Grief & Happiness

Could the lessons from a rescue dog transform how we handle grief and gratitude?In this episode, I'm joined by the Author, Speaker, and Consultant Leslie Yerkes. Leslie is a best-selling business book author with six books translated into dozens of languages and worldwide sales. In recent years her journey of rescuing and caring for dogs led her to write children's books that address themes of love, commitment, and grief.Throughout this episode, Leslie recounts her story of rescuing a South African Mastiff, how the dog transformed her life, and the grief she faced when she lost both her dog and her mother in a short span of time. She speaks about how these experiences inspired her to write books aimed at helping children and families understand loss, especially the loss of pets. Leslie advocates for using stories to teach children about grief, love, and the importance of keeping promises. Her message highlights the power of animals as healers and companions, the importance of staying open to love even in the face of loss, and the role of grief as a natural and essential part of life.Tune in and listen to episode 280 of Grief and Happiness, and discover Leslie Yerkes’ deeply personal experiences with grief, love, and healing through her relationships with animals. In This Episode, You Will Learn:From business to children's books (1:10)A dog rescue that changed everything (2:37)Finding peace after loss (7:36)Navigating grief through writing (12:04)Lessons from animals on grief and love (15:02)Revisit the love that the sorrow reflects (19:01)Advocating for rescue (23:27)Connect with Leslie Yerkes:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookGet Leslie’s books!Let's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

You never know when your last conversation will be with a loved one, so be sure in each conversation you have to make it filled with love.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.

What if grief was more than just sadness—what if it was a spectrum of emotions as rich and varied as a 152-color crayon box?In this episode, I'm joined by the Poet, Biographer, and Memoirist Molly Peacock. Molly shares her experiences of how her husband’s long illness and widowhood have informed her work, particularly in her new book The Widow’s Crayon Box. After her husband’s death, she realized she was not living the received idea of a widow’s mauve existence but instead was experiencing life with all 152 colors of the crayon box.Throughout this episode, Molly Peacock reflects on the societal expectations of grief being limited to a few emotions like sadness, but for her, it has been a complex and lively process. She highlights the transformative aspect of grief, where the mourner is not just in a state of loss but also in a state of personal evolution and rediscovering parts of themselves. She also reads a short excerpt from her poetry, illustrating how emotions in grief can be contradictory yet colorful. Finally, Molly touches on the importance of storytelling in the grieving process, both for processing one’s own emotions and for connecting with others who share similar experiences.Tune in and listen to episode 278 of Grief and Happiness, and learn how Molly challenges the conventional view of grief, showing how it can lead to a deeper understanding of life, self, and the richness of human emotions.In This Episode, You Will Learn:Introduction to Molly and the metaphor of using a 152-color crayon box to represent the emotions of grief (01:19)Finding vibrancy in loss (05:42)The grieving person’s transformation and the reclamation of the self (10:12)The structure and content of "The Widow's Crayon Box" (20:06)The importance of storytelling and listening to the grief journeys of others (27:35)Connect with Molly Peacock:WebsiteInstagramFacebookGet Molly Peacock’s Poetry on Amazon!Molly featured on CBC’s The Current in a documentary, What Can A Widow Be?Let's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

How you can help.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.

Grief does not only mean that someone has passed but it is also the loss of the path you thought you were going to take and the person you used to be but can not be anymore. In this episode, I’m joined by the Writer, Author, and Freelance Journalist, Julie Fingersh. Julie found her way back to writing once her career as a stay-at-home mother of two ended. In her braided memoir, “Stay”, she weaves together three family stories in which the clear common thread is the presence of grief. The book is an exploration of the complexity of family, love, and the impact family secrets have on generations. Throughout this episode, you will hear about how grief can stay hidden when mental illness or addiction is involved and what effects keeping secrets has on the well-being of the griever and the family. Julie also talks about the grief associated with letting go of kids for them to live their own lives and losing the job of a stay-at-home parent.  Plus, Julie discusses the balance between grief and happiness by sharing her journey of finding joy despite all the losses she endured. Tune in and listen to episode 276 of Grief and Happiness, and explore types of grief beyond the obvious loss and how to find healing and support.In This Episode, You Will Learn:What is Julie’s book about (4:33)Hidden grief when it involves mental illness and addiction (9:13)The grief of going from stage to stage in life (12:17)How grief is present in parenting (16:38)Finding healing and happiness in grief (22:13)How laughter and despair go hand in hand (26:50)Connect with Julie Fingersh:WebsiteInstagramFacebookLinkedInGet Julie's book!Let's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

Be sure to share your treasured life stories with the family and friends you know would love to have them.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.

What does mourning and grieving look like if it is not the type of loss we can grieve independent of our physicality and is intimately tied to our bodies?In today’s episode, I'm joined by a certified DONA International Postpartum Doula and Grief Educator Eileen Santos Rosete. Experiencing pregnancy loss twice during her motherhood journey, Eileen is helping women feel seen, held, and honored. As part of her work, she authored the book, To Tend and To Hold, dedicated to women who went through perinatal loss. The book was born to support them in acknowledging the pregnancy and the end of it while undergoing postpartum without a living child. Throughout this episode, the importance of doulas, the need for cultural guidelines and resources supporting those who experience infant loss will be highlighted. You will learn about the added layer of bodily connection when it comes to perinatal loss. Eileen also talks about how others can hold space for this tender intersection of postpartum care, grief, and trauma. Plus, Eileen shares a personal story to emphasize that in the world of grief and grief literature the stance around darkness should be softened as there can be tremendous potential in it. Tune in and listen to episode 274 of Grief and Happiness, and learn to give the reverence to Womb Loss that it deserves as it happens within us and to us. In This Episode, You Will Learn:Doulas are having a moment (02:16)The uniqueness of pregnancy and infant loss (09:47)Caring for those who experience postpartum without a living child (14:07)Introducing the term Womb Loss (19:26)Softening the language around loss (23:26)Connect with Eileen Santos Rosete:WebsiteGet Eileen's book!InstagramLet's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

Writing letters to my loved ones in my journal helps me to feel close to them.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.

Is it possible to talk about grief, honor our loved ones, and move forward with our grief without living in sorrow and despair?In today's special episode, I'm joined by the Author, Actor, Transformational Coach, and Grief Expert, James LaVeck. The loss of James' second husband changed not only the way he felt and perceived the loss of his first husband but also his whole perspective on grief and how people deal with loss. He authored three books on grief, and developed tools to help grievers deal with their sorrow and find the right community for them, among many other valuable resources, which can be found in his third book, "Grief Recovery for Adults."Throughout this episode, you'll hear about James' grief journey, how losing his second husband changed his perspective on grief, and why he feels the second loss put the first one in perspective, and helped him realize the first loss prepared him for the second one. James also shares his thoughts on "the right time" to start dating again after losing a loved one, and the resources he used to feel alive again when he felt half of him was gone after the loss of his first husband.Plus, James talks about finding gratitude and purpose in grief, the importance of finding new passions and aiming for growth, and much more.Tune in and listen to episode 272 and learn more about James LaVeck's unique and appealing way of looking at and dealing with grief.In This Episode, You Will Learn:Dealing with loss and moving forward (2:30)The benefits of finding gratitude and purpose in grief (6:20)Is there a "right time" to start dating again after losing your other half? (8:10)The healing power of sharing stories and connecting with a supportive community (17:20)Finding new passions and purpose in grief (19:40)James talks about some of the resources he shares in his third book, "Grief Recovery for Adults" (23:30)Connect with James LaVeck:WebsiteGet James' books!LinkedInInstagramYouTubeTikTokTwitterIMDbFacebookLet's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness Alliance