Right now, there are an estimated 55 million people living with Dementia, worldwide. Every year, another 10 million cases are added. As of 2023, 1 in 3 seniors will die with Alzheimers Disease or another form of Dementia. And chances are high that you have experienced the effects of dementia or love someone who has.

My guest, Don Wendorf dedicated 45 years as a Marriage and Family Therapist and entered retirement to become the primary caregiver for his wife, Susan. After her passing, Don became a passionate advocate for individuals living with Dementia, offering support and guidance to those navigating the same path.

Whether its a spouse, parent, child, sibling or friend, witnessing your loved one gradually lose aspects of themselves can be incredibly painful.

Don guides us through the approach of person-centered care, explaining why it can facilitate deeper connections with our loved ones, even amidst the inevitable feelings of disappointment, frustration, and sadness that often accompany the significant challenges of Dementia.

As Don shares his personal experience around the grief and common themes that come up as a caregiver, he gives us invaluable practical wisdom on balancing self-care with preserving the dignity and essence of your loved one.

And whether you are a caregiver because of a Dementia diagnosis or because of any other diagnosis, I believe that this episode will offer the medicine of encouragement for you, too.

I'm grateful you're here. Thank you for listening!

~Rachel

Video of Naomi Feil With Glady's

Books:

Caregiver Carol's

Love Lyrics: A Musical Marital Manual

Dementia-Friendly Worship

Resources:

Alzheimers Association

Alzauthors.org

What leads women away from community and connection with one another? And how do we heal it?

That’s the loaded question I got to ask Leila Dylla, a Women’s Mentor and founder of The Heart Space Community. Leila leads other women in healing through relationships and feminine initiation.

In this episode, we talk about the reality that many women are feeling isolated and not adequately supported. Some have lost their old friendships, communities, or family relationships while others want to make new friends or strengthen current relationships but feel unease around trying.

If that’s where you are, or know someone who is, then this conversation is going to feel like a tall, refreshing glass of hopefulness.

I'm excited to share my own experience of joining Leila’s online women’s community after avoiding it for two years and why navigating that with grace allowed me to end up exactly where I wanted to be, despite my initial fears.

Leila walks us through the framework of conscious participation that she teaches in her spaces, revealing why her work with women is profoundly transformative, inviting us to the skills necessary to form the deeper connections we are longing to experience.

Maybe you aren’t interested in joining a women’s community, but you do want to deepen your connection and bond with the women around you. I believe this conversation can inspire and equip that, as well.

If you’re ready to deepen your appreciation for yourself and the women in your life, push play and dive in with us!

Enjoy!

~Rachel

TW: mention of abortion 6:50-7:57

All things Leila:

The Heart Space Community

Leila’s Website

Leila’s IG

I have always been inspired by people who know how to truly be present with others during incredibly painful moments in their life.

My guest, Doug Daspit, embodies this commitment. With twelve years of experience as a Board Certified Chaplain, Doug currently serves as a full-time Police Chaplain and an Army Reserve Chaplain. His journey has also included roles as a Pastor, church planter, and chaplain in hospital and hospice settings.

In this episode, we explore the profound lessons he has learned in his work and how he has refined his skills to be present with individuals in their darkest moments. From families to first responders, Doug has seen more than most.

Drawing from years of experience observing loss, family dynamics, diverse cultures, and various faith traditions, Doug shares valuable insights into the vital role of supporting people through all their expressions of grief.

He also reflects on the profound beauty he finds in his work—the moments that strengthen his own faith, even amidst the daily, sometimes painful realities he witnesses.

If you've ever wondered how to better support those around you—whether in your community or within your own home—who are grappling with pain, loss, or grief in its many forms, then push play and dive right in with us!

I’m incredibly grateful you’re here!

~Rachel

If you’ve ever wondered why you might not feel safe in the world after loss, don’t trust people as much as you used to because of painful experiences or seem to feel “stuck” in hopelessness when you desperately want deeper trust and hope while grieving, then this conversation is going to bring you some clarity.

My guest is a man with almost 50 years of experience and over 80,000 direct contact hours as a therapist that developed a practical attachment theory and human development theory that has been taught to thousands of University students. He’s also the co-founder of the Gestalt Equine Institute of the Rockies.

In this episode, Duey Freeman, a true elder and mentor, skillfully takes us through his attachment model, showing us why it's valuable to grasp and how it can change the way we understand grief.

Whether your early childhood memories are vivid or few, you're invited to dive into how those early attachments influence your life now, particularly in how you handle grief.

This is brave and courageous work. Titrate as needed.

Thank you so much for listening and supporting!

-Rachel

TW: Sexual Assault- 1:08-1:10

All things Duey:

Duey's Instagram, Website, and Gestalt Equine Institute of the Rockies.

Free Enneagram Test through Truity!

1 in 6 couples are walking through the painful journey of infertility. And Kristin Dillensnyder wants those couples, and the family, friends and coworkers in their world, to hear this conversation.

Kristin is an Infertility Mindset Coach, an IVF Warrior and host of the "More Than Your Infertility' Podcast, whose intention is to help bring back your hope and joy while trying to conceive.

Kristin and her husband had their own difficult journey trying to conceive their daughter. And through that experience, Kristin saw what the fertility culture needed to shift in order to better support those dealing with infertility.

We dive right into the challenges these couples (or individuals) are going to meet, the sometimes unintentional triggers they will see over and over again and the hopefulness of being fully supported by those that get it.

Join us as we talk about the stressors of trying to conceive, navigating the very public opinions on very personal topics, what its like to face the many nuances of grief while on this journey and how couples can learn to walk this path and become closer through it.

If you, or someone you love is going through this then be sure to listen and share.

Im grateful you're here~

Rachel

Find Kristin:

Instagram @kristindillensnyder

Podcast: More Than Your Infertility

Imagine loving your job, feeling deeply connected to your calling and then realizing that it’s slowly ticking away at your emotional, mental and relational health.

Dave Boyd is a Marine Veteran, former SWAT officer, former 911 operator, former firefighter, former school resource officer and former community police officer turned Trauma Informed Men’s coach and President of the Uncivilized Incorporation.

His resume reads like a human's guide to risky and intense employment! Dave was deeply loved in his community, even experiencing viral notoriety for a redemptive story during his time as a police officer in North Carolina.

But something changed when he faced a diagnosis that forced him to make a tough call: leaving a job he adored. This choice required him to face the grief that comes with shifting values, redefining your identity and choosing to courageously take your own mental health more seriously.

If you're grappling with the kinds of grief we're diving into, I'm confident you'll walk away with invaluable insights gleaned from Dave's remarkable journey and his honest, open-hearted approach.

Be sure to share this episode with someone that could use this conversation today!

Thank you for being here!

Enjoy~

Rachel

TW: Attack of a police officer (16:53)

Where to find Dave!

• Instagram: @uncivilized_dave
• Uncivilized Website
• Viral Article

Hey, its Rachel and I'm sharing my first solo podcast to riff about why in the world I wanted to start a podcast about Grief.

I know that an "elevator speech" is expected, but something you'll learn (to love, hopefully) is that I'm gonna need a little more of your time. Don't worry, I kept it under the 10 minute mark!

Welcome into my little corner of the world where your grief is sacred and if you've been looking for a place to "feel normal" in the chaos, the messy and the confusing, you've found it!

You won't find pithy statements or flat platitudes 'round here.

What I do believe you'll find is a sense of safety to be your authentic, hurting or hopeful self. Wherever you find yourself in the middle of your grief journey, this podcast was created to offer you support and this episode explains my why.

I am thrilled you are here!

Enjoy-

Rachel G.

In 2015, Karen faced every grandparents worst fear when her 11 year old grandson suffered a brain aneurysm.

Collier, a very witty, charming and incredibly intelligent prankster would fight for 7 more months in the hospital before passing on on October 13th.

I sat down to talk with Karen about the way grief showed up for her and how she faced the reality of wanting to die, wondering "why Collier?" and how getting curious about a small, local Grief Share group changed the trajectory of her grief.

If you've ever wanted to hear about the power of hope and resiliency after loss, Karen's story is a great place to start.

Life is always inviting us to reimagine whats possible after loss. So be sure to share today's episode with someone needing to feel a bit of hopefulness today.

I'm grateful you're here,

Rachel

Trigger/Content Warnings:

13:30- Child aneurysm/death

35:40- Death of child, story from support group

To find your local Grief Share community: Click Here.

Today we have an incredibly honest conversation with Janice Johnson Dowd, a Social Worker, Author, speaker, mother and recovering alcoholic who helps recovering individuals repair their relationships with their family and friends.

Janice spent her early career working in the most intense environments of the social work world. She also spent time working at both in patient and out patient recovery programs not realizing that one day she would be a patient in similar programs, recovering from alcoholism.

We deep dive into the world of what triggered her drinking and what she would have to face when she was ready to get sober.

I know you are going to enjoy Janice's transparency as much as I do. In fact, it's her brutal honesty that is foundational for beginning the repairs needed with her children and family, well into sobriety. And that lived experience is what she uses to help so many achieve that same healing in their own relationships.

Once again, I am blown away by the beauty and resiliency that lies within the human sprit.

Listen and share everywhere you find your podcasts!

Enjoy,

-Rachel

Janice on Instagram here.

"Grief Recovery Handbook" that Janice says was instrumental in her learning how to cope with Grief.

Janice's blog here about hiking the A.T, here.

Her book will be released Spring 2025.

Have you ever started a podcast and five episodes in you get to have a conversation with one of your favorite teachers that you've never met in person?

Traver Boehm is an author, 2 time TEDx speaker, podcast host and creator of the worldwide men's community: Man Uncivilized.

I first stumbled on to Traver's work in 2017, via his TEDx talk from the year before. I was in the beginning stages of my own "how did my life get like this" moment navigating the dismantling of my 15 year marriage and walking into life as a single mom.

I had known grief through the loss of my parents in early childhood and young adulthood, but I had never met the type of pain that comes from this kind of chapter ending.

Travers twelve minute TEDx talk helped set the framework for my own healing journey as I listened to his lived experience that catapulted him into the transformative work he now leads others through.

In this episode we discuss his personal story of loss, his attempts to run from pain, and the year he decided to face it all.

Take a deep breath and be ready to be blown away!

All things Traver:

Website: Man Unvilized

Books: Today I Rise, Man Uncivilized

Instagram: Traver Boehm

TEDx: How To Make Pain Your Guru

Why we need more uncivilized men