Always advocate for bereavement leave.

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.

When an adult son dies, it is usually expected that the other siblings take on heavy duties like identifying a body, planning funerals, or even getting the terrible news first and being responsible for breaking it to the parents. This is done to alleviate the monumental pain of losing a child, but only few consider the extreme pain a sibling endures.

In this episode, I'm joined by Cultural Researcher, Author, and brilliant Storyteller Annie Sklaver Orenstein. After Annie's brother was killed in Afghanistan, she went to every bookstore looking for something that could help her deal with her pain, often overshadowed by her parents' pain. Not finding a single piece of literature on sibling pain was her key motivation to pen "Always a Sibling: The Forgotten Mourner's Guide to Grief," a book she wished she had 15 years ago.

Throughout this episode, you'll hear Annie's unique perspective on grieving a sibling, why it often goes unacknowledged, what coping mechanisms she developed, and the thought process that led her to write a book. You'll also hear Annie's thoughts on the therapeutic value of putting feelings and emotions on paper, acknowledging and accepting grief's diversity, rejecting the idea of right and wrong forms of grieving, and so much more.

Tune in to episode 250 of Grief and Happiness to learn more about the thoughtful and practical resource Annie Sklaver Orenstein created for forgotten grievers.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Annie talks about what most sibling grievers have to deal with during their loss (2:30)
• What readers can find in "Always A Sibling" (8:20)
• Why write a book about it? Annie talks about how writing about her grief helped her get through it (14:30)
• Is there a right or wrong way to grieve? (20:30)
• "It's just not helpful for me.". Annie shares a valuable lesson she got from an honest answer (26:20)

Connect with Annie Sklaver Orenstein:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Book: Annie Sklaver Orenstein - Always a Sibling: The Forgotten Mourner's Guide to Grief

Let's Connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• The Grief and Happiness Alliance
• Book: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

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

If you feel stuck now, don’t despair. When you are ready, open your hear and allow people back in.

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.

Let me know if you need anything is a phrase people usually mean when they say it, yet grievers will never say what they need. Some don't have the energy to, and others might not be aware of what exactly they need.

In today’s episode, I'm joined by Certified Business Coach, Founder and CEO of Essential Coaching, and grief survivor, Andrea Betschart. Andrea lost her husband about 9 years ago in a mountain climbing accident in the Netherlands. The loss of her husband didn't take away her love for the mountains, where she feels powerful and safe; instead, it helped her find her inner strength, enticed her resilience, and brought a wonderful opportunity to learn how to manage her emotions.

Throughout this episode, you'll hear about Andrea's unique approach to grief, and her methods to cope with the loss of her husband. Andrea also talks about her relationship with the mountains, where she and her husband taught their children to climb, why she kept mountain climbing despite the sorrow she might encounter there sometimes, and the beautiful dynamic she developed with her children to deal with sadness.

Tune in to episode 248 of Grief and Happiness to discover new ways of offering support and care for those in pain. You'll also hear Andrea's thoughts on what to do and say and what to avoid doing and saying to grievers, how to provide help to those in pain, and so much more.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Andrea talks about how meeting inspiring people saved her life (2:50)
• Grief and happiness is about emotional management (9:50)
• How to figure out what grievers need (14:00)
• Andrea talks about what made her feel lighter after her husband's death (21:50)
• How to support someone dealing with grief (26:00)

Connect with Andrea Betschart:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Email: [email protected]

Let's Connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• The Grief and Happiness Alliance
• Book: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

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

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

In Spanish, the word for remember is "recordar," which comes from the Latin "recordari," which translates to "take through the heart again." That is one of the beautiful things about grief: we get to choose how we take our lost loved ones through the heart again. Our guest, Cleo Childs, certainly found a beautiful way to remember her mother, who transitioned six years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

In this episode, we learn about Cleo Childs' grief journey, the unique bond with her mother, and the beautiful form of art her loss gave birth to. Cleo recently launched "Moving With," her first spoken word album, which combines her kind, poignant, and heartfelt poetry with beautifully played music.

Throughout this episode, Cleo talks about the almost automatic relief she felt after writing the first two lines of a poem on a piece of paper, her need for writing almost everywhere she was, and the beautiful piece she came up with while shopping at a Costco. You'll also hear about Cleo's unique way of connecting with her mother through kindness, how she went from being angry with God to finding peace and acceptance in her mother's death, and much more.

Tune in and listen to episode 246 of Grief and Happiness and learn more about Cleo's beautiful ability to craft grief-relieving poems.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Art as a coping mechanism (2:40)
• Finding the sound for "disillusionment with God" (5:00)
• Cleo talks about the relief she felt right after writing two lines on a piece of paper (13:00)
• A beautiful piece of art written at Costco (20:10)
• Cleo talks about how lonely grief can be (26:10)
• Finding peace and acceptance (27:20)
• Cleo talks about how she connects with her mother through kindness (30:30)

Connect with Cleo Childs:

• Website
• Listen to Moving With on YouTube

Let's Connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• The Grief and Happiness Alliance
• Book: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

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

Growing my garden and all the fruits and vegetables provides plenty to share.

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.

Have you ever noticed kids' normal state is being joyful? They need something to happen for them to be sad, anxious, or worried. Yet when we become adults, it's the opposite; we are always worried, sad, and anxious, and only experience happiness when something happens. It makes you wonder... Why is that?

In today's episode, I'm thrilled to welcome the brilliant Ashish Kothari, Founder and CEO of Happiness Squad, the Author of "Hardwired for Happiness," and the Host of the Happiness Squad podcast. Before founding Happiness Squad, Ashish had the family, the house, the high-paying job, and every item of "the happiness list" checked, yet he lived stressed and overwhelmed. Instead of chasing happiness, Ashish started his journey by understanding what makes us suffer, and so his journey started.

Throughout this episode, we explore the concept of happiness from Ashish's unique perspective, and the factors contributing to anxiety and disengagement, and we discuss how to rewire our brain for happiness. Ashish also shares his thoughts on relying on mindfulness to cultivate awareness and reduce stress, explains why we've made unhappiness a habit, how to make happiness a habit, and much more.

Tune in and listen to episode 244 and learn why you should start by understanding what makes you unhappy before chasing happiness.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

A bit about Ashish's story and what led him to understand his unhappiness (1:30)

How and why do we let all the stressors of the world into our lives? (6:40)

Ashish talks about his Rewire Program, which helps people turn happiness into a habit (13:20)

We can experience grief and happiness, anger and compassion. Let's stay away from polarities (21:00)

Happiness is a choice (28:40)

Connect with Ashish Kothari:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Happiness Squad Podcast

Ashish's Gift For You

Book: Ashish Kothari - Hardwired for Happiness: 9 Proven Practices to Overcome Stress and Live Your Best Life

Let's Connect:

Website

LinkedIn

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Pinterest

The Grief and Happiness Alliance

Book: Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

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

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.

How ready are you to embrace grief as a natural part of life?

In this episode together, I'm excited to bring Shauna Dukes back to the show. This time, the best-selling author of "Even If: A Holistic Approach to Grief & Living a Joy-Filled Life With Loss," joins us to talk about the liberating power of embracing grief, and how vulnerability opened a path right into her purpose. Shauna is an NTP (Nutritional Therapy Practitioner), Life Coach, Author, LMT(Licensed Massage Therapist), and is deeply in love with all things holistic.

Throughout this episode, Shauna talks with me about her grief journey after her book was published, and how she wrestled with the idea that grief was this massive, scary monster creeping in the dark that would forever chase her. She also talks about the Holistic Grief Academy for Mothers she created, how mothers who join the academy heal and become part of her healing process, and how it all changed when she realized grief isn't a monster but part of who she is.

Tune in and listen to episode 242 of Grief and Happiness and discover how to live a joy-filled life despite the sorrow of the most painful losses. 

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans," Shauna talks about this new stage in her life (1:40)
• Often, we think we are the only ones grieving (5:50)
• Don't be scared of being vulnerable (9:10)
• Shauna talks about how she stopped herself from being an emotional zombie (13:20)
• What is the Holistic Grief Academy for Mothers and how it helps people dealing with the loss of a child (20:20)

Connect with Shauna Dukes:

• Website
• Book: Shauna Dukes - Even If: A Holistic Approach to Grief & Living a Joy-Filled Life With Loss 
• Instagram
• Holistic Grief Academy for Mothers

Let's Connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• The Grief and Happiness Alliance
• Book: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

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