Coffee, Grief, And Gratitude

Chelsea shares her triple griefs: the death of her beloved dad, Eddie, her mom’s dementia, and recovering from being hit by a car while she was out for a run. In our conversation you’ll hear Chelsea talk about her love for her dad who was “magic.” She tells us grief taught her how to “pick through the rice and find the beans.” She shares her grief wisdom: “Meet people without judgement. When we share, it gets a little easier, we br...

We’re delighted to bring you our recent Coffee Talk #72 from September 2025. We hope these five phenomenal writers/readers/humans and their stories are just what your heart needs today. We’re delighted to bring you Ali Shaw, Christina Rivera, Kate Carroll de Gutes, Jasmine Nothing, and Liz Scott. 

Thank you for letting us be in your ears.

Coffee, Grief and Gratitude is created by Anne Gudger and Maria Gibson, a mom/daughter duo who...

Doug shares openly about many layers of grief from the death of his mom to being estranged from his kids. He talks about his mom who would say Kindness is the best thing. He says that thinking the best of people is his strength and can also be his weakness. He shares how in his grief he had to protect himself which doesn’t come naturally so he leaned into other people’s words. We love that he said grief is for everybody. Everybody ...

In this episode, Melanie Brooks openly shares the experience of her father dying from AIDS and how, as a family, they didn’t talk about him being sick. It took her 20 years to look at the silence and grief. 

Her dad was infected with AIDS from a blood transfusion during surgery. Her dad was a surgeon. He thought he’d die in months so he decided to keep his health a secret to avoid the stigmas around AIDS. He and their family lived ...

We’re delighted to bring you our recent Coffee Talk #71 from July 2025. We hope these five phenomenal writers/readers/humans and their stories are just what your heart needs today. We’re delighted to bring you Clare Simons, Debby Dodds, Laura Cathcart Robbins, Rebe Huntman, and Zane Thomas. 

Thank you for letting us be in your ears.

Coffee, Grief and Gratitude is created by Anne Gudger and Maria Gibson, a mom/daughter duo who talk a...

We’re delighted to bring you our recent Coffee Talk #70 from June 2025. We hope these five phenomenal writers/readers/humans and their stories are just what your heart needs today. We bring you: Lisa Cowan, Mary Klinger, Nancy Townsley, Shavaun Scott, and  Suzy Vitello. Enjoy!

Thank you for letting us be in your ears.

Coffee, Grief and Gratitude is created by Anne Gudger and Maria Gibson, a mom/daughter duo who talk about grief. 

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In this episode Phillipa Leseberg reads from her new memoir: HIS NAME IS ERIC: a book that records her love story with her beloved husband Eric who died from cancer. It’s a love story, a story of resilience and advocacy, and so much more. 

Phillipa shares how through Eric’s illness and death, her concept of grief expanded. Grief started when Eric’s health first declined. Eric grieved his loss of work. Phillipa grieved the loss of h...

Becky Ellis shares about her dad’s experience as a Timberwolf in World War II and how that impacted him, then later her and the rest of their family. With her father sharing his story, she gained a deep understanding of who her father was. She was able to see him separate from her needs and desires. Becky says this uncovering was the “greatest moment of joy, the deepest moment of grief.” At 50, she finally got to see her dad for wh...

We’re delighted to bring you our recent Coffee Talk #69 from May 2025. This is a special Coffee Talk, honoring Monica Welty’s son, Harvey who died as a newborn. We hope these five phenomenal writers/readers/humans and their stories are just what your heart needs today. We bring you Becca Lynne, Jennifer Lynn, Katie Dominguez, Rebecca Mendez, and Virag Tunya. Enjoy!

Thank you for letting us be in your ears.

Coffee, Grief and Gratitu...

Season Two Episode Twenty-one

Play On With Kevin O’Connor

In this open-hearted conversation Kevin O’Connor tells us how he was born into grief. He came home as a newborn to an apartment above a funeral home. Living with death was always part of his life as his dad and uncle were undertakers and owners of a funeral home. He shares how his family supported others in grief. Sometimes he’d be a pallbearer for someone who didn’t have fam...

We’re delighted to bring you our recent Coffee Talk #68 from April 2025. We hope these five phenomenal writers/readers/humans and their stories are just what your heart needs today. We bring you Annie Carl, Jen Violi, Nikki Darling, Nynke Salverda Passi, and Mary Mandeville. Enjoy!

Thank you for letting us be in your ears.

Coffee, Grief and Gratitude is created by Anne Gudger and Maria Gibson, a mom/daughter duo who talk about gr...

Grab your coffee and come listen to this tender conversation with Shara Ruffin who talks about becoming comfortable with grief being part of life. She tells us some of the rituals she’s made part of her life since her daughter died and her mom-in-law too. She shares how important ritual is to stay connected to her beloveds. As a griever, as a human, she holds the fragility of life, embraces that grief is a process you engage with d...

We’re delighted to bring you Coffee Talk #44 from March 2023. We hope these five phenomenal writers/readers/humans and their stories are just what your heart needs today. We bring you Carmel Breathnach, Jason Arias, Jessica Rich, Jill Deasy, and Rebecca Daniels. Enjoy! 

Thank you for letting us be in your ears.

Coffee, Grief and Gratitude is created by Anne Gudger and Maria Gibson, a mom/daughter duo who talk about grief. 

You can ...

Pamela reads her essay that she says is partially the eulogy she should have written/shared about her father and didn’t. She braids some sweet childhood memories with her last memories of her dad. In moving through her grief, she tells us: “The rough emotions have taken a back seat to the good ones.” And her message to her younger self is to “accept each step of it. You don’t know the steps. And however you’re feeling, it’s all oka...

We’re delighted to bring you Coffee Talk #43 from February 2023. We hope these four phenomenal writers/readers/humans and their stories are just what your heart needs today. We bring you Amy Kortuem, Annie Gudger, Gayle Brandeis, and  MJ Atamian. Enjoy! 

Thank you for letting us be in your ears.

Coffee, Grief and Gratitude is created by Anne Gudger and Maria Gibson, a mom/daughter duo who talk about grief. 

You can find them on Face...

Casey reads from her gorgeous new memoir: The Full Catastrophe: All I Ever Wanted, Everything I Feared. She talks about her many griefs that could have undone her, and how, while we can never be prepared for major loss, her early experiences with loss helped carry her through later ones. She shares how she’s grown through grief. Her compassion for herself and others shines through our entire conversation. 

Casey Mulligan Walsh wri...

We’re delighted to bring you Coffee Talk #46 from May 2023. It’s a special reading, honoring Harvey, Monica’s infant son who died days after he was born. We’re honored to support Monica in these yearly readings, to keep talking about Harvey who has touched so many lives. We hope these five phenomenal writers/readers/humans and their stories are just what your heart needs today. We bring you:  Anat LeBlanc, Anne Richardson, Blix Avi...

Season Two Episode Thirteen

Pedaling Hard with Ronit Plank

Ronit Plank reads from her fabulous memoir: WHEN SHE COMES BACK and talks about her grief of losing her mom, her family, and her sense of self. She shares gems about writing memoir along with talking about how all of her family relationships have evolved, how healing has come through writing and having honest conversations. She reminds us all that “your story matters.” 

Ron...

We’re delighted to bring you Coffee Talk #67 from March 2025. We hope these four phenomenal writers/readers/humans and their stories are just what your heart needs today. If you missed the live Coffee Talk, if you’d like to hear their voices again, we bring you Christie Tate, Gina Moffa, Jing Jing Tsong, Natalie Hirt and Tanya Friedman. Enjoy!

Thank you for letting us be in your ears.

Coffee, Grief and Gratitude is a created by Anne...