In this solo episode, I talk about the many signs that I have received over the past 7 years since my sister, Marissa, passed. Receiving these signs, whether big or small, have always been like little pieces of hope for me throughout my grief journey.

In this lighthearted episode, my cousin, Carly, and I discuss the things we wish people didn't say to grievers, even though we know that they mean well. We share some stories from our early years of grief that we are now able to laugh about and discuss our thoughts around certain situations after losing a family member.

In this episode, I have both of my parents on to discuss how they have navigated the hardships they have faced since early on in their marriage. My Mom shares her story of starting to attend Al-Anon while my Dad was not yet sober and they both share their perspectives on rebuilding their marriage in the aftermath. They also discuss how they leaned on each other while caring for aging parents and when my sister, Marissa, was sick. We also talked about how they got through their grief together after my sister passed.

In this solo episode, I discuss the emotions I have been feeling leading up to the anniversary of my sister's passing and the lingering emotions I have been dealing with. I chose to do this episode after the anniversary date since my emotions felt too heavy and all over the place leading up to the day. I also share some funny stories of my sister, Marissa, which is always something that I try to focus on during these times.

In this episode, I have my Dad back on to talk about his journey to sobriety. He very honestly details what his life was like throughout active addiction and what led him to become sober. My dad has been sober for over 30 years now, and to have that as a normal thing in our lives, since my sister and I were young, was truly a gift that we were always aware of.

In this episode, I have my friend, Jenna Walsh, on. She came into my family's life when she started dating my brother-in-law, who she is now married to. We discuss how she lost her Mom and her Dad in under 2 years, testing positive for the BRCA2 gene and opting to get a double mastectomy, how she supported my brother-in-law in his early years of grief and how she shows up for him in that way, and how we have become a blended family over the years.

In this episode, I discuss comparing my life and timeline to others; something that I have done since I was a teenager. I talk about comparing myself when it came to finishing college, my career, body image, where and who I lived with, and my relationship status over the years. I also talk about how changing my mindset around these things helped me focus on what I do have in life instead of what I feel like I am lacking.

In this episode, I talk with my friend, Chelsea Sullivan, about her experience of finding out she had a benign brain tumor (a meningioma) shortly after her 30th birthday. She discusses how this impacted her life prior to getting this diagnosis, the symptoms she experienced, how this impacted her mental health, and ultimately, how going through this changed her life. Chelsea is the first guest that I have on that we discuss a life-altering experience that is not related to death and loss.

My mom, Jacki, joins me again to discuss our family's nonprofit foundation, Marissa's Mission: No One Fights Alone, which we started in my sister's honor to carry on her work of paying it forward to other patients/families who are going through a blood cancer diagnosis. We discuss how the foundation originated, the types of fundraising events that we host, and also our thoughts on the foundation over the years and where we see it going in the future.

If you or anyone you know hears of someone who has a blood cancer diagnosis and would benefit from financial support, please feel free to reach out to our foundation. You can contact us through our Instagram (@marissas_mission), through our Facebook page "Marissa's Mission: No One Fights Alone" or through email by visiting our website: www.marissasmission.com.

In this episode, I talk with my friend Nikki (Graham) Wolfinger about her perspective while her Mom went through breast cancer and then losing her Mom when she was only 21 years old. We also discuss Nikki's friendship with my sister, Marissa and how the two experiences of watching both of them go through cancer treatment differed.