Grief & Happiness

Often in grief, we forget how precious we are. Take good care of yourself!

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 can talking about our loved ones who passed bring comfort during times of grief?

In today's episode, I'm joined by Kandiee Campbell, a Transformational Therapist and Grief Counselor, Author, and Host of the Awaken Hope Radio Show. Through her compassionate approach to grief, Kandiee offers comfort and relief to grievers, helping them to heal from the inside out.

We had a fantastic conversation about connection, the different shapes and colors of grief, and the transformative power of acts of kindness. Kandiee also shared her thoughts on how most people approach and offer help to grievers, the benefits of putting pen to paper and expressing our feelings and emotions to process pain, and the importance of being present, listening, and offering specific, thoughtful support instead of generic condolences.

Tune in and listen to episode 254 of Grief and Happiness, and discover how to transform your healing journey through the simple act of smiling, practicing gratitude, and understanding the many facets of grief.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• The pandemic's impact on people's behavior and mental health (2:40)
• Why developing a gratitude practice is crucial (4:50)
• The positive effect of smiling at others (6:40)
• Random acts of kindness and their impact on grievers (8:50)
• What is the right thing to say to someone grieving (10:30)
• The importance of ongoing support and regular check-ins (14:00)
• Why it is crucial to recognize and acknowledge different kinds of grief (22:00)
• The importance of allowing ourselves to grieve (24:00)

Connect with Kandiee Campbell:

• Website
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Facebook

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.

Would your loved one want you to be happy?

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.

In today's episode, I’m joined by Natasha Trujillo, Ph.D., a Counseling and Sports Psychologist and acclaimed author. Natasha is also a grief and loss specialist who works with Olympic athletes, helping them deal with perfectionism, eating disorders, and other challenges they might face in their professional lives. Despite her many years of experience assisting others to navigate grief, she felt lost after two major losses hit her in a short time. Dealing with those heavy blows led her to challenge old beliefs, instilling in her the need to write about why we avoid talking about death, intergenerational trauma, and the pain remembering the loss of a loved one causes.  

Throughout this episode, Natasha and I talk about the importance of exploring and discussing family dynamics and unresolved issues to understand how we deal with our ‘stuff’ and conduct ourselves in the context of grief and loss. You'll also hear about Natasha's beautifully written book, how putting her thoughts and feelings on paper helped her deal with them, the crucial relevance of fomenting deeper connections, why we should be initiating uncomfortable conversations, and so much more.

Tune in to episode 252 of Grief and Happiness to discover the liberating power of initiating challenging conversations and consciously addressing the unspoken.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Natasha talks about how she came up with the idea for her book (5:00)
• Uncomfortable doesn't mean we can't talk about it (8:40)
• You never know what can come up once you decide to talk things out (14:00)
• Natasha talks about the sense of gratitude she experienced after her book was published (22:10)
• How putting thoughts and feelings on paper helped Natasha (26:00)
• The importance of learning to deal with life's highs and lows (28:40)

Connect with Dr. Natasha Trujillo:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Book: Dr. Natasha Trujillo - And She Was Never the Same Again: A Multigenerational Memoir

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.

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.