In Week 1 of the Ash Rose Project mini-series, Ian McCartor of the Ash Rose Foundation and Lisa Hartung begin the most emotionally intense part of the journey: honoring the past.

This episode centers on reflection. Of memories, values, rituals, and the everyday moments that continue to shape us after loss. As Ian begins the artistic process of creating an ash portrait, Lisa walks through the first week of journaling prompts designed to deepen connection with her mother and gently “till the soil” of grief.

Through vivid storytelling, Lisa shares cherished memories of painting with her mother "en plein air," a girl's trip to Italy, road trips through Maine, being in the garden with her mom, and the small daily routines she misses most such as bedtime rituals, phone calls, games, and laughter. Together, Lisa and Ian explore how memory transforms grief, how rituals can be carried forward into the next generation, and how reflection allows the past to inform hope for the future.

Week 1 is raw, messy, and sacred, just like sketching before a painting takes form or preparing the soil for planting seeds in the garden. This episode invites listeners to witness how grief can be honored, felt fully, and woven into the present with intention, beauty, and love.

To learn more about the Ash Rose Foundation, head to theashrose.org. You can sign up for your own Ash Rose Project in honor of a loved one! 

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Special thanks to:

Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music

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This week we welcome back Ian McCartor, Founder and Executive Director of the Ash Rose Foundation, for a first-ever behind the scenes exploration of the Ash Rose Project. 

This episode marks the kickoff of Lisa’s own Ash Rose Project, a sacred 30-day grief journey that culminates in the creation of a memorial portrait made using her mother’s ashes. Together, Lisa and Ian invite listeners into the intimate beginnings of this process, offering a rare glimpse into how art, ritual, reflection, and community can become powerful vehicles for healing.

Ian shares the philosophy behind the Ash Rose Project and its intentionally intimate, one-person/family-at-a-time approach. He invites Lisa to share about her mother who was an artist, teacher, gardener, and joy-bringer whose legacy lives on through water lilies, garden blooms, birds, heart rocks, and the magic of everyday beauty. From Monet’s garden to Maine summers, from chemo-chair sketches to planting a thousand flower bulbs, this conversation explores how love continues, transforms, and becomes something new as time passes.

If you’ve ever wondered what it might look like to honor grief creatively, to stay in relationship with someone who has died, or to witness healing rather than rush it, this episode is for you. 

If you're interested in getting involved with the Ash Rose Foundation, or would like to honor your loved and continue your healing grief journey by partaking in your own 30-day Ash Rose Project, please visit theashrose.org. 

We'll be back next week to review the questions and discuss the experience of Week 1 of the Project!

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Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!

Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone.

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Special thanks to:

Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music

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What kind of support actually helps after loss—and what role does community play in healing? Everyone is different and has their own unique grief journey. 

In this episode, the original Giving Grief Grace small grief group comes together for an honest conversation about the power of grief group support after losing a parent. Together, they explore how connection, vulnerability, and shared experience can create a healing space that feels both deeply personal and profoundly supportive.

Listeners get a behind-the-scenes look at what a small grief group truly offers—from weekly check-ins and grounding rituals to storytelling, breathwork, and the comfort of being understood without needing to explain. Members of the group just "get it" on a level few others understand. The group reflects on parenting while grieving, honoring loved ones through traditions and memories, navigating anniversaries and holidays, and learning to care for yourself in seasons when grief feels overwhelming.

This episode is for anyone wondering if a grief support group might help, feeling isolated in their loss, or longing for community that allows grief to be expressed honestly and held with compassion. This group is a safe space for all the feelings! You don’t have to have the right words, you just show up as you are. 

While many participants have never met in real life (only online), you feel a sense of comfort and deep connection because you've been in the trenches together and worked through the emotions as a group. 

When does the next small grief group start?

Tuesday, February 10 - March 17th (6 weeks, every Tuesday night)

8:30 - 9:30pm ET via Zoom

For listeners looking to join, send a DM to @givinggriefgrace on Instagram or email [email protected]. You are not alone! 

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Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!

Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone.

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Special thanks to:

Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music

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What happens when you know something is wrong—but no one is listening?

In this episode, Lisa sits down with Amy Johnston, a 34-year-old mom of three and stage 3 pancreatic cancer survivor, to share the story that changed her life. After months of unexplained symptoms, dismissed concerns, and “normal” test results, Amy refused to settle for reassurance that didn’t sit right. That decision ultimately led to an MRI that revealed pancreatic adenocarcinoma—and saved her life. 

Amy walks us through the emotional whiplash of receiving a pancreatic cancer diagnosis at such a young age, advocating for herself in a complex medical system, seeking second opinions, and finding the right specialist. She shares what it was like undergoing major surgery, completing 12 rounds of full-dose FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy, and parenting three young children through treatment—while still trying to preserve normalcy and create magic for the kids at home.

This conversation offers rare honesty about chemo side effects, fear, anxiety, medical frustrations, and the importance of being your own advocate. Amy reflects on how cancer has reshaped her relationship with time, joy, and the present moment.

Whether you are part of the pancreatic cancer community, caring for someone with cancer, navigating medical uncertainty, or walking through grief alongside motherhood, this episode is a reminder that your voice matters and persistence can save your life. Your intuition is often valid! 

✨ Topics covered:

• Early symptoms of pancreatic cancer in young adults
• Self-advocacy and second opinions
• Distal pancreatectomy vs. Whipple procedure
• FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy side effects
• Parenting through cancer treatment
• Preserving holiday magic during illness
• Hope, resilience, and living in the present

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Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!

Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone.

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Special thanks to:

Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music

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What does grief look like when it begins with leaving home?

In this episode, artist and musician Jacqueline van Bierk shares her extraordinary life story of escaping communist East Germany as a teenager just weeks before the Berlin Wall fell, leaving her parents behind with no way to know if they’d ever reunite.

Jacqueline opens up about growing up in a controlled, black-and-white world, her daring escape through Prague, and the emotional weight of choosing freedom while risking everything. She reflects on how displacement shaped her identity, her lifelong “gypsy” spirit, and her eventual move to the United States which is where she found both creative freedom and a sense of home.

Jacqueline vulnerably shares about the loss of her father, flying across the world to say goodbye, and returning to the stage just days later to perform through her heartbreak. She also speaks honestly about grieving from the US while her mother remains in Germany. Jacqueline has supported her mother through multiple losses, illness, cancer, and actually moved back to Germany to be her caregiver during COVID. 

“After taking care of my mom during the pandemic, I packed whatever I could fit in my car and began a completely new chapter.” - JVB

This episode explores:

• Escaping East Germany before the Berlin Wall fell
• Grief, freedom, and identity as an immigrant
• Losing a parent while living abroad
• Caregiving from a distance
• The complex emotions of guilt, anger, numbness, and acceptance
• How music, creativity, and purpose became lifelines in grief

If you’ve ever grieved a loved one from afar, felt torn between ambition and family, or wondered how loss reshapes who we become, this conversation is for you.

Follow Jacqueline:
Website: pinkstarmusic.com
IG: jacquelinevanbierk

Join the January 2026 30 Day Clutter Challenge: https://pinkstarmusic.com/30-day-declutter-challenge

Send us a text

Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!

Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone.

Subscribe to the podcast and we'll see you next week!

Special thanks to:

Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music

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After weeks of anticipation, celebration, and emotional effort, the holidays end and for those who are grieving, the quiet that follows can feel overwhelming. In this solo episode of Giving Grief Grace, Lisa reflects on the often-unspoken weight of the days between Christmas and the New Year.

Lisa shares personal stories of navigating grief during the holidays, growing up with a birthday just days after Christmas, and now holding both joy and guilt as her son celebrates a December birthday of his own. Through these reflections, she names the complicated emotions that surface — sadness, longing, gratitude, exhaustion — and offers permission to feel all of it without judgment.

This episode gently explores how grief can resurface when the celebrations fade, especially for those closing out a year of firsts or stepping into a year of seconds. Lisa also offers practical, compassionate tools for reflecting on the year behind you and planning for the year ahead — from cultivating meaningful relationships and setting intentions, to finding small glimmers of joy that help carry hope forward.

If you’re experiencing post-holiday sadness, end-of-year grief, or simply wondering how to move forward while still honoring your loss, this episode is a reminder that you are not alone — and that joy can exist alongside grief, even in the quiet moments.

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Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!

Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone.

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Special thanks to:

Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music

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As we arrive at the final week of the Grieving Through the Holidays Advent journey, we turn toward a powerful truth: gratitude can coexist with grief.

In this episode, Lisa reflects on how grief is not something to “move past,” but rather to live alongside. Grief is love with no place to go. When we allow gratitude and grief to sit side by side, we begin to see how deeply we have loved and how expansive the human spirit truly is.

Through sharing a personal story of hiking Bald Mountain with her mother, Lisa uses the story as a metaphor for grief. Grief is like climbing a mountain because there are moments of struggle, unexpected beauty along the way, and eventually, a view that reminds us why we kept going. The gratitude for the climb and view are ever present. Sometimes it is hard to see the forest but for the trees. When you look back, the high and low moments were all worth it. 

This week's practices include:

Journal Prompt: What can you be grateful for, even in the presence of loss? What is grief teaching you about love?

Action: Share one story aloud at a gathering or with your loved one’s family. 

Take a mindful minute to reflect on the 3 C's of grief, knowing that we have control over how we: choose, connect, and communicate each day. 

Whether this season feels heavy, hopeful, or somewhere in between, this episode reminds you that you are not alone. Share your loved one's story with friends and family while also giving yourself grace. We are here for you! 

To follow along with the prompts throughout Advent, join the community on Instagram and Facebook @givinggriefgrace, or email "Advent" to [email protected] to receive the weekly reflections.

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Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!

Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone.

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Special thanks to:

Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music

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In Week 3 of the Grieving Through the Holidays Advent series, Lisa invites the community to shift from remembrance and fully embracing emotions into a sense of renewal. After honoring our loved ones in Week 1 and holding space for our emotions in Week 2, this Week 3 episode focuses on honoring legacy while intentionally creating new memories.

Lisa shares about a new tradition that she's begun with her daughter through doing daily Advent puzzles together. This daily task has become a sacred moment of connection, presence, and love. Through this reflection, she explores how grief and joy can coexist, how small moments can become meaningful rituals, and how new traditions can help carry love forward without leaving the past behind.

This week's practices include:

• A journal or voice-memo prompt:What new memory can you begin this year that makes space for both grief and joy? 
• A doing prompt: Capture the new memories or traditions being made this week on camera, video, or artistic medium.

This episode is a reminder that even in seasons of loss, we can create something new and filled with intention as we continue healing, one small step at a time.

To follow along with the prompts throughout Advent, join the community on Instagram and Facebook @givinggriefgrace, or email "Advent" to [email protected] to receive the weekly reflections.

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Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!

Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone.

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Special thanks to:

Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music

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In Week 2 of our Grieving Through the Holidays Advent Series, we move from honoring memories to fully feeling what is bubbling up inside.

Our focus is about feeling the feelings and holding space for where you are right now. In a season full of busyness, expectations, and emotional triggers, grief tends to be ever present. When we give our grief room to breathe, we also make space for healing, relief, and even unexpected moments of gratitude. Without grief, it would be tough to feel joy. 

Lisa shares how emotions surface for her during the holidays, why crying can be deeply cathartic, and how sitting in the glow of Christmas tree lights or sipping hot chocolate can offer grounding warmth. She invites listeners to identify the emotion bubbling up for them this week, feel it fully, and then choose a comforting practice to support themselves afterward.

This week’s practices include:

• A journal or voice-memo prompt: What emotion is surfacing for you right now, and how can you allow yourself to feel it?
• A doing prompt: Cook a recipe that reminds you of your loved one—and capture the story behind it. Lisa shares a meaningful (and funny!) chicken pot pie story from her mom that still brings comfort today.

Whether you're grieving, caregiving, missing someone deeply, or simply navigating a tough season, this episode is an invitation to slow down, feel what needs to be felt, and give yourself grace.

To follow along with the prompts throughout Advent, join the community on Instagram and Facebook @givinggriefgrace, or email "Advent" to [email protected] to receive the weekly reflections.

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Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!

Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone.

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Special thanks to:

Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music

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The holidays are tough. Add grief to the mix and life can get a bit complicated. We get it - we're there too, sitting alongside you on this grief journey. 

Welcome to Giving Grief Grace's "Grieving Through the Holidays" Advent series. This is Week 1 where we focus on the theme of honoring and remembering our loved ones by carrying memories forward with grace and intention. 

Lisa shares her own real-life holiday grief experience—crying the night before Thanksgiving, waking up physically shaking with grief and anxiety, and turning to healing rituals like baking her Grammie’s molasses cookies and going for a run.

She includes an important Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month PSA, sharing her family’s journey of recognizing subtle yet persistent symptoms and advocating for early scans. Her message to listeners: Trust your intuition. You are your own best advocate.

Join Giving Grief Grace throughout this holiday season as we explore our grief together through weekly check-ins and journal prompts. 

To get the journal prompts delivered to your inbox, email [email protected] with the subject line "Advent."

Week 1 Theme: Honor & Remember

Journal Prompt: What is a memory that still feels close to your heart? How did it change you?

Action:Add a “memory ornament” to a tree or keepsake box and either journal or tell someone about its significance and share the story behind the object. 

We hope this series provides a comforting and empowering message for those navigating anticipatory grief, long-held loss, and everything in between. We understand the complexity of finding both sorrow and joy during the holidays. You are not alone. Come join us. 

Follow @givinggriefgrace on Instagram or Facebook for updates. 

Send us a text

Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!

Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone.

Subscribe to the podcast and we'll see you next week!

Special thanks to:

Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music

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