New Ways New You ( Tendrils of Grief- Life After Grief)

What if your home could become more than a place to live? What if it could help you heal, feel supported, and make room for what comes next?

In this episode of New Ways New You — Beyond Grief, Susan Ways speaks with Paula Agudelo, interior designer, house therapist, and founder of Sacred Interiors, about the connection between our homes, our emotions, and the process of healing.

Drawing from her own experiences with loss, Paula shares how rearranging her room as a child helped her find comfort after her father's death—and how that experience eventually shaped her work helping women create spaces that support their lives.

Together, Susan and Paula explore how to honour the memories held in a home while opening yourself to new possibilities, even when moving forward feels difficult.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How your home can support you through grief and life transitions

• Paula's H.O.M.E. Method: Healing, Opening to Possibilities, Making It Beautiful, and Energising Your Space

• Why decluttering can feel emotionally challenging after a loss

• How flowers, plants, and meaningful rituals can bring moments of hope into everyday life

• Simple ways to create a calming bedroom and welcoming entryway

• How intention, colour, lighting, and personal objects can make a space feel more supportive

• Why grief and excitement for the future can exist at the same time

• Small steps you can take to make your home feel more like a sanctuary

You don't need to redesign your entire home to begin. Sometimes, it's as simple as making your bed, bringing home a few flowers, or creating one small corner where you can sit, reflect, and let yourself feel what you need to feel.

Your home doesn't have to be perfect. It can simply be a place that supports who you're becoming.

CONNECT WITH PAULA AGUDELO

Sacred Interiors Explore Paula's approach to intentional design and creating meaningful spaces.

Website: https://www.sacredinteriors.design/

Interior Design Services: https://www.sacredinteriors.design/interior-design

House of Her: Learn about Paula's programme for aspiring sacred interior designers.

https://www.sacredinteriors.design/startyourinteriordesignbusiness

CONNECT WITH SUSAN WAYS

New Ways Barre Explore Susan's boutique barre studio in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Website: https://newwaysbarre.com/

Book a Barre Class: https://classpass.com/studios/new-ways-barre-gaithersburg

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

New Ways Barre on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newwaysbarre/

ABOUT THE PODCAST

New Ways New You — Beyond Grief with Susan Ways explores grief, healing, relationships, movement, and the small choices that help us find our way forward.

Because beginning again doesn't mean forgetting what came before. It means discovering how to carry your experiences with you while making room for what comes next.

If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and review the podcast. Your support helps these conversations reach others who may need them.

Take care of yourself, and remember: you can start creating a little more space for healing right where you are.

What if losing someone physically doesn't mean losing your connection with them?

In this episode of New Ways New You — Beyond Grief, Susan Ways sits down with Sheri Perl, spiritual healer, ordained interfaith minister, author, and EVP researcher, for a deeply personal conversation about grief, healing, consciousness, and connecting with loved ones who have passed.

Sheri shares her extraordinary journey—from being diagnosed with severe Crohn's disease and Hepatitis C as a young woman, to discovering spiritual healing, studying with Jane Roberts and the Seth Material, and eventually exploring Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) after the loss of her son, Danny.

Susan and Sheri talk about:

• Sheri's experience with distance healing and her recovery
• The loss of her son Danny and how it changed her work
• What Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) is
• How Sheri records and listens for possible communications
• Her experiences hearing what she believes are messages from loved ones
• Grief, love, and maintaining a connection after death
• How beginners can explore EVP for themselves
• Sheri's work supporting bereaved parents

Sheri also shares resources for anyone interested in learning more about EVP and her work.

Learn More About Sheri Perl

Visit Sheri Perl's Website

Explore Sheri's EVP Slide Show

Learn About The Prayer Registry

Sheri's website also features her books, EVP recordings, healing resources, and bereavement work. Sheri Perl

Connect With Susan Ways & New Ways Barre

If you're ready to take your own next step toward movement, healing, and a New You, connect with Susan:

New Ways Barre

Book a New Ways Barre Class

Follow New Ways Barre on Instagram

Follow Susan Ways on Instagram

A Note From Susan

If this conversation resonated with you, subscribe, rate, and review New Ways New You. Your support helps these conversations reach more people who may need them.

And remember: you don't have to figure out everything at once.

Sometimes, you just need to take the next step.

Welcome to New Ways, New You—a new chapter in my journey.

I'm Susan Ways, host of Tendrils of Grief and owner of New Ways Barre, and I wanted to bring these two important parts of my life together.

After years of conversations about grief, loss, healing, relationships, and finding our way forward, I've realized something: moving forward isn't always about making one giant change. Sometimes, it happens one inch at a time.

That idea is at the heart of this new chapter.

In this episode, I talk about the power of small, intentional movements—not just in our bodies, but in our lives. Whether you're grieving, rebuilding your career, healing a relationship, working on your health, or simply trying to become a healthier version of yourself, you don't have to figure out the entire journey today.

You just need to find your next one-inch movement.

Just like in barre, where tiny pulses, holds, and adjustments repeated consistently can create meaningful physical change, the small choices we make every day can create profound emotional and personal transformation.

I also share some of my own experience with grief and how beginning a simple gratitude practice helped shift the way I saw the world. Healing didn't happen overnight. It happened through small decisions, repeated again and again.

So this is an invitation to stop staring at the entire mountain.

What's the one step you can take today?

Maybe it's getting out of bed. Maybe it's taking a walk. Maybe it's having a difficult conversation. Maybe it's walking into a fitness class for the first time. Maybe it's simply taking your next breath.

Whatever you're facing, your experience is real—and you don't have to compare it to anyone else's.

This is New Ways, New You.

A space for movement, healing, growth, and becoming the person you haven't met yet.

And we're going to do it one inch at a time.

🔗 Connect With Susan & New Ways Barre

New Ways Barre Proudly serving the Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland and surrounding Montgomery County. New Ways Barre is a boutique studio focused on low-impact, high-result movement and creating a supportive community for physical and emotional well-being.

• 🌐 New Ways Barre Website
• 📅 Book a Barre Class
• 📸 New Ways Barre on Instagram
• 📘 New Ways Barre on Facebook

🎙️ Connect With Susan Ways

• 📸 Susan Ways on Instagram
• 📘 Susan Ways on Facebook
• ✉️ Email: [email protected]

🌿 About New Ways, New You

New Ways, New You is the next chapter of Susan's work—exploring what happens when life asks us to begin again. The show brings together movement, healing, grief, relationships, health, personal growth, and the small choices that help us move forward.

You don't have to change your whole life today. Sometimes, you just need to take the next small step.

Healing isn't about forgetting.

It's about helping your nervous system understand that what happened is in the past, while allowing your heart to remain open to love, connection, and hope.

Sometimes the greatest freedom comes when we gently release what was never ours to carry.

In this episode of Tendrils of Grief, I welcome Dr. Laurel Parnell, psychologist, internationally recognized trauma expert, and developer of Attachment-Focused EMDR, Resource Tapping, and Multidimensional Integrative Healing, for a deeply insightful conversation about healing after loss.

For more than four decades, Dr. Parnell has helped people recover from trauma by integrating psychology, neuroscience, attachment theory, and spirituality. She has trained thousands of clinicians around the world and continues to advance the field of trauma healing through her clinical work, teaching, and writing.

Together, we explore one of the most important questions in grief:

What if some of the pain you're carrying was never yours to begin with?

Drawing from her newest book, Releasing What Isn't Yours, Dr. Parnell explains how grief, trauma, inherited beliefs, and emotional burdens can become stored in the nervous system, affecting the way we think, feel, and respond to life's challenges.

We also discuss how Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) helps the brain process painful experiences so they become memories of the past rather than experiences that continue to overwhelm the present. Rather than erasing grief, EMDR helps people remember with less emotional distress, allowing healing to unfold naturally.

Throughout our conversation, Dr. Parnell offers a compassionate perspective on trauma, resilience, spirituality, and the remarkable capacity each of us has to heal.

Whether you're grieving the loss of a loved one, working through childhood wounds, or simply longing to experience greater peace, this episode provides hope that healing is possible.

🔑 What We Talk About

• What EMDR is and how it works
• Why trauma becomes stored in the nervous system
• Attachment-focused healing
• Releasing inherited emotional burdens
• The connection between grief and trauma
• Spirituality and psychological healing
• Living from your authentic self
• Finding peace after profound loss

🔗 Resources

Dr. Laurel Parnell

• 📖 Releasing What Isn't Yours: Living From Your True Self Through Multidimensional Integrative Healing
• 🌐 Parnell Institute
• 📚 Learn more about Attachment-Focused EMDR and trauma healing

🌿 Continue Your Healing Journey

Healing doesn't happen only in our minds—it happens through movement, connection, and caring for our whole selves.

If you're looking for another way to reconnect with yourself, I invite you to explore New Ways Barre.

Proudly serving the Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland, and surrounding Montgomery County.

• 📅 Book a class: https://classpass.com/studios/new-ways-barre-gaithersburg
• 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sueways
• 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/New-Ways-Barre-61570706490968/

Join me on the path toward healing, hope, and moving forward—one breath, one step, and one day at a time.

Grief doesn't just change our hearts—it changes the way we see our future.

Learning to navigate money after loss isn't about replacing the life you had. It's about building the confidence to care for yourself, honor your loved one, and move forward with hope, one decision at a time.

In this episode of Tendrils of Grief, I sit down with Daniel Kopp, a fee-only financial planner, financial therapist, Air Force veteran, widower, and founder of Wise Stewardship Financial Planning, for a conversation that every grieving spouse needs to hear.

After losing his wife, Sarah, Daniel experienced firsthand how grief can impact every financial decision. Simple tasks suddenly became overwhelming, and the emotional weight of loss made it difficult to think clearly about money, planning, and the future. That experience ultimately led him to combine financial planning with financial therapy, helping widows and widowers navigate not only the practical side of finances but also the emotional side of financial decision-making.

Together, we explore why money is often one of the biggest sources of stress after the death of a spouse and why it's completely normal to feel anxious, overwhelmed, or afraid of making the "wrong" decision. Daniel explains how grief changes the way our brains process information, why it's important to slow down before making major financial choices, and how financial healing begins by addressing both our emotions and our financial reality.

We also discuss financial therapy, survivor's guilt around money, creating a new financial identity, and practical steps widows and widowers can take to regain confidence while honoring their loved one's legacy.

Whether you're newly widowed, supporting someone through loss, or simply looking to build a healthier relationship with money after a major life change, this conversation offers both practical guidance and compassionate encouragement.

🔑 What We Talk About

• Daniel's personal journey through widowhood
• How grief affects financial decision-making
• What financial therapy is—and why it matters
• Managing financial anxiety after losing a spouse
• Common financial mistakes people make while grieving
• Rebuilding confidence around money
• Creating a new financial identity after loss
• Practical guidance for widows and widowers
• Finding hope and stability one decision at a time

🔗 Resources

Daniel Kopp Fee-Only Financial Planner | Financial Therapist | Founder, Wise Stewardship Financial Planning

🌐 https://wisestewardshipfp.com/ 🎙️ Widow Life and Money Podcast: https://widowlifemoney.libsyn.com/ 💜 Financial Therapy Association: https://financialtherapyassociation.org/ 💜 Wings for Widows: https://www.wingsforwidows.org/ 💜 Savvy Ladies: https://www.savvyladies.org/

🌿 Continue Your Healing Journey

Grief changes every part of life—including the relationship we have with our bodies, our minds, and ourselves.

If you're looking for another way to reconnect through movement, mindfulness, and community, I invite you to explore New Ways Barre.

Proudly serving the Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland, and surrounding Montgomery County.

• 📅 Book a class: https://classpass.com/studios/new-ways-barre-gaithersburg
• 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sueways
• 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/New-Ways-Barre-61570706490968/

Join me on the path toward healing, hope, and moving forward—one breath, one step, and one day at a time.

Sometimes the shortest lives leave the deepest footprints.Noah's story reminds us that a life isn't measured by its length, but by the love it gives, the lives it touches, and the hope it leaves behind.Even though we grieve… we can still choose love. Even though life changes… we can still choose hope. Even though loss hurts… we can still move forward.

Today I'm with

with Matthew Efird—author, entrepreneur, podcast host, and co-founder of Even Though, We Will—to share the deeply personal story of his son Noah and the journey that forever changed his family's life.

When Matthew and his wife Hannah learned that their unborn son had Trisomy 13, they were faced with heartbreaking decisions and unimaginable uncertainty. Instead of allowing fear to define their journey, they chose to embrace every moment they were given with Noah, celebrating his life while preparing for the grief they knew would come. Their son lived just 57½ hours, but his life continues to leave an extraordinary impact.

Matthew shares what it was like to receive a terminal diagnosis during pregnancy, how his faith sustained him through profound loss, and why grief and hope can exist together. He speaks openly about the tension of weeping while worshiping, the beauty of loving fully despite knowing goodbye is coming, and the lessons Noah's life continues to teach their family.

Together, Matthew and Hannah founded Even Though, We Will, a nonprofit organization that provides practical care packages—called "Arks"—to families walking through a terminal prenatal diagnosis. Their mission is to ensure that no family has to navigate this heartbreaking journey alone.

This conversation is one of remarkable honesty, unwavering faith, and enduring love. Whether you've experienced the loss of a child, are supporting someone through unimaginable grief, or are searching for hope in your own difficult season, Matthew's story is a powerful reminder that even in our darkest moments, purpose can still emerge.

🔑 What We Talk About

• Receiving a Trisomy 13 diagnosis during pregnancy
• Navigating anticipatory grief as parents
• Cherishing every moment with a terminally ill child
• The role of faith during profound loss
• Weeping and worshiping through grief
• Finding purpose after child loss
• Supporting families facing terminal prenatal diagnoses
• Building hope through the ministry of Even Though, We Will

🔗 Resources

Matthew Efird 🌐 https://matthewefird.com 🌐 https://eventhoughwewill.com 📖 Even Though, We Will (available on Amazon)

🌿 Continue Your Healing Journey

Healing looks different for everyone, but none of us were meant to walk through grief alone.

If you're looking for another way to reconnect with yourself through movement, mindfulness, and community, I invite you to explore New Ways Barre.

Proudly serving the Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland, and surrounding Montgomery County.

• 📅 Book a class: https://classpass.com/studios/new-ways-barre-gaithersburg
• 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sueways
• 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/New-Ways-Barre-61570706490968/

Join me on the path toward healing, hope, and moving forward—one breath, one step, and one day at a time.

*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-69c9efce-aeb8-8324-a0d9-b00275256c28-0" data-turn-id-container= "request-69c9efce-aeb8-8324-a0d9-b00275256c28-0" data-testid= "conversation-turn-100" data-turn="assistant">

Our grief tells the story of our love. When we share our stories with people who truly listen, we keep that love alive—and remind one another that even after profound loss, hope is still possible.

In this episode of Tendrils of Grief, I sit down with author Neil Adams for a moving conversation about love, courage, loss, and the lasting impact of sharing our stories.

Neil shares the remarkable life of Michael Dorian—a veterinary technician, first responder during the September 11 attacks, and a man who chose to serve others despite living with HIV/AIDS. Knowing the risks to his own health, Michael entered Ground Zero to help firefighters and rescue workers, demonstrating extraordinary courage in one of America's darkest moments.

As Michael's partner and later his biographer, Neil reflects on the privilege of preserving Michael's story and the profound grief that followed his passing. Together, we explore how storytelling becomes an act of remembrance, why sharing our grief can be a gift rather than a burden, and how honoring someone's life keeps their legacy alive.

One of the most powerful moments in our conversation is the reminder that our stories are precious. They deserve to be shared with people who will receive them with compassion, respect, and care. In grief, telling our story isn't about reliving our pain—it's about allowing love to continue making an impact.

Whether you've experienced the loss of a partner, a family member, or someone whose life changed yours forever, this episode offers hope that love continues through the stories we choose to tell.

🔑 What We Talk About

• Michael Dorian's courageous service during 9/11
• Living with grief after the loss of a partner
• Why our stories deserve to be honored
• The healing power of sharing memories
• Love, legacy, and remembrance
• Finding meaning after traumatic loss
• Turning personal tragedy into hope for others

🔗 Resources

Neil Adams

• 📖 Biography of Michael Dorian (discussed in this episode)

New Ways Barre by Susan Ways

Healing isn't only emotional—it can also happen through movement, connection, and community.

If you're looking for a supportive place to reconnect with yourself, I invite you to explore New Ways Barre.

Proudly serving the Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland, and surrounding Montgomery County.

• 📅 Book a class: https://classpass.com/studios/new-ways-barre-gaithersburg
• 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sueways
• 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/New-Ways-Barre-61570706490968/

Join me on the path toward healing, hope, and moving forward—one step at a time.

The memories aren't in the walls. They're not in the furniture. They're not even in the house itself.They live in our hearts, our stories, and the lives we've built together. And while we may leave a place behind, we never leave the love behind.

I share a deeply personal chapter of my grief journey: putting the home my husband Paul and I built together on the market after 22 years. This house has been far more than a place to live—it has been the backdrop for our marriage, our family milestones, the raising of our children, and countless everyday moments that became a life.

As I prepare to say goodbye to this home, I reflect on the complicated emotions that come with letting go of a space that holds so many memories. Grief has a way of resurfacing in unexpected ways, and this experience has reminded me once again that there is no timeline for grief. Even years after a loss, certain transitions can bring emotions rushing back with surprising intensity.

In this episode, I share how I've been moving through this process, including a practice of walking through each room with gratitude—honoring what each space provided for my family, my marriage, and my own personal growth. I talk about the difference between the memories we carry and the physical places that hold them, and how we can honor both while still moving forward.

This conversation is for anyone facing a major transition after loss—whether it's selling a home, moving, downsizing, or letting go of something deeply connected to a loved one. It's a reminder that grief and gratitude can coexist, and that carrying our memories forward doesn't require us to stay in the same place forever.

Continue Your Healing Journey

Grief touches every part of our lives—our hearts, minds, bodies, relationships, and sense of purpose. Whether you're navigating the loss of a loved one, facing a major life transition, caring for an aging pet, or simply learning how to move forward after difficult experiences, healing is a journey that deserves support.

If you're looking for a place to reconnect with yourself through movement, mindfulness, and community, I invite you to explore New Ways Barre.

At New Ways Barre, we believe healing happens not only through reflection, but also through movement. Our classes are designed to help you build strength, reduce stress, improve well-being, and reconnect with your body in a supportive and welcoming environment.

🩰 New Ways Barre

Proudly serving the Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland and surrounding Montgomery County.

• Class Information & Booking: https://classpass.com/studios/new-ways-barre-gaithersburg
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sueways
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/New-Ways-Barre-61570706490968/

Join me on the path toward healing, strength, resilience, and moving forward—one step, one breath, and one day at a time.

Today in Tendrils of Grief, host Susan welcomes guest Ted Neil, an author and advocate who shares his deeply personal and transformative journey through grief. Together, they explore the complex emotions of loss, the often-unspoken aspects of male grief, and the healing power of storytelling.

Ted opens up about how writing helped him process the pain of losing loved ones and how grief has reshaped his perspective on life, purpose, and connection. This episode offers an honest and insightful look into how we carry grief, how it evolves over time, and how we can find meaning and hope even in the darkest moments.

Whether you're in the midst of loss or supporting someone who is, this conversation will resonate deeply, reminding you that you're not alone.

Episode Highlights

• Grief and healing

• Male grief and vulnerability

• Storytelling as therapy

• Ted Neil author interview

• How to navigate loss

• Writing through grief

• Emotional resilience after death

• Tendrils of Grief podcast

• Coping with the death of a loved one

• Grief support resources

• Mental health awareness 2025

• Transforming grief into purpose

Connect with Ted Neil

TedNeilFacebook

Did you enjoy today's episode?

Please subscribe and leave a review. If you have questions, comments, or possible show topics, email [email protected]

Don't forget to visit Tendrils Of Grief website and join for upcoming Webinars, Podcasts Updates and Group Coaching.

Get involve and share your thoughts and experiences in our online community

Tendrils of Grief-Survivor of Loss

To subscribe and review use one links of the links below

Amazon

Apple

Spotify

Audacy

Deezer

Podcast Addict

Pandora

Rephonic

Tune In

Connect with me

Instagram: @Sue_ways

Facebook:@ susan.ways

Email @[email protected]

Let me hear your thoughts!

Healing starts when we stop avoiding the hard questions and start telling ourselves the truth. Because growth doesn't come from pretending the pain never happened— it comes from learning what to do with it.

Today with Army veteran and author Devin Fish for a deeply honest conversation about trauma, addiction, self-worth, and the difficult questions we're often forced to confront after pain and loss.

Devin shares his journey from a childhood marked by poverty, instability, self-hatred, and generational trauma to serving nearly a decade in the Army as a cavalry scout and career counselor. Along the way, he faced addiction, emotional struggles, and the internal battles that many people carry silently.

We talk about how unresolved pain shapes identity, relationships, and the choices we make—and how healing often begins when we stop running from the hard questions and start facing them honestly.

Devin also opens up about the lessons he learned through military service, personal growth, and writing his book, Answering the Hard Questions. His story is one of perseverance, accountability, and learning how to rebuild yourself even after years of struggle.

This conversation is about trauma, healing, resilience, addiction recovery, and personal transformation—and the reminder that your past does not have to define your future.

🔑 What We Talk About

• Growing up with poverty and instability

• Generational trauma and emotional pain

• Addiction, self-hatred, and rebuilding self-worth

• Military life and the lessons learned through service

• Healing through honesty and self-reflection

• Why facing hard questions is necessary for growth

• Turning pain into purpose

🔗 Links & Resources

Devin Fish

• 📖 Answering the Hard Questions

New Ways Barre by Susan Ways Proudly serving the Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland and surrounding Montgomery County

• 📅 https://classpass.com/studios/new-ways-barre-gaithersburg

• 📸 https://www.instagram.com/sueways

• 📘 https://www.facebook.com/p/New-Ways-Barre-61570706490968/

Please subscribe and leave a review. If you have questions, comments, or possible show topics, email [email protected]

Don't forget to visit Tendrils Of Grief website and join for upcoming Webinars, Podcasts Updates and Group Coaching.

Get involve and share your thoughts and experiences in our online community

Tendrils of Grief-Survivor of Loss

To subscribe and review use one links of the links below

Amazon Apple Spotify Audacy Deezer Podcast Addict Pandora Rephonic Tune In

Connect with me

Instagram: @Sue_ways

Facebook:@ susan.ways

Email @[email protected]

Let me hear your thoughts!