What does theater have to do with grief? In this episode, Expressive Arts Therapists Rachelle Archer and Erika Malone join Jenn to share how storytelling through Playback Theater can serve as a powerful tool for feeling seen, heard, and part of something bigger than yourself. Playback Theater is a way for people to tell their stories and see them reflected back through a theater performance, which is especially impactful for marginalized communities and those going through challenging seasons of life. It is a form of arts for social change that honors not just grief from death, but from all of life’s changes.

Resources:

Learn more about Rachelle and her work at www.rachellearcher.com and listen to her podcast, The Artful Leader, wherever you listen to podcasts

Learn more about Erika and her work with Yellowbird Expressive Arts at /www.yellow-bird.org

Looking for more support? Join our monthly free virtual trainings on every third Thursday in the morning and evening. Click here to register for our next training.

Enjoying the podcast? Support our production costs by donating here

Receive your Free Grief Guidebook and find Jenn’s work here

Music by Daniel Plane: www.reelcello.com

Podcast production by Caitlin Epstein

Have you ever felt the grief of blocked passion? Like you’re fighting an uphill battle? Author and non-profit leader Hawah Kasat understands these experiences well and joins Jenn in this episode to talk about how he faced the red tape, competitive fundraising, and the feeling that you’re just not doing enough with his non-profit One Common Unity for 20 years. He shares the failures of the non-proft sector and how its shortcomings left him with a loss of hope and worries that he’s been doing the wrong work for decades. Hawah also speaks about the loss of his mentee, Nate, to gun violence and the challenge of showing up as a community leader and holding space when deling with that loss himself. Listen for a profound conversation about the barriers to systemic change that we face as a society, the grief we feel as a result of injustice and harm, and Hawah’s vision for a better way forward.

Resources:

Connect with Hawah on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn

Learn more about Hawah’s work on his website: https://hawah.us/

Listen to Hawah’s TedX Talk ‘How Greed Could Save the World’

Looking for more support? Join our monthly free virtual trainings on every third Thursday in the morning and evening. Click here to register for our next training.

Enjoying the podcast? Support our production costs by donating here

Receive your Free Grief Guidebook and find Jenn’s work here

Music by Daniel Plane: www.reelcello.com

Podcast production by Caitlin Epstein

Have you recently lost a spouse? Or do you have a loved one who was recently widowed? In this episode, Grief Recovery Specialist, Author, and Financial Planner Donna Kendrick joins Jenn to share the shock of suddenly losing her husband Greg in 2013 and her journey to helping other widows and widowers feel more in control and less alone. In the decade since her husband’s passing, Donna has brough love back into the financial planning industry to help people through times of transition and gives back to her community through sharing the tools of the Grief Recovery Method. Listen to learn how you can find support in widowhood as well as the key ways that you can be there for someone in the days, months, and years after a loss.

***Content warning: Suicide*** 

Resources:

Learn more about Donna and her work including her book A Guide to Widowhood: Navigating the First Three Years at www.widow-wisdom.com

Follow Donna on Instagram @widowandwisdom

Listen to the Widow Wisdom and Wealth Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts

Looking for more support? Join our monthly free virtual trainings on every third Thursday in the morning and evening. Click here to register for our next training.

Enjoying the podcast? Support our production costs by donating here

Receive your Free Grief Guidebook and find Jenn’s work here

Music by Daniel Plane: www.reelcello.com

Podcast production by Caitlin Epstein

Do you find yourself feeling scattered and scared, like you’re on a slippery slope where everything important to you is sliding away? In this episode, Clinical Psychologist and Personal Energy Strategist Dr.Sandra Lewis shares how she overcame burnout through grounding practices, identifying circles of care, and inviting in care from within, community, and from those beyond the veil. Listen for simple grounding practices, ways that you can intentionally nurture your relationships with your ancestors, and powerful reminders that you are not alone.

Resources:

Get your “Exhausted to Energized - 6 Simple Strategies for BIG Relief” Free Gift here

Join the Smart Soul Success Collective for Women Facebook group

Learn more about Dr.Sandra and her work at www.lifein4partharmony.com

Looking for more support? Join our monthly free virtual trainings on every third Thursday in the morning and evening. Click here to register for our next training.

Enjoying the podcast? Support our production costs by donating here

Receive your Free Grief Guidebook and find Jenn’s work here

Music by Daniel Plane: www.reelcello.com

Podcast production by Caitlin Epstein

Grief has a much bigger impact on our relationships that we may realize. Childhood grief and trauma has a profound impact on our relationships as adults and major losses can lead to anger and estrangement as emotions run high and communication breaks down. In this episode, award winning speaker and trauma and relationship coach Robyn Smith joins Jenn to share how we can work on ourselves to create greater depth and understanding in our relationships with others. They discuss what it really means to hold space, how we can feel more worthy and complete on our own, and how to build communication muscles so that we do not encounter as many challenges when we face a loss.

Resources:

Get your Free Ultimate Communication Checklist and discover more about Robyn’s work and trainings at www.robynsmith.net

Join the Rock Your Relationship Sisterhood Facebook group

Looking for more support? Join our monthly free virtual trainings on every third Thursday in the morning and evening. Click here to register for our next training.

Enjoying the podcast? Support our production costs by donating here

Receive your Free Grief Guidebook and find Jenn’s work here

Music by Daniel Plane: www.reelcello.com

Podcast production by Caitlin Epstein 

To wrap up our series on Conscious Dying, Jenn leads a guided invoation of love, peace, and light. This practice is one that Jenn delivered at her father’s funeral and is part of her daily routine. It is a simple, quick way to offer yourself kindness and prepare yourself for times of struggle or bolster yourself in a time of grief.

Looking for more support? Join our monthly free virtual trainings on every third Thursday in the morning and evening. Click here to register for our next training.

Enjoying the podcast? Support our production costs by donating here

Receive your Free Grief Guidebook and find Jenn’s work here

Music by Daniel Plane: www.reelcello.com

Podcast production by Caitlin Epstein 

Jon Carlson had ALS and chose to die by Medical Aid in Dying on November 16, 2022. In the months leading up to his passing, he surrounded himself with the love of an incredible community, and through his conscious dying process they all gave and received incredible gifts. In this episode, Jon’s friend and caregiver Lauren Kemple shares the amazing reciprocal love that they all experienced, and how Jon continues to serve life even in death. Listen for profound lessons on approaching death in a conscious, healing way and for advice directly from Jon on how to go about interacting with someone who is dying.

Resources:

Discover more about Jon and now Lauren’s business and read Jon’s writings at www.vitalistbotanicals.com

Looking for more support? Join our monthly free virtual trainings on every third Thursday at 10 am and 6 pm PST. Click here to register for our next training.

Enjoying the podcast? Support our production costs by donating here

Receive your Free Grief Guidebook and find Jenn’s work here

Music by Daniel Plane: www.reelcello.com

Podcast production by Caitlin Epstein 

Death doesn’t have to be dark, scary, or a failure. In this special episode, we’ve gathered three incredible death doulas to talk about what conscious dying means to them, their experiences with Medical Aid in Dying, and how they help people go on a spiritual journey to release regrets and feel freedom before death. Listen for a wealth of wisdom, their mission to bring empowerment and autonomy to dying, and invitations to help you on your own conscious dying journey.

Meet the Doulas:

Jerrigrace Lyons is a Death Midwife and Educator, MAID Doula, Minister, and a pioneer in the Home Funeral Movement. She founded Final Passages to help prepare people for EOL and teach EOL Doula practice and HF Guidance. Learn more about Jerrigrace’s work and her courses at https://finalpassages.org and listen to her one-on-one interview in Episode 17.

Gabby Jimenez is a hospice nurse, end of life doula, conscious dying educator, author, and blogger. She is also the creator of the Hospice Heart Facebook group. Learn more about Gabby and her work at www.thehospiceheart.net and listen to her one-on-one interview in Episode 45.

Constance Miles is a death midwife and end of life doula who was formerly a nurse and homebirth midwife for 46+ years. Having been the midwife for two of her daughters at home six times, she midwifed her stepson when he died and removed her mom from life support. Learn more about Constance and her work at https://www.socoelda.com/

Have you joined the Grief and Grace Facebook group yet? If not, click here to join for connection, peace, and free workshops.

Looking for more support? Join our monthly free virtual trainings on every third Thursday at 10 am and 6 pm PST. Click here to register for our next training.

Enjoying the podcast? Support our production costs by donating here

Receive your Free Grief Guidebook and find Jenn’s work here

Music by Daniel Plane: www.reelcello.com

Podcast production by Caitlin Epstein

Part of grieving is returning to yourself. This is just one bit of the wisdom shared by ordained minister, full-spectrum doula, and educator Dr.Jamie Eaddy Chism in the fourth episode in our series on conscious dying. Dr.Jamie and Jenn discuss her work focused on transitions from birth to death and everything in between, and the lessons she has learned from her experiences of loss. Listen for powerful lessons on how your lost loved ones can move forward with you, finding contentment in not having all of the answers, and the power of silence.

Resources:

Learn more about Dr.Jamie and Thoughtful Transitions here 

Connect with Dr.Jamie on Facebook and Instagram

International End of Life Doula Association

Have you joined the Grief and Grace Facebook group yet? If not, click here to join for connection, peace, and free workshops.

Enjoying the podcast? Support our production costs by donating here

Receive your Free Grief Guidebook and find Jenn’s work here

Music by Daniel Plane: www.reelcello.com

Podcast production by Caitlin Epstein

Have you heard of Medical Aid in Dying or Compassionate Death? In this episode in our series on Conscious Dying, Hospice Nurse and Death Doula Gabby Jimenez joins Jenn to give an introduction to medically assisted dying and the lessons that she learned beside her brother’s deathbed. Listen to discover how caregivers can also take care of themselves, the importance of saying what we want to say before it’s too late, and the peace, joy, and dignity that can come with compassionate death. 

Resources:

Learn more about Gabby and her work here

Join the Hospice Heart Facebook page

Have you joined the Grief and Grace Facebook group yet? If not, click here to join for connection, peace, and free workshops.

Enjoying the podcast? Support our production costs by donating here

Receive your Free Grief Guidebook and find Jenn’s work here

Music by Daniel Plane: www.reelcello.com

Podcast production by Caitlin Epstein