In episode 50 of the Mindfulness & Grief Podcast, Reid Petersonshares his story of losing both father figures in his life and the grief that comes with living without those important people. Although he was not close to his biological father the way he hoped, Reid still grieves the relationship that he wished he had with him. After his loss, Reid found support through grief groups but wanted more consistent support. This led him to create a grief support app that offers daily audio messages for grief education.

#50 Fatherless Odyssey: Navigating Both Biological & Step-Father Loss with Reid Peterson

In episode 49, bereaved father Eric Hodgdon explores how he leads a life of intention in the wake of incredible pain over the death of his daughter, Zoi, who died by suicide. He shares his fond memories of a loving and fun girl who was a sweet, supportive peer to those who knew her. Family, friends, and patients who traveled their mental health path alongside her all remember Zoi as a very special person.

#49 A Sherpa Named Zoi: How to Walk Through Grief & Live With Intention with Eric Hodgdon

Ronald Mathias talks to us about his field of medical illustration: the art of taking complex medical procedures, descriptions, or concepts and turning them into something visual for ease of understanding. He spends most of his time translating traumatic injuries and building empathy for the pain someone has suffered into a visual medium for litigation.

#48 The Art of Visualizing Grief: Translating Pain Into Pictures with Ronald Mathias

In episode 46, lifelong friends Shelley Buck and Kathy Curtis share their journey of childhood friendship, staying in touch through college, and the comfort that Kathy provided to Shelley following the devastating loss of her son, Ryder. Ryder was a talented musician and world traveler who continued to live his life to the fullest even after his Stage IV cancer diagnosis.

#46 Leave Your Light On: Friendships & Continuing Bonds After Loss with Shelley Buck and Kathy Curtis

In episode 45, Angela Kennecke shares with us her story of losing her beautiful 21-year-old daughter, Emily, to overdose. Angela and her family were just a normal family. Emily was a gifted student and cheerleader. But Emily was struggling with one of the most common problems in America — addiction. Her sudden and unexpected death changed the lives of her family forever.

#45 Emily’s Hope: Coping With Grief & Erasing The Stigma Of Overdose Loss with Angela Kennecke

In episode 43, New York Times Bestselling author, Adam Mansbach, talks with us about his new memoir “I HAD A Brother Once” which details his grief of losing his brother by suicide a decade ago. As a writer, he struggled for nine years before he was finally able to write about his brother. Although he is known for his very successful novels, Adam’s new book is written poetry style with dramatic storytelling about his life. In it, he shares how his brother David felt he had to wear masks to hide his real self, and the importance of removing the masks of shame and guilt to save lives.

#43 I HAD A Brother Once: Unmasking the Grief of Sibling Loss by Suicide with Adam Mansbach
Amy Novotny

In Episode 42, Dr. Amy Novotny shares her emotional journey of living with a mother that was bipolar and suffered from borderline personality disorder, being tutored by her throughout higher education, and eventually losing her to cancer. The grief left Amy struggling with an unexplainable physical illness that she was eventually able to overcome, and now she teaches how to ease your physical pain when grief is stored in the body.

#42 How Grief Is Stored In The Body & What We Can Do To Help Ourselves Ease The Pain with Dr. Amy Novotny
Daniel Hess

When two health scares hit Katherine May’s family, she was forced to slow down and learn a valuable lesson — staying busy doesn’t always mean you’re doing something productive with your time. The idea of wintering creates the opportunity to slow down the pace of life, observe as it transitions from one season to another, and find hope in the next phase of your life.

#41 Just A Boy Blaming Himself: Revisiting Childhood Loss Through A Grown Up’s Eyes with Daniel Hess