Grief Is My Side Hustle

Addison Brasil: Author of First Year of Grief Club: A Gift From A Friend Who Gets It

TW: This episode includes in depth conversation about suicide.

Meghan sat down with Addison Brasil to discuss his compound loss of losing his brother to a brain tumor, his father to suicide and a friend in a tragic car accident that left him deeply physically and emotionally injured. Addison talks about the communities of friends, family and health care practioners that helped him survive and the role of wrting and sharing his story and wisdom in his own ability to move forward after loss.

Addison Brasil shows up in the world as a writer, award winning producer, and speaker after finding himself Just to the Left of Death three times during his formative years.  In response to the loss of his brother, father, and friend, he has worked to share his bestselling book First Year of Grief Club: A Gift From A Friend Who Gets It and is also the host of Grief Club: The Podcast with Addison Brasil. www.addisonbrasil.com @addisonbrasil and @sharemygriefclub on IG.

Rachel Donnelly:Founder of After Light Consulting-Resources for Death Planning

After many experiences with loss, including the death of her parents, Rachel founded After Light (formerly Black Dress) Consultants, a consulting firm that offloads the administrative tasks that come with legacy planning and after loss, so clients can focus less on the logistics and more on creating space to live worry- free and grieve peacefully.

Rachel is the co-founder of Professionals of After Loss Services (PALS), which is a training and support network for industry professionals who provide services to individuals and families after the loss of a loved one.

Prior to starting Black Dress Consultants, Rachel had a career in higher education fundraising, working for institutions such as Agnes Scott College, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology.

Rachel is a graduate of Agnes Scott College and serves on the Board of Directors on Love Not Lost, an Atlanta non-profit that provides grief tools and free photography sessions for families facing terminal diagnoses.

She now lives in Atlanta with her husband Zack and their two amazing children.

 

https://www.myafterlight.com

Dr. Peggy DeLong-The Gratitude Psychologist and Compound Loss

Dr. Peggy DeLong is a psychologist, known as The Gratitude Psychologist. She teaches people how to harness the power of gratitude and joy to live their best lives, especially through difficult times. She does this through psychotherapy, her on-line monthly membership Feeling Good with Dr. Peggy, on-line courses, speaking engagements and programs for colleges, books, and bracelets. 

Peggy is the author of: 1) I Can See Clearly Now: A Memoir about Love, Grief, and Gratitude, 2) The Gratitude Journal: A 365 Day Gratitude Journey, and 3) Feeling Good: 35 Proven Ways to Happiness, Even During Tough Times. She is also the owner of LOVE in a Bracelet, where she designs bracelets for coping with grief and loss, mental health, and inspiration.

 

She hosts women’s hiking events for spiritual growth and personal development.

When she’s not focused on her businesses, you’ll find Peggy in the mountains, downhill or telemark skiing, kayaking, hiking, or mountain biking.

Margaret ("Peggy") DeLong, Psy.D.

The Gratitude Psychologist

drpeggydelongpsych@gmail.com

Keynote Speaker | Monthly Membership | Courses | Books | Gratitude Journal | Gratitude Heals Bracelets | Counseling

Feeling Good: 35 Proven Ways to Happiness, Even During Tough Times

Stylist Karen Harrow talks to us about Funeral Clothes

Meghan sits down with the extraordinary stylist Karen Harrow to talk about how to dress for a funeral, why clothes matter and what emotional needs we should to take into account when we get dressed. 

All social media links can be found in link below

https://harrowstyle.com/about/

Good Mourning Podcast Hosts: Imogen Carn & Sally Douglas

In this episode Meghan sits down with then dynamic duo Sal and Im from Good Mourning Podcast.  These two amazing women met at a support group shortly after Im's mother died by suicide and Sal's from an undiagnosed seizure disorder.  With their charm, and curiosity they have built a huge supportive community of grievers who are learning from the experts they bring on their podcast, as well as each other, the truth of what it takes to carry profound loss.

Sal and Im wrote an extraordinary book that publishes in the US on May 2nd.  DO NOT MISS IT.  It conveys all the warmth and curiosity you have come to expect from their podcast, with the hard fought wisdom of two incredibly intelligent women determinded to change the conversation on how we grieve.

https://www.amazon.com/Good-Mourning-Honest-conversations-about/dp/1922616311/ref=asc_df_1922616311/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=642162216434&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9870191713307570455&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007768&hvtargid=pla-1934235927738&psc=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwxr2iBhBJEiwAdXECwx6Zhp35des-VEU6fT2FB8B1w8cHvN7FPcKkahiI1E1R4QsS4328NBoCiDAQAvD_BwE

https://www.goodmourning.com.au

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-mourning-grief-podcast/id1529978129?i=1000601303937

 

Angela Morris: Grief and Neurodivergence.

Today Meghan sits down wththe extraordinary author Angela Morris. She talks about how her ADHD diagnosis impacts her understanding of her own grief, and the profound secondary loss of friendship particularly in non-death loss.

 

More about Angela:

 

After the death of her father, friend and grandmother in quick succession, Angela needed a channel to grieve these profound losses. Writing has always been her lifeline through hard times, and grief from the loss of her loved ones was no different. Seeing how this helped her, Angela began to help others with their grief through her reflective writing on her social media channels. Angela offers people a soft space to land as they navigate their grief without judgement. She provides reflective writing for grievers who have lost something or someone dear to them. They walk together differently through their healing journey of learning to grow with their grief, not move on from it.

 

Love Notes to Grievers is available for pre-order and comes out on June 13th, 2023

 

WWW.ANGELAEMORRIS.COM INSTAGRAM: @ANGELAEMMAMORRIS

 

Poet and Writer and Maggie Smith: Writing the Grief of Divorce

The extraordinary poet and writer sits down with Meghan to discuss her new memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful (The title a nod to her viral poem Good Bones).  Maggie explores the concepts of partnership, marital roles, and how writing helps us find out truth.

 

https://maggiesmithpoet.com

Laura Zigman: Author of Small World

Meghan sits down with one of her favorite authors–Laura Zigman to discuss ther widely celebrated most recent novel Small World. Laura decribes how she fused the emotional experiences of the death of her sister into the story of two divorced sisters who come to live in the same house for the first time in decades. 

Laura Zigman is the author of five novels, including Separation Anxiety (which was optioned by Julianne Nicholson and the production company Wiip (Mare of Easttown) for a limited television series); Animal Husbandry (which was made into the movie Someone Like You, starring Hugh Jackman and Ashley Judd), Dating Big Bird, Her, and Piece of Work. She has ghostwritten/collaborated on several works of non-fiction, including Eddie Izzard's New York Times bestseller, Believe Me; been a contributor to the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Huffington Post; produced a popular online series of animated videos called Annoying Conversations; and was the recipient of a Yaddo residency. Her sixth novel, Small World, was published in January 2023. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

https://www.laurazigman.com

Cyndie Spiegel: Author of Microjoys- Finding Hope (Especially) When Life is Not Okay

This week Meghan Sits Down with the delightful Cyndie Speigel to talk about Microjoys and how she coped with the murder of her nephew, death of mother, and own diagnosis with breast cancer.  Despite the heaviness of the topic Cyndie offers us laughter, hope and deep wisdom that comes from facing the hardest of times.

 

About Cyndie:

Cyndie Spiegel is a born storyteller–turned–writer; she’s an aspirational voice and an igniter of powerful conversation around self-acceptance, integrity, and joy. She is a former fashion executive, adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design and Fashion Institute of Technology, and holds a masters of professional studies. She is also a TEDx speaker and a certified yoga and meditation teacher. Her honest storytelling, vulnerable self-inquiry, and penchant for swear words have made her a sought-after speaker for conferences, brands, and organizations, and she has been featured in publications such as Forbes, Glamour, Teen Vogue, and HuffPost. She currently lives in New Jersey with her (very handsome) photographer husband, two cats, way too many patterns, and an excessive number of houseplants. She is the founder of Dear Grown Ass Women, an inclusive and highly relatable social community for women 35+, and she is also the author of A Year of Positive Thinking.

https://www.cyndiespiegel.com

Alessandra Olanow: Artist/Author of Hello Grief, I’ll be Right With You

Meghan sat down with Alessandra Olanow, NY based artist, mother and grieving daughter. In their hour together Alessandra talks bout her new book, Hello Grief: I'll Be Right With You, and how the writing helped her address her own feelings of loss.

 

Alessandra is a New York-based illustrator. Her broad roster of clients includes major brands such as Bergdorf Goodman, Clinique, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Uniqlo, Yahoo, and West Elm, and her work has been featured in top publications such as Vogue, Oprah Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Variety, Bon Appétit, and Goop. Additionally, she is the Founder of A.OK Body Oil and the Co-founder of a children’s pajama line, Dodo Banana. Through her unique illustrations, Olanow explores the themes of self-forgiveness, vulnerability, and resilience.

Alessandra's newest venture- A.OK body oil can be found here: https://www.feelingaok.com

Full disclosure--She sent Meghan a bottle and it's heaven.

 

 

https://www.alessandraolanow.com