Grief & Happiness

Would your loved one want you to be happy?Let's Connect:You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking hereYou can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking hereRequest your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide hereSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In today's episode, I’m joined by Natasha Trujillo, Ph.D., a Counseling and Sports Psychologist and acclaimed author. Natasha is also a grief and loss specialist who works with Olympic athletes, helping them deal with perfectionism, eating disorders, and other challenges they might face in their professional lives. Despite her many years of experience assisting others to navigate grief, she felt lost after two major losses hit her in a short time. Dealing with those heavy blows led her to challenge old beliefs, instilling in her the need to write about why we avoid talking about death, intergenerational trauma, and the pain remembering the loss of a loved one causes.  Throughout this episode, Natasha and I talk about the importance of exploring and discussing family dynamics and unresolved issues to understand how we deal with our ‘stuff’ and conduct ourselves in the context of grief and loss. You'll also hear about Natasha's beautifully written book, how putting her thoughts and feelings on paper helped her deal with them, the crucial relevance of fomenting deeper connections, why we should be initiating uncomfortable conversations, and so much more.Tune in to episode 252 of Grief and Happiness to discover the liberating power of initiating challenging conversations and consciously addressing the unspoken.In This Episode, You Will Learn:Natasha talks about how she came up with the idea for her book (5:00)Uncomfortable doesn't mean we can't talk about it (8:40)You never know what can come up once you decide to talk things out (14:00)Natasha talks about the sense of gratitude she experienced after her book was published (22:10)How putting thoughts and feelings on paper helped Natasha (26:00)The importance of learning to deal with life's highs and lows (28:40)Connect with Dr. Natasha Trujillo:WebsiteLinkedInInstagramFacebookBook: Dr. Natasha Trujillo - And She Was Never the Same Again: A Multigenerational MemoirLet's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

Always advocate for bereavement leave.Let's Connect:You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking hereYou can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking hereRequest your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide hereSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When an adult son dies, it is usually expected that the other siblings take on heavy duties like identifying a body, planning funerals, or even getting the terrible news first and being responsible for breaking it to the parents. This is done to alleviate the monumental pain of losing a child, but only few consider the extreme pain a sibling endures.In this episode, I'm joined by Cultural Researcher, Author, and brilliant Storyteller Annie Sklaver Orenstein. After Annie's brother was killed in Afghanistan, she went to every bookstore looking for something that could help her deal with her pain, often overshadowed by her parents' pain. Not finding a single piece of literature on sibling pain was her key motivation to pen "Always a Sibling: The Forgotten Mourner's Guide to Grief," a book she wished she had 15 years ago.Throughout this episode, you'll hear Annie's unique perspective on grieving a sibling, why it often goes unacknowledged, what coping mechanisms she developed, and the thought process that led her to write a book. You'll also hear Annie's thoughts on the therapeutic value of putting feelings and emotions on paper, acknowledging and accepting grief's diversity, rejecting the idea of right and wrong forms of grieving, and so much more.Tune in to episode 250 of Grief and Happiness to learn more about the thoughtful and practical resource Annie Sklaver Orenstein created for forgotten grievers.In This Episode, You Will Learn:Annie talks about what most sibling grievers have to deal with during their loss (2:30)What readers can find in "Always A Sibling" (8:20)Why write a book about it? Annie talks about how writing about her grief helped her get through it (14:30)Is there a right or wrong way to grieve? (20:30)"It's just not helpful for me.". Annie shares a valuable lesson she got from an honest answer (26:20)Connect with Annie Sklaver Orenstein:WebsiteLinkedInInstagramBook: Annie Sklaver Orenstein - Always a Sibling: The Forgotten Mourner's Guide to GriefLet's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

If you feel stuck now, don’t despair. When you are ready, open your hear and allow people back in.Let's Connect:You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking hereYou can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking hereRequest your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide hereSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Let me know if you need anything is a phrase people usually mean when they say it, yet grievers will never say what they need. Some don't have the energy to, and others might not be aware of what exactly they need.In today’s episode, I'm joined by Certified Business Coach, Founder and CEO of Essential Coaching, and grief survivor, Andrea Betschart. Andrea lost her husband about 9 years ago in a mountain climbing accident in the Netherlands. The loss of her husband didn't take away her love for the mountains, where she feels powerful and safe; instead, it helped her find her inner strength, enticed her resilience, and brought a wonderful opportunity to learn how to manage her emotions.Throughout this episode, you'll hear about Andrea's unique approach to grief, and her methods to cope with the loss of her husband. Andrea also talks about her relationship with the mountains, where she and her husband taught their children to climb, why she kept mountain climbing despite the sorrow she might encounter there sometimes, and the beautiful dynamic she developed with her children to deal with sadness.Tune in to episode 248 of Grief and Happiness to discover new ways of offering support and care for those in pain. You'll also hear Andrea's thoughts on what to do and say and what to avoid doing and saying to grievers, how to provide help to those in pain, and so much more.In This Episode, You Will Learn:Andrea talks about how meeting inspiring people saved her life (2:50)Grief and happiness is about emotional management (9:50)How to figure out what grievers need (14:00)Andrea talks about what made her feel lighter after her husband's death (21:50)How to support someone dealing with grief (26:00)Connect with Andrea Betschart:WebsiteLinkedInEmail: info@essential-coaching.chLet's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

In Spanish, the word for remember is "recordar," which comes from the Latin "recordari," which translates to "take through the heart again." That is one of the beautiful things about grief: we get to choose how we take our lost loved ones through the heart again. Our guest, Cleo Childs, certainly found a beautiful way to remember her mother, who transitioned six years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's.In this episode, we learn about Cleo Childs' grief journey, the unique bond with her mother, and the beautiful form of art her loss gave birth to. Cleo recently launched "Moving With," her first spoken word album, which combines her kind, poignant, and heartfelt poetry with beautifully played music.Throughout this episode, Cleo talks about the almost automatic relief she felt after writing the first two lines of a poem on a piece of paper, her need for writing almost everywhere she was, and the beautiful piece she came up with while shopping at a Costco. You'll also hear about Cleo's unique way of connecting with her mother through kindness, how she went from being angry with God to finding peace and acceptance in her mother's death, and much more.Tune in and listen to episode 246 of Grief and Happiness and learn more about Cleo's beautiful ability to craft grief-relieving poems.In This Episode, You Will Learn:Art as a coping mechanism (2:40)Finding the sound for "disillusionment with God" (5:00)Cleo talks about the relief she felt right after writing two lines on a piece of paper (13:00)A beautiful piece of art written at Costco (20:10)Cleo talks about how lonely grief can be (26:10)Finding peace and acceptance (27:20)Cleo talks about how she connects with her mother through kindness (30:30)Connect with Cleo Childs:WebsiteListen to Moving With on YouTubeLet's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

Growing my garden and all the fruits and vegetables provides plenty to share.Let's Connect:You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking hereYou can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking hereRequest your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide hereSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.