This week, Melissa Vera returns to discuss how being able to work through a loss does not mean that other losses will not be impactful. She tragically lost two dear friends and discusses how she began grieving them. Additionally, Melissa and Alexandra discuss a different type of grief and that of what is happening in the current US climate around immigration. Families are being ripped apart, racial profiling is occurring and there is an underlying anxiety that exists for families wondering if they will be targeted.

Check out Melissa’s original episode here: https://www.soundoff.network/show/forward-to-joy/melissas-story/
Connect with Melissa: Insta: @frugalmom
Website: adventuresfrugalmom.com
Facebook: Adventures of Frugal Mom

Connect with Alexandra on her website, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠forwardtojoy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or send her an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Portions or topics on this show may be triggering. Please seek professional help or assistance if needed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shavaun Scott, author of her memoir, Nightbird, shares her story of working through her grief and rebuilding her life and herself after her husband died by revenge suicide. Shavaun shares about the healing she has done in reconciling being in an abusive relationship for as long as she was and not allowing her grief to keep her from putting one foot in front of the other. Nightbird: https://a.co/d/7lrFBc4
https://www.shavaunscott.com/ 

Connect with Alexandra on her website, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠forwardtojoy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or send her an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Portions or topics on this show may be triggering. Please seek professional help or assistance if needed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Alexandra was inspired by a quote from Maya Angelou: “I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” This reminded Alexandra of when others have treated her with pity and made her feel inferior. All too often we can become paralyzed by grief and what we are going through, but it doesn’t have to define us. 

Connect with Alexandra on her website, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠forwardtojoy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or send her an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Portions or topics on this show may be triggering. Please seek professional help or assistance if needed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Alexandra talks about journaling. She discusses the research-backed benefits of journaling as well as some prompts that can be helpful when building a habit around journaling. Writing in a notebook may not work for everyone, however, there are other ways to engage in journaling through voice memos. There are also apps that can help with reflection and journaling. 

Grief Journaling Prompts: https://www.griefrecoveryhouston.com/journal-prompts-for-grieving-loss/

Connect with Alexandra on her website, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠forwardtojoy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or send her an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Portions or topics on this show may be triggering. Please seek professional help or assistance if needed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week is super short and sweet message from Alexandra about holding the belief and hope not only for ourselves but for others. Sometimes we have to borrow belief and hope from others until we can find it ourselves. Be that person for another and continue building community. We are not alone.

Connect with Alexandra on her website, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠forwardtojoy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or send her an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Portions or topics on this show may be triggering. Please seek professional help or assistance if needed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lorne shares her vulnerable story of how she lost her husband by suicide leaving her a single parent to two kids. There were no signs, she did not see it coming and yet she figured out how to put one foot in front of the other to start her grieving process and guide her kids. Lorne is an example of finding moments of joy in the aftermath of tragedy. 

Lorne’s interview on She diaries:

 https://brightskyhouse.com/2025/04/21/lornes-story-what-life-looks-like-one-year-after-suicide-loss/

Connect with Alexandra on her website, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠forwardtojoy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or send her an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Portions or topics on this show may be triggering. Please seek professional help or assistance if needed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Alexandra shares a few of the bigger themes and take-aways from the International Association of Suicide Prevention World Congress 2025. Though the conference focused on suicide prevention, there were lessons and themes that can apply to grief and other types of loss.

Connect with Alexandra on her website, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠forwardtojoy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or send her an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Portions or topics on this show may be triggering. Please seek professional help or assistance if needed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Alexandra chats about another aspect of grief related to routines shifting and changing. When we lose someone we are close to we also lose the routines and habits we had with them. No matter how prepared or not we are for a loss our bodies and cells anticipate and hold onto the routines. It takes time and healing for our bodies to accept the shift and change.

Huberman Lab
Healing From Grief and Loss with Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1SJy7X8fA6IlmaRjgxAaPK?si=hfA7jCIpQo6Ab-GEY9QxsQ

Connect with Alexandra on her website, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠forwardtojoy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or send her an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Portions or topics on this show may be triggering. Please seek professional help or assistance if needed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Alexandra chats about the idea of zooming out. Grief can force us to have tunnel vision and to get sucked into day to day life so we miss the big picture. There is a thru line in our lives and zooming out can help us recognize and see it.

Connect with Alexandra on her website, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠forwardtojoy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or send her an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Portions or topics on this show may be triggering. Please seek professional help or assistance if needed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Alexandra chats about compassion fatigue and how this can apply to the grief process. Compassion fatigue is often related to those in helping positions and careers. She posits that grief provides a great opportunity for compassion fatigue to creep up. The symptoms can look like other things and really be about compassion fatigue.

Connect with Alexandra on her website, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠forwardtojoy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or send her an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Portions or topics on this show may be triggering. Please seek professional help or assistance if needed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices