A Place of Yes | A Grief Podcast

After losing her son Jake, Heather Straughter set out to have the conversations about grief that too often go unspoken. A Place of Yes brings together powerful stories, hard-earned wisdom, expert advice, unexpected hope, and plenty of laughter—creating a place to feel understood, find connection, and discover what it really means to keep living after loss. Listen to A Place of Yes and find the conversations that speak to where you are.

Elizabeth Klug is a mother, wife, and realtor whose story is shaped by the unimaginable—and the love that remains. She and her husband are both BRCA2 gene carriers, and they lost two of their four children to Fanconi anemia, a rare and fatal genetic condition. In this raw and powerful conversation, Elizabeth shares what it’s like to parent through grief, how she and her husband survived the strain of repeated loss, and why she still proudly says she’s a mom of four.

Heather and Elizabeth talk about marriage, advocacy, and the pressure to stay strong when your world has been shattered. They explore the complex emotions of guilt and anger, the burden of genetic knowledge, and how Elizabeth’s living children continue to bring meaning, connection, and light into her life. This conversation is deeply honest, heartbreaking, and full of hard-earned wisdom from a woman learning to live alongside grief.

Resources & Ways to Connect

• Learn more about Fanconi anemia:https://www.fanconi.org/

• Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/

• Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp

• Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelp

• APOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast

• Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter

• Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast

Chelsea Ohlemiller lost her mother in 2017, but the legacy of love, resilience, and truth she left behind continues to shape Chelsea’s life today. In this honest and heart-opening conversation, Chelsea reflects on the complicated emotions of grieving a parent while raising children of your own, the unexpected ways grief shows up years later, and the power of embracing imperfection — especially during the holidays. She shares how her blog, Happiness, Hope, and Harsh Realities, grew into a community of over 150,000 hearts, and why her new book, Now That She’s Gone, is meant to be a companion for grief — a gift to hold onto long after the flowers fade.

Heather and Chelsea talk about the loneliness of grief, what it means to carry a mother’s wisdom into motherhood, and why sometimes a simple family recipe like monkey bread can hold generations of meaning. They discuss the harshness of early grief, how we evolve into people we never expected to become, and the surprising moments when signs from loved ones appear — even if only for a moment. This conversation is full of tenderness, laughter, and deeply earned wisdom, and is a beautiful reminder that grief and love always live side by side.

Resources & Ways to Connect

Happiness, Hope & Harsh Realities Website: https://hopeandharshrealities.com/

Chelsea Ohlemiller on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeandharshrealities

APOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast

Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter

Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/

Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp

Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelp

Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast

After losing both her mother and her son within two years, Marie Crews found herself shattered—and searching for meaning in the wreckage. What began as journaling to survive became the foundation for a new purpose: helping others navigate the darkness of grief through writing, connection, and community.

In this episode, Marie shares how her own experience with sudden, traumatic loss reshaped her understanding of healing. She opens up about the complexity of compound grief, the doubts that haunt many bereaved parents, and how her spiritual connection with her son continues to guide her. Marie also reflects on building her journaling-based grief retreats, the importance of giving yourself permission to feel joy again, and why sharing stories helps us move forward without leaving our loved ones behind.

Resources & Ways to Connect

Marie’s Website: https://www.mariecrews.com

APOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast

Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter

Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/

Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp

Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelp

Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast

Carrie Pill is a Vermont-based oil painter, mountain athlete, and writer who experienced profound loss in a short span of time—losing both her mother and her stepmother within about a year. In this episode, Carrie reflects on what it means to grieve when relationships are layered and complicated, and how loss reshapes not just who we miss, but how we move through the world.

Carrie shares how trail running, skiing, and time in the mountains became essential outlets during her grief, offering moments of relief, grounding, and connection. She also talks about how writing has helped her process emotions she couldn’t always name, and how creativity—rather than fixing grief—creates space to live alongside it. Together, Heather and Carrie explore anticipatory grief, self‑compassion, and the quiet ways grief continues to influence identity, relationships, and joy.

Resources & Ways to Connect

Carrie’s Website: https://carriepill.com

Carrie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carriepillart

APOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast

Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter

Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/

Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp

Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpfromheaven

Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast

Grief doesn’t disappear—it changes, evolves, and becomes part of how we move through the world. In this episode, grief counselor and thanatologist Kelly Daugherty shares what she’s learned from two decades of walking alongside people in mourning. Drawing on both professional expertise and her own personal losses, Kelly offers a compassionate, practical look at how grief lives in us over time—and how we can begin to support ourselves and each other through it.

Kelly and Heather explore the impact of early grief, the importance of community, and why schools and workplaces need to become more grief-informed. They also discuss trauma, brain-based therapies like brainspotting, and how Kelly helps clients reconnect to the lives and love behind the loss. Whether you're in the depths of it or walking beside someone who is, this conversation is honest, insightful, and deeply human.

Resources & Ways to Connect

Kelly’s Website: https://www.glgrief.com

APOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast

Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughterJ

ake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/

Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp

Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelp

Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast

Dr. Anja Wurm is a veterinarian who specializes in at-home euthanasia—helping families say goodbye to their beloved pets in the comfort of their own space. This conversation explores how grief, dignity, and compassion come together in those final moments, and why this work has become the most meaningful part of her career.

Topics include how to prepare for a pet’s death, how to support children through the process, and the importance of truly listening to animals when they can no longer speak for themselves. Dr. Wurm also shares her own relationship with grief, how boundaries help protect emotional presence, and why a “good death” is possible when we create the right conditions for it.

Resources & Ways to ConnectAPOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcastHeather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughterJake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelpJake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast

When Jim Labate lost his daughter Maria just 30 days after she entered the hospital on Christmas Day, his world changed forever. A longtime teacher and writer, Jim turned to storytelling to process the unimaginable—first privately, and then publicly through his memoir Our Sweet Maria. What started as a way to document her final month became a deeply personal tribute to her entire life.

In this special live episode recorded at Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, Jim reflects on the moments that shaped Maria’s life and legacy, the quiet strength of parenting through loss, and the complicated emotions that resurface around holidays and anniversaries. He also shares how writing became a way to stay close to his daughter—and why the simple act of someone asking “Tell me about Maria” remains one of the greatest gifts of all.

Resources & Ways to Connect

Our Sweet Maria: A Father’s Story of Love, Loss, and Hope is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Our-Sweet-Maria-Story-Loss/dp/1667878390

A Place of Yes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast

Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter

Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/

Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp

Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpfromheaven

Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast

Kim “Rooster” Rossiter knows what it means to live through unimaginable loss. After the death of his daughter Ainsley, the retired Marine turned his pain into purpose—founding Ainsley’s Angels, an organization that promotes inclusion by empowering people with disabilities to experience endurance events like races and triathlons. What started as a tribute to Ainsley’s life has become a national movement, helping families across the country feel seen, included, and celebrated.

In this episode, Rooster shares how running with Ainsley transformed both of their lives, what he’s learned about advocacy, and how love and grief continue to propel him forward. He speaks candidly about parenting through illness, the moments of connection that carried them through, and how Ainsley’s spirit continues to guide his work. It’s a powerful reminder that grief doesn’t just break us—it can move us.

Resources & Ways to Connect

Ainsley’s Angels Website: https://www.ainsleysangels.org

Ainsley’s Angels Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ainsleysangels

Ainsley’s Angels Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AinsleysAngels

APOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast

Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter

Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/

Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp

Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelp

Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast

Grief doesn’t end — it changes. In this episode, Heather sits down with her husband, Brian, to talk about what life looks like fifteen years after losing their son, Jake. Instead of a structured interview, they let a jar of questions guide the conversation — questions written to spark honesty, memory, and the kind of storytelling that only happens when two people have lived the same loss.

They talk about the night everything changed, the routines and rituals that still keep Jake woven into their everyday lives, and how grief has shaped their marriage, their parenting, and the family they’ve built around Ethan. From laughter to anger to the moments that knock the air out of them even now, this episode is both tender and brutally real — a rare look at what long‑term grief actually feels like inside a family.

Resources & Ways to Connect

APOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast

Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter

Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/

Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp

Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpfromheaven

Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast