Grief 2 Growth

By Brian D. Smith

"Transform your grief into growth with Brian Smith, an empathetic life coach, certified grief educator, public speaker, and author who has walked the treacherous path of profound loss. Grief 2 G

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The podcast currently has 494 episodes available.

Best of Grief 2 Growth

The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

Number 1: Spirit Guides vs. Angels What's The Difference? with Michael McAdams | EP 504
What if the "guardian angel" you've prayed to and the "spirit guide" you've been told to fear are the exact same presence, just described through a different lens? In this episode, Brian sits down with Michael McAdams — a man raised in a family soaked in Pentecostal conviction who discovered he had the gift of psychometry, the ability to receive information simply by holding an object. Michael shares the story of his mother, Wilma Jean Jones, a devout Christian who sat down at her typewriter in 1977 and began receiving dictated messages from what she called "spirit teachers." Those sessions continued for 22 years and became the book An Angel Told Me So. This conversation goes places you might not expect from two men raised in the church: the real story behind the money changers in the temple, why the Salem witch trials might have been genuine spiritual communication mistaken for evil, how the Urantia Book lines up with the Bible's account of Jesus, and why fear has been used for centuries to keep people from trusting their own spiritual experiences. About Michael McAdams Michael McAdams grew up in the Cincinnati area in a family steeped in Pentecostal faith — his uncle was a preacher who planted churches across three states, and his grandmother entered ministry convinced God spoke directly into her heart. Michael discovered his own gift of psychometry as a young man, and later helped his mother recognize and record the messages she was receiving from spirit teachers. He is the author of An Angel Told Me So and runs spiritspeaks.com, where he offers free preview messages from the upcoming second volume.🌐 Website: spiritspeaks.com📖 An Angel Told Me So (Volume One) — available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and through Ingram at independent bookstoresKey Topics CoveredGrowing up Pentecostal and the questions neither of them could shakeWhat psychometry is and how Michael developed the abilityHow Wilma Jean began receiving channeled messages — and the confirmation message that convinced her to publish themThe Urantia Book and its account of the life of JesusWhy the Bible's history and politics matter for understanding what it actually saysFear as a tool of control in organized religionHow to protect your mind while opening it — establishing a spiritual "filter"Practical advice for recognizing your own spirit guidanceReincarnation, "graduation" instead of death, and what may come nextWhat resonated with you? Drop a comment below — we'd love to hear whether this reframes anything about your own faith journey, or if you've had experiences like Michael's you've never shared before. You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place. Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you. All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money. https://grief2g Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth. I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them. https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons Support the show 🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me 👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes) 📰 Get A Free Gift 📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call 📈 Leave A Review Thanks so much for your support
September 12, 20261h 2min
Number 2: Grieving Your Old Self After A Diagnosis with Loni Fagel | EP 505
What happens when the person you used to be doesn't exist anymore — not because they died, but because a diagnosis, a surgery, or a health crisis rewrote who you are? In this episode, Loni Fagel joins me to talk about a grief almost nobody names: the grief of losing yourself while you're still here. Loni knows this from both sides of the therapy room. A genetic cancer mutation, a mysterious chronic illness, and a health crisis that landed her at Mayo Clinic didn't just interrupt her graduate studies in psychology — they became the reason she does this work at all. We talk about her "D-Day" framework for naming the moment a diagnosis changes everything, why medical trauma is as much about what comes after the event as the event itself, and why people are so often invalidated by the very doctors meant to help them. We also get into some of the tools Loni uses with clients: externalizing an illness by giving it its own name, expressive arts as a way to process what words can't touch, and why "post-traumatic growth" doesn't mean pretending the hard part didn't happen. About Loni Fagel Loni Fagel is a licensed professional clinical counselor, EMDRIA-approved consultant, expressive arts therapist, children's book author, and international speaker specializing in medical trauma, grief, and identity loss. Her work is shaped by her own experience with a genetic cancer mutation and a health crisis that upended her life and career.Website: lonifagel.comInstagram/social: @loni_fagelLinkedIn: search Loni FagelIn this episode, we cover:Why illness and diagnosis create a real, nameable griefThe "D-Day" framework for marking when everything changedWhy medical trauma isn't about the event — it's about everything afterLearning to advocate for yourself when doctors dismiss your symptomsGrieving a double mastectomy and genetic cancer riskInvisible illness and the cruelty of judging what you can't seeNaming your illness to protect your identity ("is this you, or is this Patricia?")Making meaning without needing to believe "everything happens for a reason"Finding the glimmers of light in the middle of a health crisisWe want to hear from you: Have you ever grieved a version of yourself you didn't expect to lose? What resonated most with you in this conversation? Drop a comment — we read every one. Continue the conversation at grief2growth.substack.com. You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place. Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you. All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money. https://grief2g Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth. I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them. https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons Support the show 🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me 👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes) 📰 Get A Free Gift 📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call 📈 Leave A Review Thanks so much for your support
September 15, 20261h 5min
Number 3: What My Mother's Deathbed Visions Taught Me About What Comes Next | Alexandra Grabbe | EP 503
What if the strangest moments at the end of life are actually the most meaningful? In this episode, Alexandra Grabbe joins Brian to talk about the seven months she spent caring for her 96-year-old mother, Bea, at home — and the deathbed visions that changed how she understands what happens when we die. Alexandra shares the exhaustion, the tenderness, and the moments of unexpected grace that shaped her new memoir, Seeing Joy. If you've ever cared for a dying parent, sat with someone in their final days, or wondered what those "hallucinations" near the end of life really mean, this conversation will stay with you. About Alexandra Grabbe Alexandra Grabbe has lived many lives — talk show host in Paris, eco-friendly innkeeper on Cape Cod, and lifelong writer. After graduating from Vassar College, she raised three children in France, worked in journalism and broadcasting, and assisted literary figures Barbara Chase-Riboud and Marge Piercy. For two decades she ran a green bed-and-breakfast in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. When her mother's health declined, Alexandra became her full-time caregiver — an experience that became the caregiving blog "By B's Bedside" and, nearly two decades later, her home care memoir Seeing Joy: A Story of Life, Death, and What Comes Next (Koehler Books, March 2026). 🔗 Alexandra's website: https://alexandragrabbe.com 🔗 Seeing Joy at Koehler Books: https://www.koehlerbooks.com/book/seeing-joy/ 📷 Instagram: @AlexandraGrabbeBooks In This Episode:What it really means when a doctor calls something a "hallucination" and a hospice worker calls it a "visitation"The physical and emotional toll of caregiving — and the sleep deprivation Alexandra says was the hardest partDeathbed Visioning: the pattern hospice workers see again and again near the end of lifeWhy Alexandra's mother's fear of dying gave way to tea parties with deceased visitorsHow the role reversal between parent and child reshaped their relationshipThe 19-year journey to publish a book publishers once said was "too afraid" to touchWhat her mother's final moments — and the arrival of Alexandra's father and grandmother — taught her about how we're not meant to be alone at the endWhat resonated with you in this episode? Have you witnessed a loved one's deathbed visions, or cared for an aging parent at home? Share your story in the comments — Alexandra's experience may be more common than you think. You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place. Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you. All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money. https://grief2g Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth. I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them. https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons Support the show 🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me 👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes) 📰 Get A Free Gift 📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call 📈 Leave A Review Thanks so much for your support
September 01, 202648min
Number 4: Why This ICU Doctor No Longer Fears Death- with Dr. Adam Rizvi | EP 502
What does an ICU doctor see when he's present at the exact moment someone dies? Dr. Adam Rizvi has spent his career in critical care medicine, standing at hundreds of bedsides during life's most sacred transitions. Trained as a physician but grounded early in comparative religion, Adam has watched patients return from clinical death with vivid experiences medicine can't explain, felt rooms fill with light, and even witnessed a whirlpool of light appear at the exact moment a patient passed away — something his nurse saw too. In this conversation, we talk about what happens when a man of science makes peace with the sacred: the medical case for consciousness surviving the body, what dying patients have taught him about forgiveness, and a simple nightly practice that can change how you live starting tonight. About Dr. Adam Rizvi Dr. Adam Rizvi is a critical care physician and author of Love Does Not Know Death: Stories of Death, Dying, and the Miracles of True Forgiveness. He writes about the lessons he's learned at the bedside on his Substack, Adventures in Kindness.📖 Book: Love Does Not Know Death✍️ Substack: AdamRizvi.substack.com — Adventures in KindnessIn This Episode, We Cover:How a comparative religion major ended up in ICU medicineThe cardiac arrest patient who returned with a story that shouldn't have been possibleWhy "brain as receiver" of consciousness makes more sense than "brain as generator"The moment two people in the same room witnessed the same unexplainable lightAncient wisdom on death — from the Tibetan Book of the Dead to the story of NachiketasWhy forgiveness is something you do for yourself, not the person who hurt youA nightly deathbed meditation practice you can start using tonightWhat Resonated With You? Did Adam's story about the whirlpool of light stay with you? Have you had an experience with a loved one that science couldn't explain? Share your thoughts in the comments — I read every one. If this episode moved you, head over to grief2growth.substack.com for more reflection and to connect with other listeners walking this same path. You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place. Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you. All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money. https://grief2g Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth. I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them. https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons Support the show 🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me 👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes) 📰 Get A Free Gift 📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call 📈 Leave A Review Thanks so much for your support
August 18, 20261h 2min
Number 5: Reclaiming Divine Feminine Power with Maya Tiwari | EP 500
At 18, Maya Tiwari was given a death sentence — six months to live. Instead, she spent six months alone in the Vermont woods, and came back a different person entirely. That single decision set her on a path that led through 25 years as a Vedic monk, a pioneering role bringing Ayurveda to North America, and now, a new book calling women — and men — back to a power she says we've forgotten how to hold. In this conversation, Maya and Brian explore Shakti — the divine feminine primordial power — and Shiva, its masculine counterpart, and why she believes restoring balance between the two is the work of this moment, both individually and collectively. They talk about the patriarchal roots of Western religion, what it costs us to lose touch with the sacred feminine, and what it actually looks like to start reclaiming it. About Maya Tiwari Maya Tiwari is a spiritual teacher, humanitarian, and the pioneer who introduced Ayurveda to North America. A cancer survivor and former Vedic monk, she is the author of several books, including her newest release, I Am Shakti. Her work centers on self-knowledge (Vedanta), the healing science of Ayurveda, and restoring the divine feminine and masculine to balance. 📖 Learn more about Maya and her work: Mayatiwari.com In This Episode:Maya's cancer diagnosis at 18 and the six months of solitude that changed everythingWhy she walked away from 25 years wearing the robes of a Vedic monkWhat Shakti actually means — and why it's been suppressed for centuriesHow patriarchal religion erased the divine feminine, and what that costs all of usPractical first steps toward reclaiming your own inner powerShadow work, forgiveness, and becoming the observer of your own mindWhat resonated with you in this conversation? Drop a comment and let me know — I'd love to hear which part landed for you. You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place. Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you. All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money. https://grief2g Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth. I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them. https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons Support the show 🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me 👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes) 📰 Get A Free Gift 📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call 📈 Leave A Review Thanks so much for your support
August 04, 20261h 4min