Good Grief with Amanda Kloots

This week, Amanda sits down with the most important guest to date: her seven-year-old son, Elvis.

Nick Cordero died in July 2020, when Elvis was 10 months old. In this episode, Amanda walks through how she's raised a child who never got to know his father - and how she's made sure Nick never left the house. 

She talks about the day the three of them held hands in the hospital, the stuffed Nick that sat on the changing table and talked to Elvis, playing Nick's voice in the car so it was familiar, singing "Our House" every single night, "Boop" on the socks, the stories about Nick's gasoline-strong coffee, and the dinner they still have every year to sing Happy Birthday to Dada. She also talks about what it's cost her, with every happy moment carrying the weight of who isn't there to see it.

Then, we’re joined by Elvis himself. He shares the details of their Africa trip: the mango drinks, ice skating to "Beat It" in Dubai, driving the golf cart at Babylonstoren, recreating his dad's silly photos, and scattering some of Nick's ashes at his parents' honeymoon spot. He talks about the "Daddy" pillow in his room, the constellations he learned to find, and the day he prayed for a lion and immediately saw six. 

If you're raising a child through a loss - or wondering whether a young kid can really understand death - this one is proof.

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This week, Amanda sits down with Kelly McKee Zajfen, co-founder of Alliance of Moms, on the fourth anniversary of losing her nine-year-old son George.

Kelly doesn't hand out platitudes- she hands out a system. She walks us through the three toolboxes she built to survive grief, the landmines that go off on ordinary days, the people she had to cut off, and how she’s done her best to continue parenting a grieving child, despite being overcome with grief herself. Plus, Kelly shares the piece of advice that finally helped her understand why her marriage couldn’t be the only place she got support. 

Amanda also shares the dream about her late husband Nick that changed how she thinks about anniversaries, and Kelly opens up about the pregnancy, the miscarriage, and the baby she calls a gift from George.

On this anniversary of George’s passing, we encourage listeners to donate $9 to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles- one dollar for every year of his life. 

Whether you are the one grieving or trying to show up for someone who is, this is the grief advice nobody gives you until you need it.

Produced by Dear Media

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This week on Good Grief, Tyler Cameron joins us for an emotional conversation about losing his mom, Andrea, to a sudden brain aneurysm in 2020, and how her loss continues to shape his life. Tyler opens up about his biggest regrets, honoring his mom through renovating her home, and why competing on Dancing With the Stars holds such special meaning as he hopes to dedicate a dance to her. He also reflects on finding love with his fiancée Tate and wishing his mom could have met her. Plus, Tyler leaves us with a powerful reminder to cherish the people we love and be intentional with the words we share while they're still here.

Produced by Dear Media

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This week, Amanda sits down with Kaitlyn Bristowe for an honest conversation about grief that never fully leaves you and how it can still become beautiful.
Kaitlyn opens up about losing her childhood best friend, Lindsay, at 18 years old and how she’s grieved her longer than she was alive. She shares how her parents’ separation shaped OCD and expectations in relationships, sleeping through shock, deep depression in her mid-20s, and how she rebuilt her life through therapy- including EMDR, movement, dance, and inner child work.
She also opens up about dedicating her performance on Dancing With the Stars to Lindsay, her stepdad's stage four cancer diagnosis, and the magic miracles that can come through prayer and collective energy.
If you’re moving through grief, trauma, or losing a best friend, this episode is a reminder that grief has no timeline, the body keeps the score, and life is worth living and loving hard.

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Amy Purdy was a Paralympic medalist and the runner-up on Dancing With the Stars. She spent 20 years rebuilding her life after losing both legs, her kidneys, her spleen, and the hearing in her left ear at 19. Then, a prosthetic injury cut off the blood flow in her leg. Ten surgeries and two more amputations followed, many of them alone in the hospital during COVID, and they took away the version of herself she had worked so hard to build.
Amanda and Amy talk about losing your identity when you lose your health, hitting rock bottom, how to find gratitude at your lowest, and the importance of surrender in healing. Amy shares why the hardest part of grief is detaching from how you THINK things are supposed to be, instead of how they are. Plus, she takes us behind the scenes of flying straight from the Paralympics to her first live dance on DWTS, and explains the ideas behind her new book Bounce Forward.
If you're grieving a former version of yourself, this conversation is for you.

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This week, Amanda’s dear friend Ricki Lake joins Good Grief for an emotional and hopeful conversation about losing her husband, losing her home, and learning to start over. Ricki opens up about the loss of her late husband, Christian, to suicide after his struggle with bipolar disorder and chronic pain, and how grief forced her to reinvent her life and finally learn to love herself unconditionally. She also shares the raw story of losing her Malibu home in a fire and how that devastating chapter unexpectedly led her and her now-husband Ross to a completely new life in New York. Together, Amanda and Ricki talk about what it means to grieve a life you imagined, how to carry grief with you as a friend, and why Ricki says our life is sweeter because of the suffering. This is a conversation all about resilience, self-acceptance, and reinvention, and we’re so grateful to Ricki for trusting us with her story. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, please reach out immediately to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. These services are free and confidential. 

Produced by Dear Media

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Grief is sneaky. And moving on from it can feel like betraying the person you lost.

On this week’s episode of Good Grief, Amanda sits down with Rabbi Steve Leder for a conversation about grief and loss that refuses to be tidy - and about why "getting over it" is never a worthy or achievable goal to begin with.

Rabbi Leder names the betrayal sitting at the center of every loss: the harder you loved someone, the more moving forward feels like leaving them behind. He explains why some degree of betrayal is required in order to heal, why letting go feels like the decision to forget, and why "there is no arrival without a departure." He also opens up about the grief of retirement, handing over the torch, and the wintering that followed - and about the 125 milligrams of Zoloft a day he says got him to this point.

You'll hear why he would give back every book he's ever written for one more lunch with his dad, the room full of a friend's parents' belongings that still hasn't been opened, and the two moments - one from inside his mother's dementia, one from a billboard on a bad day - that changed how he thinks about signs.

If you're dealing with grief, supporting someone who is, or you've ever felt guilty for laughing again, this one is for you.

Produced by Dear Media

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What do dying people fear most? This week on Good Grief, Amanda sits down with ceremonial death midwife Barbie Herron Conkling for a conversation that will change how you think about death, grief and closure. Barbie shares what she’s learned sitting with hundreds of dying people, how she supports families through the final hours of life, and why she says most people aren't afraid of dying- they're afraid of leaving people behind. Amanda and Barbie also uncover an unexpected bond from their time at Cedars-Sinai, and Barbie opens up about losing her son Lyon and the beautiful nine-hour vigil and ceremony they held for him. Plus, you’ll hear personal stories from Amanda and Barbie about knowing when someone’s soul has left, and the 5 essential phrases for closure. We explore what happens in the last 24 hours of life, the difference between a death doula and hospice, signs like energy bursts and visitations, and how to support someone who is dying while caring for those left behind. 

Produced by Dear Media

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This week on Good Grief, Amanda sits down with her dear friend Kelly Rizzo- host of the Comfort Food podcast and widow of Bob Saget - to talk about what life really looks like after losing your partner, from navigating grief in the public eye to the fear, guilt, and hope that comes with dating again. Kelly opens up about life after Bob, how her friendship with Amanda helped her through the early days of widowhood, and what she's learned about carrying love forward while still honoring the past. Together, Amanda and Kelly share the truths no one tells you about widow grief, finding community, and trusting yourself to open your heart again.

Whether you're navigating loss, supporting someone who is, or wondering what healing after grief really looks like, this conversation will meet you right where you are. x

Produced by Dear Media

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This week on Good Grief, Hollywood Medium Tyler Henry joins Amanda for a deeply personal conversation about the health scare he kept mostly out of the headlines. In the past year, Tyler underwent two brain surgeries to remove a cyst that had quietly returned since his teens - and while doctors ruled out cancer, he admits the whole thing is a mystery. He shares the premonition that something big was coming at 30, why he was back doing readings within a couple of months, and the one lingering effect that still catches him off guard.

Together, we talk about the "glimmers" that keep us afloat when grief feels like sinking, the many forms loss takes, and how Amanda has felt more spiritually connected to her late husband Nick than ever before - from signs and synchronicities to learning how to ask for them specifically.

This is Tyler Henry like you've never heard him: vulnerable, funny, and more certain than ever that we're never really alone. 

Got a question for Amanda? Write in - future episodes will answer listener questions one by one.

New episodes of Good Grief drop every Wednesday. Subscribe so you never miss one.

Produced by Dear Media

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