Where's The Grief?

Here's my conversation with Brennan Wood, executive director of The Dougy Center, an org that provides grief peer support to children and families dealing with loss and illness.  Brennan walked through the doors of Dougy Center for the first time in 1987 at the age of 12 just three days after her mother died. At 14, she was a featured speaker at many Dougy Center events, and was so inspired by the then executive director,  dr. Donna Schuurman, that she dreamed of becoming ED herself one day. Brennan continues the mission of Dougy Center and would love to connect with you anytime about how you can support children and families who are grieving. Follow Dougy.org to find support in your area! Get "A Kids Book About Grief" Here!

In this episode I got to talk to my good friend and comedian Leighann Lord, who found herself to be the primary care taker for both of her parents prior to their deaths. We talk about the difficulty of watching our parents deteriorate in front of us, and how it can feel like we end up losing them twice. We also talk about how acknowledging our feelings and letting our emotions out when they strike can help us keep it together when we are falling apart. Follow all things Leighann at http://www.veryfunnylady.com Make sure you check her out on Showtime's "Even More Women Of A Certain Age," now streaming!

After becoming an "adult orphan" in her formative years, Alexandra Locker channeled her grief into cooking, going on to create The Grief Kitchen as a way to bring people together in times of isolation and loss. Her Instagram and FB pages provide a grief-positive community to share memories and recipes with others struggling with life after loss. We talk about how much food plays a factor in every stage of the grieving process, and the ways in which the kitchen itself can be a haven from the world. Follow @TheGriefKitchen on IG and on Facebook! Email me at WheresTheGrief@gmail.com to let me know what you think!

In this episode, I talk with Comedian Shawn Hitchins about his new book, "The Light Streamed Beneath It" -  a memoir of grief and celebration of the two loves of his life after they both died unexpectedly within a short period of time. We talk about the importance of having a community to hold us up, finding humor in the darkest parts of our lives, and the power of gratitude in the face of devastating loss.  Follow all things Shawn at https://shawnhitchins.com Get the Book On Amazon! 

In this episode, I got to talk to Hip-Hop Artist Kursive, who has dealt with a fair amount of loss all while battling his own demons as well. Having lost his brother as well as a number of friends to addiction and other mental health issues, Kursive has used these tragedy's to propel himself forward. We talk about the importance of gratitude, and the value of being present and truly listening.  Follow Kursive on IG @KURSIVE Check out "Reminds Me Of You" on Soundcloud 

In this episode, I talk with men's mental heath advocate, Addison Brasil! After a string of devastating losses, including his brother to cancer, his father to suicide and a friend in a car accident, Addison struggled with his own mental health, and found that men in general are not always encouraged to be as open with their feelings as he needed. He has gone on to create Tethr, a mobile app focused on peer-enabled emotional fitness and wellbeing for men.  Follow Addison on IG @AddisonBrasil Learn more about Tethr and get involved at https://www.tethr.men  

In this episode I talk with my good friend and comedian Mark Anthony Ramirez about a wide range of topics, including the death of both his parents, and the ways in which he has coped with life and death after the fact. We talk about the importance of leaning into your grief, and how cathartic it can be to process some of the hard feelings through humor with an audience that really gets it. Follow Mark on Twitter and IG @MarkARamirez

In this episode I talk with author David Richman, about his new book "Cycle of Lives," an incredible look at 15 different stories of dealing with cancer, interwoven with David's own literal journey across the country to connect with his interviewees. We talk about just how powerful and healing it can be to show our vulnerabilities and actively listen to those whose paths we cross.  Find out more and get the book at http://CycleOfLives.org  

In this episode I talk with Author Emma G Rose about her new book "Assembling Ella," a contemporary fantasy novel that incorporates Emma's own feelings about loss and life into the story. After the death of her cousin, Emma moved halfway across the world, and began to write as a way to cope and entertain at the same time. We talk about the importance of family support, as well as the isolation we all feel individually after a major loss. Follow Emma @EmmaGWriter Get the book at https://www.emmagauthor.com/

In this episode I talk to author Kathy Benjamin about her new book, "It's Your Funeral! Plan The Celebration of a Lifetime Before it's too Late!" Part instructional guide, and part workbook, Kathy manages to tackle a difficult topic with equal amounts of seriousness and whimsey. When people die, very often the task of figuring out what one's final wishes were and how to carry them out falls to the family left behind. This book helps start the conversation about how we want to be remembered, and that we should be at least as prepared as Nicholas Cage. Get the book at Quirk Books! Follow Kathy @KathyBenjamin

In this episode, I talk with Comedian Stuart Preston about his new book, "The Grief Trip; Learning to Heal WITH Grief and Psychedelics." After his son Ian died by suicide, Stuart began an unorthodox journey of self discovery and has continued to find ways to express his feelings through comedy and performance. It's important to note that the use of drugs to cope, even when done for medicinal purposes, can still be dangerous, and should always be done responsibly, supervised by an expert. Stuart himself is quick to point out his unique process, and uses it as a way to start some interesting conversations with his community. Get the book and find out more at http://TheGriefTrip.com  

Here's my conversation with Author Autumn Toelle Jackson, whose new book, "Boldly Into The Darkness; Living with Loss, Growing with Grief & Holding on to Happiness" provides insight into her process of healing after the loss of her husband, a cousin and a child in the span of just a few years. We talk about how important community is, and why having a bouncy-castle makes any event more fun, even a funeral.  Get the book and follow Autumn at https://growingwithgrief.com/

Hooray! After a much needed month off for my own sake and sanity, I am back with more grief! I talked with Michael Lalor, MD, Chief Medical Officer for Trellis Hospice and Palliative Care about the difficulties this past year and half have brought in being able to properly grieve. Already a difficult topic to tackle without a pandemic, we talk about how important it is to understand the human element and bring some normalcy to an otherwise unspoken yet expected life event. Find out more about Michael on his LinkedIn Page!

In this special SOLO episode, I check in with you guys regarding why there aren't as many new episodes this month. July 6th marked 19 years since the death of my brother Russell, and as such I tend to take July off of doing too much. Also, This Wednesday, July 14th is the 16th Annual Russell Ferber Foundation Comedy FUN!draiser! Tickets for our IN PERSON or our VIRTUAL LIVE STREAM are both available! CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!

In this episode, I sat down with ANOTHER fellow grief podcaster, Dr. Joshua Black, from the Grief Dreams Podcast! After dreaming about his late father, Joshua began studying the effects of dreams on healing trauma and moving through loss. Through his work and his podcast he is able to connect with people on a deep level about understanding the nature of life and death. Follow Joshua's podcast and learn more at https://www.griefdreams.ca

In this episode I talk with fellow grief podcaster Tawny Platis! Before Tawny's husband George passed away in their home in November 2019, the two had a popular podcast together. After his untimely death, Tawny coped with the trauma by turning the podcast into the show now known as Death Is Hilarious. Her show features conversations with other creative types who use dark humor and jokes to combat their grief. We talk about the difficulties of being widowed at 29, and finding ways to give ourselves permission to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Follow https://deathishilarious.com @ThatDeathPod Follow Tawny @TawnysVoice

In this episode I sat down IN PERSON! with my friend Tim Lavigne, whose band ToshioBand new album, Lock Your Doors, comes out June 25th. The album was partially inspired by the Tim's mother who instilled a love of music in him, and who continues to inspire years after her untimely passing. We talk about how freeing it can be to own who we are and find ways not to let our past dictate our future. Find out more about Tim and GET THE ABLUM at https://toshioband.com/ and follow them @ToshioBand

In this episode, I interview author Eric Hodgdon about his book, A Sherpa Named Zoi, about his journey back into the light after the death of his daughter, Zoi. In the years since her passing Eric has managed to find more meaning in her life than in her death, and helps others to harness their inner strengths to overcome adversity. We talk about the importance of moving forward while continuing to embrace the suck.  Check out https://erichodgdon.com for info on his seminars, or to get the book! Follow ME across all social media @WheresTheGrief or email me at WheresTheGrief@gmail.com

In this episode I interview writer Briana Lawrence! When she was just 13, Briana's brother Glenn died at 26, and since then she has found a lot of impactful ways to honor him and her grief. As a writer for The Mary Sue on pop culture, she was able to write about the ways that WandaVision on Disney + tackled grief head on. (spoiler alert - the whole season is about her grief!) We also talk about how proud our 13 year old selves would be of the crazy adults we turned out to be! Follow Briana @BrichibiTweets Follow ME across all platforms @WheresTheGrief Email me at WheresTheGrief@gmail.com

In this episode, I interview comedian Rich Kiamco, whose partner Sandy died from Covid just 3 weeks before we recorded this. Having spent years already working on himself and finding mens groups to tackle his feelings head-on, I was incredibly impressed by just how articulate Rich was about his grief so early in the process. We talk about how loss of the people in our lives upend the very structures that keep us grounded. Follow Rich @RichKiamco on Twitter and IG Check out http://www.richkiamco.com/ for more! Follow ME online @WheresTheGrief