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

Susan, your host, welcomes Michael J. Florio to today's episode. Michael is an American independent comic book editor and writer working out of Biloxi, Mississippi. He graduated from Full Sail University with his bachelor's and master's in creative writing for entertainment. Currently, he works as a copy editor and writer for Inked Studios, a small crowdfunding think tank that helps comics creators, new and old, market their books. His work can be found in various independent comics such as Thirst, by Limitless Comics, The Killing Machine, by SHP Productions, and six issues of Shadows Daughter by Serious Sam Comics published by Markosia Publishing. Michael is releasing his first creator-owned comic series this year titled Wild Oni.

Today, Michael shares his very difficult upbringing and how he was impacted by the sudden death of his mother; their relationship was not ideal and that translates into a lot of guilt on his side.

Key Takeaways:

• Michael shares his grief story.
• Michael recently lost his mother; he shares the guilt he experiences now for not prioritizing the relationship with her in the past.
• Michael shares his feeling of anger toward the way his mother died, feeling that it could have been preventable.
• Michael talks about his creative talent and how he started to develop his gift.
• Michael wanted to give a voice to all of those who are not heard.
• Surviving was what dominated the most part of his childhood, now being safe is a new experience and he shares how he is learning not to love in survival mode anymore.
• Susan and Michael discuss trauma bonds.
• Michael suggests the audience to listen and stay open to opportunities; don't settle!

Resources

Tendrilsofgrief.com

Email Susan: [email protected]

Meet Michael J. Florio

Listen to Super Serious Comics

Inked Pub

Morgan Quaid

Silke Herwald is the Grief Specialist and inventor of the "Grief to Love" blueprint. Over the past 12 years, Silke has assisted hundreds of grieving clients online, in person, and with her "Grief To Love" courses.

Silke supports bereaved women and teaches grief counselors, Hypnotherapists, and Psychologists her groundbreaking "Grief To Love" blueprint. She is an international speaker and grief awareness advocate.

Silke understands the many misconceptions about grief and that there is a lot of unhelpful and even harmful grief advice. There is a lot more to grief than just five stages… Silke developed the unique and proven "Grief To Love" framework from her experience of supporting bereaved women and presented it at the 2019 AHA world conference to an international audience of Psychotherapists, Counselors, Psychologists, and Hypnotherapists.

Four years ago, Silke developed an even deeper understanding of grief when she lost her only sister to cancer and supported her parents and brother-in-law through that loss. After not having seen her parents due to COVID-19 travel restrictions for two years, Silke got the 4 a.m. phone call no one wants to get… To get on the flight nobody wants to be on. Only ten days after her therapy dog passed, Silke's dad had suddenly died.

Silke truly knows what grief feels like and what bereaved siblings, parents, and widows go through. Silke has mastered the fine art of talking about grief in a deeply insightful yet lighthearted way.

Key Takeaways:

• Silke shares her grief story.
• Silke and Susan share their experience receiving unsolicited grief advice.
• No one has taught us how to grieve or support someone who is grieving.
• People tend to think that as long as they are grieving they still have that connection to their loved one who passed away.
• Silke explains why she is not a fan of the five stages of grief.
• Be prepared, because your circle of friends will change in big ways.
• People respond from their own experiences and their logical/rational minds, but the unconscious forces lying underneath need to be addressed in order to heal.
• Silke shares what makes her work with grievers different.
• Silke and Susan share how feeling shame for our thoughts and feelings only gets us stuck and disconnected from others.
• Give yourself permission to transit the messy road of grief.
• "Everything happens for a reason" is a statement that is simply not helpful, instead try: "Everything happens and it is up to you how you take it," which encourages you to take an active role in your grieving journey.
• Silke shares her advice: Acknowledge every feeling, acknowledge the grief, because it is your heart that is broken, not your head, you can't grieve with your logical mind.

Resources

Tendrilsofgrief.com

Email Susan: [email protected]

Meet Silke Herwald

Find out where you are in your grief journey by visiting "Grief To Love".

Grief to Love on Instagram and Facebook

Susan, your host, welcomes you to another episode of The Tendrils of Grief Podcast. Today, she is accompanied by Jonathan Wess, CEO and Founder of TimeCapsule Family Connections, LLC, a company that is helping people everywhere to leave a legacy for their families after they're gone. Jonathan founded the company in 2018. He graduated in Political Science, Entrepreneurship, and Human Resources from Canisius College, Class of 2021. He has more than 10 years of experience in business and management.

Jonathan is devoted to making sure that every story is heard, and every opinion is listened to. He wants to make sure that no child has to grow up without a parents' advice or getting to see how much they have grown.

Key Takeaways:

• Jonathan shares his grief story that started when he was five years old and his father passed away.
• There is no "getting over grief," it is just moving forward and learning how to live with it.
• Jonathan started his own business motivated by his wanting to learn more about his dad. His business is called TimeCapsule Family Connections and it is a legacy-building service that asks you questions for a more in-depth and truthful legacy.
• Susan tells about a video her husband made for her daughter, which they cherish and became a beautiful reminder of his love and wishes for her daughter.
• Jonathan intends to make TimeCapsule available for everyone, especially for those who have a certain diagnosis and want to start building a legacy for the ones they love.
• TimeCapsule offers a non-disclosure agreement to ensure the privacy of every video is secured.
• Susan and her husband wrote cards to their daughter for all the future milestones she will conquer after he passed away, so she would know that he thought of her and is accompanying her even when not at her side.
• TimeCapsule is a great gift to give.
• Jonathan recommends everyone ask themselves the questions: What will your verse be? Who do you want to become?

Resources

Tendrilsofgrief.com

Email Susan: [email protected]

Meet Jonathan Wess

TimeCapsule — Your Story Deserves To Be Told! We help you bring it out and preserve your legacy. (timecapsulellc.com)

Susan, your host, welcomes Dr. Michele Pfannenstiel to today's episode. Dr. Pfannenstiel is a veteran veterinarian turned business coach and food safety strategist. The products Michele has created have been transformative, generating millions of dollars in revenue for her clients in just a few years. Dr. Pfannenstiel is known in her industry for being an innovator, and she is on a mission to transform the lives of veterinarians across the country.

Dr. Michele Pfannenstiel is sharing today her grief story which includes her father and her soul pet. She explains how to evaluate if it is the right time to let your pet go, and speaks words of love and wisdom referring to the sadness and emptiness left when our beloved pets pass away.

Key Takeaways:

• Through the grief of our pets, we grieve other losses.
• Dr. Pfannenstiel shares the grief journey when she lost her soul pet three months after losing her father.
• Dr. Pfannenstiel tells how she always considers the grieving owners when she puts animals down.
• Dr. Pfannenstiel needed to grieve her dad and dog, and also share the grief of her community after a shooting in her hometown.
• Dr. Pfannenstiel shares a poem called Rainbow Bridge.
• Dr. Pfannenstiel talks about the controversial topic of euthanizing pets and how to evaluate the lifestyle of your pet when it is getting older.
• The hardest thing for Veterinarians is seeing people who wait too long to let their pets go.
• Dr. Pfannenstiel talks about the very difficult situation when owners don't have the monetary resources to care for their pets.
• Dr. Pfannenstiel talks about memorial services for pets and a Pet Grief Hotline that was created in Michigan ten years ago.
• There are many ways to honor the human-animal bond; Dr. Pfannenstiel shares some of them.
• Learn to recognize the anticipatory grief you feel while you look at your elder pet.
• Do not shame or humiliate yourself for your grieving; listen to your body, and allow the sadness to happen. Leave space for the grief.

Resources

Tendrilsofgrief.com

Email Susan: [email protected]

"7 Things Your Deceased Pet Would Want Your to Know," by Dina Fantegrossi

Pet Loss Hotlines

Meet Dr. Michele Pfannenstiel

Dirigo Food Safety

Marci Glidden Savage is the CEO of a family-owned packaging supply company. After experiencing the catastrophic impact of suicide twice, Marci emerges as a fierce proponent for eliminating the social stigma attached to mental illness which keeps many individuals battling depression and anxiety from seeking help.

Marci is the author of And No One Saw It Coming, a book that she wrote with the intention of bringing more awareness to suicide, its prevalence in the U.S.A., how it impacts families, and most of all with the purpose of opening the space for people suffering from mental illnesses to be able to ask and receive the help they need.

Key Takeaways:

• Marci describes her couple of horrific grief stories.
• Marci shares how she had a very open and intimate relationship with her husband, there was honesty except for a deep area inside of him that he couldn't talk about or admit, as a result of the stigma around men and their mental health.
• Marci has her two parents alive and they couldn't understand her grief.
• People ask a lot of questions, trying to make sense of what happened and intending to feel safe from a death like the one they are seeing, but in the process, they hurt the grieving by installing shame and guilt in them.
• Every grieving person just wants one more conversation.
• Marci met Michael and again fell in love but with a completely different man.
• Michael knew the pain that Marci and her family went through with grieving.
• Michael overdosed after leaving notes to every member of the family, this left everyone with the feeling that he knew exactly what he was about to do.
• Marci talked about her anger and the anger from everyone around her.
• After her second loss, Marci decided to write a book.
• Susan shares an experience in her community where a hate crime was committed and how it impacted her daughter.
• Marci talks about her book And No One Saw It Coming.
• If you are supporting someone grieving, remember there is nothing you can say, so be there, love them, and hold their hand in silence (it is better than saying something that could end up being hurtful).

Resources

Tendrilsofgrief.com

Email Susan: [email protected]

Meet Marci Glidden Savage

You can connect with Marci and learn more about her memoir, And No One Saw It Coming, at marcisavage.com.

Christina Wooten is a Certified Psychic Medium who helps heart-centered women access the wisdom and support of the Spirit World to elevate their life. She enjoys teaching others to access their intuition and discover their own connection with the other side. She is also the host of Modern Life and Spirit Podcast where she shares topics such as intuitive living and integrating spiritual philosophy into everyday life.

Christina shares in today's episode how we can all learn to ask, recognize, and read signs, and how to open our intuitive channels to listen to the messages that our loved ones who passed want us to receive.

Key Takeaways:

• Christina shares her grief story.
• Christina talks about her gift as a Psychic.
• Christina talks about her experience helping people connect with their loved ones on the other side.
• Susan shares how she can connect with Paul, her husband who passed away, through meditation.
• Christina shares tools for people to connect with their loved ones who are no longer alive, and also how not to block this channel of communication.
• What do spirits want to tell us? Mainly "I love you" and also "live your life according to your true values."
• Christina explains how to recognize, read, and ask for signs.
• When you stop seeking validation, you open channels.
• Our loved ones who passed can't fix our lives, but they can guide us and accompany us.
• Christina explains how she teaches people to listen in a new way and devote themselves to intentional connection.
• Say to yourself: "I am ready for this."
• When you take a moment to reset and be mindful, you will start to open up to receive the messages from the Spirit world.
• Christina talks about "the full-body manifestation" Susan was hoping she received from her husband.
• The connection with the other side is possible for you, believe it! Continue to expand into new possibilities and ways to connect.
• We are spiritual beings having a physical experience.

Resources

Tendrilsofgrief.com

Email Susan: [email protected]

Meet Christina Wooten

SedonaMedium

Find Christina on Facebook and Instagram

Listen to Modern Life and Spirit Podcast

Reverend Mark Sowersby has been married to his wonderful wife Jennifer for 17 years and is the father of four children. Mark has been an ordained minister with Assembly of God for over 25 years and is currently the Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA. Pastor Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College.

In 2019, Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing. He began speaking about the experiences of his past and God's grace and the transformational work of forgiveness in his life. He now speaks about his story through his ministry and book, Forgiving The Nightmare.

Reverend Mark shares his story of grief, a difficult one since he needed to heal, forgive, and grieve. Reverend Mark encourages everyone to be compassionate with their grief journey and remember that each individual grieves in a unique way.

Key Takeaways:

• Reverend Mark shares his grief story.
• Reverend Mark talks about the loss of her mother.
• What do you really lose when a loved one passes away?
• You can understand and forgive the ones who passed.
• Accept your loved one for who they were in order to heal and free yourself from pain.
• Grief is a part of being human, but don't let it become your identity.
• No one can tell you how to grieve.
• Faith is super important in your grief journey.
• Welcome anyone that offers to pray for you!
• Two totally conflicted emotions can coexist: Hope and despair, love and hate, can all live in the same space.
• Reverend Mark talks about what motivated him to write his book Forgiving the Nightmare.
• No one can live a perfect life, but we can live a forgiving life and one with purpose.
• The honest answer to the question "How are you?" often is "I don't know."
• Grief is truel there is no right way of grieving but your own.

Resources

Tendrilsofgrief.com

Email Susan: [email protected]

Meet Reverend Mark Sowersby

Visit Reverend Mark's website Forgiving The Nightmare

Forgiving the Nightmare, Mark Sowersby

Susan, your host, welcomes Sandy Weiner to today's episode. Sandy Weiner, is the founder of Last First Date and The Woman of Value, she is an internationally known TEDx

speaker, dating and relationship coach, women's empowerment coach, NLP certified coach, author, and podcast host. She believes a woman of value gets the respect she deserves in life and love.

Sandy is the author of Becoming a Woman of Value: How to Thrive in Life and Love. Her work has been published in Mind Body Green, The Huffington Post, Psychology Today, The Good Men Project, the Chicago Tribune, and more. She's also the host of two podcasts, Last First Date Radio and The Woman of Value Podcast. Sandy believes it's never too late to have the life and love you want!

In today's episode, Sandy talks to widows and widowers, giving great advice about dating, explaining how and when to date, and also when it is OK not to date.

Key Takeaways:

• Sandy shares how she started helping people approach dating after/during grieving.
• When is the right time to start dating after losing your loved one?
• How does a widow or a widower communicate to a new partner that space needs to be created to honor the late spouse?
• You can love more than one person at the same time.
• How we talk about what happens to us is how people perceive it.
• Be open to something new happening to you.
• It is OK to be vulnerable and tell the person you are dating how awkward and hard it feels to be dating again.
• Susan and Sandy talk about how to explain to children the fact that their parents are dating again.
• What happens when someone is ready to date but does not know how?
• Online dating: Sandy explains how to approach it and stay safe in the process.
• Stay away from trauma bonds.
• Dating can be an opportunity to redefine yourself.
• Dating is also an opportunity to grow and evolve.
• Sandy shares her "morning pages" journaling activity as a way of practicing self-care.

Resources

Tendrilsofgrief.com

Email Susan: [email protected]

The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron

Meet Sandy Weiner

Visit Last First Date

Follow Sandy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube

Email Sandy at [email protected]

Susan, your host, is accompanied by Shannon MacFarlane to today's episode. Shannon is a compassionate human and grief enthusiast who creates art around big emotions (and teaches self-professed non-artists how to do the same). She started her first photography business in 2009 and decided in 2013 that end-of-life and medical stories were the ones that called to her, so she did what people told her she couldn't and became a grief photographer and memorial artist.

Today, Shannon shares her grief story that started when her pregnancy was at serious risk and she had to face a circumstance she wished she never had to confront. Shannon decided she will help others in their grief journeys by providing them with healing memories contained in photographs.

Key Takeaways:

• Shannon shares her grief story.
• Shannon faced the disappointment of meeting people that could not support her.
• Shannon shares how she became a grief photographer and memorial artist.
• People can be really judgemental when they get uncomfortable, but the truth is that nobody knows how they would react if they were in a particular situation until they are actually in it.
• Shannon shares how she helps people explore their feelings.
• Shannon finds her motivation to keep going in knowing that there are people who feel unsupported and unseen, giving them her time, tools, and accompanying them in their grieving journeys.
• Shannon talks about her company: Slobbered Lens
• Shannon shares the power of pictures to help process difficult times.

Resources

Tendrilsofgrief.com

Email Susan: [email protected]

Meet Shannon MacFarlane

Join Shannon on Facebook

Visit Slobbered Lens

Permission to Feel: 60 Prompts to Creatively Explore Your Grief

Susan, your host, is accompanied by Sherrie Dunlevy to today's episode. Former NBC News Anchor Sherrie Dunlevy served the Wheeling, WV area for nearly 30 years, both on television and radio. Today, she is a best-selling author, inspirational speaker, and the Founder of the Graduating Grief Academy and online support community, host of the Graduating Grief podcast and is also an Aging Awesomely Coach.

Her Number one best-selling book How Can I Help?: Your Go-to Guide For Helping Loved Ones Through Life's Difficulties was written to help people know exactly what to say and do when the people they love and care about are hurting. As a self-proclaimed #Inspirationista, Sherrie's passion lies in inspiring and encouraging women to step beyond the pain of their past, so they can step fully into living with purpose, passion, and JOY.

Key Takeaways:

• Sherrie shares her grief story.
• Sherrie shares how she dealt with the grief of her younger son while also struggling to still be present for her older son.
• Sherrie went from living her life in black and white to living in color again, not just surviving but thriving.
• Sherrie and Susan talk about the myths around grieving.
• Grief is a sneaky monster but is one that won't kill you.
• You can let your story define you, or you can let it refine you.
• You have to take action; your grief can't be fixed and you can't be rescued from it.
• Susan shares her experience starting a Gratitude Journal.
• Focus on the years of joy you had with your lost one and really reach gratitude for those wonderful moments you got the chance to live.
• Don't take what you have for granted, there are other people wanting what you have and what you are dismissing.
• Sherrie talks about her book How Can I Help?: Your Go-to Guide For Helping Loved Ones Through Life's Difficulties
• People often don't know what to do with others' pain and suffering.
• Sherrie talks about how she started interviewing people who have gone through the worst things in life and asked about what their friends and families did that was most helpful and not so helpful.
• Just be there for someone who is grieving.
• Sherrie advises grieving people to connect with the intention behind the words coming from the people trying to help you; if the intention comes with love, just stay with that intention and not necessarily with the content of their message.
• Sherrie shares her message to grieving people: You will be OK if you choose it, so choose it!

Resources

Tendrilsofgrief.com

Email Susan: [email protected]

Meet Sherrie Dunlevy

Reach out to Sherrie on LinktreeReach out to Sherrie on LinkedIn

Visit Sherrie Dunlevy's website

Graduating Grief Academy

Take the Quiz to find at which point of your grieving journey you are.