Grief, Gratitude & The Gray in Between

Stuart Sax shares the following about himself:

“My love for broadcast radio began when I was growing up in Chicagoland. One of my favorite radio hosts was Harry Porterfield, who did a regular feature about people in the city. This short segment stayed with me as I grew up and, after realizing a career in live theater was not my calling, I studied broadcasting at Indiana University in the mid-60s. While in college, I was an integral part of the I.U. Student Radio Network. Those were the days of spinning records live and reading the news and lists of where to attend protest rallies. My favorite disc at the time was the extended version of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” by Iron Butterfly because it ran about 10 minutes. This allowed me enough time to get to the bathroom and back or to take a quick nap. I played that tune at least once every two hours!

After college, my radio career was put on hold because I had to report for military duty. While serving in Vietnam, I set up a “pirate” radio station in my battalion to play music, deliver the news and read letters from the troops. If this sounds familiar, it’s because I was doing what Adrian Cronauer did, only Cronauer was immortalized in the movie "Good Morning, Vietnam" starring Robin Williams.

Upon returning home, my broadcasting dreams took a backseat to a career in the women’s fashion retail arena, which was my family‘s business. That was until I retired and moved to Frisco, Texas, to be close to my grandson. Here I met Mark Wariner, the station owner and producer of KVGI radio. I approached Wariner to offer my services to write and record commercials; instead, Wariner, hearing my baritone voice, asked if I would be interested in hosting my own program.

Having waited for more than 50 years for an offer like that, I jumped at the chance and said that I would like to do a show called "Someone You Should Know." I then started a second show "Something To Talk About." Later, I brought in DFW Networking Diva Christine Deane as my new producer and I added the new talk shows “Trash Talk” with humorist Brandon Novara and “Opposite Saxes” with my wife Lauren.

Who knew that you could have this much fun in retirement??”

https://www.stuartsax.com/

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

COLIN CAMPBELL is a writer and director for theater and film. The short film he wrote and directed with his beautiful and talented

wife, Seraglio, was nominated for an Academy Award. Campbell teaches screenwriting at Chapman University and theater at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MFA from Columbia University. He is currently developing a solo performance piece titled Grief: A One Man Shit-Show. His most recent book FINDING THE WORDS Working Through Profound Loss with Hope and Purpose, offers practical advice on how to survive in the aftermath of loss.

By actively reaching out to their community, performing mourning rituals, and finding ways to express their grief, readers will learn how to live more fully while still holding their loved ones close. Campbell shines a light on a path forward through the darkness of grief.

https://colincampbellauthor.com/

https://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com/

Aly Bird is the author of Grief Ally; Helping People You Love Cope with Death, Loss and Grief. Since her husband’s untimely death, Aly Bird has poured her heart into helping those who feel helpless during an unexpected crisis. Her extensive study of grief psychology and culture, combined with her own devastating first-hand knowledge, led her to create a roadmap for the courageous and dedicated individuals who are willing to show up for the people they love with unconditional love, empowerment, and reverence. A speaker and workshop leader, Aly shows a clear path to those who have the courage to take on the vital role of being a grief ally.

Recognizing that there must be a change the way our culture handles grief, Aly is committed to building a support and educational network not only for the ones who have experienced an earth-shattering loss, but the people who are often overlooked: the griever’s loved ones and trusted support system. Aiding in her mission, Aly is currently pursuing a graduate degree in counselling psychology, and a career in grief therapy.

Learn more at https://www.alybird.com

Contact Kendra Rinaldi to be a guest or for coaching:

https://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com

Debra Borden, better known as The Sous Therapist, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in NY and NJ, and a pioneer in the field of Cooking Therapy. Author of two novels published by Random House, “Lucky Me” and “A Little Bit Married,” as well as the self-help book, “Cook Your Marriage Happy,” Debra has a wealth of experience to share in how to take away the stigma associated with mental health and struggling relationships through her unique approach of putting the kitchen at the center of the problem-solving process. Borden can show your audience how cooking therapy helps diffuse problems and makes it easier to discuss such issues as fairness, perspective, responsibility and gratitude.

Website: https://debrabordenauthor.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debraborden/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebraBordenLCSWandAuthor

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@cookyourselfhappy

https://www.Cookyourselfhappy.com

Contact Kendra Rinaldi to be a guest or for grief coaching:

https://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com

Alexandra Wyman is an advocate and public speaker for resources in the aftermath of suicide. She is the Author of The Suicide Club: What to Do When Someone You Love Chooses Death, Alexandra explores

her journey of mourning and healing after losing her husband. She makes sense of her grief through three phases—Shock and Awe, Now What?, and Finding the Collateral Beauty—to offer a road back to peace and joy for anyone who has lost someone close to them to suicide.

After she lost her husband to suicide in August of 2020, Alexandra found a need to change the rhetoric around suicide. She has spoken at the Colorado School Counselor Association’s annual

conference; the Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine, Psychology, and Religion (OCAMPR) annual conference; and Bridging the Divide Suicide Prevention and Awareness

Summit 2022. She has also been a guest on the YouDoWoo podcast. Alexandra practices occupational therapy and lives in Colorado with her son.

Contact Alexandra Wyman: https://www.forwardtojoy.com/

Buy her book: https://www.forwardtojoy.com/the-suicide-club

Contact Kendra Rinaldi

https://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com/

Eric Hodgdon knows first-hand the struggle that grips us after the loss of a loved one. After losing his 15-year old daughter Zoi to suicide in early 2014, Eric was frustrated with grief support resources that focused on survival as being the endgame of a grief journey.

For the past 9 years, Eric has made it his mission to change the way we approach grief support. He has coached and trained thousands of grieving women and men on how to navigate one of the worst setbacks in life.

Eric has spoken on a TEDx Stage, authored an Amazon bestselling book “A Sherpa Named Zoi” and now works 1-on-1 with his clients, helping them to survive first, get back up and ultimately live beyond the loss of their loved one.

He is most active on Facebook and Instagram where he posts every week about how to move from struggle to strength in the face of loss.

Free physical copy of A Sherpa Named Zoi: https://www.YourJourneyGuided.com/FreeGriefBook

Instagram: @ericbhodgdon

Free grief support community: Let’s Walk Together

TEDx Talk: https://youtu.be/ihp1_szQlM8

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

Marjorie Serrano is the author of Rainbow Meditations: A Journey of Self-Compassion, The Year of the Hurricane: Poems to Heal your Soul, Rescuing The Child’s Soul: Embracing our Most Extraordinary Life Stage and Dismantling the Myth of “The Terrible Twos” and “El Domador de Monstruos.” She is currently an undergraduate student at Bushnell University, where she is majoring in psychology with a minor in theology. She also holds an international degree from INPAHU University in Colombia.

For over a decade, Marjorie has worked firsthand with students, children, families, and people struggling with difficult life transitions. She adores and admires her precious toddler daughter, Maya, whom she believes is her most effective mentor and the catalyst for her growth and development in her adult years. Marjorie dedicates her life to raising her daughter, deeply loves her husband, and treasures her family and dogs. She is an avid advocate for mental health and children's rights, and her long-term goal is to complete a master's degree in counseling so she can continue with her mission of helping people heal the emotional wounds caused by childhood trauma. She writes nonstop whenever her daughter sleeps and whenever she has a minute during her busy days as a mom. She continues to share her poems, meditations, and reflections through her blog, "La Casita de Mateo," https://lacasitademateo.blogspot.com/?m=1 inspired by the tragic loss of her first son, Mateo.

Marjorie loves art, classical music, her German shepherds, life, nature, running, and above all, God!

You can connect with Marjorie via Instagram https://www.instagram.com/marjoriewriter/

Marjorie’s book collection can be found at most eBook stores and via Amazon Books at: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BHY6Y168/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=09108b00-1fa9-45b7-b577-4f687990950c

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

Margo Fowkes is the founder and president of OnTarget Consulting, Inc., a firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals act strategically,improve performance and achieve their business goals.

Margo works with clients to solve problems of productivity,

morale and innovation. Author of Leading Through Loss: How

to Navigate Grief at Work, Margo also coaches leaders on how

to create a more compassionate culture by acknowledging and

speaking openly about grief and loss in the workplace.

In addition to her consulting work, Margo delivers a variety of workshops and keynotes. Her most sought-after programs include From Coping to Conquering: Overcoming Negativity in the Workplace, Working Through Grief and When Conflict Strikes: Preserving the Relationship & Getting What You Want.

Inspired by her son Jimmy who died in 2014 after an eight-year battle

with brain cancer, Margo launched Salt Water, an online community that provides a safe harbor for those who have lost someone dear to them – a child, parent, partner, sibling, close friend or pet. Inspired by Jimmy’s determination to live a rich, full life despite his circumstances, the blog posts and resources focus on healing and building a new life in the aftermath of a devastating loss.

Contact Margo Fowkes:

https://www.ontargetconsulting.net

https://findyourharbor.com

https://www.facebook.com/OnTargetConsultingInc

https://www.facebook.com/FindYourHarbor

https://twitter.com/margoontarget

https://twitter.com/FindYourHarbor

https://www.instagram.com/findyourharbor/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/margo-fowkes-ontarget-consulting/

Contact Kendra Rinaldi to be a guest or for coaching:

https://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com/

After being on the brink of suicide induced by years of PTSD from fighting in Iraq with the Marines, a series of supernatural interventions saved Mike Liguori’s life. His military service and deployments to a war zone were not by accident.

He had engaged and often ran away from his enemies long before and after the war within the shadow of his past.

His most recent book, The Road Ahead and Miles Behind: A Story of Healing and Redemption Between Father and Son chronicles the story of a cross-country road trip taken during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic with one of the darkest shadows of his past, his relationship with his father.

https://mikeliguori.com/home

https://www.instagram.com/mike.liguori/

https://www.facebook.com/themikeliguori

Contact Kendra Rinaldi to be a guest or for coaching:

https://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com/

Richard John Allen, author of Keep Calm and Cope With Grief: 9 Chapters for Managing Fear and Grief When Losing a Parent or Loved One

The book provides a heartwarming resource for anyone currently dealing with grief due to a loss. It doesn’t matter if they have lost a loved one to suicide, a sudden accident, or a long-term illness, this book will guide them through the many layers of the ‘cloak of grief. Their loss could be recent, or it may have happened many years ago, grief does not hold itself to any time period. In this book, the audience will discover the different methods how to cope with grief and finding their own individual way to live in the new normal. Learn the steps to self-healing which will not only help the audience but also help them to help others who are grieving.

More about Richard John Allen in his own words:

“I have been fortunate enough to work for some of the world's largest corporations and have met a great many wonderful people giving me some amazing memories. But having recently lost my Father and Father In-law, I have decided to leave the corporate world and I'm now on a journey of writing books about losing a loved one.

I come from a religious family, and hold strong religious beliefs but I'm also open-minded, and as strong as my faith is, I also lean upon logic, facts, and common sense. At the early age of 16, I had a longing to become a priest but it never came to pass. My parents were shocked at the time but my life went in a different direction.

I believe that each and every one of us goes through life in a unique and special way. Whether we realize it or not, we are shown messages and signs, given skills and gifts, all of which can help us through the good times and bad. I hope to write and share with you not only my experiences but also share the research I have completed and the interviews I have conducted.”

Connect with Richard John Allen : https://www.facebook.com/GriefSupportGroup.LifeAfter

Buy his book on amazon: https://a.co/d/50iPKVw

Contact Kendra Rinaldi to be a guest on the show:

https://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com/