Grief and trauma often leave us feeling stuck, replaying painful experiences without knowing how to move forward. In this episode of Inntrospection: From Grief to Growth, host Amy Lindner-Lesser sits down with Dorlee Michaeli, a licensed clinical social worker and EMDR specialist, to explore how Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can help us process loss, release long-held pain, and begin to heal.

Together, Amy and Dorlee discuss why grief is a natural extension of love, the ways trauma can keep us trapped in old patterns, and how EMDR provides tools to gently rewire the brain’s response. Dorlee also shares stories from her work helping high-achieving adults overcome hidden anxiety and self-doubt, and explains how EMDR can be transformative not only for trauma survivors but also for anyone navigating grief, life transitions, or overwhelming change.

If you’ve ever felt “stuck” in your healing journey, this episode offers hope and practical insights for finding your way forward.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why grief and love are inseparable, and how acknowledging both is key to healing.

• The history of EMDR and how it was developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro.

• How EMDR helps the brain process traumatic memories in a healthier way.

• Practical examples of how EMDR supports those experiencing grief, loss, and major life transitions.

• The unique challenges women often face in caregiving roles, and why self-care is not selfish but essential.

• The link between unresolved childhood trauma and struggles with PTSD in adulthood.

• How EMDR differs from traditional talk therapy and why it often accelerates healing.

  
  

Guest Bio:
Dorlee Michaelli, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and EMDR specialist who helps quiet, driven adults overcome hidden anxiety, self-doubt, and the effects of trauma. With a background in the corporate world and extensive clinical experience, she empowers professionals and individuals alike to process painful experiences, break free from limiting patterns, and step into confidence and joy.

Ever wonder why a change in the weather or a specific smell can bring up old feelings of sadness or loss? You're not alone. In this episode of Inntrospection, host Amy Lindner-Lesser explains why seasons and anniversaries can stir up grief. She offers a "gentle science" perspective on how our brains love patterns and how a shift in those patterns can affect us. Amy also provides a simple framework to help you navigate these moments with kindness and grace. Learn to normalize the mix of emotions and see these feelings not as a setback, but as a signal from your heart.

In this deeply personal and illuminating episode of Introspection, host Amy Lindner-Lesser welcomes functional nutrition counselor and wellness coach Cindy Florkey to explore the profound connection between grief, food, and healing. Together, they unpack how loss—whether of a loved one, a relationship, or a sense of identity—can manifest physically, emotionally, and nutritionally.

Cindy shares her own journey through layered grief, chronic fatigue, and food sensitivities, revealing how suppressed emotions can shape our health. From the comfort of nostalgic meals to the science of gut-brain healing, this episode offers compassionate guidance for anyone navigating life’s transitions. Whether you’re grieving, supporting someone who is, or simply curious about the role food plays in emotional recovery, this conversation is a nourishing listen.

🧠 Topics Covered

• The physical toll of unprocessed grief

• How food choices reflect emotional states

• The science behind gut-brain connection and healing

• Comfort foods, memory, and emotional nourishment

• Navigating dietary restrictions while honoring family traditions

• Hydration, smoothies, and simple healing meals

• Cooking as community: Zoom clubs, potlucks, and connection

• Grief lives in the body—nutrition and hydration are essential to healing

• Emotional eating isn’t always unhealthy—it can be a form of remembrance

• Small, sustainable changes are more powerful than drastic overhauls

• Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated to be meaningful

• Sharing meals can be a gateway to shared healing

🍽️ Key Takeaways

• Grief lives in the body—nutrition and hydration are essential to healing

• Emotional eating isn’t always unhealthy—it can be a form of remembrance

• Small, sustainable changes are more powerful than drastic overhauls

• Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated to be meaningful

• Sharing meals can be a gateway to shared healing

🔗 Resources

• Cindy’s email: [email protected]

• Learn more about Amy’s work: inntrospection.com

• Book mentioned: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

In this heartfelt episode of Inntrospection, host Amy Lindner -Lesser shares her personal journey through grief following the loss of her husband, and how that experience reshaped her identity and life’s purpose. Originally a podcast about hospitality, Inntrospection now explores the messy, miraculous road from loss to growth.

Amy introduces the concept of a “life quake”—a seismic shift that shakes up our identity—and offers a gentle, three-step roadmap to healing:

• Recognize what’s changed and what remains

• Reclaim the strengths grief hasn’t taken

• Redesign your life with tiny horizon goals

Using metaphors like snow globes, kintsugi bowls, and kaleidoscopes, Amy illustrates how grief leaves visible cracks—but those cracks can be filled with gold, becoming part of a stronger, more resilient self.

Listeners are invited to reflect through journal prompts, guided visualization, and affirmations. Amy also busts common grief myths, like “time heals all wounds” and “you just need closure,” replacing them with empowering truths about healing and self-discovery.🔑 Key Themes

• Identity transformation after loss

• The power of ritual and reflection

• Reframing grief as a source of strength

• Embracing vulnerability and community

• Try the journal prompts: I miss, I value, I’m curious about

• Practice the three Rs: Recognize, Reclaim, Redesign

• Explore Amy’s inspiration cards and coaching resources

🛠️ Actionable Takeaways

• Try the journal prompts: I miss, I value, I’m curious about

• Practice the three Rs: Recognize, Reclaim, Redesign

• Explore Amy’s inspiration cards and coaching resources

In this heart-centered and practical conversation, Amy Lindner-Lesser talks with Marnie Blank—end-of-life doula, mediator, and founder of Begin With The End—about how we can begin planning for death long before it feels urgent. They discuss why end-of-life conversations are empowering (not morbid), how legacy planning can reduce family conflict, and the often-overlooked needs of solo agers and small business owners.

Whether you’re navigating grief, caregiving, or just curious about getting your affairs in order, this episode offers gentle guidance, warm humor, and actionable steps for planning your life—and your legacy—with intention.

🔑 Topics Covered:

• Emotional and practical aspects of end-of-life planning

• Legacy work and the power of storytelling

• Shifting death and grief out of the shadows

• Pet loss, anticipatory grief, and personalized rituals

• Aging solo and caregiving plans

• Digital file organization and after-loss support

• The emotional toll of being an executor

• Business continuity planning for solopreneurs

In today’s episode, Amy dives deep into the beauty and wisdom of living in the “gray.” So often we’re taught to think in black and white—right or wrong, happy or sad, healed or broken. But the truth is, life happens in the messy, layered, and very human middle.

Join Amy as she explores:

• Why our culture pushes us toward black-and-white thinking
• How embracing the “gray” allows for deeper healing and authenticity
• Real-life examples of living with nuance in grief, relationships, and transitions
• What to do when people fail you—and how to hold your truth with compassion
• The importance of asking for help (and letting support in)
• Whether you're grieving, growing, or just feeling stretched in a dozen directions, this episode is a
• gentle reminder that you are allowed to be a beautiful mix of contradictions.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Schedule an “Imagining Your Next Chapter” call with Amy – your first step toward clarity and support

• Join the conversation in our Navigating Through Life Transitions Facebook group

In this heartfelt and courageous solo episode, Amy Lindner-Lesser invites listeners into a conversation most of us avoid: death.

She explores why we use euphemisms instead of plain words, how Western culture has hidden death behind closed doors, and what we can do to bring truth, connection, and even sacredness back into how we experience end-of-life. With both personal storytelling and practical advice, Amy makes space for honesty, healing, and deeper human connection.

Whether you're grieving, planning ahead, or simply curious, this episode is an invitation to lean into life's most universal—but least discussed—transition.

Five Practical Takeaways

1. Speak plainly but gently. Use real words like “died” and the person’s name.

2. Be a safe space. Let silence speak. Don’t fix—just listen.

3. Reflect on your own beliefs. What matters to you about death and dying?

4. Plan ahead. Make your end-of-life wishes known—it's an act of love.

5. Join the conversation. Death cafés, grief groups like Navigating Through Life Transitions, or a book a free chat with Amy—don’t stay silent.

As Independence Day approaches, we often focus on outward expressions of freedom — fireworks, flags, and celebrations. But in this powerful episode, Amy invites you to explore a deeper, more personal kind of freedom: the freedom to redefine yourself after grief and loss.

Drawing from her own experiences of widowhood, running and selling an inn, and the heartbreaking death of her best friend, Amy shares what it means to find your identity again after a lifequake. With compassion and clarity, she guides you through the quiet courage it takes to say goodbye to who you were — and to welcome who you're becoming.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• The identity crisis that often follows profound loss

• Why “moving on” is a myth — and how to move with your grief instead

• What personal freedom can look like after a lifequake

• Practical tools to begin reclaiming your sense of self

• Reflection questions to help you meet the next version of you

Whether you're in the early days of grief or years into your healing journey, this episode is a gentle invitation to claim the most important kind of independence: the freedom to be fully, tenderly, courageously you.

 Ready to begin your next chapter?
Schedule your free Imagining Your Next Chapter call with Amy: https://calendly.com/inntrospection/imagining-your-next-chapter

In this powerful episode of INNtrospection: Grief to Growth, Amy Lindner-Lesser sits down with Janine DeTillio Cammarata—journaler, author, dream guide, and energy healer—to explore how journaling can be a transformative tool for healing, grief processing, and soul connection.

Janine shares her deeply personal story of losing her 12-year-old son, Nick, and how journaling became her anchor through the darkness. With over 40 years of journaling experience, she offers insight into the emotional and spiritual benefits of writing, from capturing memories and processing raw emotions to reconnecting with loved ones through dreams and automatic writing.

Whether you're new to journaling or a lifelong writer, this episode is filled with tender, practical guidance on using the written word to heal, reflect, and grow.

In This Episode:

- How journaling supported Janine through the loss of her son

- The difference between expressive writing, memory-keeping, and automatic writing

- Tips for those who "don’t know what to say" or don’t consider themselves writers

- Why grief needs expression—and what happens when we suppress it

- How to begin a healing journaling practice (even with just two words a day)

In this heartfelt solo episode of INNtrospection: Grief to Growth, Amy Lindner-Lesser speaks both as a grief coach and a pet parent in the thick of heartbreak. With her beloved dog Hershey by her side, Amy opens up about the raw and quiet sorrow of watching a pet decline — and the anticipatory grief that comes with it. She explores how pet illness can stir past trauma, the emotional weight of caregiving, and the pain that often goes unrecognized by others. Whether you're navigating a pet’s illness now, grieving a recent loss, or supporting someone who is, this episode offers comfort, validation, and practical ways to honor the love and the loss.

Topics Covered:

- The emotional toll of caring for a sick pet

- What anticipatory grief feels like

- The trauma of revisiting painful past experiences

- How to support others through pet loss

- Rituals and ways to honor a beloved pet

You might also be interested in this past episode: Animal Communications/Peace in Passing with Maribeth Decker