The Living Loss | Navigating Invisible Grief & Identity

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, share with a friend, a prima, and leave a review. It helps us reach others who need to hear that their grief is valid.

While Daiana and Cassandra are behind the scenes preparing for Season 2, they wanted to keep the conversation going. This week, they are bringing you Part 2 of our 80’s Baby and cumulative grief conversation. Enjoy the episode, and they will be back with fresh content very soon!

In this replay, Cassandra and Daiana shift the conversation from simply surviving a chaotic generational timeline to intentionally living through it. Together, they explore how major events, from 9/11 and the 2008 recession to the COVID-19 pandemic, create delayed grief and hypervigilance in our nervous systems.

Learn why practicing "radical honesty" helps strip away shame, how the body holds onto trauma even when our minds try to power through, and how you can widen your window of tolerance by actively looking for micro-moments of safety, nostalgia, and joy.

Thank you for being part of our circle! If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, follow, and share it with someone who might be carrying their loss in silence. Instagram: @thelivinglosspodcast  Email: [email protected]

If you’re interested in a consultation for individual therapy with Daiana Bernard, please reach out via email or visit the practice website below.

Email: [email protected] Website: MeaningfulTherapyFL.com Location: Riverview, FL, In-Person, and Telehealth serving clients throughout Florida.

If you’re interested in a consultation with Cassandra Harris-Towner please reach out via email or visit the practice website below. Email: [email protected] Website: firststridezcounseling.com Location: Ocala, FL, In-Person, and Telehealth serving clients throughout Florida.

• Defining the Heavy Stuff: The difference between collective grief (shared societal trauma) and cumulative grief (grief overload from back-to-back losses).

• The Window of Tolerance: Dr. Dan Siegel’s concept, and why our generation's baseline for "normal" has shifted, shrinking our capacity to cope.

• Parenting Through Chaos: Balancing the desire to protect our children's innocence with the necessity of preparing them for reality.

• The Duality of Healing: Finding glimpses of joy and peace when the world feels entirely out of our control.

Instagram: @thelivinglosspodcast  Email: [email protected]

If you’re interested in a consultation for individual therapy with Daiana Bernard, please reach out via email or visit the practice website below.

Email: [email protected] Website: MeaningfulTherapyFL.com Location: Riverview, FL, In-Person, and Telehealth serving clients throughout Florida.

If you’re interested in a consultation with Cassandra Harris-Towner please reach out via email or visit the practice website below. Email: [email protected] Website: firststridezcounseling.com Location: Ocala, FL, In-Person, and Telehealth serving clients throughout Florida.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes. While we are licensed mental health counselors, we are not your therapists, and this does not replace professional mental health care. If you need support, please reach out to a local professional.

In this special solo edition of The Living Loss Podcast, host Daiana Bernard, LMHC, steps to the mic for an intimate, heart-to-heart conversation in Spanglish. While taking a break between seasons, Daiana shares her personal journey as a Brooklyn-born Dominican-American navigating mental health, psychology, and el duelo in her first language.

Together, we break down what a "Living Loss" (pérdida en vida) really means and hold space for the unique, unspoken grief carried across first-generation experiences. From unpacking cultural definitions of loss to reframing survival mode, this episode offers a compassionate reminder that your pain is valid—even when nobody brings you flowers for it.

• Redefining Grief Beyond Bereavement: Unpacking how nuestra cultura often teaches us that el duelo only happens when someone passes away, and giving a name to the losses that happen while life goes on.
• The First-Gen Balancing Act: Navigating the complex emotional space of straddling two worlds and honoring the subtle grief of feeling ni de aquí, ni de allá.
• First-Gen Guilt & Setting Boundaries: Exploring the heavy guilt that often surfaces as we grow, set healthy boundaries, and choose to do things differently than our parents.
• Loss of Self & Unfulfilled Dreams: Acknowledging the silent pain of outgrowing old versions of yourself, grieving lost identity, or letting go of dreams that didn't materialize.
• Living Loss Lesson: Giving yourself full permission to validate your grief, step out of survival mode, and offer yourself self-compassion without judgment. Because at the end of the day, you can't heal what you don't acknowledge.

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, share with a friend, a prima, and leave a review. It helps us reach others who need to hear that their grief is valid.

"In our culture, we are often taught that el duelo only happens when someone passes away. But what about the losses that nobody brings you flowers for?"

— Daiana Bernard, LMHC

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional therapy.

Adam shares the story of losing his beloved dog, Baxter, navigating anticipatory grief with his senior dog, Sophie, and how he turned his pain into Love Baxter, a platform supporting pet parents through their hardest goodbye.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The Reality of Disenfranchised Grief: Why society minimizes pet loss and how to validate your own heartbreak.
• Navigating Anticipatory Grief: How to cope with the dread and anxiety that comes as our pets age or face illness.
• Finding Meaning in the Pain: Adam’s journey of building a supportive community and resource hub through Love Baxter.
• Living Loss Lessons: Tangible takeaways on how to honor your pets, stay present, and create lasting memories without regret.
• How to Support Others: Actionable advice on what to say (and what not to say) when someone you love loses an animal companion.

Resources & Links Mentioned

• Explore Love Baxter: lovebaxter.com
• Follow on Instagram: @lovebaxterco

Support the Show If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it to help us reach others who might be carrying their loss in silence.

• Instagram: @thelivinglosspodcast
• Email: [email protected]

Work With Us If you’re interested in an individual therapy consultation, please reach out to us:

Daiana Bernard: [email protected] | MeaningfulTherapyFL.com | Location: Riverview, FL (In-Person & Telehealth statewide)

Cassandra Harris-Towner: [email protected] | firststridezcounseling.com | Location: Ocala, FL (In-Person & Telehealth statewide)

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes. While we are licensed mental health counselors, we are not your therapists, and this does not replace professional mental health care. If you need support, please reach out to a local professional.

The Living Loss Podcast is officially on summer break! While we recharge, we are replaying some of the most impactful conversations from Season One.

Keeping it real, society gives us rituals for romantic breakups and family passing, but there is no public script or timeline for the ache of losing a close friend. Whether the friendship experienced a gradual fade, a sudden ghosting, or a shift because of different life seasons, friendship loss is a quiet earthquake. In this episode, Cassandra and Daiana sit down to validate the unseen losses and hidden grief tied to adult friendships.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

• The "Quiet Earthquake": Why friendship breakups perfectly capture ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief.
• The 3 AM Rumination Loop: Why our brains desperately crave closure when a friend leaves, and how to stop taking the end of a relationship as a personal failure.
• Identity Disruption: How we attach parts of our identity to our friends, and how to answer the question, "Who am I without them?"
• Attachment Injuries: Navigating the fear of vulnerability with new friends after a deep connection is broken.
• The Magic of "Low-Maintenance" Friends: Embracing the shifting dynamics of adult friendships and why it is perfectly okay to outgrow people as your values change.

Connect With Us: If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, follow, and share it with someone who might be carrying their loss in silence.

Instagram: @thelivinglosspodcast  Email: [email protected]

If you’re interested in a consultation for individual therapy with Daiana Bernard, please reach out via email or visit the practice website below.

Email: [email protected] Website: MeaningfulTherapyFL.com Location: Riverview, FL, In-Person, and Telehealth serving clients throughout Florida.

If you’re interested in a consultation with Cassandra Harris-Towner please reach out via email or visit the practice website below. Email: [email protected] Website: firststridezcounseling.com Location: Ocala, FL, In-Person, and Telehealth serving clients throughout Florida.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. While we are licensed therapists, we are not your therapists, and this does not replace professional mental health care. If you need support, please reach out to a professional near you.

Have you ever felt the quiet, exhausting helplessness of desperately trying to save someone you love? It is a very specific kind of pain, and a heavy grief that the world rarely validates.

In this special Summer Series replay, we revisit a deeply moving conversation with licensed mental health counselor and author Joel Asencio about his book, How Much Could a Clementine Weigh?. While we touch on the internal reality of depression, this episode shines a light on the other side of that emotional wall. We unpack the disenfranchised and ambiguous grief that comes with loving someone who is struggling, and remind you that their inability to receive your love does not mean you are loving them wrong.

Questions for Reflection: Because this episode is so packed with insight, I want to add a little extra value this time around. As you listen—or listen again, I invite you to keep these questions in mind:

How are you currently carrying or measuring the "weight" of the unacknowledged losses in your own life?

What is one small way you can give yourself permission to process that weight today?

Connect with Our Guest:

• Author: Joel Asencio
• Book: How Much Could a Clementine Weigh?
• Instagram: @authorJoelAsencio

Join the Community: Please subscribe and share this episode, maybe even text it to someone who could use those reflection questions right now! It helps us grow this community and reach others who need to know their grief is valid.

Instagram: @thelivinglosspodcast  Email: [email protected]

If you’re interested in a consultation for individual therapy with Daiana Bernard, please reach out via email or visit the practice website below.

Email: [email protected] Website: MeaningfulTherapyFL.com Location: Riverview, FL, In-Person, and Telehealth serving clients throughout Florida.

If you’re interested in a consultation with Cassandra Harris-Towner please reach out via email or visit the practice website below. Email: [email protected] Website: firststridezcounseling.com Location: Ocala, FL, In-Person, and Telehealth serving clients throughout Florida.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. While Daiana and Cassandra are licensed mental health counselors, they are not your mental health counselors, and this does not replace professional mental health care. If you feel you need support, please reach out to a professional near you.

What a journey it has been! In this Season 1 finale, we take a look back at the past 24 episodes of The Living Loss Podcast. As licensed mental health counselors, we dive deep into the quiet, complex griefs that don’t come with a funeral because you truly cannot heal what you don’t acknowledge.

From behind-the-scenes blunders (like trying not to look like Casper under the studio lights) to the profound honor of holding space for 13 incredible guests, we reflect on the powerful themes that defined this season: identity loss, disenfranchised grief, sibling dynamics, and ambiguous loss. We also share our personal "Living Loss Lessons" from this season, talking about how our own friendship has evolved and how we are learning to show up more intentionally for those we love.

• The Power of the Pivot: How a season we thought would be mostly solo episodes turned into a beautiful tapestry of guest stories.
• Redefining Grief: Shifting the focus from the obvious loss of a person to the hidden, unacknowledged losses—like hair loss (alopecia), eating disorder recovery, and family estrangement.
• Creating Meaning from Pain: Reflecting on how our guests turned their darkest seasons into missions, books, foundations, and advocacy work.
• Our Personal Lessons: Cassandra and Daiana share their raw reflections on falling short in the past, learning to just "show up," and embracing imperfection.
• Looking Ahead to Season 2: A sneak peek into upcoming topics, including an exploration of loneliness and how it impacts us differently.

We want to hear from you! What is a quiet, unrecognized loss in your world that you want to see explored in Season 2? Reach out to us, no books or accolades required. Just your human experience.

Instagram: @thelivinglosspodcast  Email: [email protected]

If you’re interested in a consultation for individual therapy with Daiana Bernard, please reach out via email or visit the practice website below.

Email: [email protected]

Website: MeaningfulTherapyFL.com Location: Riverview, FL, In-Person, and Telehealth serving clients throughout Florida.

If you’re interested in a consultation with Cassandra Harris-Towner please reach out via email or visit the practice website below.

Email: [email protected]

Website: firststridezcounseling.com Location: Ocala, FL, In-Person, and Telehealth serving clients throughout Florida.

Disclaimer: While we are Licensed Mental Health Counselors, listening to this podcast or reaching out for a consultation does not replace professional therapy or establish a therapist-client relationship. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please call or text 988 or head to your nearest emergency room.

In this episode licensed mental health counselors Daiana Bernard and Cassandra Harris-Towner sit down with certified grief educator, best-selling author, and international speaker Heidi Dunstan. Following the sudden loss of her husband in 2018, Heidi discovered firsthand how ill-equipped society is to handle deep pain.

In this deeply moving and practical conversation, Heidi shares the unintentionally painful phrases she encountered, how comparison and judgment act as "grief’s kryptonite," and why true support is about witnessing pain rather than trying to fix it. Whether you are navigating your own changing identity through a non-death loss or looking for the right way to show up for a friend in the trenches, this episode provides a masterclass in leaning into grief with grace.

Connect with Heidi:  

www.heididunstan.ca

Instagram @leanintogrief

www.facebook.com/leanintogrief

https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidi-dunstan/

Join the Community: We’re building a space where every loss is seen. Have a 'Living Loss Lesson' or a topic you’d like us to explore? Email us your story. If you have an experience you’d like us to share on the air, let us know, we are always happy to share your stories anonymously to keep this a safe space for our community. 

Instagram: @thelivinglosspodcast  Email: [email protected]

Support the Show: If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review. It helps us reach others who need to hear that their grief is valid.

I

f you’re interested in a consultation for individual therapy with Daiana Bernard, please reach out via email or visit the practice website below.

Email: [email protected] Website: MeaningfulTherapyFL.com Location: Riverview, FL, In-Person, and Telehealth serving clients throughout Florida.

If you’re interested in a consultation with Cassandra Harris-Towner please reach out via email or visit the practice website below. Email: [email protected] Website: firststridezcounseling.com Location: Ocala, FL, In-Person, and Telehealth serving clients throughout Florida.

Disclaimer: While we are Licensed Mental Health Counselors, listening to this podcast or reaching out for a consultation does not replace professional therapy or establish a therapist-client relationship. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please call or text 988 or head to your nearest emergency room.

In this episode, Daiana and Cassandra dive deep into a form of disenfranchised grief that is rarely spoken about: the invisible emotional toll and identity crisis tied to hearing loss. From the daily exhaustion of listening fatigue to the isolation of feeling left out, we explore why this quiet loss cuts so deep and how we can begin to validate the pain it causes.

We are joined by the incredible Vanessa Branch, founder of the National Hard of Hearing Forum and an Advanced Bionics Mentor. Vanessa vulnerably shares her journey with sensorineural hearing loss since age seven, her transition to a cochlear implant, and how she moved from a painful cycle of trying to "fit in" to fully embracing her identity and building a thriving community of advocacy.

Connect with Vanessa: 

Website: https://nhohforum.wixsite.com/nationalhohforum

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n.h.o.h_forum?igsh=cDI0OTNiYTdvcWxw

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nhohf-5a4269330

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/nationalhohforum.bsky.social

FREE E-BOOK: Listening & Concentration Fatigue: https://pensight.com/x/nhohf/digital-item-54d9d365-ca6d-49b0-a138-531d9e9b117d

Join the Community: We’re building a space where every loss is seen. Have a 'Living Loss Lesson' or a topic you’d like us to explore? Email us your story.

Instagram: @thelivinglosspodcast  Email: [email protected]

Support the Show: If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, follow, share and leave a review. It helps us reach others who need to hear that their grief is valid.

If you’re interested in a consultation for individual therapy with Daiana Bernard, please reach out via email or visit the practice website below.

Email: [email protected] Website: MeaningfulTherapyFL.com Location: Riverview, FL, In-Person, and Telehealth serving clients throughout Florida.

If you’re interested in a consultation with Cassandra Harris-Towner please reach out via email or visit the practice website below. Email: [email protected] Website: firststridezcounseling.com serving clients throughout Florida.

Disclaimer: This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please call or text 988 or head to your nearest emergency room.