What do you have or do now that helps you to feel better?

Let's Connect:

• You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
• You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
• You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
• You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
• Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are aspects of grief most people resist normalizing, like accepting it is not a linear path, and that can make us lash out at others in anger.

In this episode, I'm joined by the Clinical Social Worker and Author Claire Willis. Claire has over 30 years of experience both as a volunteer and a social worker in hospice care and also leads bereavement, end-of-life support, and therapeutic writing groups.

It was leading these groups she realized many of the attendants had this wrong idea that dealing with grief is a linear path, which motivated her to write her two books, "Opening To Grief" and "Lasting Words."

Throughout this episode, Claire sheds light on little-known aspects of grief, like the anger it can provoke, and invites us to normalize its various expressions. You'll also hear about why she believes grievers are not alone as long as they can ways to express themselves, what is a Sudden Temporary Upsurge of Grief, and why you shouldn't worry if you experience one.

Plus, Claire talks about ambiguous loss, primary and secondary loss, shares practical resources for holding grief, and much more.

Tune in and listen to episode 266 of Grief and Happiness, and take a step further in understanding the multiple expressions of grief and how to better deal with them.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• There is no linear path in grief (1:30)
• Being angry and lashing out might become part of a grieving process (4:50)
• Grief and its cultural blockages (9:30)
• How to deal with ambiguous loss (11:40)
• Sudden Temporary Upsurge of grief (16:20)
• Claire shares actionable tips for holding grief (19:50)

Connect with Claire Willis:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Book: Claire Willis - Opening to Grief: Finding Your Way from Loss to Peace
• Book: Claire Willis - Lasting Words: A Guide to Finding Meaning Toward the Close of Life

Let's Connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• The Grief and Happiness Alliance
• Book: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's Connect:

• You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
• You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
• You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
• You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
• Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it possible to express the pain of losing a soulmate through words?

In this episode, I'm joined by the Family Law Attorney and Writer Michael Sudman. Michael started writing health updates to family and friends when his soulmate, Sheryl, got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After Sheryl passed, Michael kept writing, yet he transformed those health updates into beautifully written poetry and (thankfully!) decided to keep sharing them. Using his incredible talent to resignify everyday observations into deep messages about life, love, grief, and healing, Michael shares his art with 240 people each day, and, through his spontaneous and heartfelt words, inspires others to find beauty, hope, and connection even in the darkest times.

Throughout this episode, you'll hear about Michael's unique approach to coping with grief through daily writing and how he found solace, connection, and healing through his art. You'll also hear three beautiful poems written by Michael about optimism, life's unpredictability, and simplicity that represent perfectly how art, writing, and poetry are ideal tools for resignifying grief and much more.

Tune in and listen to episode 264 of Grief and Happiness, and enjoy Michael's incredible talent to transform unique perspectives and ideas into a beautiful art form.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About how Michael's "Today's Thought" started (2:50)
• Three is golden in them (4:20)
• Michael's poem about life's unpredictability (6:00)
• Hopeful, happy, praying, peaceful, summer nights... (14:40)
• Michael talks about what writing these poems does for him (17:50)

Connect with Michael Sudman:

• LinkedIn
• Book: Michael Sudman - A 62-Day Journey: Love, Light, and Grace

Let's Connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• The Grief and Happiness Alliance
• Book: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's Connect:

• You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
• You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
• You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
• You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
• Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Only those who have been in the process of making, loving, and losing family can talk about what it feels like, yet all of us can learn from it.

In today's episode, I'm joined by the Author, Advocate, Speaker, and Podcaster Jessica Fein. Jessica's relationship with grief started when she lost her sister, who was only three years older, at the age of 27. Several years later, her daughter was diagnosed with a rare disease, taking Jessica and her family through a chaotic journey of heart-wrenching challenges, relentless battles, love, laughter, and lessons about life, grief, and the indomitable human spirit.

Throughout this episode, you'll hear Jessica's thoughts on caring for loved ones with special needs and the significance of finding ways to include them in daily life. She also talks about Dalia, her daughter, who was diagnosed with MERRF syndrome, her family's life before and after the diagnosis, the deep connection between grief and creativity, and much more.

Tune in and listen to episode 262 of Grief and Happiness, and learn more about Jessica's powerful journey through the profound joys and painful challenges of love and loss.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Jessica talks about the diagnosis that changed her and her family's lives (1:40)
• About Dalia's determination to BE in this world (5:10)
• Grief has many layers, and it is different for each one of us (10:00)
• Figuring out how to integrate losses (16:50)
• Self-care can be a two-edged sword (22:10)
• Creativity and grief go really well together (24:50)

Connect with Jessica Fein:

• Website
• Instagram
• Book: Jessica Fein - Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes
• I Don't Know How You Do It podcast

Let's Connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• The Grief and Happiness Alliance
• Book: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's Connect:

• You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
• You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
• You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
• You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
• Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if you knew the exact moment you were going to die; would that knowledge change the way you live today?

Meet Mark Dowie, Author of "Judith Letting Go," a book that tells the story of the beautiful friendship between him and Judith Tannenbaum, a poet who, after being diagnosed with an incurable disease that caused her a lot of pain, decided to transition on her own terms.

In this episode, Mark shares details of his intimate experience with Judith and the deeply transformative experience of knowing when and where she would die. Mark is an Investigative Historian, a Journalist, one of the Founding Members of the Mesa Refuge board, a former publisher and editor of Mother Jones magazine, and the former editor-at-large of InterNation.

Throughout this episode, you'll also hear about the revolutionizing concept of Death Cafe, where people gather to enjoy coffee, eat cake, and discuss death. Mark also shares his thoughts on the importance of confronting mortality as a way to enrich life, explore end-of-life options, and use those skills to provide comfort and reduce the fear of the inevitable.

Tune in and listen to episode 260 of Grief and Happiness, and discover how one man's profound friendship with a terminally ill poet transformed his understanding of life and death.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About Mark, Judith, and the world's smallest Death Cafe (4:10)
• How Death Cafes can expand people's perception of transitioning (6:40)
• How did Mark and Judith's friendship start (7:50)
• About different approaches to end-of-life celebrations (11:00)
• Why Judith's death wasn't suicide (14:40)
• Death can teach us more about life than life itself (21:40)

Connect with Mark Dowie:

• Book: Mark Dowie - Judith Letting Go: Six Months in the World's Smallest Death Cafe
• Get Mark Dowie's books

Let's Connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• The Grief and Happiness Alliance
• Book: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.