The Grief Cocoon Podcast

Dana Douglass Swann is a true Texan (born and raised in Leesville, Texas), who loves fashion, baking, teaching zumba, country and western dancing, and making people laugh. She is the proud mother of 3 sons and 4 beautiful grandchildren, as well as a TedX speaker and the long-standing Executive Assistant at Texas Commission on the Arts . Despite this long career in administration, if asked what she wants to do when she grows up, she would say - “teach Communication at the college level and finish the book that I have started.” Then, laughingly say, “my life is a Lifetime movie waiting to be told”! Dana has been widowed 3 times and married 4 times.

Hear her unbelievable story in this episode where Gaby speaks with Dana about:

• what got her through the toughest days
• how she dealt with awful remarks
• finding inner strength
• how she continues to thrive
• where she found support

This episode is particularly relevant if you've experienced spouse loss or have grieved multiple significant losses in your life.If you found this episode useful, please share it, leave a comment or review so that other grieving people can find this podcast too.

Connect with The Grief Cocoon:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: http://⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.instagram.com/thegriefcocoon⁠⁠
• Facebook: http://⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/thegriefcocoon⁠⁠
• Enquire about 1:1 Support with Gaby by contacting her on [email protected]⁠

Note: If this episode has brought up anything that you need further support with, please talk to a trusted person, a mental health professional or contact your local support services.

In this episode, Gaby speaks with artist, songwriter and performer Eileen Francisco about:

Listen to the end to hear one of Eileen's original songs 🎼

By day, Eileen Francisco is a mum of two boys and marketing officer. At night she is an artist, songwriter and occasionally performs under Midnight – a musical alter ego formed after a year of lockdowns, heartache, and grief. As a way to process complex emotions, Eileen spent many nights in front of the piano and Midnight was born in 2021.

Listen to Eileen's music: https://midnightmisc.bandcamp.com/

If you found this episode useful, please leave a comment or review so that other grieving people can find this podcast too.

Connect with The Grief Cocoon:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Note: If this episode has brought up anything that you need further support with, please talk to a trusted person, a mental health professional or contact your local support services.

Aus-based support:

Acknowledgement of Country: This episode was produced on the sacred lands of the Gimuy-walubarra Yidi People. We pay respect to elders past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations people listening.

Book into next week's grief movement circle: https://thegriefcocoon.com/store/p/moving-through-grief-circle

In this episode, Gaby shares the questions that can help you identity what you need when you're struggling emotionally.

Grief can be overwhelming, but it can also give us a chance to stop and reflect. It can prompt us to hone in on what truly matters. With this, comes more intention.

The questions shared in this episode are designed to help you live more intentionally and help you consciously practice self-care.

Time stamps:

0.00 Intro

2:01 Question 1 - Sleep

5:18 Question 2 - Food

7:40 Question 3 - Movement

10:18 Question 4 - Connection

13:23 Question 5 - Routine

17:45 Question 6 - Hydration

18:34 Question 7 - Nature

20:52 Question 8 - Content consumption

22:40 Question 9 - Significant dates

23:45 BONUS Question 10 - Hormones

25:42 BONUS Question 11 - Spiritual Practice

Related Articles: ⁠

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Gaby Georges is a multi-disciplinary artist, creative grief guide and founder of The Grief Cocoon. Her work is inspired by her beloved mother, Samira, who she lost to cancer at the age of twenty. She supports people to creatively process, befriend, and transform their grief through creative writing, movement, rituals, and community connection. Through The Grief Cocoon, Gaby offers creative online workshops, a podcast, educational online content, a mobile community app, and 1:1 support. ⁠Follow her on Instagram⁠⁠ or ⁠work with her 1 on 1⁠.⁠

Make suggestions for future solo episodes here: https://q8tnodwa9xx.typeform.com/to/aTIvVXyc

If you found this episode useful, please leave a comment, rating or review to help other grieving people find it too.

Connect with The Grief Cocoon:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If this episode has brought up anything that you need further support with, please talk to a trusted person or contact a suitable support service near you.

Acknowledgement of Country: This episode was produced on the sacred lands of the Gimuy-walubarra Yidi People. We pay respect to elders past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations people listening.

In this episode, Gaby speaks to educator, grief support advocate, and author Ashmeeta Madhav about:

Ashmeeta Rama Madhav is an educator, grief support advocate/expert, entrepreneur, author, and lifelong learner. She's been intimately acquainted with grief since her early twenties, having experienced miscarriage, rejection, and the loss of her parents and husband, which exposed her to a range of profound emotions. Her story is one of love, acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, growth, and self-discovery, a narrative that resonates with those who have faced loss or are on a path of self-discovery following loss.

Ashmeeta's website: https://storyoutellyourself.com/

Ashmeeta's book: https://storyoutellyourself.com/product/whats-your-story-english-version/

If you found this episode useful, please leave a comment or review so that other grieving people can find this podcast too.

Connect with The Grief Cocoon:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Note: If this episode has brought up anything that you need further support with, please talk to a trusted person, a mental health professional or contact your local support services.

Aus-based support:

Acknowledgement of Country: This episode was produced on the sacred lands of the Gimuy-walubarra Yidi People. We pay respect to elders past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations people listening.

In this episode, Gaby dives deep into the benefits of nature, past the well-known physiological effects.

Timestamps:

0.00 Intro

1:40 Nature poem by Aboriginal writer Gail Kay

2:30 Gleaning peace from nature

7:21 Awe and humility

10:16 How nature inspires connectedness and spirituality

13:26 Why being present matters

16:16 The benefits of witnessing beauty

18:26 What we can learn from how nature deals with trauma and loss

19:50 Honouring life

22:21 Letting go

23:05 Growth after loss

Recommended article: What Trees Can Teach Us About Grief

Gaby Georges is a multi-disciplinary artist, creative grief guide and founder of The Grief Cocoon. Her work is inspired by her beloved mother, Samira, who she lost to cancer at the age of twenty. She supports people to creatively process, befriend, and transform their grief through creative writing, movement, rituals, and community connection. Through The Grief Cocoon, Gaby offers creative online workshops, a podcast, educational online content, a mobile community app, and 1:1 support. Follow her on Instagram⁠ or work with her 1 on 1⁠.

Make suggestions for future solo episodes here: https://q8tnodwa9xx.typeform.com/to/aTIvVXyc

If you found this episode useful, please leave a rating or review to help other grieving people find it too.

Connect with The Grief Cocoon:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If this episode has brought up anything that you need further support with, please talk to a trusted person or contact a suitable support service, such as:

Acknowledgement of Country: This episode was produced on the sacred lands of the Gimuy-walubarra Yidi People. We pay respect to elders past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations people listening.

In this episode, Gaby speaks with Christine Passo (Certified Support and Transformation Coach) about:

Plus, she shares a writing exercise you can use to connect with your loved one.

Christine Passo is a 4x Certified Support and Transformation Coach. Christine realized how trauma and unresolved pain in her own life had built up over the years as different versions of grief. She also recognized how many other women told similar stories. She is dedicated to providing support and transformation coaching to women in their 40’s and 50’s to guide them through the grief that holds them back from living lives of clarity and deeper meaning.

This episode is particularly relevant if you've experienced pet loss or another loss that's diminished and not validated by society.

If you found this episode useful, please leave a comment or review so that other grieving people can find this podcast too.

Connect with The Grief Cocoon:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Note: If this episode has brought up anything that you need further support with, please talk to a trusted person, a mental health professional or contact your local support services.

Aus-based support:

Acknowledgement of Country: This episode was produced on the sacred lands of the Gimuy-walubarra Yidi People. We pay respect to elders past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations people listening.

In this episode, Gaby reflects on what she's learned about grief following the 15th anniversary of her Mum's death.

She speaks about:

Gaby Georges is a multi-disciplinary artist, creative grief guide and founder of The Grief Cocoon. Her work is inspired by her beloved mother, Samira, who she lost to cancer at the age of twenty. She supports people to creatively process, befriend, and transform their grief through creative writing, movement, rituals, and community connection. Through The Grief Cocoon, Gaby offers creative online workshops, a podcast, educational online content, a mobile community app, and 1:1 support.

Find her on Instagram

Work with her 1 on 1

⁠The Body Keeps the Score - please be advised that there are some graphic descriptions of traumatic events in this book.

Make suggestions for future solo episodes here: https://q8tnodwa9xx.typeform.com/to/aTIvVXyc

If you found this episode useful, leave a rating or review to help other grieving people find it too.

Connect with The Grief Cocoon:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Join the community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://urlgeni.us/TGC22⁠

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thegriefcocoon

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

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/thegriefcocoon

If this episode has brought up anything that you need further support with, please talk to a trusted person or contact a support service, such as:

Acknowledgement of Country: This episode was produced on the sacred lands of the Gimuy-walubarra Yidi People. We pay respect to elders past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations people listening.

In this episode, Gaby speaks with Kay Backhouse (author and hospice worker) about:

Plus, she shares the most valuable philosophy that has been life-changing throughout her grief journey!

Kay Backhouse is a published author, writer, and grief coach/mentor. She also works at St John’s Hospice and is training to be a qualified counsellor specialising in bereavement. She was raised in the Yorkshire Dales, where she developed a strong connection to, and an appreciation of nature and its healing properties. In 2007 she emigrated toAustralia where she lived and worked for ten years. She now resides in Morecambe with her husband and two grown up children. 

Kay's website: ⁠https://www.kaybackhouse.com/⁠

Purchase her book: ⁠https://www.kaybackhouse.com/#book⁠

The two books that Kay mentions in this episode:

If you found this episode useful, please leave a comment or review so that other grieving people can find this podcast too.

Connect with The Grief Cocoon:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about 1:1 Support with Gaby: gabrielageorges.com/grief-guide-coaching

Note: If this episode has brought up anything that you need further support with, please talk to a trusted person, a mental health professional or contact your local support services.

Aus-based support:

Acknowledgement of Country: This episode was produced on the sacred lands of the Gimuy-walubarra Yidi People. We pay respect to elders past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations people listening.

In this solo episode, the host Gaby speaks about:

...plus she finishes this episode by guiding you through a movement sequence and meditation specifically for guilt and regret.

Gaby Georges is a multi-disciplinary artist, creative grief guide and founder of The Grief Cocoon. Her work is inspired by her beloved mother, Samira, who she lost to cancer at the age of twenty. She supports people to creatively process, befriend, and transform their grief through creative writing, movement, rituals, and community connection. Through The Grief Cocoon, Gaby offers creative online workshops, a podcast, educational online content, a mobile community app, and 1:1 support. Find her on Instagram: ⁠⁠instagram.com/gab_georges/⁠⁠

Make suggestions for future solo episodes here: https://q8tnodwa9xx.typeform.com/to/aTIvVXyc

If you found this episode useful, leave a rating or review to help other grieving people find this podcast too.

Connect with The Grief Cocoon:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

D/l our app: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://urlgeni.us/TGC22⁠

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thegriefcocoon?si=QVbgsT6RS5aKEERs

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/thegriefcocoon

Learn more about 1:1 Support: gabrielageorges.com/grief-guide-coaching

If this episode has brought up anything that you need further support with, please talk to a trusted person or contact a support service, such as:

Acknowledgement of Country: This episode was produced on the sacred lands of the Gimuy-walubarra Yidi People. We pay respect to elders past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations people listening.