Hello, fellow grievers! This week I have a special BONUS episode for you, while we work HARD to continue to bring you quality content for our new season coming this fall. My sweet friend Jennifer Pastiloff joins us just before the release of her new book, "Proof of Life" (available NOW at your favorite bookseller!). According to her own website, "Jen Pastiloff travels the world with her unique workshop “ On Being Human ,” a hybrid of yoga related movement, writing, sharing out loud, letting the ...
Jul 10, 2025•56 min•Ep. 168
It's the season finale already- and I know how to leave a lasting impression! John Onwuchekwa, (a.k.a. "John O.") is a preacher, a writer, a husband, father, and brother. According to his own website, "Everything in John Onwuchekwa’s life hinges on the power of words, both spoken and written...in one way or another everything John does intersects with the beauty and power of words—both how he has been shaped by them and how he uses them to shape the world around him." I couldn't agree more. John...
Jun 19, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 167
Dr. Jessica Zucker, author of "Normalize It: Upending the Silence, Stigma, and Shame That Shape Women's Lives" is my guest this week...and man, is she someone who tells the truth. About everything. Jessica is a L.A.-based psychologist who specializes in reproductive and maternal mental health. She has written extensively about how the landscape of her marriage changed in the face of profound loss, as well as eventual parenthood. Jessica is incredibly powerful in how she relates the experience of...
Jun 12, 2025•47 min•Ep. 166
My guest this week is the incomparable Nichole Sachs. Nichole was diagnosed with a degenrative spinal condition at age 19. Doctors warned her that her entire life would affected; her comfort, growth, ability to have biological children. The news was devastating, of course. According to her own website, "It brought me to the doorstep of Dr. John Sarno, then an attending physician at The Rusk Center for Rehabilitation/NYU Langone Medical Center. Armed with his teachings on the brain science behind...
Jun 05, 2025•50 min•Ep. 165
If you've been following me for a while, you know how much I love hospice nurses. This season I am so grateful to sit down with "Hospice Nurse Penny," AKA Penny Smith. Nurse Penny entered the world of grief with the death of her dad, who passed about five years into her career. She is a nationally certified hospice and palliative care nurse, and has a large social media presence due to her incredible insights and candor. Penny is also the author of "Influencing Death: Reframing Dying for Better ...
May 29, 2025•59 min•Ep. 164
My guest this week is the incredibly soulful and inspiring Myra Sack. Myra’s life changed when her first daughter, Havi Lev Goldstein, was diagnosed with Tay-Sachs, a terminal neurodegenerative disorder, on December 17, 2019. Havi passed away on January 20, 2021. In 2021, Myra and her husband Matt began supporting Courageous Parents Network, a Boston-based nonprofit organization and educational platform that “Orients, empowers, and accompanies families and providers caring for children with seri...
May 22, 2025•56 min•Ep. 163
My guest this week is the INCREDIBLY witty writer and griever, Jason Roeder. Jason is a former senior editor and senior writer at The Onion as well as a contributor to The New Yorker and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. His books have landed on best-of humor lists twice and have been praised by the likes of Judd Apatow and Jack Handey. This week, we are discussing his most recent book, which kept me hysterically laughing for days after I finished it. I really enjoy when someone can take elements o...
May 15, 2025•55 min•Ep. 161
I'm so honored to host the remarkable Rachel Cargle this week, of all weeks. With Mother's Day approaching- you are absolutely going to want to hear what she has to say. As a young girl, Rachel felt isolated in her grief experience after losing her father. Two years ago, in one calendar year, she lost her mother, grandmother, and older sister; catapulting her right back into the tsunami of untenable feelings. Currently, Rachel is a writer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Her work (and upcoming ...
May 08, 2025•56 min•Ep. 162
One of my biggest tenets is that "Grief is the energy created in the body on account of loss." In this episode, I am so lucky to be sitting with the extraordinary Jaycee Gossett, one of the founding leaders of "The Class." Jaycee talks in an incredibly eloquent manner about this exercise movement, and how it is an effective companion to our grief experience. I've also had the pleasure of meeting Jaycee at The Nantucket Project, another wonderful gathering of inspiring individuals. In this episod...
May 01, 2025•52 min•Ep. 160
This week, I am so thrilled to sit down with the lovely Jessica Turner! You may know Jessica from her incredible platform, The Mom Creative, or one of her many, many media appearances. Jessica is not just A content creator; she is one of THE content creators and a "tastemaker for busy moms looking for hacks to live life with more intention and less stress." Her energy and capability are unparalleled, truly. I first met Jessica at an Onsite retreat , where we were both wearing the same sweater (w...
Apr 24, 2025•50 min•Ep. 159
Welcome back to Grief is My Side Hustle! In this episode, veteran journalist, writer and advocate Tamsen Fadal and host Meghan Riordan Jarvis explore how grief and menopause are intertwined. They discuss their personal experiences, cultural perspectives, and the importance of education around women's health. Tamsen shares how her own menopause journey unfolded, the challenges she faced, and how it related to grief and loss, particularly in the context of aging and societal expectations. Their di...
Apr 17, 2025•31 min•Ep. 158
The grief that results from losing relationships is profound, but it can feel especially isolating due to the guilt and shame often tied to it. Barri Leiner Grant has experienced the grief of divorce from many perspectives -- as a child whose parents split up, as a spouse whose marriage ended, and as a grief coach who helps others navigate relationship loss. In this conversation, Barri shares how her parents' divorce influenced her understanding of grief, shaped her approach to her own divorce, ...
Feb 26, 2025•50 min•Ep. 157
After Kelli Holloway's mom died, she heard a very clear message from God: Build, Go, Rest. Her trust in this guidance not only shaped the way she grieved but also changed the entire trajectory of her life. Kelli Holloway is a Raleigh, North Carolina native with a passion for community, connection, and purpose-driven work. She is the creator and host of the Grief in the Raw Podcast, where she thoughtfully explores the role of grief in the Black community, and the CEO of Kelli & Co., a consult...
Feb 19, 2025•58 min•Ep. 156
Shelby Forsythia (she/her) is a grief coach, author, and podcast host. In 2020, she founded Life After Loss Academy, an online course and community that has helped dozens of grievers grow and find their way after death, divorce, diagnosis, and other major life transitions. Following her mother’s death in 2013, Shelby began calling herself a “student of grief” and now devotes her days to reading, writing, and speaking about loss. Through a combination of mindfulness tools and intuitive, open-ende...
Oct 18, 2024•48 min•Ep. 154
Trauma specialist and psychotherapist Edith Shiro sits down with Meghan to discuss loss, traumatic growth and the role of hope in healing. Focused on healing trauma and facilitating Posttraumatic Growth, Dr. Edith Shiro holds space for patients, communities, and individuals to achieve greater potential and higher consciousness. Dr. Shiro's influence extends well beyond her private practice. She frequently engages as a guest expert on national media broadcasts and publications, including TIME mag...
Aug 09, 2024•44 min•Ep. 153
Uk based therapist Helen Marie is the author of Choose You: Gentle Words to Help You Heal and Grow. She sits down with Meghan to talk, grief, loss, healing and hope in this special episode. Learn more about Helen on her website: https://www.helenmariepsychotherapy.com/book
Jul 26, 2024•49 min•Ep. 152
Jason Nark is a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and a freelance writer. He lives in New Jersey with his kids and a dog named Wanda and has written about grief and loss including about his own best friend's death by suicide. More here: https://jasonnark.com/about-me/
Jul 05, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 151
Novelette is 38 year old woman, living with a life limiting illness, called Epidermolysis Bullosa. I have the Recessive Dystrophic form of Epidermolysis Bullosa, RDEB. I live in Canada. I have a specialist in philosophy from the University of Toronto. Since 2018, I have been a trained hospice and peer bereavement Volunteer. I co-facilitate a lot of peer bereavement groups. I do a lot of mindfulness for grieving loss groups. I also help with training new hospice and peer bereavement volunteers. I...
Jun 21, 2024•40 min•Ep. 150
At the age of five Jessica Fein’s daughter Dalia was diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease that would claim her life at 17. Before that moment came, and inspired by Dalia’s own irrepressible spirit, Fein and her family would discover how to live in the present when the future can’t be fixed. In this heartfelt yet clear-eyed memoir, Fein maps both her journey to becoming an adoptive mom and the roller coaster ride of loving and caring for a terminally ill child, persevering when the simple a...
Jun 14, 2024•48 min•Ep. 149
Lisa Keefauver--Tedx speaker, consulatant, grief educator and host of the Grief is a Sneaky Bitch podcast has written a book of the same name. Written in the tone of your "wise best friend" this book will keep you company, teach you, and support you as you navigate loss. Be sure to follow her https://lisakeefauver.com
Jun 06, 2024•54 min•Ep. 148
Jonathan Fleece is the president and CEO of Empath Health Empath Health is one of the country’s largest not-for-profit health systems delivering non-acute care and services through its skilled, medical and holistic programs to individuals with chronic, advanced and terminal illnesses and those experiencing grief. The Empath Health integrated network of care provides expert medical, counseling and support services including hospice; home health; palliative care; grief services; all-inclusive elde...
May 24, 2024•46 min•Ep. 147
Brutally Honest. Achingly Authentic. In her author debut, Lindsey Kane Leaverton , has written the book she wished she had as she navigated countless trips through despair. She shares her heart and healing journey to help you raise your awareness, add tools to your toolkit, and find a way to laugh while you cry your way through a messy life. https://www.notanotherselfhelpbook.com/shes-a-lot-interview-series
May 09, 2024•50 min•Ep. 146
Host of one of the most popular podcasts on death, grief and loss, David Ferrugio comes into the work with a deep personal understanding of loss. His father (also David) died in the world Trade Center on 9/11 when David was only twelve years old. In this episode David shares some of his life philosophies, his appreciation for gallows humor and how critical supports helped him to process his loss. The subject matter may be heavy, but this conversation isn't. David's joy and love of life is infect...
May 03, 2024•48 min•Ep. 145
What a Day in the Life of a Hospital Chaplain who Sits with the Dying Teaches Us About GRIEF J.S. Park is a hospital chaplain, author, and online educator. For eight years he has been an interfaith chaplain at a thousand-plus-bed hospital that is designated a Level 1 Trauma Center. His role includes grief counseling, attending every death, every trauma and Code Blue, staff care, and supporting end-of-life care. He also served for three years as a chaplain at one of the largest nonprofit charitie...
Apr 25, 2024•49 min•Ep. 144
NPR’s Rhaina Cohen is the The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center , The Other Significant Others invites us into the lives of people who have defied convention by choosing a friend as a life partner—from friends raising a child together to best friends of 50 years who live together in their retiree years. Based on years of original reporting and striking social science research, Cohen argues that we undermine romantic relationships by expecting too much of th...
Apr 18, 2024•46 min•Ep. 143
Anne Gudger is an autobiographical essayist who writes hard and loves harder. She’s been published in Real Simple, Cutbank, Cutthroat, The Los Angeles Review, The Normal School, The Rumpus, and the Columbia Journal, among others, and has been a Best of the Net nominee twice. She is also the co-founder of Coffee and Grief, a reading series that’s been thriving since March 2020 and hosts five curated readers every month reading on grief. Anne lives in Banks, Oregon with her beloved husband. The Fi...
Apr 04, 2024•48 min•Ep. 142
Recognized as one of today’s foremost experts on grief, Claire Bidwell Smith is a licensed therapist, international speaker, and the author of five books published in 22 countries. Led by her own experience in grief and fueled by her work in hospice and private practice, Claire strives to provide support for all kinds of people experiencing all kinds of loss. Claire has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, MSNBC, CNN, Scientific American, Goop, Oprah and many more outle...
Mar 28, 2024•47 min•Ep. 141
In 2018, Nikki Mark’s healthy twelve-year-old-son Tommy went to sleep one night and never woke up. Nikki went into a state of shock and her body quickly started to deteriorate, but she had to be there for her remaining family. Without a religious or spiritual background, she relied on the one skill she could still access — the ability to figure it out. Along her unconventional journey, Nikki discovered something surprising: that if we’re open to the possibilities, grieving offers a unique opport...
Mar 22, 2024•52 min•Ep. 140
Don't miss the wonderful episide with the the incredible ane L. Rosen author of On Fire Island as she explains how her personal exprience with grief informed her charachters in the book. Jane L. Rosen is an author, screenwriter and former Huffington Post contributor. Jane often takes inspiration from real-life stories and interviews to craft her novels. Her first novel Nine Women, One Dress was translated into ten languages. Her second novel Eliza Starts a Rumor has been optioned by NBC. A Shoe ...
Mar 15, 2024•48 min•Ep. 139
Amy's work went viral. Learn the story of how and why in this episode where Amy discusses her how her viral list, was really a reaction to compound grief and loss. In her own words: I’m a psychotherapist turned “accidental” author I started my career as a psychotherapist intending to help others build mental strength. I never imagined how much I was going to need mental muscle in my own life. My mom passed away when I was 23. Then, my husband died when I was 26. Losing the two most important peo...
Mar 07, 2024•47 min•Ep. 138
