Life With Grief Podcast | Grief Support Podcast
Welcome to the Life With Grief Podcast! I'm your host and Grief & Soul Purpose Coach, Tara Accardo. I created Life With Grief and this community to normalize the complexities of grief, navigate life after loss, feel inspired along the way, and so much more.Consider this your safe space where you feel seen, validated, and supported. I'm in this with you as a fellow griever who lost both parents to cancer before I turned 30 (six months apart, no less), lost my fur baby less than a year later, and experienced a traumatic birth. I'm here to walk this path with y...
200. 200 Episodes!! What 200 Conversations About Grief & Loss Have Taught Me
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In this milestone episode of Life With Grief, I’m reflecting on what 200 conversations about grief and loss have truly taught me about healing, identity, resilience, purpose, and what it really means to live a full life after loss.
When I recorded episode one, I thought I understood grief because I had lived it. What I didn’t know was how much listening to hundreds of stories—from widows, grieving parents, adult children, partners, and survivors of complicated loss—would deepen, stretch, and transform that understanding.
In this episode, I share:
199. Self-Care vs. Soul Care: What Grief ACTUALLY Needs
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Grief is often met with the same advice: practice self-care. Take a bath. Go for a walk. Journal. Rest. And while those things can support your nervous system, they don’t always touch the deeper layers of loss.
In this episode of Life With Grief, let's explore the powerful difference between self-care and soul-care—especially in the context of grief, identity shifts, and life after loss. Because grief isn’t just stress, it’s a transformation. And that requires something deeper than surface-level coping tools.
Let's dig into:
✨ What traditiona...
198. The Fog of Grief: Why You Can’t Concentrate After Loss
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Have you been struggling to focus since your loss? Perhaps you find yourself reading the same paragraph over and over, forgetting simple words, or feeling mentally slower than you used to. Maybe you're wondering, “What is wrong with me?”
In this episode, we’re talking about the fog of grief. The very real cognitive and neurological effects of loss that can make concentration feel nearly impossible.
Grief affects your nervous system, your memory, your decision-making, and your ability to think clearly. When someone you love dies, your brain shifts into surviv...
197. Grieving Two Parents: From a Sudden Death to Dementia Caregiving with Barri Leiner Grant
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In this episode of Life With Grief, Barri Leiner Grant shares her experience of losing her mother suddenly to a brain aneurysm at age 27, and what it meant to grieve at a time when grief was rarely spoken about.
She opens up about becoming a motherless mother, seeking therapy during pregnancy, and learning how to carry loss without silencing it.
We explore spiritual and intuitive healing, including working with a shaman and medium, and how those experiences led her to create The Memory Circle, a space centered on continuing bonds a...
196: Reinventing Yourself After Loss: Is It Wrong to Want a New Life?
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In this episode of Life With Grief, let's dig into the quiet desire many grievers feel after loss: the pull to completely reinvent themselves.
When someone we love dies, it doesn’t just change our circumstances... it changes our identity. Our priorities shift, our tolerance lowers, and what once felt meaningful may no longer fit. And wanting something new can bring guilt, confusion, and even pushback from others.
Let's explore why reinvention after grief is a deeply human response to loss, not a betrayal. I talk about the identity shifts th...
195. Grieving the Death of a Brother: Addiction, Stigma & Finding Identity with Nina Rodriguez
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In this episode of Life With Grief, I sit down with Nina Rodriguez to talk about sibling grief after the sudden death of her only brother, Yosef, who died from fentanyl poisoning on September 11, 2019—just one day after his 32nd birthday.
Nina shares what it means to grieve as a sibling, why bereaved siblings are often the “forgotten mourners,” and how the loss of a brother or sister can deeply impact identity, birth order, and family dynamics.
Together, we explore the complex layers of grief after addiction-related death, including stigma, shame...
194. The Duality of Celebrating Others While Mourning What You’ve Lost
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Grief and life transitions often bring emotions that feel confusing, complicated, and sometimes even contradictory. One of the most common experiences people face after loss is feeling genuinely happy for someone they love, while simultaneously feeling sadness, longing, or grief for themselves. Can you relate to this?
If you’ve ever celebrated someone else’s milestone while quietly mourning what feels missing in your own life, you are not alone.
Let's talk about:
✨ Why it’s normal to feel happy for others while feeling sad for yourself
✨ How grief incr...
193. Navigating Brother Loss and Chronic Illness with Dr. Heather Taylor
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In this episode of Life With Grief I sit down with Dr. Heather Taylor, a Licensed Psychologist and Grief Educator, for an honest and deeply human conversation about grief, sibling loss, and living with chronic illness.
Dr. Heather shares her personal story of losing her younger brother and navigating the often-overlooked experience of sibling grief. She opens up about her own struggles to find effective grief therapy, and how those gaps ultimately led her to pursue a career in psychology so she could offer the kind of grief-informed care she once needed...
192. Navigating Relationship Changes & Outgrowing Friendships After Loss
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Grief doesn’t just change how you feel, it often changes your relationships, too. After losing someone you love (or after any loss, really), friendships, family dynamics, and romantic relationships can start to shift. You may feel misunderstood, unsupported, or emotionally unsafe sharing your grief. And for many grievers, this can feel like a secondary loss layered on top of the first.
Join me in talking about the very real experience of outgrowing relationships after loss, why it happens, and how to navigate the complicated emotions that can come with relationship changes du...
BONUS: 5-Minute Grief Talk: When Grief Changes Your Identity
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Grief doesn’t just break your heart, it literally changes who you are.
In this heartfelt 5-Minute Grief Talk (in honor of my 35th birthday!), I’m sharing a truth that so many grievers quietly wrestle with: the way loss reshapes your identity. The moment you realize you don’t feel like the same person anymore. The disorientation of trying to understand who you are now after everything you’ve lost.
We talk about:
❤️🩹 How grief changes your sense of self
❤️🩹Why wanting to “go back” is so common (and so painful)
❤️...
191. 5 Life-changing Lessons at 35: Grief, Growth, and Living With Intention
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In this birthday episode of Life With Grief, I’m sharing five life lessons I’m still actively practicing as I turn 35! Lessons grief, age, motherhood, and lived experience have etched into me over time. These are things rooted in identity shifts, discernment, presence, and learning how to live a full life while carrying loss.
I’ve realized that I’ve gone through many deaths and rebirths in my life—once when my parents died, again when I became a mother, and in quieter ways as I continue to evolve into the truest ver...
198. The Fog of Grief: Why You Can’t Concentrate After Loss
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Have you been struggling to focus since your loss? Perhaps you find yourself reading the same paragraph over and over, forgetting simple words, or feeling mentally slower than you used to. Maybe you're wondering, “What is wrong with me?”
In this episode, we’re talking about the fog of grief. The very real cognitive and neurological effects of loss that can make concentration feel nearly impossible.
Grief affects your nervous system, your memory, your decision-making, and your ability to think clearly. When someone you love dies, your brain shifts into surviv...
190. Sibling Loss & Childhood Grief: Growing Up After Losing a Brother with Dominic Simpson
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In this heartfelt episode of Life With Grief I’m joined by Dominic Simpson, who shares his experience of losing his older brother, Paul, at the age of nine—and how that early loss quietly shaped his life in ways he’s still uncovering today.
We talk about sibling loss as a deeply under-acknowledged form of grief, especially when it happens in childhood, and how bereaved siblings often learn to carry their pain silently. Dominic opens up about grief, masculinity, and the pressure many boys and men feel to “stay strong,” as well as th...
189. Soft Life Habits in Grief That Have Changed Me
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In this episode I’m reflecting on what living a “soft life” really means—especially after loss. As I approach my 35th birthday, especially, I’ve been thinking deeply about how grief reshaped my priorities, my energy, and the way I move through my days.
This isn’t about perfection, productivity, or avoiding hard emotions. It’s about creating gentle, supportive rhythms inside a very real life. One that includes grief, responsibilities, and limited capacity.
I’m sharing six soft life habits that genuinely changed me and helped me feel more grounded, p...
188. Finding Healing After Unimaginable Mother, Sibling and Pregnancy Loss with Tiriq Rashad
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In this deeply honest episode of the Life With Grief Podcast, I sit down with artist and spoken word poet Tiriq Rashad to talk about grief, loss, and the role creativity can play in healing.
Tiriq shares his experience navigating multiple profound losses, including the sudden death of his mother in a car accident and the loss of a child. We explore how these losses shaped his emotional world, his identity, and his relationship with art.
We also dig into:
✨ Navigating the multiple layers of grief.
✨ The inspiration behi...
187. The Mirror Effect of Grief: How Loss Reveals Strength, Patterns, and Personal Growth
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Grief doesn’t just change your life, it reveals YOU. In this episode of Mourning Sips & Soul Shifts let's explore what I like to call the "mirror effect" of grief. The way loss acts as a mirror that reflects our unacknowledged strengths, emotional patterns, and capacity for renewal.
We dig into:
✨ Why grief acts as a mirror rather than something to “get over”
✨ How loss reveals strength you didn’t know you had
✨ The emotional and behavioral patterns grief brings to the surface, and why they’re not flaws
✨ How grief...
186. When Grief Keeps Stacking: Finding Hope After Multiple Profound Losses with Theo Boyd
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In this episode of Life With Grief, I sit down with author Theo Boyd for a deeply honest and heart-opening conversation about navigating layered loss and finding hope after profound grief.
Theo is the author of "My Grief Is Not Like Yours"and "Hope All the Way", and she shares openly about the many losses that have shaped her life. Together, we explore what it truly means to live with grief when loss keeps stacking, and how healing and purpose can still exist alongside heartbreak.
We dig into:
✨ The ac...
185. Decision Avoidance in Grief: Why It Happens and How to Make Aligned Choices
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Grief doesn’t just affect how we feel, it impacts how we think, plan, and make decisions. If you’ve been avoiding decisions lately or feeling frozen and overwhelmed by even small choices, you’re not alone (and you’re not broken).
Let's explore why decision-making feels so difficult in grief, how the nervous system and brain are affected by loss, and why decision avoidance is often a form of self-protection. I'm also sharing how new year pressure can intensify this struggle when clarity feels out of reach.
I'm also introduc...
184. Losing My Wife to Cancer: Grief, Fatherhood, and Finding Meaning After Loss with Danny Lesslie
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In this deeply moving episode of Life With Grief we welcome Danny Lesslie, who shares the intimate and transformative story of losing his wife, Raffi, to vulvar cancer and navigating life, fatherhood, and grief in the aftermath.
Danny opens up about the raw realities of anticipatory grief, caregiving through cancer, and what it meant to walk alongside Raffi during her battle. He reflects on the strength found in vulnerability, the evolving grief journey he shares with his daughters, and why open conversations around male grief are so deeply needed.
We...
183. How Grief Changes Your Goals and How to Reimagine What Comes Next
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After loss, many people find themselves asking a quiet but heavy question: What do I even want anymore?
Let's explore how grief reshapes our goals, dreams, and vision for the future—and why that doesn’t mean anything has gone wrong. Loss changes us. It changes what feels meaningful, what feels safe to hope for, and how we imagine our lives moving forward.
This episode is an invitation to gently revisit your goals through a new lens. One shaped by lived experience, loss, and deeper self-awareness. Rather than forcing clarity or r...
182. Navigating Husband Loss, Illness, and Healing with Lisa Keefauver
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In this episode of the Life With Grief Podcast, I’m joined by Grief Activist and Guide, Author, and Licensed Clinical Social Worker Lisa Keefauver for a deeply honest and expansive conversation about living with grief, trauma, and resilience.
Lisa shares her personal and professional journey with grief, including the devastating loss of her husband and navigating a cancer diagnosis of her own. Together, we explore how grief reshapes identity, relationships, and the way we move through the world after loss.
This episode dives into narrative therapy, the importance of ho...
181. 5 Mindset Shifts for Entering a New Year While Carrying Grief
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Entering a new year while grieving can feel incredibly complex. While the world celebrates fresh starts and new beginnings, your grief doesn’t simply disappear when the calendar changes.
In this episode, we explore:
✨ Why the “fresh start” narrative can feel painful when you’re grieving
✨ How to approach the new year as a gentle continuation, not a restart
✨ Letting go of forced positivity and making space for emotional complexity
✨ Why capacity-setting matters more than goal-setting in grief
✨ Honoring fear, hesitation, and uncertainty about the future
✨ How to carry love an...
180. Spiritual Support & Messages for Grievers: Angel & Aura Readings for 2026
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In this special end-of-year episode, I’m closing out 2025 by pulling Angel and Aura cards for listeners using the Angels and Auras Oracle deck. This episode offers gentle spiritual guidance and emotional support for anyone navigating grief as we prepare to step into a new year.
I share three individual readings along with a collective message for all of you, touching on themes of continued connection with loved ones who have passed, resilience through personal challenges, and the quiet reassurance of divine support. These messages are especially meant for those feeling tender, un...
179. Finding Your Word for the Year: A Grief-Informed Approach to Setting Intentions
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In this episode of Mourning Sips & Soul Shifts on Life With Grief, let's explore the powerful and grounding practice of choosing a word of the year—especially when traditional New Year’s resolutions feel unrealistic, overwhelming, or misaligned during grief.
Rather than focusing on rigid goals, I'm inviting you to choose a single intentional word to anchor you throughout the year. This practice can offer clarity, emotional steadiness, and self-trust while navigating loss, life transitions, and personal growth.
I'm gently walking you through a step-by-step process to discover your word of t...
178. Living With Layered Grief: Mother Loss, Infertility, Motherhood, and Mental Health with Katrina Shaw
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Join me as I sit down with Katrina Shaw for an honest and deeply layered conversation about living with grief across multiple seasons of life.
Katrina shares her personal grief journey, including the loss of her mother at age 15, the premature death of her nephew, and her experiences with recurrent miscarriage and infertility. She opens up about the emotional complexity of becoming a parent after loss, navigating postnatal depression, and the profound identity shifts that can accompany motherhood and grief.
The conversation also explores Katrina’s later-in-life ADHD diagnosis and ch...
177. Navigating the Unknown in Grief: Finding Hope & Possibility in a New Year
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In this episode of Mourning Sips & Soul Shifts, we're exploring what it really feels like to face the unknown—especially when you’re grieving and heading into a new year.
If the uncertainty of the future is stirring up anxiety, fear, or that “I don’t know what comes next” ache, this episode walks with you through it. I'm sharing grounding, compassionate guidance for navigating the discomfort of not having all the answers, and how to gently reframe the unknown as a place where possibility lives.
I'm also sharing some personal r...
176. When Tragedy Strikes Twice: Navigating Mother and Sister Loss with Kate Gladdin
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In this deeply moving episode of Life With Grief, I'm sitting down with Motivational Speaker, Best-Selling Author, and Resilience Coach Kate Gladdin to explore the realities of layered grief after traumatic loss.
Kate shares her story of losing her sister in a tragic accident in Thailand and, years later, losing her mother in a heartbreaking motor accident earlier this year. Together, we unpack how grief resurfaces over time, how trauma shapes the grieving process, and what it means to rebuild life after devastating loss.
Kate opens up about the complex e...
175. Releasing Comparison: How to Stop Comparing Your Grief to Someone Else’s
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In this episode of Mourning Sips & Soul Shifts, let's explore why comparing your grief to someone else’s can feel so instinctive... and so damaging. I'm breaking down the societal pressures, conditioning, and survival instincts that push us into comparison mode, especially after loss, and am here to remind you that grief is a deeply personal, non-linear journey.
You’ll hear relatable insights from my own journey, along with grounding tools to help you reconnect with your own timeline. If you’ve been feeling “behind” in your healing or questioning whether you’re grieving t...
174. Grief Awareness Week: Real Talk on Navigating Life After Loss with Liz Quinn and Nina Rodriguez
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In honor of Grief Awareness Week, I’m joined by fellow podcast hosts Liz Quinn (Healing Hearts Podcast) and Nina Rodriguez (Grief and Light Podcast) for a vulnerable, honest conversation about the many layers of grief during the holidays.
Together, we explore our personal experiences with loss, how grief evolves over time, and what it really looks like to navigate overwhelming emotions when the world expects you to be “merry and bright.”
We talk through practical and compassionate ways to cope with grief, including:
✨ Holding onto holiday traditions (or releasin...
173. When Grief Sneaks Up During the Holidays (and What to Do Next)
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In case you missed my new 5 Minute Grief Talks on YouTube, here's a little sneak peek so you can get a taste of what they're like! These are here to be a little boost of support, guidance, and inspiration you can watch or listen to whenever you need it. Quick, but impactful!
When grief sneaks up during the holidays, it can feel like the wind gets knocked out of you. In this short five-minute holiday grief talk, I'm diving into why these emotional “sneak attacks” happen and what you can actually do in t...
172. Holiday Grief Day 5: How to Navigate Grief and Gratitude During the Holiday Season
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In this episode, we're exploring the complicated dance between grief and gratitude during the holiday season—a time that can feel emotionally conflicting, overwhelming, or even isolating after loss.
I break down:
✨ Why it’s normal to feel both thankful and heartbroken
✨ Challenges the pressure to “just be grateful"
✨ Grounded strategies for navigating holiday gatherings, expectations, and triggers while still honoring your grief
You’ll hear gentle reminders about releasing perfection, embracing the messiness that this season can bring, and making space for hope, self-compassion, and whatever feelings are sh...
171. Holiday Grief Day 4: Reimagining the Holidays After Loss: Finding Comfort and New Traditions
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Today I'm here to gently guide you through navigating the holiday season after losing someone you love.
We'll talk about how to honor the memories of those who are gone while finding new ways to celebrate and create meaning. I'll also share ideas for reimagining traditions that no longer bring joy, introduce you to simple journaling prompts for reflection, and will lead you through a beautiful grounding mindfulness exercise to help calm overwhelming emotions.
We'll talk about:
✨ Coping with the challenges of holiday grief
✨ Reimagining family traditions in a way...
170. Holiday Grief Day 3: How to Manage Holiday Grief Triggers and Anxiety
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Today we're exploring how to navigate holiday grief triggers and the anxiety that often comes with this season. The holidays can feel especially tender and overwhelming after a loss, and this episode offers grounded, approachable guidance for managing those emotional landmines.
I'm sharing high-level strategies for recognizing and responding to grief triggers during the holidays, including:
✨ Acknowledging your feelings instead of pushing through
✨ Setting intentional boundaries
✨ Creating a “Plan B” for events or gatherings
✨ Giving yourself permission to step away
✨ Practicing more compassion toward your own capacity
You’l...
169. Holiday Grief Day 2: Coping with the Pressure to Be Happy During the Holidays
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Today on Life With Grief we're diving deep into the experience of grieving during the holidays—when the world feels festive, but your heart feels heavy.
I'm sharing heartfelt insight into the pressure to be merry while you’re missing someone you love. We’ll talk about why holiday grief can feel so isolating, how to release the expectation to “stay cheerful,” and what it means to honor your emotions instead of hiding them.
You’ll learn how to:
✨ Set boundaries with family and friends when you’re not feeling up for c...
168. Holiday Grief Day 1: Coping with Grief During the Holidays
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Welcome to Day 1 of my 5 Days of Holiday Grief series! In this episode, we explore how to cope with grief during the holiday season, especially when facing your first holiday after a significant loss.
Whether your grief stems from the death of a loved one, divorce, or another life-changing event, this episode offers guidance to help you navigate the emotional challenges.
We chat about the importance of acknowledging and processing complex emotions, setting healthy boundaries, communicating your needs, and finding supportive outlets for your grief. You'll also hear tips on b...
167. Messages from Spirit: Finding Healing and Hope After Loss with Brittney Ann
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Today I'm welcoming Brittney Ann, a gifted medium who opens up about her incredible journey of discovering and embracing her spiritual gifts after years of denying them.
From her early childhood experiences of seeing and sensing spirits to the trauma that ultimately led her to accept her mediumship, Brittany shares a powerful story of healing, resilience, and transformation through grief.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
✨ How Brittney first discovered her mediumship and learned to trust her gift
✨ The connection between grief, trauma, and spiritual awakening
✨ What it feels...
166. When Grief Changes You and Others Don’t Understand
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In today’s episode of Mourning Sips & Soul Shifts, we’re exploring a common challenge in the grief journey: the pressure to return to your “old self” before loss.
I'm here to remind you that it’s completely normal to change after a significant loss. Grief transforms us, and that transformation isn't something to fix. It’s something to honor.
In this conversation, we're digging into why people around us may struggle to understand our evolution, and mindset shifts to help you navigate this part of your healing journey.
You’ll le...
165. How to Heal Grief and Trauma Through the Nervous System with Jessica Maguire
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Today I'm sitting down with Jessica Maguire, a Grief and Nervous System Expert, to explore the powerful link between grief, trauma, and the nervous system.
Together we dive into how grief is stored in the body, why our nervous system responds the way it does after loss, and how to begin healing trauma and regulating your body through mindful awareness and connection.
Jessica opens up about her own story of loss (in particular, her brother to suicide), and how it inspired her work in nervous system education and trauma recovery.<...
164. Facing an Empty Seat: Surviving the Holidays Without Your Loved One
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In this episode of Mourning Sips & Soul Shifts, let's explore how to navigate the holiday season while grieving the loss of a loved one. More specifically, missing their presence at the holiday dinner table or celebrations.
I'm sharing a glimpse into the evolution of my own holiday seasons without my parents over the years, but more importantly, I'm offering you practical, compassionate advice if you're struggling with loneliness, sadness, or emotional overwhelm during the holidays.
You’ll learn:
✨ How to acknowledge your grief and give yourself permission to feel.
...
163. Reinventing Yourself After New Beginnings or Life Transitions with Angela Vitiello
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In this episode of the Life With Grief Podcast I'm joined by Angela Vitiello, founder of The Expat Parenting Collective, to explore a unique and often overlooked form of grief: the kind that comes with major life transitions and relocation.
Angela opens up about her personal journey of moving abroad, adjusting to new cultures, and navigating motherhood as an expat. She shares how the excitement of starting fresh can coexist with feelings of loss, identity shifts, and postpartum grief.
Together, we unpack:
✨ The emotional impact of moving, relocation, and ex...
