Modern Loss founders Rebecca Soffer and Gabrielle Birkner are members of the "Women With Dead Parents Club." Rebecca's mom died after a car accident and her dad had a heart attack while traveling abroad. Gabi's father and stepmother were murdered in a robbery when a recently released methamphetamine addict was sent to their home to make what should've been a run-of-the-mill home repair. Rebecca and Gabi met and created Modern Loss, a multimedia platform for sharing candid stories about life afte...
Jul 10, 2019•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast After Marlie Rowell's husband took his own life, she became a suicide widow. Her art project and website Suicide Widow Etiquette sheds light on the shamed, hidden conversation surrounding suicide. We're talking about how we must "feel to heal," how secrets keep us sick, and, my favorite... the refrigerator analogy of grief. Marlie is also sharing her suicide etiquette tips for friends and family of those grieving a suicide. Also this week, I'm reminding you of my BONUS online grief support group...
Jul 04, 2019•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Just six weeks after a family vacation, Richard Pryor received word that his 27 year old son, Richie, died in his sleep. For the next year or two, Richard was caught in what he refers to as the "loop of grief," watching videos of his son and trying to fix the griefs of the people around him. Attending a seminar where the speaker talked about focus and meaning got the ball of Richard's new identity going, calling him to focus on positive memories of his son and work towards making meaning of the ...
Jun 26, 2019•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast People have a lot of misconceptions about grief professionals—one of the biggest being "They know all about grief, so loss is easy for them!" Nothing could be further from the truth. This week, I'm speaking to Cole Imperi, a dual-certified thanatologist about the grief of grief professionals. She's sharing her experience of the death of her sister in March 2019, how practices like Americanized yoga have "sucked the death" out of healing modalities, and what it truly means to be a death companion...
Jun 19, 2019•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast After his son, Jonathan, died unexpectedly, R. Glenn Kelly faced grief in a myriad of places, including at work. He's since taken his loss to conferences, businesses, and keynote presentations across the country to share the importance and financial significance of honoring workplace grief. We're talking about workplace indifference regarding grief, best practices for employers and coworkers, and how to get employers to invest in care for the bereaved. Also this week, what courage REALLY looks l...
Jun 12, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Kat Bonner was just 18 years old when her mom was killed instantly in a car accident. She went to live with her grandmother, but just two and a half years later, her grandmother—Kat's second mother figure—died. This week on Coming Back, Kat is sharing what it was like to discover her mom was an alcoholic after her death, how to navigate grief in college, and how at some point, coming back is conscious decision we all have to make. Also this week, the grief of feeling STUCK in the aftermath of lo...
Jun 05, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast After a violent and dysfunctional childhood, Non Wels is harnessing massive amounts of empathy and vulnerability to cope with anxiety, depression, and anorexia. We're talking about what it's like for Non to create safe spaces for others that he did not have access to growing up and why humor and levity are important in the midst of recovery. He's sharing his list of favorite books and podcasts for cultivating empathy as well as some of his go-to self-talk phrases for reminding himself of his wor...
May 29, 2019•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Susan Angel Miller's daughter died suddenly after being diagnosed with a rare form of childhood brain cancer. Not four years later, Susan was diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent surgery—and the parallels to her daughter's experience are incredible. Susan's book Permission to Thrive recounts the experience of her oldest daughter's death, Susan's experience of having a brain tumor, and the concept of post-traumatic growth, which she is actively harnessing in her process of "coming back." To...
May 22, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Transcript available on Metacast J Mase III lost his father, grandmother, and job in 2012. His new book And Then I Got Fired: One Transqueer's Reflections on Grief, Unemployment & Inappropriate Jokes About Death is an exploration of his grief as well as a love letter to other trans people experiencing loss. We're talking about how death is the ultimate abandonment, how our job as the living is to continue healing after death, and why the pain of black and trans grief often goes unseen. Also this week, I'm talking about the grie...
May 16, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast On Mother's Day 2007, Julie Cluff was driving the car that rolled over, killing two of her six children and injuring a third. Since that day, she has wrestled with the identity of "the mom who lost two children." On this episode of Coming Back, Julie and I are talking about how our losses do and do not define us, how traumatic grief can cause PTSD, and how Julie has shifted her spiritual beliefs to come to terms with that life-changing car accident. Also this week, I'm talking about the weird ph...
May 08, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Singer, songwriter, and pianist Neil Davis wrote his single "Not Better" after the sudden death of his father in 2017. We're talking about the power of music to bring us back from devastating loss as well as how we can best "conjure up" memories of loved ones when they're no longer around. Neil is also giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the grief thoughts that created his song, "Not Better" and he's sharing the full track with us in the podcast's credits. Also this week, I'm unveiling some ne...
May 01, 2019•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Off-air, Emily Ruth commented on my intuition, so I'm sharing a behind-the-scenes look at how I prepare (or don't!) for interviews on Coming Back. Emily Ruth's work and Instagram: emilyruthcoach.com https://www.instagram.com/emilyruth_/ Season 6 of Coming Back returns May 1, 2019! In the meantime... Enter my giveaway to win a copy of Now You See the Sky by Catharine H. Murray and Becoming Starlight by Dr. Sharon Prentice by entering your email address at http://www.shelbyforsythia.com/giveaway-c...
Apr 24, 2019•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Sharon Prentice shares the immediate attitude change she experienced as a result of her Shared Death Experience (SDE) with her husband. Dr. Sharon Prentice's work and book, Becoming Starlight: https://sharonprentice.com/ Season 6 of Coming Back returns May 1, 2019! In the meantime... Enter my giveaway to win a copy of Now You See the Sky by Catharine H. Murray and Becoming Starlight by Dr. Sharon Prentice by entering your email address at http://www.shelbyforsythia.com/giveaway-coming-back-p...
Apr 17, 2019•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Latina griever Vivian Nunez is actively working to normalize grief, anxiety, and conversations around mental health in the Latina community. Vivian Nunez's work, podcast, and community: http://toodamnyoung.com/ https://www.instagram.com/vivnunez/ Season 6 of Coming Back returns May 1, 2019! In the meantime... Enter my giveaway to win a copy of Now You See the Sky by Catharine H. Murray and Becoming Starlight by Dr. Sharon Prentice by entering your email address at http://www.shelbyforsythia.com/...
Apr 10, 2019•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Kate Manser of You Might Die Tomorrow believes that most people are good and that goodness comes out in the face of mortality. Kate Manser's work (and stickers!): http://www.youmightdietomorrow.com/ Season 6 of Coming Back returns May 1, 2019! In the meantime... Enter my giveaway to win a copy of Now You See the Sky by Catharine H. Murray and Becoming Starlight by Dr. Sharon Prentice by entering your email address at http://www.shelbyforsythia.com/giveaway-coming-back-podcast Ask Me Anything LIV...
Apr 03, 2019•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Katie Huey, writer behind 52 Beautiful Things, shares what she finds beautiful today. Katie Huey's work: https://52beautifulthings.com/ Season 6 of Coming Back returns May 1, 2019! In the meantime... Enter my giveaway to win a copy of Now You See the Sky by Catharine H. Murray and Becoming Starlight by Dr. Sharon Prentice by entering your email address at http://www.shelbyforsythia.com/giveaway-coming-back-podcast Ask Me Anything LIVE on Google Hangouts Monday 3/25 and Monday 4/22 at 8:00pm Cent...
Mar 27, 2019•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast That's a wrap for Season 5 of Coming Back! I'm sharing some final thoughts with you from this season's episodes as well as some upcoming events, including another double-book giveaway! Enter the giveaway by supporting Coming Back on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/shelbyforsythia Winner will be selected at random from the list of all active patrons as of 4/30/2019. Winner will receive a paperback copy of Now You See the Sky by Catharine H. Murray and a paperback copy of Becoming Starlight by Dr...
Mar 20, 2019•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica Waite's husband, Sean, called her from an airport shuttle... but never got on the plane. Today we're talking about the struggle to get Sean's body home from another country after his death, conjuring up strong "almost final" memories when final memories just don't do the trick, and how we don't have to be good at grief in order to recover. Also this week, I'm recapping my favorite moments from the 2019 Bereavement Cruise and reading an article of "fun funeral facts" that my sister sent m...
Mar 13, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Emily Ruth is VERY in tune with her body. Several miscarriages, the premature birth and death of her twin sons, and an ectopic pregnancy were "tipped off" by dreams, feelings, and premonitions. Today, we're talking about the grief of not being believed by doctors and medical professionals, the slow, painful journey of reclaiming a body that feels like it no longer belongs to you, and the divorce of her first marriage that felt like a death in and of itself. Also this week, I'm sharing the worksh...
Mar 06, 2019•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast The death of her premature daughter and the diagnosis of her husband launched Dr. Sharon Prentice into a rage against god. An incredible, unexplainable Shared Death Experience (SDE) rushed her straight into the arms of the universe and opened her eyes to the true nature of god and where she now believes we go when we die. Today Dr. Sharon Prentice is taking us on the journey of her SDE... and talking about how this one moment inspired a new career path and her book Becoming Starlight. Also this ...
Feb 27, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vivian Nunez was Too Damn Young—too young to lose her mom at 10 and too young to lose her grandma at 21. Now, at 26, she's the founder and creator of Too Damn Young, a website that helps teens and young adults who have lost someone they love. We're talking about creating a personal vocabulary for grief when textbooks fail, coping with the anxiety of waiting for the other shoe to drop, what dating is like as a young grieving person, and how Vivian is making room for Latina grief in a space that i...
Feb 20, 2019•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Get ready for grief-appropriate language! Alison L. Miller and her husband, Chuck, had a life and a future together. In just three weeks' time, he was dead and sitting in an urn in the passenger seat of her car. Committed to make good on a promise she made to her dying husband, Alison is on an Odyssey of Love driving across the country in a bright pink car so Chuck can find her out on the road. This week we're talking about how the five senses help us process grief, how grief makes us mad at col...
Feb 13, 2019•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Alica Forneret's mom was sick for most of her life. But her dad always reassured her that if things got bad enough, he would tell Alica when she and her sister needed to come home. That day came in October of 2016 when Alica's mom died in the ICU. This week, we're talking about how love sometimes looks like control and planning, the power of having people with similar losses around, how you can use your gifts to help someone who's grieving, and where Alica got the idea for her popular Dead Moms ...
Feb 06, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rabbi Anne Brener stumbled across traditional Jewish mourning rituals as she was preparing for her wedding. Her fascination with these ancient prayers and rituals plus knowledge of psychology and a collection of her own personal griefs called her to deeply explore the world of Jewish mourning and write the book Mourning & Mitzvah: A Guided Journal for Walking the Mourner’s Path Through Grief to Healing . Today we're talking about how God can be described as "a place" for mourners, the unfortunat...
Jan 30, 2019•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Melissa Lyons is not a grief expert. But her mysterious message-turned-children's-book I Will Always Love You is helping grievers all over the world feel peace, comfort, and even joy after a loved one dies. We're talking about how each of us is served the crappy buffet of grief, what to do when we're charged with a mission from the Universe, and how the emotion of joy gets marginalized in grief. Also this week, I'm digging into those moments when grief makes us feel like a failure. Melissa Lyons...
Jan 23, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Catharine H. Murray's middle son, Chan, was diagnosed with a rare and complicated form of leukemia at the heartbreaking age of five. After Western medicine did all it could do, Catharine, her husband, and her three boys moved to a remote cabin in Thailand where Chan spent his final months. Today we're talking about her book Now You See the Sky, a beautiful memoir that recounts the devastating reality of the loss of her child... and how death asked her to "nail her feet to the floor" to stay pres...
Jan 16, 2019•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Three back-to-back losses left Kate Manser with a severe case of death anxiety. Mortality was lurking around every corner. When the freak death of a friend on Mount Everest marked the fourth death in a short amount of time, Kate had a flash of insight: "I might die tomorrow." This profound statement became the fire under her ass: "If I might die tomorrow, I'm going to build a life I love today." We're talking about how death anxiety feels in the body, how grief makes us diagnose ourselves with n...
Jan 09, 2019•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Katie Huey's dad was fine until he wasn't. A sudden heart attack took him from her family in her early twenties and Katie was plunged into a year of spiraling confusion, compounded by both her and her husband's unexpected job losses. We're talking about Katie's faith (how prayer often looks like gratitude lists), what the experience of grief is like as an introvert, and how her blog, 52 Beautiful Things, changed in the aftermath of her father's death. Also this week, I'm announcing the winner of...
Jan 03, 2019•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Five years after my mom's death, asking my heart what it knows for sure. Season 5 of Coming Back premieres January 2, 2019! In the meantime... Enter my giveaway to win two copies of The Grief Recovery Method Handbook when you support Coming Back on Patreon. Winner will be selected at random from the list of all active patrons as of 12/31/2018. Winner will receive two copies of The Grief Recovery Method Handbook, a set of three Coming Back podcast stickers, and a handwritten thank you note. Make ...
Dec 26, 2018•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast I'm honoring one of the hardest days of my life by eating a pizza. This week, I'm recalling my memories of that day five years ago and reflecting on an unexpected message I received. Season 5 of Coming Back premieres January 2, 2019! In the meantime... Enter my giveaway to win two copies of The Grief Recovery Method Handbook when you support Coming Back on Patreon. Winner will be selected at random from the list of all active patrons as of 12/31/2018. Winner will receive two copies of The Grief ...
Dec 19, 2018•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
