It’s our annual holiday episode, this time with Dougy Center Executive Director and TEDx speaker Brennan Wood. Brennan first encountered Dougy Center after her mom, Doris, died of breast cancer three days after Brennan’s 12th birthday. She has since navigated almost four decades of holiday seasons with grief along for the ride. She shares about the early years that were awful; the young-adult years she spent volunteering away from family; and how, as an adult, she’s learned to hold both grief and joy while creating new traditions for her own family. Whether this is your first or 41st holiday season with grief, this conversation offers validation, tangible suggestions, and new ways to think about this time of year.
We discuss:
How attending a peer grief support group as a teen introduced Brennan to the idea that grief is to feel, not fix.
Accepting that not everything has to be bright and shiny, especially during the holidays.
Recalling the first Christmas after her mom died and why it felt awful.
New traditions she's created as an adult with her own family.
Grounding rituals Brennan uses, especially during the holidays.
Why it's okay to be mad at holiday traditions you used to love.
Need additional tips and suggestions for this time of year?
Check out our past episodes and our Holiday Grief Tip Sheet & Worksheet
Under Pressure – Grief & December Holidays
Watch Brennan's TEDxPortland Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN4zP5baJrg
Read her A Kid's Book About Grief - https://dougybookstore.org/products/a-kids-book-about-grief
Learn more about Brennan - https://www.dougy.org/about/team-dougy/executive-director
When Kyndal Parks’ grandfather died on Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving – she lost one of her biggest supporters and confidants. While navigating her grief, Kyndal was also navigating life as a college student where she often felt unseen in her grief by faculty and the wider institution. What began as a class assignment turned into a powerful audio piece about loss, legacy, and the urgent need for grief-informed spaces on college campuses, particularly at HBCUs where collective trauma, silence, and resilience intertwine.
In this conversation, Kyndal shares about her grandfather’s extraordinary life - from his childhood in the 1940s, to living with a disability, to his time as a Black Panther, a gardener, a traveler, and the steady source of love that shaped her into the person she is today. She talks about the traditions they built together, how her grief shows up even from 2,000 miles away, and why vulnerability and community care are essential if we want to build environments where students who are grieving feel supported.
Kyndal also explores the cultural and historical patterns of grief in Black communities, the pressure to “push through,” and her vision for a world where grief is met with connection, not silence.
We discuss:
Check out News Ambassadors, the program that helped connect us with Kyndal and her audio piece.
When Hilary was 18, her oldest sister, Kelly, died from a rare cancer called DSRCT (desmoplastic small round cell tumor). In the same year, Hilary left for college and her parents divorced - three life-altering events that reshaped her relationships, sense of stability, and the early years of adulthood.
In this episode, we talk about:
Hilary also shares what she wishes she had known about grief at 18, how exhausting it can be, and how she learned to make space for grief that shows up differently over time.
When Cassie arrived at Dougy Center for her first peer grief support group for young adults after her dad died, she sat in the parking lot wondering if she could even walk inside. When she did, she found people her age who understood what it meant to have a parent die - people who would end up shaping her life in ways she never imagined. In this episode, Cassie talks about how grief changed her, what it was like to find community in a peer support group, and how those friendships continue to support her years later. Now, as a volunteer facilitator in a peer grief support group for children, Cassie reflects on what it means to come full circle - turning the care she received into care she now offers others.
We Discuss:
Learn more about Dougy Center's peer grief support groups and resources for Young Adults ages 18-40.
When you’re grieving, “Take care of yourself,” might be the last thing you want to hear. So what does self-care actually look like for a parent or caregiver who is grieving? Rebecca Hobbs-Lawrence, MA, who coordinates the Pathways Program at Dougy Center for families facing an advanced serious illness, joins us to share practical tools for caregivers who are trying to balance taking care of others with tending to themselves, along with crucial advice for friends and family who want to provide truly meaningful support.
We discuss:
Balancing others’ needs while grieving yourself
How adults and kids experience grief differently
When the surviving parent had a complicated relationship with the person who died
Simple, doable self-care for caregivers
What real, helpful support looks like from friends and community
Learning how to ask for and accept help
Rebecca Hobbs-Lawrence, M.A., is the Pathways Program & Grief Services Coordinator at Dougy Center, The National Grief Center for Children & Families.
When Leena Magdi’s younger brother, Hamoodi, was killed, her world shifted entirely. In her debut book Mourning Air, Leena explores how grief reshapes identity, faith, and love. In this conversation, Leena shares what it meant and means to be Hamoodi’s sister, how sibling grief is often dismissed, and how writing helps her navigate the grief. Leena also shares about her family’s forced displacement after war broke out in Sudan less than a year after Hamoodi’s death - and how she’s learning to grieve both her brother and her home.
We discuss:
About Leena Magdi:
Leena Magdi is a Sudanese-American writer and poet, author of Mourning Air, and mother of two. She was born in Sudan, raised in California, and currently lives in Egypt. You can find her on Instagram @xleenamagdix and TikTok @xleenamagdix.
When someone you know dies suddenly, everything changes in an instant. The world you once knew can feel unfamiliar and unsafe, and finding your way back to even the smallest sense of stability can feel impossible.
In this episode, we talk with Dr. Jennifer Levin, therapist, educator, podcast host, and author of The Traumatic Loss Workbook: Powerful Skills for Navigating the Grief Caused by a Sudden or Unexpected Death. Jennifer specializes in supporting people grieving sudden or unexpected deaths that can completely upend how we see the world and shift our sense of safety.
We discuss:
About the Guest:
Dr. Jennifer Levin is a grief therapist, educator, and host of the Untethered podcast. She’s the founder of Traumatic Grief Solutions and the creator of The Traumatic Loss Online Companion Course. Her new book, The Traumatic Loss Workbook, is available now from New Harbinger Publications.
Resources Mentioned:
When Tiriq Rashad, artist, poet, and performer, sits down to write, he’s not just telling his own story - he’s carrying his daughter, his brother, and his mother with him. In this conversation, Tiriq shares the layered ways grief has shaped who he is: from the death of his first child before she was born, to growing up caring for his brother who lived with cerebral palsy and autism, to the sudden death of his mother.
Through it all, Tiriq’s foundation in caregiving, service, and community continues to guide him - both in his personal life and in his art. His new album, Kiss My Art, is woven through with grief, including themes of regret, forgiveness, and deep unwavering love. Each track on Kiss My Art reminds listeners that grief doesn’t end, it evolves and we evolve with it.
We talk about:
Connect with Tiriq Rashad:
When Tyler Feder was 19, her mom died of cancer, an experience she captured years later in her bestselling graphic memoir Dancing at the Pity Party. In the years since, Tyler has described herself as a “dead mom person” - reflecting just how much of her life was shaped by the death of her mother. But this past winter, Tyler’s dad also died, adding a new aspect to her identity, this time as an adult orphan.
In this episode, we discuss:
Follow Tyler’s work on Instagram @tylerfeder.
In 1986, when Kristine S. Ervin was eight years old, her mother was abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered in Oklahoma. Decades later, Kristine tells her story in Rabbit Heart - A Mother's Murder, A Daughter's Story, a memoir weaves together her fragmented childhood memories, growing up with grief, and then as an adult, reckoning with the painful details of her mother's death. The course of the book shifts when there is a break in the cold case of her mother's murder, leading to a trial and eventual conviction of Kyle Eckhart, one of the men responsible.
In this conversation Kristine reflects on what it means to grieve for her mother and for the violent way she died. She explores the power of imagination in grief, the struggle of piecing together memories shaped by others, and how writing became both an outlet and a way to preserve a connection to her mother.
Together, Jana and Kristine talk about:
Content note: this episode includes details of violence, sexual assault, and murder, along with some adult language. Please listen with care.
Kristine Ervin grew up in a small suburb of Oklahoma City and is now an associate professor at West Chester University, outside Philadelphia. She holds an MFA in Poetry from New York University and a Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literature, with a focus in nonfiction, from the University of Houston. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Fourth Genre, Crimereads, Crab Orchard Review, Brevity, Passages North, and Silk Road. Her essay "Cleaving To," was named a notable essay in the Best American Essays 2013. Kristine's debut memoir Rabbit Heart is currently available from Counterpoint Press.
When someone dies, the story is often one of sadness, longing, and loss. But what happens when the person who died was also someone who caused great harm? For Kathy, who was sexually and emotionally abused by her father, his death when she was 11 brought more relief than grief.
In this conversation, Kathy shares how her early experiences with grief and trauma shaped her path as a social worker and volunteer, including her current work with teens and tweens who are grieving.
We explore:
Kathy’s story broadens our understanding of grief, reminding us that it’s never one-dimensional, and that sometimes, relief outweighs grief.
Note: this episode includes references to childhood sexual and emotional abuse.
How do we move from seeing grief as something to fix or overcome, to understanding it as a lifelong companion and guide? In this conversation with Rev. Dr. Jamie Eaddy CT, CTP - educator, death doula, founder of Thoughtful Transitions, and creative force behind The Ratchet Grief Project® - she invites us to reimagine grief as a friend who helps us navigate loss, change, and transition. Drawing from her personal lineage of grief through the deaths of her grandmother, cousin, and uncle, Dr. J. shares how these experiences shaped her work supporting individuals and communities, especially those living at the intersections of marginalization and oppression.
We explore:
To learn more:
Welcome to a special "podcast takeover" episode. This week, Lindsey Whissel Fenton, creator of Speaking Grief and Learning Grief, steps in to interview Jana. Their conversation centers on Jana's beloved Boston Terrier, Captain, who died in December 2024 at the age of 15. Lindsey understands this heartache well, as her own sweet dog, Birch, died in May 2022. As a skilled interviewer and a thoughtful friend in grief, Lindsey was the perfect person to explore Jana's experience of loving and grieving for Captain.
Together, Lindsey and Jana delve into how Captain came into Jana's life, the complexities of caregiving for an aging pet, the difficult decisions surrounding their end-of-life, and the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways pet grief can be minimized or dismissed, by others and sometimes even by us.
This conversation weaves between the personal and professional, touching on:
A quick content note: we’ll be discussing end-of-life caregiving for a pet, including the decision-making process around euthanasia. We know these are tender topics, so please take care as you listen.
The resource we mention: Supporting Children & Teens After the Death of a Pet or Companion Animal
Lindsey Whissel Fenton, MEd, CT (she/her) is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker, international speaker, and grief educator. In her current role as a senior producer/director and instructional designer at PBS/NPR affiliate WPSU, Lindsey focuses on projects related to grief, trauma, and mental health. She is the creator of Speaking Grief and Learning Grief, founder of Empathic Media, and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance for Children's Grief (NACG). She’s also an instructional designer and content creator for the Yale Child Study Center’s Grief-Sensitive Healthcare Project. Lindsey earned her bachelor’s degree in Cinema and Digital Arts from Point Park University, her master’s degree in Learning, Design, and Technology from Penn State, and is Certified in Thanatology through the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC). She’s a dog mom, avid reader, and rock climber.
When Susie and Nick Shaw’s nine-year-old son William died in a skiing accident, their world shifted permanently. In the six years since that day, they've found ways to carry their grief and stay connected to William, while continuing to honor the boy who inspired so much good in their lives and in their community.
In this deeply moving conversation, Susie and Nick reflect on William’s life—his empathy, his humor, and the motto he created for himself in the year before he died: “Be Yourself.” A simple but powerful phrase that inspired their nonprofit, William’s Be Yourself Challenge.
Together, we discuss:
Navigating grief as individuals and as a couple
Supporting their son Kai in grieving for his brother
Raising Bodhi, their child who was born after William’s death
Creating family rituals, including monthly taco nights and birthday celebrations
Returning to Big Sky, Montana to visit the spot where William died and reclaim their love of skiing
Their new project, The Greenhouse, a house for families who are grieving to take a break from daily life
Whether you’re a parent or a caregiver who's grieving, a supporter of one, or someone walking alongside a family coping with heartbreaking grief, this conversation highlights the power of honesty, connection, and intentional grief work.
Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of child death, trauma, and detailed descriptions of the day William died.
More from Susie & Nick:
Susie's writing: Dear William Substack
Nick's book: My Teacher, My Son
Learn more: WilliamsBeYourselfChallenge.org
Donate or get involved with The Greenhouse Project: WBYCgiving.org
Jessie was 21. Molly was 11. Two days after their joint birthdays, their mom, Jill, was murdered by Molly’s father. In the hours, days, and years that followed, there was little room for grief. Jessie and Molly were expected to keep going — and they did. But that forward momentum came at a cost.
It’s been nearly 20 years, and only recently have Jessie and Molly begun to revisit what happened and what it’s meant to live with unspoken grief and unacknowledged trauma. As part of that process, they discovered a manila envelope packed away in storage - inside were eight children’s book manuscripts written by their mom in the 1980s. Finding those stories sparked a new chapter of connection with their mom and motivated them to work towards getting them illustrated and published.
Note: This conversation includes descriptions of domestic violence, stalking, violent death, and suicide. If you or someone you know needs support, see the list of resources below.
In this conversation, Jessie and Molly talk about:
Follow along and support their project: Barty Books on Instagram
GoFundMe: Everyone Has A Story To Tell.
Dougy Center: https://www.dougy.org
National Domestic Violence Hotline - 1-800-799-7233
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - 988
How do you keep your heart open to love after it's been broken apart by grief? Danielle LaRock was just 19 when her father died of a heart attack. In 2022, her partner Ian died suddenly. Then, in 2024, her beloved dog Blue died, and with Blue went many shared memories of time spent with Ian. The experience of loving and being loved by Ian opened up places in Danielle's heart that had closed down after her father's death. That openness has stayed with her, even as she grieves for both Ian and Blue. That ongoing love and connection have shaped Danielle's grief and the ways she tries to support others who are also grieving.
We discuss:
Guest Bio
Danielle LaRock is the co-host of the popular podcast National Park After Dark, which explores dark history and tragedy in outdoor spaces. A former veterinary technician from New England, Danielle has become a compassionate voice in the grief community, using her own experiences with loss to help others navigate their journeys.
Connect with Danielle on IG.
Sometimes we can't really begin to understand grief - ours or anyone else's - if we don't have space to talk about the death. The context surrounding how someone died matters and can shape our grief in meaningful ways. This was true for Kari Lyons-Price, MSW, who was a caregiver for her parents, Hal and Sylvia, for many years. They died three years apart, her dad in 2019 and her mom in 2022, and the circumstances of their deaths greatly impacted Kari and her grief.
We discuss:
Want to hear more from Kari? Check out her podcast, Live Well. Be Wise.
In this episode, Camila returns to Grief Out Loud six years after her first appearance to share how grief continues to evolve. What began with the sudden loss of her mother at age 21 has now expanded to include the ongoing grief of caregiving for her father, who is living with dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Camila discusses the unique challenges of long-distance caregiving, the differences between sudden loss and gradual decline, and how these two types of grief intersect in her life. She also discusses navigating major life milestones—including getting married during the pandemic—without her mother's presence.
We Discuss:
About the Guest:
Camila is a poet who has published three books of poetry:
The Progression of Grief (about losing her mother)
New Waters (about falling in love and healthy relationships)
The Longevity of Grief (about caring for her father and how different types of grief intersect)
This episode is the third in our 2025 three-part series highlighting the voices of communities who have historically been underrepresented in the grief world. The series is part of an ongoing collaboration between Dougy Center and The New York Life Foundation. We are deeply grateful for New York Life Foundation's tireless support and advocacy for children and teens who are grieving.
Grief Out Loud is a production of Dougy Center, the National Grief Center for Children and Families in Portland, Oregon.
In this deeply personal episode, Mark Chesnut returns to Grief Out Loud to share his experience of losing his sister Glynn to ovarian cancer. Glynn chose medical aid in dying after nearly four years of treatment, giving Mark and his family the unusual experience of knowing when death would occur. This conversation explores the complexity of "scheduled death," the challenges of finding appropriate language to discuss medical aid in dying, and how knowing the date changed their family's grieving process.
Mark Chesnut is a journalist, editor, public speaker, and the author of: Prepare for Departure. Mark previously appeared on Grief Out Loud in October 2022, discussing caring for his mother at the end of her life. Mark lives in New York City with his husband Angel and recently wrote an article about his sister's experience with medical aid in dying.
This episode is the second in our 2025 three-part series highlighting the voices of communities who have historically been underrepresented in the grief world. The series is part of an ongoing collaboration between Dougy Center and The New York Life Foundation. We are deeply grateful for New York Life Foundation's tireless support and advocacy for children and teens who are grieving.
Grief Out Loud is a production of Dougy Center, the National Grief Center for Children and Families in Portland, Oregon.
When someone dies, our relationship with them doesn't just disappear. Sometimes the relationship changes in ways we never expected, allowing us to feel closer to them than we did when they were alive. This can leave us learning to grieve not just for what we had, but for what never got the chance to have with them. In this episode we talk with Never Faull about grieving for their father, who died in 2018 from cirrhosis of the liver. Nev shares how their relationship with their father was distant during his life and how they've found ways to create a deeper connection with him after his death. We also discuss what it was like for Nev, who came out as trans six months after their dad dies, to navigate grieving while also celebrating a new unfolding in their identity.
Topics we discuss:
Never Faull is a queer and trans, disabled, autistic BIPOC writer, photographer, facilitator, and grief tender based in Portland. they explore the intersections of memory, identity, and mourning in their creative work. their current project, The Dead Dad Camera Club, started with the camera their dad left behind, and has become a way to navigate grief through photos and storytelling.
Resources Mentioned
This episode is the first in our 2025 three-part series highlighting the voices of communities who have historically been underrepresented in the grief world. The series is part of an ongoing collaboration between Dougy Center and The New York Life Foundation. We are deeply grateful for New York Life Foundation's tireless support and advocacy for children and teens who are grieving.
Daria Burke is an author, executive, and healer-at-heart. She's also a grandchild grieving for her grandmother and a daughter estranged from her parents. In this episode, Daria shares the profound impact of losing her maternal grandmother at age seven and how that early loss reverberated through her life. This loss and grief exist alongside the immense healing she's done around growing up in poverty, childhood trauma, and her parents' absences, addictions, and the eventual estrangement from them.
With the recent release of her memoir, Of My Own Making, Daria opens up about the moment, decades later, that reawakened the grief for her grandmother - finding a newspaper article about her fatal car accident. That discovery, and ensuing grief, started a new chapter in Daria's healing process. In our conversation, we talk about inherited trauma, the emotional weight of estrangement, the invisible grief of childhood neglect, Daria's healing practices, and how she stays connected to her grandmother through what she calls “love taps.”
Key Topics:
What role Daria's grandmother played in her early childhood
The ongoing impacts of childhood grief and unprocessed trauma
How truth-telling is part of healing
The collective grief she grew up around in Detroit of the 1980's
Grieving for family members who are still alive
Grief Practices Daria Shares:
Giving herself permission to cry freely
Meditative practices to connect with her grandmother
Volunteering on holidays and creating new rituals
Finding signs from her grandmother in the world around her
Daria Burke is an American writer, speaker and award-winning business leader. A marketer by trade and a seeker at heart, Daria is a storyteller and sense-maker, weaving together personal experience and the science of healing and transformation to explore new ways of understanding how we choose who we become. This passion led her to complete Dr. Tara Swart’s Neuroscience for Business course at MIT and Positive Psychology and Well-Being at Stanford, taught by Dr. Daryn Reicherter, an international expert in trauma psychiatry.
Her debut memoir, OF MY OWN MAKING (April 2025) explores trauma, neuroplasticity, and Post-Traumatic Growth through the lens of her own healing journey. Kiese Laymon called it “as profound a book about the treacherous experience of befriending ourselves as I’ve read this decade.” Part memoir, part methodology, OF MY OWN MAKING blends personal narrative with scientific insight, Daria inspires readers to reimagine the narratives that define their lives.
Connect with Daria:
Website: www.dariaburke.com
Instagram: @dariaburke
Resources & Links:
Dougy Center: www.dougy.org
Email the show: griefoutloud@dougy.org
Production Note:
Grief Out Loud is produced by Dougy Center: The National Grief Center for Children & Families, and is supported in part by The Chester Stephan Endowment Fund.
In this episode, we delve into the grief experiences of children and teens with autism. Our guest, Jennifer Wiles, M.A., LMHC, BC-DMT, FT - Director of the HEARTplay Program and a dance movement therapist with decades of experience - joins us to discuss how children with autism process grief and how parents and others in their lives can support them. Drawing on her background in both nonverbal forms of expression and grief support, Jennifer shares compassionate, practical insights rooted in her work with families. This conversation is both timely and essential, especially during Autism Acceptance Month, as it highlights the importance of expanding how we understand and support grief beyond more traditional approaches rooted in words.
We discuss:
The importance of using direct, concrete language when talking about death
Common misconceptions about how kids with autism express grief
Why behaviors often interpreted as indifference may be expressions of deep emotion
How sensory overload and disrupted routines can intensify grief reactions
The powerful role of nonverbal communication—movement, gesture, rhythm, and ritual—in grief expression
How social stories and structured activities can prepare kids for events like funerals
Grief rituals for significant days like anniversaries and birthdays
The impact of other losses, including changes in routine, missed milestones, and the death of service animals
Resources mentioned:
Toolkit from the National Alliance for Children’s Grief (NACG): A resource for supporting children of all abilities who are grieving
Books:
I Have a Question About... series by Meredith Polsky & Arlen Gaines
Understanding Death and Illness and What They Teach About Life by Catherine Faherty
A Kids Book About Grief by Brennan Wood
HEARTplay Program: Free downloadable social stories and grief support
Have feedback or a story to share? Email us at griefoutloud@dougy.org
Visit dougy.org for grief support resources, activity sheets, and past episodes.
Grief often arrives without warning and changes everything we thought we knew about ourselves, our families, and the world around us. In this episode, we talk with Erin Nelson and Colleen Montague about their new book, When Grief Comes Home, a resource created from years of both personal loss and professional experience supporting families who are grieving. Erin, founding Executive Director of Jessica’s House in Central California, and Colleen, Program Director, discuss how they came to write this book that blends memoir, practical tools, and reflective questions.
We discuss:
Resources & Mentions:
When Grief Comes Home: A Guide For Living Through Loss While Supporting Your Child, by Erin and Colleen – [available wherever you get your books]
Jessica’s House: https://jessicashouse.org/
Dougy Center: https://www.dougy.org/
💬 Connect with us: griefoutloud@dougy.org
🎧 If you find this episode meaningful, consider leaving us a rating or review to help more people find Grief Out Loud.
Grief Out Loud is produced by Dougy Center: The National Grief Center for Children & Families.
What does it mean to lose your anchor people? In a short period of time, Renée Watson experienced the death of her mother, her mentor Nikki Giovanni, and her childhood friend, Charnetta. Renée shares how these experiences influenced her latest novel for young readers, All the Blues in the Sky, which follows 13-year-old Sage as she navigates grief after the death of her best friend.
Renée Watson is a #1 New York Times bestselling author whose recent book All the Blues in the Sky explores grief through the eyes of a young person. Her young adult novel, Piecing Me Together, received a Coretta Scott King Award and Newbery Honor. Her children's picture books and novels for teens have received several awards and international recognition. Many of her books are inspired by her experiences growing up as a Black girl in the Pacific Northwest.
We Discuss
Experiencing multiple significant losses in a short period of time
The impact of losing "anchor people" in one's life
How Renée's mentor and friend, Nikki Giovanni, supported her as she grieved for her mother
The spectrum of emotions that come with grief
Why it’s important to acknowledge grief rather than avoid it
The comparison of sudden loss versus anticipated loss
Finding tangible reminders of love after someone dies
Connect with Renée Watson
Website: RenéeWatson.net
About Dougy Center
Grief Out Loud is a production of Dougy Center, the National Grief Center for Children and Families in Portland, Oregon. For more resources, visit dougy.org or email griefoutloud@dougy.org.
In this deeply moving episode we talked with Myra Sack about the love, loss, and legacy of her daughter, Havi. Diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease at just 15 months old, Havi's life was brief but profoundly impactful. Myra shares how she and her family navigated the unbearable reality of their daughter's illness and death, including transforming their Shabbat ritual into "Shabbirthdays" held every Friday to celebrate Havi's life.
Myra reflects on the arduous medical rollercoaster that led to Havi's Tay-Sachs diagnosis, the challenges of navigating a world that struggles to support the bereaved, and how she and her family find solace in sharing Havi's legacy with others. She also discusses her memoir, Fifty-Seven Fridays, and how she started E-Motion, Inc. an organization that harnesses movement, community, and ritual to support those who are grieving.
We discuss:
The ongoing presence of grief, particularly during milestone moments and everyday life.
How Myra and her husband Matt created the Shabbirthday ritual to honor Havi each week.
How Havi continues to teach others even after her death.
The impact of isolation for grieving families and the struggle of navigating social norms post-diagnosis.
Finding ways to stay connected to Havi through rituals, storytelling, and shared memories.
Myra's journey into grief education and the founding of E-Motion, which supports people who are grieving through movement and community.
The need for more grief-informed communities.
Resources & Links:
Fifty-Seven Fridays by Myra Sack
What Happened to You? By Bruce D. Perry & Oprah Winfrey
Connect With Us: Have thoughts on this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at griefoutloud@dougy.org or visit our website for more resources and past episodes.