Judy and I met through the Instagram, grief, and shared personality traits. My love for her was instant because of her realness, her honesty, her compassion, her transparency, her vulnerability, her resilience, and her perseverance. Judy and I have a heart to heart convo which includes some pretty real talks about addiction and death and the shit show that is this life that doesn't seem to get easier but at least we find others like ourselves flailing in this griefy sea, kicking ass, taking names, and keeping a crass humor about it all because what else is there to do but try to survive. Listen in as we chit chat about all the things, and I do mean, all the things.

In this day and age, the number of grievers is uncountable and the resources we have to assist us along our grief journey is limited, so I was especially grateful to discover there was a fellow griever out there in the world who not only imagined an app but also put in the hard work amidst their griefy daily life to bring this tool to life. Reid Peterson is the Creator of the Grief Refuge app. Grief Refuge is a daily companion to help support people on the grief journey. It can be downloaded for free on both iOS and Android phones. Come along with us as we talk about griefy things, and know this is one episode I will return to often because of the things Reid says.

See what Reid is doing these days in the grief community.

Website: https://griefrefuge.com/

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

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

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2E8F4WBXRXwM032K8wdevl?si=Tk2RhEAVQWK2Hbq0yI7Fyw&dl_branch=

Being a widowed, solo parent is a lonely place. That's why Sarah created the Facebook group, Widowed, Solo Parenting. It's also tough because you lose part of yourself with your deceased love, and trying to find your new identity is a huge part of the grieving process. Which is why she created her program, Reclaim Your Life. 

Listen as we chat about all the things and hear how Sarah is impacting the grief community through her own journey. It's a real conversation, complete with breaks in between, not-the-best-reception, and try try try agains, because it's real life, and this is how it went down, and if I'm being honest, I will never find enough time or energy in the world to edit podcasts like I thought I would. So, here it is... The real deal, as promised.

Explore more to see what Sarah is up to these days.

Blog: https://www.thedaysarefullblog.com

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thedaysarefull

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/thedaysarefull/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/daysarefullblog

Becky Bierwas and I met through the secret-underground-you-don't-know-it-exists-until-you-join Grief Community on Instagram and she has become one of my closest friends. Join us to hear Becky's story and listen in as we talk about all the griefy things... but mostly about dead babies.

The holidays passed. And they sucked balls. And it's technically spring, but what the hell is TIME anymore?  

I figured this random ass windy day would be the perfect day to segue into Season 3.

This season is gonna be a lil different than what the first two seasons were. 

How will it be different?, you may wonder. 

It just fuckin' will. Alright.

Jeez, just trust me on that. 

Comin' back after a break (having paused recordings for my grief dates which was supposed to be 2 months but ended up being SIX). I guess I realized that if I wait for my grief dates to clear up before resuming recording, I'll probably never record again. 

And we can't have that.

I can't anyways. This is as much for me as it is the next person who is grieving. 

So I'm giving it a go... a slow one, but a GO nonetheless. 

Stick around if you want. Me and my grief aren't going anywhere.

(& even if we have to for a while, trust that we'll be back. Me & Grief are a forever thing.)

I had the special honor of interviewing the Founders of Make Good Together, Michelle & Eric

Times are weird. This is uncharted territory. But we need to do better. And we need to take action NOW.

Leadership is lacking in our nation's response to the pandemic. Michelle and Eric were done waiting around. They started a movement to annihilate COVID-19. They are building a tribe. They are empowering people to be the leaders the world needs. Because no one, no one should have to endure the needless suffering COVID-19 inflicts. We have a choice. We can do better.

MakeGoodTogether.com is asking people to make the promise to be leaders within their social circles to annihilate COVID-19. The scenarios that test our ability to make the right calls are infinite. When a friend asks to go to a bar. When a coworker wants to have an in-person meeting without masks. When an aunt you haven’t seen from a different state insists that you visit. These are awkward situations that put us at the intersection of safety and emotion; and we often cave-in to keeping the social harmony. Make Good Together empowers everyday people to take leadership roles within their social circle to do what’s right, and to influence others. We need to lead by example. We need to make courage contagious. Everyone has a greater reach and more influence than they think.

This is your defining moment. We are running out of time. We ask you. In desperation. Make the promise. Share your story. Join us in annihilating COVID-19. We need you. Humanity needs you. You have the power to save lives and change history.

Visit MakeGoodTogether.com and add your name to the promise list. Make a commitment to be a leader within your social circle to annihilate COVID-19. And share your story at MakeGoodTogether.com/your-story

"I did & I encourage you to do the same. We are making a difference, whether we know it or not." -Chantal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlKyIPXRMtc&t=23s

makegoodtogether.com

www.facebook.com/groups/annihilatecovid19/

www.youtube.com/channel/UC019JYvt35m_tFDvbd6ZCOg

@makegoodtogether on Insta

Emily Yinger is my person. She has been my best friend for... shit... has it been 12 years already? Dayummm. 

I met Emily in 2008, the year my best friend Lindsey died. When Emily met me, I was in the throws of grief. I never imagined I would have another best friend because it felt like Lindsey was irreplaceable. Turns out, Lindsey IS irreplaceable. But that didn't stop me from opening up my heart to allow myself to have another best friend.

Emily & I have been through a LOT together. Like so much, I could write a book about just that.

But I digress...

Last night, We flip-flopped between having a phone call or recording a podcast, but either way, I knew my Bestie needed to talk about her grief. So we recorded our convo anyway, and I decided, I'm just going to publish it as is, No Editing, because we like to keep shit real...as real as can be.

Emily's younger brother, Joseph, died by suicide when he was 26. Today, August 23rd, the day I publish this episode, would have been his 30th birthday.

Drop some eaves on our best friend talk, complete with sarcasm, profanity, tenderness, substances, stupidly funny jokes, annoying cackling (from myself), and an abrupt ending because Anchor cut us off. 

Our talk is a long one (so you can listen to it in spurts if you choose) about grieving in partnership, and during a pandemic, as well as our current perspectives on suicide, and the unfair pressures that are placed upon the bereaved. But we also throw in a little Portlandia reference.

Earlier in the day, our phone call birthed a now-ongoing sarcastic joke about how much we love our lives, how blessed we feel to be where we're at, and happy we are...because the truth is, we feel the furthest from that and it frustrates the shit out of us to hear others say that, only because we're super envious.

Anyways, I won't give away everything...

Listen in, but beware, there's some extra noises, like dog panting and possibly even a fart.

We're pretty damn ridiculous, and at some point, I think we both forget we're recording a podcast.

Oh well.

YOU'RE WELCOME, WORLD.

Join us as we "cacao" our way through grief (that's a Portlandia joke)

Y'all, I had the incredible honor of speaking with Katrina Weller, Host of Grow with Grief Podcast. 

Stemming from the loss of her own Mother when she was 15 years old, Katrina is a passionate advocate for opening the conversation around grief and loss. Combining her personal experiences and certificates in Mental Health and Child Bereavement support, she is a compassionate leader and public speaker.

Katrina believes in the power of storytelling to build community, understanding and hope. It is through her own podcast, 'Grow with Grief' that she works towards “𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞” and gives a voice to grief and loss all over the world, in all of its forms.

Make time to listen to Katrina's story, and stick around after to hear what two motherless daughters/podcast hosts/grief heralds have in common.

Follow @katrinalpweller and @growwithgrief

Contact [email protected]