Karen Olson, the founder and CEO emeritus of Family Promise , and author of Meant for More , whose work continues to shape how communities address family homelessness. has dedicated her life to transforming the present and futures of homeless and low-income families. Karen has rallied more than a million volunteers nationwide, fostering an extensive network of support for the vulnerable. Also, because of all the efforts of the volunteers, the organization has been able to assist over a million people experiencing homelessness.

Before her remarkable transition into the realm of social advocacy, Karen demonstrated her leadership prowess as a manager at Warner-Lambert. However, her leap into the world of nonprofits truly underscored her compassionate spirit and steadfast determination.

Karen’s efforts have been duly recognized, and she has received numerous awards. Some of them include President George H.W. Bush honoring her with the prestigious Annual Points of Light Award, and the New Jersey Governor’s Pride Award recognizing Karen’s remarkable social-service contributions. The American Institute of Public Service also bestowed upon her the Jefferson Award, acknowledging her tireless public-service efforts.

In 2019, Karen experienced a freak accident that left her in a wheelchair. While it has changed her life, Karen continues to be involved.

https://www.karenolsonauthor.com/

https://familypromise.org/

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Show Highlights:

• Unspoken Suicide Loss: Karen recounts the tragic loss of her mother to suicide at age 12, and how she had to navigate her grief completely alone when her family refused to speak about it.
• A Fateful Sandwich: How a simple act of buying lunch for a homeless woman named Millie shifted Karen's trajectory from a corporate career to a life of service.
• Founding Family Promise: Turning her childhood pain into empathy by creating a nonprofit that has helped over one million homeless men, women, and children.
• The Hidden Homeless: Karen breaks down the difference between the chronically homeless and the often-invisible population of homeless families who live in cars, shelters, or doubled-up with friends.
• Meant for More: Discussing her book, Karen explains why true fulfillment is found in going outside of yourself to serve others rather than acquiring material things.
• Radical Resilience: How Karen adapted after a severe spinal cord injury from a cryotherapy accident left her in a wheelchair, including how she learned to become a left-handed impressionist painter.
• The Power of Receiving: The vulnerability required to accept help after a lifetime of serving others, and how Karen now views her physical therapists and aides as extended family

THOMAS ATTIG holds BA and PhD degrees from Northwestern University and Washington University in St. Louis. At Bowling Green State University, while Chair, he and his colleagues established the world’s first PhD Program in Applied Philosophy.  A Fellow of the International Work Group on Death, Dying, and Bereavement, he has received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Death Education from the International Network on Personal Meaning, Death Educator and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Association for Death Education and Counseling, and the Robert Fulton Founder’s Award from the Center for Death Education and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse.

Get in touch with Thomas Attig https://griefsheart.com/?i=1

Contact Kendra Rinaldi and sign up for the newsletter  https://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com/

Show Highlights

• An Early Exposure to Death: Thomas shares how growing up in a large family in Illinois, where his mother actively read letters detailing the passing of relatives and took him to sit with dying family members in the hospital, uniquely set him up to be comfortable with the uncomfortable reality of death.
• Becoming a "One-Man Band" in Grief Studies: How Thomas shifted from studying math to applied philosophy, ultimately creating and teaching a comprehensive university course on death and dying that went beyond mere clinical or ethical issues.
• Grieving as "Relearning the World": Thomas reveals why traditional models like the "stages of grief" often fall short for the bereaved, proposing instead that grieving is an active, ongoing process of relearning how to live in a world that is completely changed by loss.
• Wisdom vs. Science: Discussing his 2025 book, Seeking Wisdom in Death's Shadows, Thomas explains why caregiving for grieving souls should focus on seeking individual wisdom rather than relying solely on "evidence-based" scientific predictability, because every soul and every loss is entirely unique.
• The Myth of Closure: We discuss why treating grief as a "problem to be solved" is a mistake, and why aspiring for closure is silly because relearning how to live is a lifelong, ongoing project.
• Defining the Vocabulary of Loss: Thomas breaks down the distinct differences between bereavement (the state of being deprived), grieving (the involuntary reactions and our deliberate responses), and mourning (traditional or culturally defined practices).
• Embracing "Sorrow-Friendly Practices": Exploring his book Catching Your Breath in Grief, Thomas encourages grievers to stop suppressing their emotions. He shares practical ways to attend to your soul’s pain, including journaling, exploring the arts, leaning into faith, and taking extraordinary experiences—like feeling a loved one speak to you—seriously.
• The Price of Love: Thomas beautifully reads a passage from his book reminding us that the pain of missing someone is the inevitable companion to the joy of sharing life with them, and that avoiding love out of fear of sorrow would cost us everything.

Samina Bari is a corporate leader, 2x best-selling author, and advocate whose life and work explores how we navigate loss with courage and grace. A trusted advisor to CEOs and boards with over $40 billion in M&A transactions to her credit, she brings the same clarity and strength that defines her corporate career to her deeply personal mission of helping others rebuild after loss.

After losing her husband suddenly in 2023, she began speaking and writing openly about the life-altering impact of spousal loss and the process of rebuilding after it. Her second book, Don’t Call Me Widow, offers a first-hand guide for supporting those who’ve lost a spouse, and her podcast After Life continues that mission, helping others show up with compassion in life’s hardest moments. This follows her first book, I Can, I Will, & I Did: Lessons on Life, Love, and Leadership, which shares her insights on perseverance and renewal.

Through both her professional and personal journeys, Samina brings rare depth to conversations about grief, growth, and human resilience.

https://saminabari.com/

Contact Kendra Rinaldi https://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com/

Episode themes:

• The Power of a Curated Community: Samina discusses the importance of having a reliable support system after the sudden loss of her husband, Doug, and how her friends naturally coordinated tasks—from writing the obituary to helping in the kitchen—so she could simply grieve.
• Practical Grief Support: Samina shares the inspiration behind her book, Don't Call Me a Widow, which serves as a firsthand guide for people who want to support grieving loved ones but don't know what to say or do. She advises against vague offers like "Is there anything I can do for you?" and suggests specific, thoughtful gestures like bringing tea, checking the mail, or just sitting in silence.
• The Problem with the Word "Widow": Samina explains her visceral reaction to being called a widow, noting the word's ancient origins implying someone who is useless or lacks purpose. She shares how she reframes her identity, emphasizing that she is still a wife and her husband is still her husband, he just died.
• Solo Parenting vs. Single Parenting: Samina clarifies the crucial distinction between single parenting (which is often by choice or circumstance, such as divorce) and solo parenting, where a surviving spouse bears 100% of the emotional burden and decision-making for their children without a sounding board.
• Children Are Not "Resilient" to Trauma: Samina debunks the common societal myth that grieving children are naturally resilient, highlighting that children lack the emotional maturity to process such massive loss and often manifest grief through anger, nightmares, or behavioral changes. She also shares a heartbreaking example of "parentification," where her seven-year-old daughter tried to suppress her own grief to take care of the household.
• Why Year Two is Harder: Samina notes that while support is heavy in the first year as you navigate administrative tasks and the initial shock, the second year can often feel more difficult because the reality sets in that the loss is forever.

Edit B Kiss is a holistic mentor, success habit coach, #1 best-selling author, Humanitarian Award winner, and international speaker. She specializes in guiding individuals from misery to peace within 30 days by integrating ancient healing techniques with neuroscience. Her journey from a 15-year career in petroleum engineering to holistic healing exemplifies her commitment to transformation and personal growth.

https://editbkiss.com

https://www.youtube.com/@MagicalKarmaPriestess

https://www.instagram.com/editbkiss

https://www.linkedin.com/in/editbkiss/

https://www.facebook.com/bkissedit

Contact Kendra Rinaldi to be a guest or for coaching: https://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com/

Show Highlights

• From Engineering to Healing: Edit shares her journey of growing up in communist Hungary, becoming a petroleum engineer to travel the world, and how experiencing severe panic attacks led her to seek natural, spiritual healing.
• Healing Modalities Explained: An easy-to-understand breakdown of what Edit practices, including Reiki (cleansing energy and raising vibration), Family Constellation Therapy (healing the family's unconscious pain), and Karma Yoga Healing (transcendental meditation).
• Multidimensional Trauma: Why someone might experience anxiety or triggers despite having a "perfect" childhood, and how our deep-rooted emotions can actually be tied to past lives or our ancestors' struggles.
• Navigating Life Transitions: Edit discusses her work with clients—often in their 40s and 50s—who are navigating divorces, grief, depression, or the heavy feeling of being lost in life.
• The Illusion of Control: The fascinating story of how getting let go from her corporate contracting job was a massive manifestation that pushed her into her true calling.
• Body, Mind, and Spirit Alignment: Practical advice for raising your vibration, including starting a Samadhi meditation practice, using nutritional supplements, and understanding why cutting out sugar, alcohol, and caffeine is vital for mental health.
• Edit's Books: A look into her published works, including On the Healer's Journey (a guide for lightworkers in their "cocoon phase") and her latest release, The Gap Filler Success, which combines grounded strategic action with spiritual tools like manifestation and numerology

EricaBaccus.com
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Contact Kendra Rinaldi to be odded to the newsletter, to find out about coaching or to be a guest on the show. https://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com/

Show Themes and highlights:

A 41-Year Love Story: Erica details her magical 41-year marriage to John, which was filled with deep connection, independent passions, and a cherished tradition of surprise anniversary trips.

The Alzheimer's Diagnosis: We trace John's 2020 early-stage Alzheimer's diagnosis and his firm declaration that his "brain is his person" and he did not want to live in a "vegetative state".

Navigating End-of-Life Laws: Erica explains why U.S. assisted dying laws fail dementia patients, leading them to seek help from Dignitas in Switzerland where the focus is solely on mental competency.

The Burden of Secrecy: The couple's difficult decision to keep their end-of-life plan hidden from their wider circle to protect John's dignity and avoid defending his choice.

A Final Farewell: How their family rallied to support John's final wishes, including a beautiful last weekend spent playing poker and creating memories with his children and grandchildren.

Planning While Healthy: Erica’s powerful plea for listeners to make and discuss their end-of-life plans while they are still healthy, rather than during a medical crisis

Jermaine Ee is a founder and storyteller interested in three things: how we spend our time, the work we do, and what we leave behind. His career has zigzagged across ed‐tech, logistics, toys, political campaigns, executive search, and impact projects, but the through‐line has always been the same: helping people make better decisions about their money, careers, and futures. He’s run financial‐aid workshops in low‐income high schools, built a startup to help kids confront their fear of math, and worked inside the Venture Capital & Private Equity ecosystem, studying how talent shapes enduring companies. Through Rotary and other efforts, he has helped lead humanitarian projects from Los Angeles to Colombia, Mexico, and Ukraine, working on refugee housing, medical transport, and frontline logistics.

Today, Jermaine spends most of his time on HeirLight, a simple and smart will maker designed to turn one of adulthood’s most avoided tasks into a fast, modern, emotionally intelligent experience. Born in Los Angeles and raised between LA and Malaysia, he thinks a lot about belonging, identity, and the quiet instructions we leave behind for the people we love.

***Since recording the podcast HeirLight is now also available in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Illinois by March 15.

***Chekout this link to get 50% off! www.heirlight.com/en/podcast 

https://www.eejermaine.com/

Contact Kendra Rinaldi to be a guest or for coaching information https://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com/

Show Highlights

• Navigating Migratory Grief: Jermaine discusses growing up across different countries like Malaysia and Mexico, and the grief and struggles of being the "new kid" coming back into the U.S. high school system.
• The Inspiration Behind HeirLight: Jermaine shares how a simple lunch conversation with his parents about retirement turned into a mission to create an unbiased, judgment-free estate planning app that helps families—particularly immigrant families—plan for the future without overwhelm.
• Honoring Immigrant Sacrifices: We hear a beautiful, tear-jerking story of Jermaine taking his parents back to Oklahoma to trace their first steps in the U.S., including a poignant moment at a Burger King that reminded the family of how far they've come in just one generation.
• Estate Planning as a Tool for Clarity: We discuss how HeirLight doesn't just record assets, but also captures the user's bucket list, helping them align their finances with what truly brings them joy and contentment today.
• The "Memory Dividend": Jermaine introduces the concept from the book Die With Zero, emphasizing that creating memories early in life allows you to enjoy the "dividends" of those memories for decades.
• Living Intentionally Before Loss: Jermaine opens up about taking his mom to Salzburg, Austria to live out her Sound of Music bucket list dream just eight days before she was suddenly hospitalized, reminding us all not to wait to live our lives.

Melissa Rymer is a certified recovery coach, author, and survivor whose work centers on helping individuals heal, rebuild, and regain self-trust after emotionally unsafe or high-conflict relationships. Using a trauma-informed and spiritually grounded approach, Melissa guides people in understanding relational dynamics, strengthening boundaries, planning safe transitions, and rebuilding financial and emotional stability to create lives rooted in clarity, confidence, and emotional safety.

She is the author of Grieving the Narcissist: Mourning the Love You Thought Was Real, a book that explores one facet of the healing journey many experience after leaving an emotionally manipulative relationship. Melissa is also the co-founder of the Victim to Warrior Method, where her work emphasizes long-term recovery, personal empowerment, and life after survival.

https://victimtowarriormethod.com/thegray  https://www.facebook.com/v2wvictimtowarrior https://www.tiktok.com/@v2wvictimtowarrior https://www.instagram.com/v2w_victimtowarrior/ https://www.youtube.com/@v2wvictimtowarrior

To get more information about coaching with Kendra Rinaldi or being a guest on this porcast reach out. https://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com/

Show Highlights:

• The "Sneak Attack" of Narcissistic Abuse: Melissa shares her personal story of meeting her ex-husband in a church recovery group, explaining how predators look for empathetic victims and mirror their lives to appear as the perfect "soulmate".
• The Mask Slips: A look at how the charming "Prince Charming" facade eventually falls away, leaving victims isolated, questioning their reality, and trying to fix an impossible situation.
• The Warning from a Professional: The pivotal moment when a marriage counselor refused to treat Melissa and her ex-husband together, privately warning Melissa that she was married to a narcissist.
• Understanding the Abuser's Psychology: We discuss how a narcissist's need to belittle others and their inability to accept failure actually stems from deep-rooted low self-esteem.
• Why It's So Hard to "Just Leave": Melissa breaks down the shame and self-isolation that keeps victims trapped, and why leaving a narcissistic relationship is a dangerous "war" that requires an exit strategy.
• From Victim to Warrior: How Melissa found love again with her current husband, John, and how they turned their shared experiences of surviving abuse into a business that helps others safely escape and recover.
• Grieving the Illusion: We explore the profound grief that comes with narcissistic abuse—validating that it is necessary to mourn the loss of the person you thought they were and the future you thought you would have

Lillian Eve Moore is a trauma expert and teacher known for her surgical precision, radical love, and optimistic approach to transformation. With more than twenty years of experience, she helps clients resolve trauma with uncommon speed by blending somatics, nervous-system work, energy medicine, and mindset tools, teaching them to work with themselves so breakthroughs become fast and lasting.

Her Treasure Hunting framework views every part of the psyche as precious material for creation. Trauma isn’t something to move past, it’s raw potential that, once alchemized, becomes the foundation for a life that wasn’t possible before. Influenced by motherhood, entrepreneurship, global travel, and a deep relationship with nature, Lillian’s work is both deeply human and profoundly efficient. Through mentoring and online programs, she guides clients into clarity, courage, and creative power.

Connect with Lillian Eve Moore: https://www.lillianevemoore.com/

Contact Kendra Rinaldi: https://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com/

Show Highlights & Themes:

• Grief as a "Portal": Lillian explains that grief is not something to be "healed" or "fixed". Instead, it is a beautiful portal that connects us to the eternal and the transient nature of existence.
• Trauma vs. Grief: While grief is a natural initiation, trauma acts as "undigested information" that can block us from fully moving through the grief portal.
• The Past is "Fiction": Lillian shares a profound perspective that whatever you experience in your mind is real to your body, regardless of objective facts. Because of this, the stories we tell ourselves about our past trauma can be rewritten to support our healing.
• 3 Steps to Process Trauma: Discover a simple formula for working with trauma: 1) get in touch with the wound, 2) give it kind or accepting attention, and 3) utilize the body's natural metabolism (like walking, EFT tapping, or EMDR) to process it.
• Manifestation for Trauma Survivors: For those whose nervous systems are dysregulated, standard "law of attraction" advice can feel invalidating. Lillian reframes manifestation not as acquiring things, but as an identity question: "Who do I want to be?".
• The Treasure Hunting Framework: Learn how to retrain your brain to look for "berries instead of tigers" by actively seeking evidence of love and goodness to build a new, healed identity.
• Nothing Cannot Be Healed: The episode concludes with a powerful message of hope—there is absolutely nothing that cannot be healed.

In this solo episode, I share my recent reflections after attending three different memorials.

We often avoid going to funerals, memorials, or celebrations of life because we are afraid it will be too sad or that it will "bum us out". However, I want to share how these ceremonies can actually be incredibly inspiring and uplifting experiences centered around an immense amount of love.

I discuss the beautiful and unique ways these families chose to honor their loved ones, who all lived into their 80s. You will hear about a beautiful at-home memorial that perfectly captured a mother's sense of humor with prank plastic spiders and her favorite recipe cards. I also share the story of a gentleman whose eulogy highlighted his incredible journey of moving to the United States, learning new languages, and validating his studies to build a beautiful life.

Key Takeaways from this episode:

• Funerals are about love, not just sadness: While there is certainly grief, the core of a memorial is the immense love present for the person who passed.
• Personalization brings deep comfort: Honoring a loved one's specific quirks—like their love for cats, cultural food, or even playing pranks—helps attendees connect with their memory and share wonderful stories.
• Witnessing the end of a life can inspire the rest of yours: Hearing about these lives lived with such profound purpose deeply inspired me. Having just turned 50 myself, these memorials made me reflect on how I want to show up for my family and live my next 30 years with intentionality and presence.

I invite you to listen and perhaps reconsider any reluctance you might have about attending a funeral or memorial in the future. I would also love to hear about your own experiences and what you have learned from the memorials you have attended!

Contact me on my website: https://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com/ or on Instagram

Jenny Robinson Clark is an author, former dancer and actress, and homeschooling mother of four. Inspired by motherhood, healing, and mindfulness, she wrote Are You Here?, a heartfelt children’s book exploring connection, grief, and the magical signs that remind us we are never alone. Jenny is passionate about meditation, creative living, and building meaningful moments with her family. When she’s not writing or baking sourdough, she can often be found in a hip-hop dance class with her husband, Travis Clark, her biggest supporter.

Travis Clark is best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and founding member of the pop-rock band We the Kings, whose music has connected with fans around the world through heartfelt lyrics and high-energy performances. Throughout his career, he has remained passionate about creating music that brings people together and tells meaningful stories.

While his accomplishments in music have shaped much of his professional journey, Travis considers his most important role to be that of a devoted husband and proud father to his four children. Family is at the heart of everything he does, inspiring both his life and his creativity. Balancing life on the road with life at home, he strives to lead with love, gratitude, and purpose — believing that his greatest success is found not on stage, but in the memories and moments shared with his family.

 Order your Book here www.jennyrobinsonclark.com 

Free Printables for Children

Song by We the Kings "Are you here?"

Connect with Kendra Rinaldi to be a guest on the podcast or for information about Grief Coaching and Grief Education Workshops 

In this episode, we cover:

• The Inspiration Behind the Art: Jenny shares the emotional journey of moving back to Florida to care for her mother, Debbie, during her cancer treatments. She recounts the profound peace of her mother's passing at home, accompanied by a beautiful sign: three deer that laid outside her window for three days and walked away just as she took her last breath.
• A 3 A.M. Divine Message: After attending a Joe Dispenza retreat with the intention of reconnecting with her mom's spirit, Jenny woke up in the middle of the night and channeled a beautiful poem.
• Turning Grief into a Song: Travis (lead singer of We the Kings and Jenny's husband) shares how he took Jenny's late-night poem and turned it into the emotionally resonant companion song, Are You Here?,.
• Creating a Toolkit for Children: Jenny and Travis explain how the poem naturally evolved into a children's book. With stunning, hopeful illustrations by Elisabetta Fantone (who was also grieving the recent loss of her father), the book serves as a "toolkit" to help kids understand grief, process the unknown, and look for signs from their loved ones.
• Healing the Inner Child: We discuss how this book is not exclusively for children. For adults experiencing "grief brain" who cannot focus on a novel, this book offers simple, grounded beauty. It also provides an opportunity for adults to heal their "inner child" if their own childhood grief was never acknowledged or processed.
• A Mission over Ego: Jenny shares her ultimate mission for the book: to get it out of the stores and directly into hospitals, grieving centers, libraries, and schools to help families navigate their darkest seasons with hope and connection