Growing up with a father who was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer when she was seven, Laurel Braitman was taught survival skills from then on. Out of her own fears she embraced the lessons, hoping they would prevent the terrible possibility of losing her father. Of course, this isn't what happened. But Laurel would be well into her adulthood before she realized there was one key skill she hadn't learned- how to grieve. Finally mature enough to tackle her complex feelings, and unable to avoid them any longer, she set out on a hero's journey. Join us as we talk about the courage it takes to face up to our deepest fears and find a way forward.

When a horrific explosion happened in Beirut, Dalal Mawad was living nearby and felt a compelling urge to help. As a journalist she naturally searched for ways to tell the story. But what was the story? The explosion happened against the backdrop of inhumane conditions in the Middle East, a collapsing infrastructure in her country, Lebanon, and an unclear picture of what led to the terrible event. In the end, Dalal chose the tell the story through the experiences of the women affected by it; women who tried to help, women who were injured, women who lost loved ones. Through their stories and her exacting research and knowledge, we are invited into the experience of that day. Because she includes her own story, we are immersed in the dilemma faced by journalist who are are personally affected by the events they cover. In her book, All She Lost, Dalal chooses to reflect it all; her own story (which led to her moving away from the country she loves), her knowledge as a journalist who has covered the Middle East for many years, and the stories of the women who survived that day.

When Tembi Locke spent a college semester in Italy, it changed the course of her life. Meeting Saro, the man she would love and marry, filled her with joy and also challenged them both to bridge the gap between his Sicilian farm family and her Houston Texas family of civil rights activists. Over time their persistence and courage began to connect their two families. But no struggle before it could have prepared them for Saro's ten years living with cancer, his death, and Tembi's grief. Who could have predicted that Tembi would find her way forward in grief at the table of her mother-in-law, in her small home in Siciliy. Join us to talk about the road Tembi took to find her future.

After Ann Anderson Evan's beloved husband killed himself, she wondered what could have led him to such an end. He had not seemed suicidal, or deeply depressed, or haunted by demons. She imagined it must be some secret misery he didn't share even with her. She thought they had shared everything! Over time she came to believe that he was transgender. Could his belief that he could never share that part of himself have led to life being too painful to continue? It would take all the skills she had gained over a long lifetime to respond to this grief.

When a declining parent needs help, it creates a delicate balance of care and acceptance. Marsha Gray Hill thought she had found that balance, even as her mother began to show signs of dementia. But then, COVID ripped the rug out from under her, making it impossible to support her mother as she would have liked. In the end, the pandemic was what ended her mother's life. In the process, Marsha learned too much about attitudes towards elders, inadequate support structures and a lack of understanding of what it takes to be a caregiver. In sharing the story of her mother's life, she has given us a window into the lives of so many who died, and are still dying, from that terrible illness. She implores us to believe our society can do better!

Darnell Lamont Walker makes it his life's mission to seed joy everywhere he is. How do his callings intersect? He is a children's television writer, a death doula, a filmmaker. In every case he hopes to inform, encourage and uplift his audience. In the end, all he does is about supporting everyone he encounters to heal, to make room for joy and to love ourselves. Join us as we talk about how he sees his mission and all the things he does to further it!

The cause of anxiety and pain in our bodies can't be reduced to any one explanation. But in Jen Soriano's book, Nervous, she follows the threads of her own struggles to the personal, familial, cultural and intergenerational threads of her own physical pain and anxiety. Scientists are now recognizing that the traumas of our ancestors live on in us and can be felt for generations. How do we heal ourselves from all the injuries we carry. Jen makes a powerful case for the restorative properties of community building and recognition of what has happened to us and our communities. She makes a profound case for telling our stories and telling collective action. How can we begin to build a world that grieves and also heals? Join us for this powerful conversation.

Once, we were all children, incapable of protecting ourselves from the adults around us. If they were cruel and abusive, it laid tracks in us that made it hard to love and be loved, to see our own beauty and to become who we were meant to be. Wen Peetes knows this experience deeply, because it it her own. Recognizing what she needed to heal and speaking honestly about what has helped her find her way to a wonderful life led her to write Inner Child Healing. She encourages others to use the tools she has gained and to recognize that there is healing possible. What has helped her? What did she have to confront? And how does she help others to find their way?

Audrey is a fictional character who resembles her author, Gail Marlene Schwartz. They both suffer from anxiety. They have both lost friends to suicide when they were young. And they are both queer women constructing the families they dream of, with the nuanced questions that implies. In writing the book, what did Gail rely on from her own experience? Did writing it contribute to a better understanding of herself? And what does she hope readers will learn from the story?

Glenn Hileman's parents lived a love story for the ages. Their story ended together when the East Troublesome fire in Colorado took their lives and the home they had built and loved together. Their son, Glenn, needed action to go forward with his grief. He mobilized the community to begin rebuilding and wrote a book telling their story. Although true, their lives feel almost like a novel! Sometimes home is a place and sometimes, even when that place is lost it lives in the hearts of all the people connected to it! Telling their story cemented Glenn's love for his parents and continues to help him in carrying his grief. Theirs is truly a story of love and refinement.