Friends Missing Friends

In today's episode, I chat with guest Brendan Shaw about navigating the many complex layers of tragedy and grief, and finding new purpose in life, after a traumatic loss. Since the 2022 murder of his brother, Philip, Brendan has been using storytelling, social media, and community work to process his own grief and help others feel less alone in theirs.

We discuss:

• Processing his feelings and thoughts through social media, an...

In today's episode, guest Amber Jeffrey shares stories about her beloved friend Poppy Chancellor, who died in September of 2023. The two of them met through their grief work in 2019 – Amber with The Grief Gang, and Poppy with The GriefCase – and what followed was a deep, loving friendship and creative partnership.

QUOTES:

“That’s a real aspect of friendship loss that maybe isn’t spoken about is how, when you choose people to be in y...

Today’s episode is a little different: I share my thoughts on various grief topics – while taking a walk! I was inspired by Amber Jeffrey’s recent episode on her awesome podcast The Grief Gang, and wanted to give it a try (all credit goes to her for the idea!). Think of it as a voice note from a friend :)

I’ll still continue to do interviews on the pod, but will also have these Grief Notes every once in a while (especially now that...

Just a heads up: today's episode discusses mother-loss. If that's activating or upsetting, please take care of yourself. David Kessler has great resources for mother-loss grief at mothersdaygrief.com.

In today's episode, I chat with Diandra Ford-Wing, a dynamic and innovative Sales Director whose profound journey through grief ignited her passion for storytelling. After the sudden loss of her mother, Diandra made the cou...

Today I chat with Toby Dorr, author of Living with Conviction and You Are Not Your Worst Mistake: Poems From Prison. Toby is a speaker and advocate for second chances and criminal justice reform. If you haven’t already, check out my other episode with Toby (18. Living With Conviction) – you don’t want to miss it! In this episode, Toby and I talk about her poetry book You Are Not Your Worst Mistake, and the unexpected sisterhood and...

Today I chat with Ken Barringer, a licensed mental health counselor who provides individual and group counseling support to grievers as well as delivering training and consultation to schools, businesses and organizations following a loss. Ken is an adjunct faculty member at Lesley University in Cambridge Mass where he designed and teaches a course in grief. Additionally he produces a monthly newsletter and hosts the podcast Grief ...

Hi friends! Today’s episode is quite different. Rather than an interview, this is me giving you a real-time update of my grief journey right after hearing some very important news about the man responsible for my friend Lauren’s death. This is sort of a Part 2 to episode 68 (My friend’s death is part of a True Crime. Can I talk about it?), though you don’t have to listen to that one for this one to make sense. I go into the crime i...

Today I chat with Rebecca Feinglos, grief expert and founder of Grieve Leave. Rebecca is a certified grief support specialist, startup founder, and former state and local policy advisor. Rebecca founded Grieve Leave in 2021 as a way to document her experience on a year-long grief sabbatical, and process her own grief and loss— she lost her mother in her teens, her father suddenly in 2020, and her marriage in a drawn-out divorce. Gr...

Today’s episode is all about friendships. I talk to my guest Sydney about the book “Text Me When You Get Home: The Evolution and Triumph of Modern Female Friendship” by Kayleen Schaefer. This book includes history, sociological perspectives, research, and more, about how female friendships have evolved and changed over the years. (Surprise surprise, the Patriarchy has impacted how female friendships have been treated throughout his...

Today it’s just me, thinking out loud about something I’ve been grappling with for a while: if my friend died in a situation that is now a True Crime, can I talk about it?

I speak about this struggle, and also what I learned in Lilly Dancyger's essay collection "First Love" about how to engage in conscientious, rather than gratuitous, True-Crime.

Resources:

Read “The Hot One” by Carolyn Murnick: https://www.carolynmurnick.com/th...

Today we’re hearing from Ariel, a listener who shares her story of grieving a friend she was disconnected from at the time of their death. It’s so important to talk about this, and I don’t think we talk about it enough.

Thank you so much, Ariel, for reaching out and sharing your story.

Resources:

If you’re interested in being a part of a friend-grief group, fill out the interest form at friendsmissingfriends.com/griefgroup

Ge...

How do you process your grief when an ex-friend has passed away?

Today I talk to Alex Kuisis about the complicated and messy grief that can come after an ex-friend’s death – in her case, the death of a friend who had majorly betrayed her—falsely accusing her of 7 felonies she did not commit (which she details in her memoir Truth Matters, Love Wins).

Alex describes the complex tangle of feelings that came with this kind of loss, ...

So you’ve sent flowers and cards to the bereaved, and attended the funeral. Now what?

If you’ve ever wondered how to support your loved ones who are grieving – far beyond the initial weeks of grief – you don’t want to miss this episode. My conversation today is with author and psychotherapist Aly Bird about her book Grief Ally, which teaches us how to support the bereaved.

We talk about:

• Her book Grief Ally and how to su...

Today I talk to Jenna Golias, the founder of The Light Hereafter. She is a Registered Nurse, End of Life Doula, Grief Educator, and Energy Practitioner. Her mission is to not only change how we provide end of life care, but to create a world where we no longer fear the end of it. Providing mind, body, and soul support at the end of life, she is dedicated to making the transition one of comfort and peace. 

You can learn more about ...

Today I talk to Rob Farquhar, a Sydney voiceover talent and podcaster. If you haven’t already, you’ll want to check out my previous conversation with Rob in Episode 59: Life’s Too Short to Rush. In that episode, Rob was getting ready to make a big move across the country, and we talked about what it looks like to redesign your life, friendships, and relationships after a major loss.

Today’s episode was recorded one year after Epis...

Today I talk all about dreams with Alejandro Salinas, including:

• Dreams we’ve had about dead loved ones
• Connecting with our dead loved ones
• How dreams help us to process emotions
• Lucid dreaming
• And more!

Alejandro is one of the co-founders and current president of the Chicago Death Doula Collective, a non-profit collective dedicated to providing support, advocacy, education, and care around death and dying ...

If you're looking for a film about friendship and grief, look no further! Dan Levy's 2023 film Good Grief is about a man mourning the loss of his husband as his two best friends help him on his journey of grief.

(SPOILER alert: I don't give away juicy details but I do discuss the main character's emotional arc related plot points -- if you don't like to know anything before a film then just be aware!)

...

Today I talk to Sydney Bauer about what it’s like to grieve a friend who’s still alive. When she was in high school, her best friend of 9 years abruptly ended their friendship, leaving her reeling. We talk about what that’s like, including:

• How grief isn’t just mourning the past, but the future too
• The importance of friendships
• The long-term effects of losing your best friend at such an impressionable age
• How to set he...

Today I talk to Rob Farquhar, a Sydney voiceover talent and podcaster, about redesigning his life after a major loss.

After the loss of his wife of eighteen years, Rob is moving back to be closer to his longtime friends. We talk about adult friendships, making big life changes after loss, and how the good stuff’s on the other side of fear. And a lot of that requires patience, not rushing the grieving or building of new relationshi...