Grief & Happiness

If you go through grief soberly, with intention, and feel it. If you don't escape it, run from it, and don't medicate against it, you will evolve into a bigger, better, more loving person, for sure.In this episode, I'm joined by Mike Murphy, a bestselling author, speaker, coach, and consultant. After almost ten years of battling breast cancer, Mike's wife, Margot, learned the disease was spreading to her brain. The oncologist explained: "If you do nothing, you have six weeks to live; if you start treatment, you have six months." For the next six months, Margot and Mike enjoyed every day as if she were going to beat cancer, and at night they'd get ready for her last breath. Margot's final six months inspired "Living in Color," a moving and honest memoir, where Mike describes the passion and courageous attitude Margot had in her almost ten years battle with breast cancer. Mike also created the Love From Margot Foundation, which has helped hundreds of women with breast cancer living below the poverty line. Throughout this episode, we chat about life and death, grief, legacy, and purpose. Mike talks about the changes Margot's death produced in him, how it changed his views on transitioning, his purpose in life, and navigating grief. We also go through the Transformational Health Retreat Mike is building in Colombia, Mike's passion for helping people around the world figure out how the universe really works, and so much more. Tune in and listen to episode 136 to learn about Mike's grief journey and his passion for helping others find happiness and fulfillment.In This Episode, You Will Learn:A bit about Mike and Margot's love story (2:30)What is missing in our medical system (5:10)Being brave is too hard sometimes (9:50)Some questions are just too hard to answer (11:40)The importance of saying goodbye (16:00)The importance of being intentional while going through grief (21:20)Connect with Mike:WebsiteYouTubeInstagramTwitterLinkedInTikTokFacebookGet Mike's booksLet's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness Alliance

Do you feel like you are barely hanging on in dealing with your grief? You may be ready to let go.        Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here Let's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInInstagramTwitter - @ThreattEmilyPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through GriefFacebookRequest your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide hereSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The difference between how cultures navigate loss, grief, and even happiness is a testament to the human condition's oneness, and we can certainly learn a lot from that. In this episode, I'm joined by Krishma Arora, Poet, Writer, and Public Speaker. Krishma emigrated from India when she was 5, lived in Long Island, and studied at NYU, where she got an MS in Education and an MS in Marketing. "From Ash To Ashes," her first novel, tells a story inspired by the death of her first child and explores cultural oppression of women, discrimination, interfaith relationships, and sexual orientation, among many other sensitive topics. We had a fantastic conversation about some of the Indian traditions represented in Krishma's novel and how they influence people's views on death, marriage, and romantic relationships. We also learn about arranged marriages in India, how they used to work, and what they look like now. In addition, Krishma talks about what inspired her to write her novel, how the writing process helped her deal with the grief of a lost child, and so much more. Listen to episode 134 of Grief and Happiness and dive into a different culture, a new way of seeing life, death, love, fear, and happiness. In This Episode, You Will Learn:About what inspired Krishma to write her novel (3:10)Krishma explains the differences between Indian and American weddings (6:00)Arranged marriages. What they used to look like, and how they work now (13:10)Grief is experienced and expressed in many ways (17:10)People can sympathize but rarely empathize with grievers (22:10)Resources:Book: Krishma Arora - From Ash To AshesConnect with Krishma:WebsiteInstagramLet's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

Listen about the Hawaiian Shinnyo tradition of honoring and remembering our loved one.Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide hereLet's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInInstagramTwitter - @ThreattEmilyPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through GriefFacebookRequest your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide hereSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Once we stop being afraid of the pain, talking about those we lost and focusing on our love for them becomes easier. In this episode, I'm joined by Colin Campbell, the father of Ruby and Hart, who were killed by a drunk driver when they were 17 and 14. Colin is a renowned writer and director for film and theater, nominated for an Academy Award, and winner of Best Writer, Best Director, and several Best Film Awards. He is currently presenting "Grief: A One Man Shitshow," written and performed by him with tremendous success. Colin also wrote "Finding The Words: Working Through Profound Loss with Hope and Purpose," which offers an alternative way of coping with loss and grief based on his experiences and pain processing. We had a fantastic conversation about society's inability to talk about grief, Colin's decision to explore this issue through art with his tragic-comic solo show, and the importance of taking action and doing something with our grief instead of being passive recipients. In addition, we chat about Colin's book, how facing the fear of pain can help us move forward, and so much more.Listen to episode 132 of Grief and Happiness to hear more about Colin's grief story and the tools he used to avoid being paralyzed by it.In This Episode, You Will Learn:A bit about the tools Colin discovered while navigating his grief (3:20)Part of being humans is talking about the events in our lives, including the traumatic ones (8:10)How to allow ourselves to experience joy without compartmentalizing grief (11:10)Colin shares advice on how to approach someone grieving (15:00)How grief groups and therapy can help us navigate grief (22:10)How facing the fear of pain can change our lives (25:20)Resources:Book: Colin Campbell - Finding the Words: Working Through Profound Loss with Hope and PurposeConnect with Colin:WebsiteLet's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

This podcast is about grief and intimacy.Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide hereLet's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInInstagramTwitter - @ThreattEmilyPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through GriefFacebookRequest your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide hereSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It doesn't matter how long it takes or how many years have passed after losing a loved one; writing about it will always make you feel better. In this episode, I'm joined by the Memoirist, Voracious Reader, and Author Joel Harris. Joel advocates optimism in grieving and has a magnificent talent for turning real-life events and anecdotes into captivating stories. After Joel's son died tragically trying to save a dog from drowning, he decided to keep his memory alive, and, using his extraordinary storytelling talents, he wrote "Searching for Steve." Throughout this episode, Joel talks about how putting pen to paper helped him cope with his son's tragic death and how getting in touch with other grievers helped him realize he wasn't alone, nor the only one suffering. We also discuss the healing properties of the written word, our dreams' role in writing, and the importance of paying attention to serendipity in life. Additionally, we learn about Steve's life in Nicaragua, his role as an educator, the grit he showed throughout his life, and much more. In This Episode, You Will Learn:Joel talks about his lifelong passion for writing (2:10)A bit about Steve's life in Nicaragua (10:50)About Joel's book and how he included Steve's point of view in it (19:40)Dreams and literature (26:10)Joel shares his thoughts on formal education, and we are teaching our kids (32:00)About Steve's impact in a troubled country (38:30)Resources:Book: Joel Harris - Searching for SteveConnect with Joel:WebsiteInstagramLet's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

What has changed for you since your loved one died? What positive changes would you like to make?Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide hereLet's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInInstagramTwitter - @ThreattEmilyPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through GriefFacebookRequest your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Paying attention to our wording when talking about a painful loss and how we explain what happened to our children are great opportunities to help ourselves and others to deal with grief less painfully and more intentionally. In this episode, I'm joined by the inspiring Renee Leonard Kennedy; she is the Co-host of the Moral Tea podcast, Twitter Affectionate, Investor and Burgeoning Farmer, and the Author of "When The Flowers Die." Renee's book offers empathy, hope, and support for those grieving and gifts its readers insightful coping mechanisms, comfort, and encouragement. Throughout this episode, Renee shares some details of her "semi-retired" life, how she's busier than ever, and how she resignified dancing into a beautiful place to deal with grief and loss. Renee also talks about the importance of talking to our children about death, loss, and sorrow and how adults can help them build coping mechanisms before losing someone significant. Additionally, we talk about pursuing happiness after a loss, the best gift we can leave for our kids, how hard cleaning up can be after a loss and how to make it easier, and so much more. In This Episode, You Will Learn:Renee talks a bit about her life in North Carolina (2:10)Dance out your grief (5:50)The best gift we can leave to our children (9:40)How can we help our kids learn coping mechanisms to deal with grief and loss (12:30)How can we make cleaning ups easier (20:00)Renee shares a few golden nuggets about her book (39:00)Resources:Moral Tea podcastBook: Renee Leonard Kennedy - After The Flowers Die: Encouragement for Walking Through Life After LossConnect with Renee:WebsiteTwitterInstagramFacebookLet's Connect:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief