Grief Is My Side Hustle

Shelby Forsythia (she/her) is a grief coach, author, and podcast host. In 2020, she founded Life After Loss Academy, an online course and community that has helped dozens of grievers grow and find their way after death, divorce, diagnosis, and other major life transitions.

Following her mother’s death in 2013, Shelby began calling herself a “student of grief” and now devotes her days to reading, writing, and speaking about loss. Through a combination of mindfulness tools and intuitive, open-ended questions, she guides her clients to welcome grief as a teacher and create meaningful lives that honor and include the heartbreaks they’ve faced. Her work has been featured in Huffington Post, Bustle, and The Oprah Magazine.

Trauma specialist and psychotherapist Edith Shiro sits down with Meghan to discuss loss, traumatic growth and the role of hope in healing.

Focused on healing trauma and facilitating Posttraumatic Growth,  Dr. Edith Shiro holds space for patients, communities, and individuals to achieve greater potential and higher consciousness.


Dr. Shiro's influence extends well beyond her private practice. She frequently engages as a guest expert on national media broadcasts and publications, including TIME magazine, Oprah Daily, and Billboard. Her groundbreaking book has garnered significant recognition, earning her the Innovation Award in Science in 2022, the International Latino Book Awards in 2023, and both the International Impact Book Awards and Book Excellence Awards in 2024. Through her writing, speaking engagements, and media appearances, Dr. Shiro continues to contribute meaningfully to the discourse on mental health, individual and collective trauma. As a board member of the World Happiness Foundation, she is dedicated to promoting happiness, enhancing consciousness and well-being around the world.

https://www.dredithshiro.com

Uk based therapist Helen Marie is the author of Choose You: Gentle Words to Help You Heal and Grow.  She sits down with Meghan to talk, grief, loss, healing and hope in this special episode.  Learn more about Helen on her website:

https://www.helenmariepsychotherapy.com/book

Jason Nark is a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and a freelance writer. He lives in New Jersey with his kids and a dog named Wanda and has written about grief and loss including about his own best friend's death by suicide.

More here: https://jasonnark.com/about-me/

Novelette is 38 year old woman, living with a life limiting illness, called Epidermolysis Bullosa. I have the Recessive Dystrophic form of Epidermolysis Bullosa, RDEB. I live in Canada. I have a specialist in philosophy from the University of Toronto. Since 2018, I have been a trained hospice and peer bereavement Volunteer. I co-facilitate a lot of peer bereavement groups. I do a lot of mindfulness for grieving loss groups. I also help with training new hospice and peer bereavement volunteers. I’ve also volunteered as a hospice care companion to others, living with a life limiting illness.  I enjoy writing poetry and painting. Talking walks in nature. And I enjoy spending time with my nieces and nephew and caring for my cat.

At the age of five Jessica Fein’s daughter Dalia was diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease that would claim her life at 17. Before that moment came, and inspired by Dalia’s own irrepressible spirit, Fein and her family would discover how to live in the present when the future can’t be fixed. In this heartfelt yet clear-eyed memoir, Fein maps both her journey to becoming an adoptive mom and the roller coaster ride of loving and caring for a terminally ill child, persevering when the simple act of taking a breath can become an act of courage. Through it all, she discovers the need to be both relentless advocate and calm presence, to show vulnerability as well as strength, and to allow joy to be louder than sorrow.

https://www.jessicafeinstories.com

Lisa Keefauver--Tedx speaker, consulatant, grief educator and host of the Grief is a Sneaky Bitch podcast has written a book of the same name.  Written in the tone of your "wise best friend" this book will keep you company, teach you, and support you as you navigate loss.  Be sure to follow her 

https://lisakeefauver.com

Jonathan Fleece is the president and CEO of Empath Health

Empath Health is one of the country’s largest not-for-profit health systems delivering non-acute care and services through its skilled, medical and holistic programs to individuals with chronic, advanced and terminal illnesses and those experiencing grief. The Empath Health integrated network of care provides expert medical, counseling and support services including hospice; home health; palliative care; grief services; all-inclusive elder care; HIV/STI prevention services and support; primary care; physician services; and full-service pharmacy and durable medical equipment (DME). Empath Health is honored to have approximately 26,000 people enrolled in our Full Life Care services in north central, west central and southwest Florida. We have nearly 130 combined years of experience serving individuals during some of their most vulnerable times. Our wide variety of community-based programs reflects our commitment to the preservation of our charitable mission.

Host of one of the most popular podcasts on death, grief and loss, David Ferrugio comes into the work with a deep personal understanding of loss. His father (also David) died in the world Trade Center on 9/11 when David was only twelve years old.  In this episode David shares some of his life philosophies, his appreciation for gallows humor and how critical supports helped him to process his loss.  The subject matter may be heavy, but this conversation isn't. David's joy and love of life is infectious.