GRIEF AND LIGHT
This space was created for you by someone who gets it – your grief, your foundation-shattering reality, and the question of what the heck do we do with the shattered pieces of life and loss around us. It’s also for the listener who wants to better understand their grieving person, and perhaps wants to learn how to help. Now in its fourth season, the Grief and Light podcast features both solo episodes and interviews with first-hand experiencers, authors, and professionals, who shine a light on the spectrum of experiences, feelings, secondary losses, and takeaways. As a bereaved sister, I share my personal story of the sudden loss of my younger brother, only sibling, one day after we celebrated his 32nd birthday. I also delve into how that loss, trauma, and grief catapulted me into a truth-seeking journey, which ultimately led me to answer "the calling" of creating this space I now call Grief and Light. Since launching the first episode on March 30, 2023, the Grief and Light podcast and social platforms have evolved into a powerful resource for grief-informed support, including one-on-one grief guidance, monthly grief circles, community, and much more. With each episode, you can expect open and authentic conversations sharing our truth, and explorations of how to transmute the grief experience into meaning, and even joy. My hope is to make you feel less alone, and to be a beacon of light and source of information for anyone embarking on this journey. "We're all just walking each other HOME." - Ram Dass Thank you for being here. We're in this together. Nina, Yosef's Sister -- For more information, visit: griefandlight.com
Episodes
How do you grieve while parenting? How do you tend to your own heartbreak and hold space for your children’s?
In this heartfelt conversation with Reshma Kearney, a Trauma-Informed Mindfulness and Healing Guide, shares her journey after losing her husband, Sean, to suicide. She opens up about navigating grief as a solo parent, communicating loss with honesty, and finding moments of presence through mindfulness in the first three year...
This week, I’m honored to share something special with you—a guided meditation created exclusively for Grief and Light listeners by Hannah Castillo, host of the Love Your Calm podcast.
Hannah has been a Mental Health Counselor for over 20 years and is passionate about making meditation approachable and supportive, especially in tender seasons of life. After her own health challenges led her to discover the power of daily meditation,...
What if you gave yourself permission to pause?
This episode explores why rest is essential, not optional, covering the seven types of rest, the cost of burnout, and practical ways to create your own “pause week.” Consider this your reminder that what doesn’t bend, breaks; and that even small pauses can refill your cup.
Rather than a luxury, rest is a necessity for our mental, emotional, and physical well-being
Key Takeaways:
- Pause...
You just lost your loved one. Now what?
Welcome to Grief and Light, a podcast about the honest truth of life after loss. Hosted by Nina Rodriguez, whose world was forever changed after the sudden death of her only sibling, this show explores the reality of grief, not as something to fix, but as a lifelong companion we learn to live with.
On Grief and Light, you’ll hear:
- Honest reflections on the complexity of grief
- Conversations ab...
What if death wasn’t the end of the conversation?
In this episode of Grief and Light, Nina Rodriguez sits down with psychic medium and mentor Karen Docherty to explore how mediumship can become a powerful source of comfort, connection, and healing after loss. With warmth and clarity, Karen shares her own journey of discovering and embracing her calling, and how she now supports both the grieving and the departed through spirit commu...
And just like that, we're an award-winning podcast!
In this special episode, I’m sharing a replay of my conversation with Kathy Barron, founder and editor-in-chief of Women Who Podcast Magazine. We talk about the journey behind Grief and Light, the power of being recognized as an award-winning podcast, and why grief isn’t a linear process—it’s deeply personal, unpredictable, and life-changing.
We dive into stories of life after ...
If you’ve ever wondered how to keep living, and even loving, after losing someone you can’t imagine life without, this episode is for you.
I sit down with Shawn Dinneen, creator of HeartStrings Journals, to hear her deeply personal story of grief, resilience, and rediscovering life and new love after the devastating loss of her fiancé to an overdose in 2022.
***Video version available here***
Shawn shares how journaling became a life...
How can we better support grieving kids and teens?
In this episode of the Grief and Light podcast, Nina Rodriguez sits down with Michelle Cove, award-winning media maker, communications manager of Experience Camps and Grief Sucks, in charge of making content across multiple platforms to build a more grief-smart culture. Together, they explore how teens navigate loss, the misconceptions surrounding teen grief, and the importance of...
Whether you’re a griever, creative, or lover of independent film (and puppies!), this conversation is a moving exploration of how film can help us navigate trauma, honor legacy, and find our way back to light.
In this powerful episode of the Grief and Light podcast, acclaimed filmmaker and educator Michael Flores shares the deeply personal journey behind his award-winning feature film, Dogs on the Sendero. The film follows Sol, a gr...
In this powerful episode, strategist, musician, and author Mike de la Rocha opens up about healing generational trauma, redefining masculinity, and reconnecting with his father through emotional truth-telling.
***Click here to watch on YouTube***
Drawing from his debut book Sacred Lessons: Teaching My Father How to Love, Mike explores how grief, silence, and inherited definitions of manhood shaped his early life—and how choosing vuln...
Maryam De Groef on child and sibling loss, organ donation, food allergy awareness, faith, and the many ways her daughter, Zeynah, lives on.
In this heartfelt and powerful episode of the Grief and Light podcast, host Nina Rodriguez speaks with grief educator, somatic practitioner, and mother Maryam De Groef about the unimaginable: the sudden loss of her 9-year-old daughter, Zeynah, to an anaphylactic reaction caused by a severe food ...
What if preparing for death could actually help you live more fully?
In this powerful episode, Nina Rodriguez speaks with Marni Blank, certified end-of-life doula and founder of Begin With The End, about why planning for death is one of the most compassionate acts we can offer, both to ourselves and those we love.
***Click here to watch on YouTube***
This conversation weaves together the legal logistics of wills, advance directives, a...
Grief doesn’t pause when you arrive at work, so why do so many workplaces expect us to carry on as if nothing happened?
In this powerful episode of Grief and Light, host Nina Rodriguez is joined by Dr. Mekel Harris and Janet Gwilliam-Wright, co-founders of Bloomwell Partners, a consulting firm transforming how organizations handle grief and loss in the workplace.
***Watch on YouTube***
Drawing from their personal experiences of loss ...
In this solo, audio-only episode, host Nina Rodriguez explores the unspoken grief many of us are carrying right now—the grief of uncertainty.
From political turmoil and climate anxiety, to the dizzying pace of technological change, we’re living in times that feel increasingly unsteady.
This isn’t just stress; it’s a kind of ambient grief. It's the ache of losing the future we thought we were heading toward.
The episode reflects ...
What does it mean to parent a child whose life is both a miracle and a medical emergency?
In this tender and unflinching conversation, Broadway actor and author Jody Gelb shares the story of her daughter Lueza—her first child, born with disabilities resulting from a catastrophic birth injury—whose life was defined by both relentless caregiving and radiant joy.
***
Click here to watch on YouTube
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In this moving episode of Grief and Light, host Nina Rodriguez sits down with Bryan and Danielle Docobo to explore their journey through profound loss, love, and advocacy following the death of their son Ethan, who passed away from the rare genetic disorder Coats Plus Syndrome. As parents navigating complex grief while raising their surviving son Liam, who lives with the same diagnosis, Bryan and Danielle speak candidly about the e...
Pet loss is real grief — and it deserves real support.
In this heartfelt episode of Grief and Light, host Nina Rodriguez is joined by pet loss grief specialist, Grant Hazell, for an intimate conversation about the grief of losing a beloved animal companion. Together, they explore the deep bonds between humans and pets — often referred to as “soul pets” — and why losing them can be just as devastating as the loss of a human loved one...
In this deeply moving episode Nina is joined by Liz Quinn — grief advocate, and host of the Healing Hearts Podcast. Liz opens up about her personal journey through layered loss, including the death of her daughter Alivia, and both of her parents. With tenderness and clarity, she shares what it means to grieve as a mother, how guilt and love can coexist, and how the relationship with a child in spirit continues to evolve.
// Click he...
We often use the words grief and grieving interchangeably—but did you know they’re not quite the same?
In this thoughtful solo episode of Grief and Light, host Nina Rodriguez invites listeners into a powerful reframe: grief is the natural response to loss, but grieving is how we live with and in relation to our grief. With tenderness and clarity, Nina explores how understanding the distinction between these two terms can transform o...
How does grief intersect with race and identity when growing up in a multi-ethnic family?
In this powerful episode, host Nina Rodriguez sits down with historian and author Nico Slate to explore the layered experience of sibling loss through the lens of race, identity, and love.
Nico shares the deeply personal story behind his memoir Brothers: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Race, which honors the life and legacy of his late brother, Pete...
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