If you’ve ever wondered whether loved ones stay close after they pass, episode 390 of the Grief and Happiness podcast offers a striking perspective. Quantum healer Jeremy E. McDonald, M.Ed. shares the powerful shared-death experience he had with his mother and the clear signs he received afterward. These moments reshaped his grief and guided his 13-year healing journey, encouraging listeners to stay open and find comfort in the connections that remain.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

00:55) Jeremy’s background and the roots of The Sovereign Mindset

(01:31) How his mother’s passing began a long healing journey

(02:20) The shared-death experience that changed everything

(04:45) The signs and messages that continued after her death

(07:03) A new way to understand “transitioning” and loss

(10:29) Lessons on letting go and honoring a soul’s path

(13:40) How compassion and vulnerability reshape grief

(15:23) Why fear blocks connection with loved ones in spirit

(17:09) Mediumship moments that confirmed his experiences

(19:39) How to recognize signs from loved ones

(22:08) The importance of dignity and presence at end-of-life

(23:11) Why love and presence matter in final moments

(25:55) Using emotions to move from pain toward peace

(28:53) How to move forward with small, meaningful steps

(29:58) Rebuilding momentum through simple actions

(32:27) Creating an authentic, purposeful life after loss

Jeremy E. McDonald, M.Ed., is a quantum healer, public speaker, and author dedicated to helping people awaken their inner wisdom and spiritual resilience. With over two decades of experience in energy healing and personal development, he blends grounded teaching with intuitive insight to guide others through transformation. His book The Sovereign Mindset empowers readers to reclaim their inner authority, live with clarity, and recognize their inherent worth. Jeremy’s work reflects both professional expertise and the profound spiritual experiences that shaped his own healing journey.

In this episode, Jeremy shares how the loss of his mother and a powerful shared-death experience changed his understanding of life, death, and the continuing bond between loved ones. He describes how this moment sparked a 13-year path of deep healing, reflection, and spiritual growth that ultimately led to his new book. Jeremy explains why staying open, paying attention to signs, and allowing vulnerability help us move through grief with greater compassion for ourselves. His message encourages listeners to honor their emotions, take small steps toward healing, and trust that their loved ones remain close, offering guidance and support.

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Saying “I’m Sorry for Our Loss” is so much better than saying “I am sorry for your loss.”

Let's Connect:

• You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
• You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
• You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
• You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
• Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here

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If you’ve ever felt trapped by stress or grief, episode 388 of Grief and Happiness offers a science-backed way out. Stanford physician Dr. Greg Hammer shares the four-step practice that helped him find peace after losing his son—and that can rewire your brain for calm and gratitude. Blending neuroscience, mindfulness, and lived experience, he proves that happiness isn’t luck—it’s something you can train.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

(01:01) Dr. Greg Hammer’s path from ICU medicine to mindfulness and wellness

(03:37) Why A Mindful Teen was written for parents, not teens

(04:32) The modern pressures today’s teens face—and how to help

(07:21) The GAIN method: Gratitude, Acceptance, Intention, Non-Judgment

(10:40) How acceptance helped Dr. Hammer heal after losing his son

(15:51) The science behind mindful breathing and calm

(19:47) How listing “three good things” boosts happiness and sleep

(22:50) Facing grief vs. suppressing it—how to tell the difference

(27:40) Healing through writing letters to lost loved ones

(29:44) Why parents must model gratitude and openness

(37:51) Forgiving yourself and letting go of judgment

(43:20) Why most of what we stress about doesn’t matter

Dr. Greg Hammer is a Stanford physician, wellness expert, and bestselling author devoted to helping people build happiness and resilience through mindfulness and science. After 35 years as a professor and pediatric intensive-care specialist at Stanford, he shifted his focus to stress reduction and well-being. His book Gain Without Pain introduced the GAIN method—Gratitude, Acceptance, Intention, and Non-Judgment—as a practical path to balance and fulfillment, followed by A Mindful Teen, guiding parents and educators to better support today’s youth.

In this episode, Dr. Hammer shares how his GAIN practice turns grief, stress, and self-criticism into calm and connection. Drawing on personal loss and decades of experience, he shows how gratitude and acceptance can rewire the brain toward positivity, and how mindful breathing resets the body by activating the vagus nerve. Addressing modern teen pressures—from social media to anxiety about the future—he urges adults to lead by example through compassion, presence, and forgiveness.

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Book: Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

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What are you holding on to? What can you let go?

Let's Connect:

• You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
• You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
• You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
• You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
• Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here

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If you’ve ever been told to “stay strong” after loss, episode 386 will change how you see strength. Life coach Shruti Trivedi shares her journey through the loss of three babies and the 11 years she spent suppressing her pain. Through therapy and her “three A’s”—acknowledge, accept, and address—she discovered that true healing begins when you stop hiding your grief. Her story is a raw reminder that facing pain is often the first step toward peace.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

(00:53) Shruti’s introduction and the losses that changed her life

(02:04) The 11-year silence before seeking therapy—and how it transformed her healing

(05:01) Why pregnancy loss is so misunderstood and often dismissed

(08:35) Teaching children emotional honesty through shared grief

(10:37) How Shruti helped her daughters honor their twin brothers each year

(14:43) What to say—and what not to say—to someone grieving a loss

(18:41) How fathers grieve differently and why their pain is often invisible

(21:05) The danger of masking pain and the stigma around showing emotion

(25:47) The “mental tumor” effect of unspoken grief and how to cleanse it

(30:00) Finding peace through naming, remembering, and continuing bonds with lost babies

Shruti Trivedi is a Certified Life Coach, PMP®, and founder of Tulsi Heals Life Coaching, where she helps women and parents navigate grief and emotional healing with empathy and structure. After spending over 13 years in IT consulting and leadership, her own experience of losing three babies—one early miscarriage and identical twin boys at 23 weeks—transformed her life’s direction. That profound loss inspired her to become an advocate for mental health awareness, emotional resilience, and self-compassion, using both her professional background and personal story to guide others through recovery.

In this conversation, Shruti shares how she spent 11 years suppressing her grief before finally seeking therapy, a decision that became the foundation of her healing. She introduces her “three A’s” approach—acknowledge, accept, and address—as a framework for moving through pain rather than escaping it. With honesty and warmth, she discusses letting go of guilt, showing vulnerability to her children, and redefining strength as the ability to feel deeply. Her story reminds listeners that healing begins with allowing space for emotion—and that offering presence and compassion often means more than finding the perfect words.

Connect with Shruti Trivedi:

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Book: Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

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How to turn your waiting time into something enjoyable and positive.

Let's Connect:

• You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
• You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
• You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
• You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
• Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here

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If you’ve ever felt trapped in grief and longed for a way to truly move forward, episode 384 is for you. Grief guide and author Marie Crews shares how losing her 22-year-old son to suicide inspired The Nautilus Way—a four-step journaling process that transforms pain into empowerment. With raw honesty and compassion, she reveals how writing can quiet guilt, rewire your thoughts, and reconnect you to life. Her story proves that healing begins the moment you meet yourself on the page.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

(01:01) Marie’s path from mindset coach to grief and empowerment guide

(02:40) Losing her 22-year-old son and transforming unimaginable pain into purpose

(04:15) Why choosing how to live with loss is an act of radical self-responsibility

(06:27) The power of journaling—and how it became her lifeline through grief

(07:45) The creation of The Nautilus Way: Reveal, Review, Rewrite, and Rewire

(10:59) How journaling opens communication with lost loved ones

(11:54) Turning journaling into meditation and “whispering yourself home”

(14:20) Breaking perfectionism and resistance in writing for healing

(16:18) Gratitude, self-love, and the small daily practices that rewire the mind

(20:00) How journaling becomes a love letter to yourself—and a path to peace

(23:55) Why the answers aren’t “out there,” but waiting inside you all along

(24:45) How to access The Nautilus Way and begin your own healing journey

Marie Crews is an empowerment and grief guide, author, and creator of The Nautilus Way, a four-step journaling process that helps women heal by reconnecting with themselves and rewriting limiting beliefs. After losing her 22-year-old son to suicide in 2017, she transformed her grief into purpose, developing a compassionate method to help others move through loss, anxiety, and self-judgment. Through her retreats in Navarre, Florida, and online workshops, she guides women toward self-compassion, empowerment, and emotional freedom using journaling as a tool for deep healing.

In this episode, Marie shares how journaling became her lifeline after her son’s death and how it evolved into The Nautilus Way—a process of “Reveal, Review, Rewrite, and Rewire.” She explains how meeting yourself on the page can quiet the inner critic, bring clarity, and reframe grief into growth. Marie and Emily discuss how consistent, conscious journaling can transform suffering into self-acceptance and joy, empowering women to take radical responsibility for their thoughts and emotions while finding peace within their ongoing grief.

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Book: Even When... She Rose

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You can heal your broken heart by practicing good self-care!

Let's Connect:

• You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
• You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
• You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
• You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
• Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here

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If you’ve ever felt stuck in the same story of loss, episode 380 will move you. Author Michael Reed shares how, for nine years after losing his wife and daughters in the Gatlinburg wildfire, every morning felt like opening a newspaper with the same tragic headline. In this raw, hopeful conversation, he reveals how he finally rewrote that headline—turning pain into purpose through The Million Stages of Grief and showing that while we never move on, we can move forward.

In This Episode, You Will Learn: 

(00:59) The wildfire that changed Michael Reed’s life forever

(02:45) Why he rejected the “five stages of grief” and wrote The Million Stages of Grief

(04:43) How shared pain can connect rather than divide us

(06:07) Naming “the darkness” and learning to step out of it

(07:30) The difference between moving on and moving forward

(09:14) Living with the same headline of loss every day for nine years

(10:40) Finding signs of love in butterflies, ladybugs, and owls

(13:37) Turning grief into purpose and keeping loved ones’ memories alive

(16:27) Facing anger, survivor’s guilt, and learning to take one baby step at a time

(22:44) Grounding, creativity, and nature as pathways to healing

(26:26) Why vulnerability is the key to helping others heal

Michael Reed is an author, speaker, and grief advocate from East Tennessee whose life was forever changed by the 2016 Gatlinburg wildfire that claimed his wife and two daughters. Transforming unimaginable loss into purpose, he now helps others navigate grief with honesty and compassion. Through his book The Million Stages of Grief and his platform, he challenges the idea of five linear stages of grief, showing instead that healing is a complex, deeply personal journey. Currently pursuing a degree in Behavioral Science, Reed uses his story to remind others that while we never move on from grief, we can always move forward with love.

In this episode, Reed brings raw authenticity and hope to the conversation, sharing how he learned to live beyond the darkness of his loss. He describes grief as both chaotic and connective—a shared human experience that, when voiced, helps others heal too. From naming his sadness to finding comfort in small signs from his late family, he illustrates that our loved ones never truly leave us. Through grounding, creativity, and compassion, Reed shows listeners how to transform pain into purpose, connection, and even gratitude.

Connect with Michael Reed:

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Book: Michael Reed - The Million Stages of Grief

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Book: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

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Now it the time to say whatever your need to say to your loved ones. Don’t wait!

Let's Connect:

• You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
• You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
• You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
• You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
• Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.