Grieving Voices

Bill Gross, the founder of the non-profit Farm Rescue, has been traveling the world with his career as a UPS pilot for the past 30 years. However, his heart never left or forgot the farm he called home in ND.

He knew he wanted to give back to ND farmers once he retired; however, a chance conversation prompted him to ask himself: "Why wait?"

We don't know what our future has in store for us. Why put off for tomorrow what you can do today? Thoughts like these prompted Bill to not wait for Farm Rescue's creation.

Established in 2005, Farm Rescue is now in eight states in the midwest and will serve their 1,000th family this year. Whether a farm family experiences a medical crisis, natural disaster, mental health challenge, or death of a loved one, Farm Rescue can help.

Giving back fills Bill's heart with so much joy. Through Farm Rescue, Bill can also live out the family values passed down to him.

Learn about Farm Rescue, the hope the organization plants in the hearts of many, and more about the man behind it all in this episode.

RESOURCES:

• Apply for Assistance
• Donate
• Charity Navigator | Donate with Confidence

CONTACT:

• Website
• [email protected]
•  701-252-2017

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

Are you enjoying the podcast? Check out my bi-weekly newsletter, The Unleashed Letters.

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Send Victoria a text message!

Support the show

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

This episode is sponsored by Do Grief Differently™️, my twelve-week, one-on-one, in-person/online program for grievers who have suffered any type of loss to feel better. Click here to learn new tools, grief education, and the only evidence-based method for moving beyond the pain of grief.

Would you like to join the mission of Grieving Voices in normalizing grief and supporting hurting hearts everywhere? Become a supporter of th...

It happens often; we hear people say they want or need closure. We also hear it on crime shows and true crime documentaries, too. However, what feels more accurate, and what would be a more helpful expression of what those left behind genuinely desire?

Listen to this quick Q&A on closure and discover why it's unhelpful and what would be a more accurate goal to aim for when grieving.

Sudden or traumatic loss (or events) often leave people wanting closure. And that desire that may never be achieved, keeping someone grieving stuck in emotional jail.  However, it doesn't have to be that way.

RESOURCES:

• Do Grief Differently™️

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

Are you enjoying the podcast? Check out my bi-weekly newsletter, The Unleashed Letters.

Send Victoria a text message!

Support the show

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

This episode is sponsored by Do Grief Differently™️, my twelve-week, one-on-one, in-person/online program for grievers who have suffered any type of loss to feel better. Click here to learn new tools, grief education, and the only evidence-based method for moving beyond the pain of grief.

Would you like to join the mission of Grieving Voices in normalizing grief and supporting hurting hearts everywhere? Become a supporter of th...

Susana is no stranger to grief. As a young child, she was a victim of sexual abuse. As a young adult, she lost her mother, later becoming her father's caretaker, only to eventually lose him. The death of her nephew to suicide was when she realized that she could do something - that she needed to do something.

Susana would put her strengths, skills, training as a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, education in Clinical Psychology, and, more importantly, the pain of her past into purpose by serving the most vulnerable - children.

Three out of four children, ages 6-17, have experienced the loss of a loved one, a loved one becoming terminally ill, or anger due to changes within the family dynamics. Susana wanted to create and provide tools for children, parents, and school districts, to help them understand themselves and their grief experience better.

These tools would be developed and communicated through her book and curriculum, The Hearts Matter Project. Susana later formed her non-profit, Shielding Hearts, to help spread her work and grow her services in her community and beyond.  

RESOURCES:

• Book & Curriculum | The Hearts Matter Project
• ShieldingHearts. org

CONNECT:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Website | SusanaMorell.com

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

Are you enjoying the podcast? Check out my bi-weekly newsletter, The Unleashed Letters.

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Send Victoria a text message!

Support the show

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

This episode is sponsored by Do Grief Differently™️, my twelve-week, one-on-one, in-person/online program for grievers who have suffered any type of loss to feel better. Click here to learn new tools, grief education, and the only evidence-based method for moving beyond the pain of grief.

Would you like to join the mission of Grieving Voices in normalizing grief and supporting hurting hearts everywhere? Become a supporter of th...

The question on today's podcast is one I have heard a lot and one I've also asked myself if I'm being honest.

It's normal and natural to ask ourselves questions like this, and it doesn't mean that you mean any ill will towards others. It also doesn't mean other people are "bad"; bad things should happen to them instead.

I see this question as an expression of trying to make sense of tragedy or challenges. When looking at outside circumstances, when you see other people living their lives in such a way that puts them in danger or exhibits risky behavior, and nothing ever seems to happen to them, it's normal to feel angry and even self-pity.

As you will hear in this week's episode, I don't have all the answers. However, I know and understand grief and the impact it has on our psyche and lives. This is just one of those questions that are difficult to answer.

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

Are you enjoying the podcast? Check out my bi-weekly newsletter, The Unleashed Letters.

Send Victoria a text message!

Support the show

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

This episode is sponsored by Do Grief Differently™️, my twelve-week, one-on-one, in-person/online program for grievers who have suffered any type of loss to feel better. Click here to learn new tools, grief education, and the only evidence-based method for moving beyond the pain of grief.

Would you like to join the mission of Grieving Voices in normalizing grief and supporting hurting hearts everywhere? Become a supporter of th...

Jill's father walked out of their home when she was sixteen months old and didn't return. He died in a plane crash, and her life was forever changed.

Fortunately, her mental health was of the utmost importance, having received counseling and therapy throughout her childhood and adulthood. During that time, the groundwork was being laid to prepare her, or as Jill would say, God was preparing her hands for His work. And that she did.

After finding her way from making jewelry for people celebrating special occasions to creating keepsakes in memory of loved ones, she inadvertently used her story, skills, and strengths in unexpected ways - supporting people through their grief in the co-creation of jewelry.

God told her it was time to turn her pain into purpose, and her non-profit, Together We Heal Community, was born in 2018.

One never knows where an idea will take us. Through Jill's story, explore how she turned an idea and, more importantly, her pain into purpose.

RESOURCES:

• Together We Heal Community
• Workshops & Events

CONNECT:

• Together We Heal Community | Facebook
• Together We Heal Community | Instagram
• Jill Batiansila | LinkedIn

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

Are you enjoying the podcast? Check out my bi-weekly newsletter, The Unleashed Letters.

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Send Victoria a text message!

Support the show

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

This episode is sponsored by Do Grief Differently™️, my twelve-week, one-on-one, in-person/online program for grievers who have suffered any type of loss to feel better. Click here to learn new tools, grief education, and the only evidence-based method for moving beyond the pain of grief.

Would you like to join the mission of Grieving Voices in normalizing grief and supporting hurting hearts everywhere? Become a supporter of th...

In this first Q&A episode, Ruth asks why she's struggling more with her spouse's death than the death of her parents.

In my response, I share a perspective you may find helpful when considering your losses.

Whether you've been married for five, fifteen, or forty years, or your parents died when you were young or in your fifties, death may finalize the physical relationship; however, the emotional relationship carries on.

I'd love to answer your question on the podcast. Submit your Q to my email at [email protected] with "Q for Grieving Voices" in the subject line. I will only use your first name -- or no name if you prefer!

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

Are you enjoying the podcast? Check out my bi-weekly newsletter, The Unleashed Letters.

Send Victoria a text message!

Support the show

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

This episode is sponsored by Do Grief Differently™️, my twelve-week, one-on-one, in-person/online program for grievers who have suffered any type of loss to feel better. Click here to learn new tools, grief education, and the only evidence-based method for moving beyond the pain of grief.

Would you like to join the mission of Grieving Voices in normalizing grief and supporting hurting hearts everywhere? Become a supporter of th...

What is to come in 2023 for Grieving Voices? Tune in to this episode to find out all of the details.

Before you listen, I want to share that this episode came to be after months and months of stewing and contemplation, trying to logically come to a resolution of what to do about Grieving Voices. Should I stop podcasting? Take a sabbatical? I wasn't sure, and the answer certainly was not coming to me quickly, at least one that felt entirely right. And I realize that's because I was solely relying more on logic and less on my heart.

So, with focused attention and intention, I went on a silent retreat for 15 minutes (i.e., meditating without any background sound). I set an intention going into it, and the answers to the questions came to me quickly and effortlessly. If you've never tried this, I highly recommend it. I've meditated many times; however, setting an intention first adds an intangible, powerful energy to the process.

Moving forward, I will be working on a project to bring how grievers turned their pain into purpose in a way that serves humanity and society as a whole. They have created a non-profit, not-for-profit, foundation, organization, or form of technology. These episodes will be "Pain to Purpose" episodes. The intention is to share these resources I find with you while bringing hope in what's possible when we embrace the pain and mold it into something new. Doing so can be so healing, not only for yourself but also for others on a bigger scale. These are stories of creating positive ripples despite the grief.

GUEST REQUEST: If you have turned your pain into purpose by creating a non-profit, not-for-profit organization, foundation, or technology and are willing to share your personal story of the journey to doing so, please apply to be a guest!  

Another aspect of the podcast moving forward will be to follow up with previous guests from the past two and a half years in "Where Are They Now" episodes.

And finally, shorts on answering listeners' questions in "My A to Your Q" episodes. I'm not committing to an episode every Tuesday, but if there is a new episode, it will still go live on Tuesdays.

 Also, listen to this week's episode, where I share some behind-the-scenes life stuff with a few lessons thrown in for good measure. I ask a question, too, that is perfect for a New Year episode!

I hope you stick with me if you've been around a while or are a new listener. I'm excited to shake things up for the podcast in 2023! Let's create some 2023 magic! ✨

RESOURCES:

• Grieving Voices Episode on STERBs
• Passion Planner (receive $5 off with this link!

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

Are you enjoying the podcast? Check out my bi-weekly newsletter, The Unlea

Send Victoria a text message!

Support the show

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

This episode is sponsored by Do Grief Differently™️, my twelve-week, one-on-one, in-person/online program for grievers who have suffered any type of loss to feel better. Click here to learn new tools, grief education, and the only evidence-based method for moving beyond the pain of grief.

Would you like to join the mission of Grieving Voices in normalizing grief and supporting hurting hearts everywhere? Become a supporter of th...

What does family mean to you?

Who makes up your family? Not only those you claim by blood but those you choose, who show up when life throws curveballs?

There are reasons to grieve family; the family you wish you had and even the family you may wish you didn't have, too. We can't choose our family, but we have a say in their role in our lives. And, when a family is made up of less-than-loving relationships, we can even choose to fill the needs of our hearts by choosing to have people in our lives who feel like family.

Relationships are complicated enough, however, add in family dynamics, and emotions can often run high. What do you do when that happens? In this episode, I explore these questions and more!

RESOURCES:

• Grief Programs
•  Energy Healing (Biofield Tuning)
• YouMap

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

Are you enjoying the podcast? Check out my bi-weekly newsletter, The Unleashed Letters.

Send Victoria a text message!

Support the show

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

This episode is sponsored by Do Grief Differently™️, my twelve-week, one-on-one, in-person/online program for grievers who have suffered any type of loss to feel better. Click here to learn new tools, grief education, and the only evidence-based method for moving beyond the pain of grief.

Would you like to join the mission of Grieving Voices in normalizing grief and supporting hurting hearts everywhere? Become a supporter of th...

When you fill out your calendar, do you intentionally set time aside to reflect and for introspection? Probably not. Most of us don't do so. However, as Kevin shares in this episode, doing so for his grief has made all of the difference in his life.

Kevin speaks to the cumulative losses of his career, his father, his mother, and subsequent divorce. He also shares the impact of having a small nuclear family and missing out on a larger, extended family community growing up.

We often don't think about how our nuclear family of origin impacts our grief. However, it has everything to do with how we respond to it. Kevin grew up, as many of us do, unable to express his grief. As a result, it manifested in different ways. That is until he discovered the work of Grief Recovery. Kevin shares his experience working with me, addressing his grief through my program Do Grief Differently.

Learn through our conversation how, as a male and someone who has experienced various losses, it is possible to recover from all of the emotions that make up grief; anger, sadness, bitterness, and everything in between.

RESOURCES:

• Entrepreneurship Lives Here Podcast Interview with Victoria Volk
• Bryn Edwards with Victoria Volk Podcast Interview
• Book, Hold On To Your Kids
• The Social Dilemma
• The Emotional Wheel
• Empathy | The Cost of Dying Report
• Do Grief Differently™️ with Victoria Volk

CONNECT:

• YouTube
• LinkedIn 
• Instagram

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

Are you enjoying the podcast? Check out my bi-weekly newsletter, The Unleashed Letters.

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Send Victoria a text message!

Support the show

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

This episode is sponsored by Do Grief Differently™️, my twelve-week, one-on-one, in-person/online program for grievers who have suffered any type of loss to feel better. Click here to learn new tools, grief education, and the only evidence-based method for moving beyond the pain of grief.

Would you like to join the mission of Grieving Voices in normalizing grief and supporting hurting hearts everywhere? Become a supporter of th...

Grief is cumulative, and it's cumulatively negative. Every loss we experience stacks on top of those before it. For Genesis Amaris Kemp, attending funerals started becoming a regular occurrence. Add the loss of loved ones before the Covid pandemic (and during) to the loss of a job during the same timeframe, and it can be challenging to find solid footing. Additionally, learning, for the first time, how to advocate for a parent in the healthcare system posed its challenges during this same period.

Genesis's father walked into a hospital with elevated blood sugar. Three days later, he was paralyzed from the waist down, which was later identified to have occurred from a stroke. Additionally, he endured several other complications during his hospital stay that later caused a quick decline in health and, soon after, his death. 

Trying to be a caregiver during Covid proved to show the disparity and gaps in the healthcare system. In addition to the losses she endured during the pandemic, she also was laid off from her corporate job in oil and gas. Genesis shares her experience of being a young black woman in a predominantly older white demographic of employment, describing that experience and sharing how one conversation with the company VP, and the experience as a whole, was empowering, heartbreaking, and eye-opening all at the same time.

The Covid Pandemic showed us where we have a lot of work and repair to do within the healthcare system and how we live and work as a society. Genesis shares the lessons she learned during this timeframe and how she's become impassioned in serving others with what she's learned.

RESOURCES:

• GEMS Podcast
• GEMS Podcast Episode with Victoria 
• Book

CONNECT:

• Website
• Instagram

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

Are you enjoying the podcast? Check out my bi-weekly newsletter, The Unleashed Letters.

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Send Victoria a text message!

Support the show

_______

NEED HELP?

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor

If you are struggling with grief due to any of the 40+ losses, free resources are available HERE.

CONNECT WITH VICTORIA: 

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

This episode is sponsored by Do Grief Differently™️, my twelve-week, one-on-one, in-person/online program for grievers who have suffered any type of loss to feel better. Click here to learn new tools, grief education, and the only evidence-based method for moving beyond the pain of grief.

Would you like to join the mission of Grieving Voices in normalizing grief and supporting hurting hearts everywhere? Become a supporter of th...