanding around complex topics. Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong American writer and grieving mother who recently published The Shared Room, a brave and tender book for children (and adults) about a family grieving the death of their daughter. The Shared Room is at once a book about memories, sorrow, joy, and the ways grief is carried individually and collectively.

Listen to Kao Kalia Yang & Shannon Gibney, co-editors of What God is Honored Here - Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss, By and For Indigenous Women and Women of Color on Grief Out Loud, Ep. 127. To learn more about Kao Kalia Yang's writing, teaching, and speaking, visit her website. Watch Kao Kalia and illustrator, Xee Reiter, discuss The Shared Room.

Ep. 159: Back To School With Grief & The COVID-19 Pandemic - A Tip Sheet Aug 10, 2020

Show notes

This episode is a little different. Rather than an interview, we are sharing information from the Dougy Center's most recent Tip Sheet - Back to School with Grief and the COVID-19 Pandemic. With how tough it can be to focus long enough to take in a lot of text when you're grieving, we wanted to offer the information in this format. We'll be bringing you more Tip Sheet episodes over the next few months, so stay tuned! Check out the Dougy Center's full Tip Sheet collection. It includes Tip Sheets for parents and caregivers wanting to supporting children and teens in their grief as well as ones for teens, young adults, teachers, and school administrators. In this episode we mention When Your World is Already Upside Down, a Tip Sheet specifically on how to support children and teens who are carrying grief into this time of COVID-19.

Ep. 158: Growing (Up) With Grief - One Teen's Story Aug 02, 2020

Show notes

What does it mean to grow and grow up with grief? Aliya, a recent high school graduate, spent the past three years reckoning both with her mother's death from cancer and the intricacies of their relationship. As Aliya confronted the more painful aspects of their connection, she created space for remembering the other parts -the ones that were loving and joyful. As Aliya heads off to college this fall, she does so with a new confidence in her ability to navigate the ways her grief continues to unfold.

Ep. 157: Let's Talk About Loss - Beth French Jul 27, 2020

Show notes

Beth French started Let's Talk About Loss in December of 2016, eighteen months after her mother Susan died of cancer. Beth was in her early twenties and feeling very alone in her grief. She was the first in her group of friends to experience this type of loss and wanted to connect with others who understood what she was going through. She knew a traditional support group wasn't for her so she started the first Let's Talk About Loss meet-up. A gathering of other young adults ages 18-35 where people could talk, listen, and share stories. From that initial meet-up, Let's Talk About Loss has grown to host meet-ups across the UK. They also offer a pen-pal opportunity called Share My Grief that is available to anyone around the globe. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Let's Talk About Loss is also offering ways to connect virtually. Let's Talk About Loss website Share My Grief program Let's Talk About Loss YouTube Channel Sign up for BetterHelp online counseling using the link www.betterhelp.com/grief and get 10% off your first month.

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