So Sorry For Your Loss: Not Your Average Grief Group

The pod is taking a little hiatus in order to reformat and regroup. I also am in need of a little rest while growing this tiny human! Pregnancy has been tougher than I anticipated this go around and the pod has been a challenge to keep up with. Not to worry, I will be back! 

Mentioned in this episode:

Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The Last Mrs. Parrish

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If you’re a millennial, it’s probably no surprise that the new Dear Media podcast, Back to the Beach, hosted by Laguna Beach stars Kristen Cavalleri and Stephen Coletti has shot to number one on the charts. To honor the new show launch, we’re honing in on two topics we love to talk about, pop culture and grief, and telling Kristin Cavalleri’s own story with grief.

K Cav lost her brother Michael back in 2016 and in this episode I talk about their relationship, his disappearance and loss, the ways she spoke out about it and honored him, and how she’s continued her life since.

Clips from this episode:

EXCLUSIVE: Kristin Cavallari 'Sees a Lot' of Her Late Brother in Her Oldest Son Camden

Kristin Cavallari Wishes She Said Goodbye to Late Brother | Very Cavallari | E!

“It Was A Crazy Time”: Kristin Cavallari Opens Up About Brother Michael’s Death

Kristin Cavallari Gets Emotional With Jay at New Store Opening | Very Cavallari | E!

Kristin Cavallari Cries in Jay's Arms After Talking About Loss | Very Cavallari | E!

Kristin Adorably Calls Jay Her "Common Denominator" | Very Cavallari | E!

Kristin Cavallari On The Loss Of Her Brother: 'It Has Been A Roller Coaster' (Exclusive)

Who do you want to see profiled next? Send me a DM @sosorrywithgianna

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Premonition can be both wildly exciting or anxiety inducing depending on what the message is. I’ve certainly felt both feelings over the past several months. On the heels of last week and resharing an episode about signs from loved ones, I’m sharing a couple more personal stories of life recently and the signs and messages that were presented to me. I detail my own journey with pregnancy and loss, how I’ve coped, allowing myself to feel the feels, why I felt angry with my dad, and messages from a medium!

I’m compiling YOUR stories of signs for an upcoming podcast episode. If you have one to contribute, send me a message on Instagram @sosorrywithgianna or email me at [email protected]

Mentioned in this episode:

It’s the Griefiest Time of the Year: Handling the Holidays

Secrets of a Spiritual Medium

Instagram Live with Alaine Portner on 7/26

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Are you a believer in signs? A butterfly, a coin, a rainbow, or something completely random, that immediately makes you think of your loved one above. In this previously aired episode, Jessica Hersh opens up about her grief journey and lessons she's learned after the death of her mother Sarajane from cancer in 2016. We discuss key points of the book "Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe" by Laura Lynne Jackson. I also share my own story of signs and a few from SSFYL listeners!

Episode Highlights:

• Jessica’s grief path and what it was like living in a hospital for 3 months while her mother was dying
• How you can create positive memories if you’re in the position of watching a loved one decline
• Seeing the signs: ghost calls, coins, music and animals
• Skepticism to signs and taking them as concretely or loosely as you’d like
• Stories of signs from listeners

Mentioned in this episode: 

The Dinner Party

Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe" by Laura Lynne Jackson

**This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit www.BetterHelp.com/SSFYL for 10% off your first month of therapy**

Be sure to follow @shopalltheskies on Instagram and sign up for the newsletter on SSFYLpodcast.com or www.shopalltheskies.com and be the first to receive updates!

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We often talk about how critical it is to have support when it comes to grief yet support and asking for help is still often stigmatized in our society. When Candyce Ossefort-Russell experienced the sudden loss of her husband at the age of 30, she decided to become the therapist that she once needed. As an LPC-S, Candyce offers insights about grief, being a widow, and other painful emotions from a unique blend of personal and professional experience. She has extensively explored psychological, spiritual, and scientific perspectives of suffering and transformation for 30 years and pairs her knowledge with being a writer, trainer, and speaker.

Episode Highlights:

• Candyce’s grief journey and the extensive pain of becoming widowed at the age of 30 with an 11 month old son
• What makes loss traumatic
• How to find support via therapy, friends, grief groups and other resources
• Tips for widows of any age
• Prolonged Grief Disorder Diagnosis
• Social loneliness vs attachment loneliness
• Normalizing recurring bouts of grief

Download Candyce’s free grief e-book

Subscribe to Deeper Dimensions, Candyce’s weekly email and blog

Connect with Candyce:

deepcenterforgrowth.com

www.instagram.com/CORTherapist

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cortherapist/

https://twitter.com/cortherapist/

https://www.facebook.com/candycecounseling

Medium.com/CORTherapist

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Website | www.ssfylpodcast.com

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Reid Peterson is no stranger to grief and has had several, very different experiences with loss in his lifetime. Reid experienced death first at the age of 10 when a friend and classmate died of spinal meningitis. He went on to lose his biological father to suicide in 2006 and his stepfather to cancer in 2016. He felt compelled to help the grieving find peace and purpose after loss. Reid achieved a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in 2007 and is certified in Death & Grief Studies by the Center for Loss & Life Transition. 

He has since gone on to create Grief Refuge - the best mobile app to help you cope with the loss of a loved one. Filled with insight and wisdom for managing grief, it helps you understand what to do with your loss: physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. Find out how Reid was inspired to create the app and how it can help you through your grief.

Episode Highlights:

• Why Reid decided to become educated and certified in grief
• How his experiences with grief have differed
• The physical loss of a person versus the loss of a relationship you longed for
• Slowing down and listening as it pertains to grief
• The six needs for mourning
• Why meditation can be such a powerful resource for grievers
• The healing powers of nature
• Grief Refuge App

Connect with Reid:

https://www.griefrefuge.com/

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

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmcsIhVmqOQC1WjFnqOXu1A

https://www.linkedin.com/company/grief-refuge/

https://www.facebook.com/griefrefuge

**This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit www.BetterHelp.com/SSFYL for 10% off your first month of therapy**

Be sure to follow @shopalltheskies on Instagram and sign up for the newsletter on SSFYLpodcast.com or www.shopalltheskies.com and be the first to receive updates!

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Website | www.ssfylpodcast.com

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I speak with Candice Bock, a mom from New Jersey who lost her son in a tragic accident. While speaking with her, I quickly realized this wasn’t a typical interview. The emotion, the story, and the inspirational messages lent themselves to a different style of episode that I hope you’ll enjoy. 

After losing six-year old Edmond, Candice went through a myriad of grief and since then has not only been able to grow immensely herself but also teach others to grow from their own adversities. She started Stand Strong Fitness and Wellness based on the foundation that it is important to ‘Stand Strong’ through challenges we face in life. It was originally Edmond who learned how to “Stand Strong” in vacation bible school the summer before he passed, and it was something he repeated when he thought someone needed the reminder.

Candice shares her story and the challenges that came after losing Edmond, how she began to heal after loss, what it means to begin again, learning the ins and outs of entrepreneurship, bringing a holistic approach to wellness, and a whole lot more. Stand Strong Fitness & Wellness offers personal training, nutrition guidance, and mental health support because taking care of yourself involves your whole well being. 

Connect with Candice: 

https://www.standstrongfw.com/

https://www.instagram.com/standstrongfitnessandwellness/

Need a grief gift for someone you love? All The Skies, a modern sympathy shop, is now open for business! Be sure to follow along on Instagram @shopalltheskies and sign up for our newsletter to be the first to receive updates and gift drops!

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If Oprah and James Cordon had a baby, raised on Dolly Parton's front porch—it would be today’s guest, Matt Marr. Matt will talk to anyone. He's the guy in the grocery store that compliments your eye makeup and then two minutes later you’re asking him for dating advice.  He is a therapist and holds a Masters of Clinical Psychology, specializing in Narrative Therapy and is also the co-host of the Reality Gays Podcast (ranked by Screenrant as the number one reality podcast everyone should be listening to for 2020). He is a successful commercial actor, improv actor, host, and has performed stand up all over the West Coast. 

Matt discusses his personal experience with loss and grief as he shares the story of his beloved father Chelsea, aka Papa Marr. We talk about personalizing funerals to fit the person lost, sitting with anger and why it’s not always fair in life and death, the media's inaccurate portrayal of birth and death, grief on reality TV, understanding your own grief fingerprint, and a whole lot more! This episode is a fun one that you do not want to miss. 

Connect with Matt Marr:

www.realitygays.com

www.instagram.com/theMattMarr

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattmarr/

https://twitter.com/themattmarr

**This episode is sponsored by Rent the Runway. Visit www.renttherunway.com and use code RTRGIANNA for 40% off your first two months of RTR membership.**

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Dying is a fact of life. While emotional, there are certain logistics and practicalities that have to be dealt with: cremation versus burial, financial obligations, physical belongings, and the list goes on. This week, I’m joined by Cianna Stewart who also has a podcast on death and grief. Cianna hosts Dying Kindness, a podcast for people who are going to die someday (hint: that’s you and me, both) with the goal of helping people make key decisions now in order to be more kind to those they’ll leave behind. 

Death has always been part of Cianna's conversation and experience. When she was only 15 years old, she lost her mom. This loss was amplified and reinforced by working in HIV prevention and awareness during the 1990s in San Francisco. During this period, she experienced the death and memorialization of many friends, and became the primary caretaker for her roommate who died from AIDS. After Cianna's father and stepmother died in 2019, she resolved to get her own paperwork and other affairs in order so that she wouldn't leave behind the same kind of disorganized mess she and her siblings were left with. To support that effort, she started a group on Facebook and The Dying Kindness podcast then emerged as an effort to encourage others to join in on making key decisions now, well before they're needed. Cianna has been a writer, documentarian, speaker, coach, event producer, startup founder, nonprofit manager, consultant, workshop leader, and more. 

Episode Highlights:

• Cianna’s experience and relationship with grief and losing both parents 
• Working in HIV prevention and losing her roommate and dear friend to AIDS
• Recognizing our own fears and putting ourselves in others shoes 
• Resources for assistance when it comes to logistics surrounding death
• Emotional grief versus practical grief and managing both
• The death binder: a collection for decisions and documents you need when someone dies (and someone will need when you die)
• Shifting the conversation around death and making decisions that will help those still living when we pass on
• Advance directives, powers of attorney, dependents, and wills/trusts

Mentioned in the episode:

The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss by Mary-Frances O'Connor

Cianna’s curated selection of books

Neptune Society

Connect with Cianna:

https://twitter.com/cianna

www.dyingkindness.com

Dying Kindness Podcast

Dying Kindness Facebook Group

No Complaints: How to Stop Sabotaging Your Own Joy by Cianna P Stewart

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This week's episode is a bit of a mixed bag where I sit down solo to share what’s going on lately. I start with how I’ve been dealing amidst year five of my dad’s death anniversary as well as a part of my conversation with last week’s guest, Rebecca Soffer in regards to gifting after grief. Edible Arrangements are OUT and intentional, useful gifts are IN!

Episode Highlights:

• The five particular days that sit with me and weigh heavier than the others around my dad’s death anniversary
• How grief waxes and wanes with each passing year
• How other relationships within my family play a role in my grief
• Some of the different feelings that have come up this year around my dad’s death anniversary
• Why grieving people more than likely don’t care to receive an Edible Arrangements
• An update on the modern grief boutique: a new name and launch updates!

Rebecca’s two books:

Modern Loss Handbook: An Interactive Guide to Moving Through Grief and Building Your Resilience

Modern Loss: Candid Conversations about Grief

**This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit www.BetterHelp.com/SSFYL for 10% off your first month of therapy**

Be sure to follow @griefboutique on Instagram and sign up for the newsletter on SSFYLpodcast.com or griefboutique.com and be the first to receive updates!

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