This interview with Belinda Koch, Author of Becoming a Mindful Mourner , shares insights from her professional experience as a Licensed counselor, and her personal experience as a grief companion. If you've ever thought you were stuck in grief or weren't grieving the right way, this conversation is for you.
Today's episode is an interview with Chelsea Ohlemiller. Chelsea shares pieces of her grief journey and how she took to writing to honor her mother's legacy, process her grief, and create a community for people navigating their own grief journey. Please visit griefrefuge.com to download the Grief Refuge app and learn more about Grief Care services.
Understanding whether you’re grieving or experiencing depression can be challenging and the symptoms for each can be similar. This episode helps you distnguish your emotnaion statle by asking yourself reflective questions and recognizing key differences to gain clarity and take important steps to care for your mental and emotional health. For more grief support, visit griefrefuge.com
Today I am joined by Lisa Marie Conine to talk about the unique way she supports people in grief. Lisa Marie uses plant medicine. She views plants as helpers when people need extra support and I find it fascinating how she approaches her work. Lisa Marie is doing special work and you’ve got to listen to hear how she does it. Also, join us for a 4-week workshop series starting January 30th learn how to use plants and herbs to help aid in your healing after loss! Details and registration here: htt...
Today we talk about a difficult emotion to manage when grieving. It’s anger. Anger can cause a lot of problems and when you’re grieving, and it’s a very common emotion to feel. Today, I’m joined by Sandy Linda, who is a grief and women’s empowerment coach. Sandy and I talk about her difficult experience of feeling heaps of grief related anger for over a 2 year period + the things she did to resolve that anger and heal herself. Sandy also offers some tips and techniques for managing your own grie...
Today I would like to share a guest interview with you. My guest is Yuivany Aguilar who lives in California and has a powerful story to share about the loss of her twin daughters and how she worked through her grief. Yuivany is a caregiver by nature. She’s a professional nurse and has a lot of wisdom to share about navigating grief. Much of her wisdom has been documented in her new book titled Pearls of the Soul available on Amazon. For more grief support, download the Grief Refuge app ....
Today I would like to share a webinar replay about grieving in isolation. The webinar shares some important perspectives from some of the world’s leading experts on grief support. If isolation has been something you’ve felt during your grief, this information is for you. As you listen in, do your best to let go of any self judgements you may have about how you’re grieving. Please enjoy the information shared regarding this important topic.
Today I would like to share a guest interview with you. My guest is Bryan Jung and he created a platform for individuals who have lost a parent as a child or teen. It’s called “This Is Why” and it’s found online at thisiswhy.life. In our conversation, Bryan shares some of the trauma he and his family endured after tragically losing his father at 10 years old. He also shares some of the things that have helped and continue to help him cope when the waves of grief hit. Brian’s heart is in the righ...
On this Grief Refuge podcast episode, Founder and Host, Reid Peterson, shares a guest interview with you. His guest is Barb Higgins and she has a helpful perspective on giving grief a voice. She shares her journey publicly on her “A Thousand Tiny Steps” podcast and Youtube channels. One of the things that really stands out about this interview is her visual analogies for some of the harder experiences in grief. It made a lot more sense to have a metaphorical image to visualize when talking about...
On this new Grief Refuge podcast episode, Founder and Host, Reid Peterson, shares his thoughts regarding some of the initial responses and reactions to a death related loss. These include: Shock Numbness Denial Disbelief Repression Distraction Avoidance It’s tragic. Losing someone you love so deeply or someone who had such an impact on your life is very painful. It hurts in ways that some people can’t begin to describe. And even if you had a heads up that death was coming, you still may feel unp...
Today’s episode is a sequel to Episode 64: As a Grieving Spouse… but today we hear the experience, perspective and support provided by a grief counselor. On today’s episode, Carol Goldfain Davis shares what she observed in Marv’s process as he experienced anticipatory grief, deep sorrow, and his journey for coping and finding his footing in life again. Carol’s empathy clearly speaks as she shares several reflections from Marv’s journey. It’s remarkable to know there are people on this planet who...
This new Grief Refuge podcast episode is a story and conversation of love, loss, and repair. Repair in a sense of how a person with a broken heart got support and was able to put the pieces back together again. On this podcast episode, I interview Marv Weidner, a grieving spouse who authentically articulates his grief and healing journey. There’s so much beauty in this conversation because Marv speaks from his heart, is honest, and shares important things he experienced to aid in his healing. We...
Are you tired of people trying to fix your grief or judging you for feeling a certain way? If so, you will want to listen to this Grief Refuge podcast conversation with Stephenie Zamora. On this podcast episode, Grief Refuge founder, Reid Peterson, and Stephanie discuss the ways grief’s “Dark and Twisty” overwhelm someone experiencing loss and not knowing who they are right now, or who they are going to be when they get their grief bearings down. This is a truly authentic conversation about grie...
It’s very rare to hear of someone who works as a Clinical Psychologist and has the gift of communicating with deceased loved ones. Today’s guest, Dr. Amy Robbins is that person. Dr. Robbins is a Psychologist in the Chicago area and has a powerful story of losing her aunt unexpectedly, grieving, and opening up to communication with loved ones who have crossed over. Dr. Robbins has a very practical approach to supporting people pained by loss. Her experience is very interesting and we hope you enj...
There are people who feel lost and alone because their grief journey is ‘a-typical’. Today’s guest interview with Candace Cahill is filled with her story about relinquishing her son, Michael, and then grieving the loss of his death. Candace shares several examples of what helped her work through her grief so that she no longer felt lost. Part of her process led to the writing and publishing of her book, Goodbye Again . If you’ve felt like you have lost someone twice, this interview is for you. C...
Of the many descriptions for what grief feels like, a common one is “weight that holds you down.” This is hard and painful. No one really wants to feel this way. But it happens. And people struggle when they don’t know what to do when they feel this way. On today’s episode of the Grief Refuge podcast, Founder of Grief Refuge, Reid Peterson, shares some thoughts and reflections for what to do when grief weighs you down. The tips are simple and effective. Listen to the full episode to get guidance...
Life’s curve balls can seem even more tumultuous when you’re grieving. Today, Shelley Knight shares her story about the loss of her stepfather, ‘Badger’, and how it impacted her to leave nursing, get back into education, and write a book for the grieving titled “Good Grief: The A to Z Approach of Modern Day Grief Healing”. If you need more support for your grief journey, download the Grief Refuge app for daily comfort, care, and compassionate inspiration to help manage grief (on iOS and Android ...
There’s a risk in sharing grief and mourning on social media. The risk includes how vulnerable you feel and how that vulnerability is, or is not received. Negative comments may (and often do) happen, and when vulnerable, can cause a lot of pain and hurt. Is it helpful to share your grieving soul on social media? It’s a question that has a lot of different opinions and answers. On today's Grief Refuge podcast, Reid Peterson has a conversation with Dr. Serign Marong about his grief journey and how...
“Death is not a medical experience. It’s a human one.” That is a quote from Suzanne O’Brien, my guest for this Grief Refuge podcast episode. If you haven’t met Suzanne O’Brien, you’ll be glad you listened to this podcast episode. Suzanne is the Founder of Doulagivers, an organization that trains people who care for other people at the end of their life. Suzanne is a very passionate person who is here to help make the dying process more graceful. On this Grief Refuge podcast episode, Reid and Suz...
Long before I put my professional experience out on the air waves, I listened to the Grief Out Loud podcast. It’s hosted by Jana DeCristofaro and is produced at the Dougy Center. If you are not familiar with the Dougy Center, it is an organization in Portland, OR that provides support to grieving children, teens, and young adults. The Dougy Center is highly acclaimed for their work. In fact, many other organizations throughout the United States base their work off of the model provided by the Do...
Getting grief support can be a very difficult thing. You may find some available resources but they can come with strings attached. Often, people that are grieving feel like they have to be a certain way or they will be judged for what feels more authentic to them. Kind of like a “my grief must fit in this box in order to feel accepted in order to experience a sense of healing.” In order to heal and to re-integrate loss into life moving forward, grievers need to authentically express their emoti...
Often in grief, the language used to support another is well intended but hard to receive. The language used to communicate is filled with cliches and platitudes that are painful to hear, not relatable at all, and frequently upsetting to people who are grieving. How can language be used to help grievers be more supported? And how do the supporters learn language that is authentic and helpful? On today’s Grief Refuge podcast, I interview and converse with Randi Wolfson, Author of the book Eddie's...
As a parent, there are timelines that start long before your child is born. When you lose a child during pregnancy or infancy, the timelines often get dismissed and written off as “less than” losses by our society. TEARS is an amazing resource that provides financial and emotional support to families that want to honor their child and make sure they are never forgotten. On today’s Grief Refuge podcast episode, Reid interviews and converses with Kim Freeman, the AZ chapter leader for TEARS. Kim s...
There’s a term in grief support called “disenfranchised grief.” It means that your grief experience isn’t accepted or doesn’t fit in with the greater societal attitudes about how a death related loss is handled. In essence, disenfranchised grief stops you from feeling fully supported. When you don’t feel supported, the emotional pain progresses and you can feel more isolated and lonely. One aspect of disenfranchised grief is that of losing someone you didn’t like. Whether permanent or situationa...
For many, there’s a moment in grief when you realize the experience is much bigger than you. You realize grief can’t be bottled up, avoided, or even controlled. You realize that grief is better served by befriending it, giving it space to better understand, and expressing it by sharing it with other people who won’t judge you for feeling the way you feel. And then there’s trauma… Trauma breaks trust. It breaks trust with people, the world, nature, and sometimes even a higher power. On today’s Gr...
In your grief, have you ever asked yourself “Who am I without my special person?” Have you thought about certain things that made your relationship complicated and how that might impact your grieving process? If so, you will love this guest interview with Kate Burns. On today’s Grief Refuge podcast, Kate opens up to share some of the hard truths about the loss of her mother and the journey she’s embarked on to embrace a self-identity that comes from within. I am deeply touched by Kate’s vulnerab...
In grief, some peoples’ hearts are broken so wide open, that as they get repaired, their hearts fill with compassion. So much so that the innate desire to help others grows and gets louder and louder until it seems like there’s no longer a choice. Something must be done to help. Today’s Grief Refuge podcast guest is Sadie Beyl. Sadie’s life plans changed forever when her husband Paul died only 3 days before they were scheduled to move from South Africa to Italy. Sadie shares parts of her story o...
There are times when words just can’t explain what you are feeling. These are the times when your grief has too strong of a grip over you. These are also the times when moving your body to express your emotions is very helpful. The embodied movement helps to process grief, release tension, and help create internal shifts that make grief more manageable and bearable. Today’s Grief Refuge podcast guest is Breanna Stutheit. Breanna is a Yoga therapist in Canada and the creator of the Move with Grie...
Call it an irony or even a paradox but grief has the power to pull you into more unknowns than what feels comfortable. Too much change is scary and the transitions are painful. Today’s guest is Jan Owen. Jan is a licensed therapist in Alabama and the author of the book Fighting Forward . Jan shares more of her personal story and provides helpful guidance for anyone grieving and struggling with the fear of the unknown. Healing is hard work. When loss, grief, and trauma are the culprits, it’s hard...
Today’s guest is Kari Eckart from Robbie’s Hope foundation. Kari and her husband, Jason, are on a mission to end teen suicide and empower kids so that their voices are heard when they are struggling. Kari shares the loss of her son Robbie, experiences of "hold on, pain ends" (HOPE), and the ways Robbie’s Hope Foundation helps teens feel seen and heard through suicidal ideation and other life challenges. Kari speaks of resources, shares vulnerability, and discloses alarming statistics that make y...
