Grief Is My Side Hustle

Giving Hope: Elena Lister, MD & Michael Schwartzman, PhD

In this episode I talk with Dr. Elena Lister and Michael Schwartzman, PhD about their New Book–Giving Hope: Conversations with Children About Illness, Death and Loss.

The book is for any adult who may be taking care of a child. It offers compassionate and comprehensive guidance on how to understand oneself and the child facing impending loss or a loss that has occurred. We discuss how to have conversations with a child about death itself and many kinds of losses including of an immediate family member, of a pet, of someone in your community or extended family and in the media whether by illness, suicide, environmental events or violence when they occur and in the years after. It offers sample conversations and practical guidance. It will help a caregiver handle decisions about participation at school, at funerals, burials and memorials when there is illness or death in a child’s life. Our approach creates opportunities for more connection with your child while building hope and resilience.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Giving-Hope-Conversations-Children-Illness/dp/0593419154

 

https://www.elenalistermd.com

https://michaelschwartzmanphd.com

 

Jenny Lisk: Author & Podcast Host of The Widowed Parent

Jenny Lisk is an award-winning author and widowed mom who is dedicated to helping widowed parents increase their family's well-being. Her book, Future Widow, and her show, The Widowed Parent Podcast, bring much-needed resources to widowed parents, helping them feel less lost and alone.

https://jennylisk.com

Tracey Schors, PhD: How the Brain and Body Drive feelings and Behavior

In Everyday Trauma, neuroscientist Dr. Tracey Shors examines trauma with a focus on its pervasive nature—how it can happen at any time, through big or small events, and how it often reappears in the form of encoded memory. Her research reveals that when we are reminded of our trauma, reliving that tragic moment copies yet another memory of it in our brain, making it that much more difficult to forget. Dr. Shors also explores the neuroscience behind why women in particular are more vulnerable to stress and traumatic events, setting them up to be three times more likely than men to suffer PTSD.

With potential long-term consequences such as addiction, anxiety, depression, and PTSD, trauma can have a lasting impact on both the brain and body. Dr. Shors illuminates the effective tools that can reduce the repetitive thoughts that reinforce our traumas, including cognitive-based therapies and trauma-informed care such as her own groundbreaking program, a combination of mental and physical training called MAP Training.

https://sites.rutgers.edu/tracey-shors/about/

Rebecca Woolf: All of this-A Memoir of Death and Desire

Writer Rebecca Woolf had just asked her husband for a divorce when he is suddenly diagnosed with terminal cancer.  In this stunning memoir she invites us in to the complicated truth coming into yourself and a new understanding of love, sex, and living forward after loss. 

 

Learn more about her here:

https://rebeccawoolf.com

https://www.romper.com/profile/rebecca-woolf-63961506

 

 

Returning to Work after Loss: Aaron C

Join my conversation with Aaron C as he shares his experience returning to work after the death of his wife Tiffany from Covid at age 46.

Aaron C

Widower Aaron C., shares with Meghan his experience going back to work after the death of his 46 year old wife from Covid 18 months ago.  Meghan and Aaron talk discuss how well meaning, caring people can get grief so wrong, and the importance of creating grief informed workplaces.

Stephanie Foster: Comedian--Without Rhyme Nor Reason Tou

Without Rhyme Nor Reason Comedy Tour Kicks Off in Support of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Among Young Women

Led by Stephanie Foster, the Tour's Lineup of Female Comedians

Will Perform at Sorority Houses Across the Country

 

Comedian and mental health advocate Stephanie Foster 's comedy tour boasts an all-female lineup includes Xazmin Garza, Courtney Bee, Brittany Schmitt, Dicey, Jalisa Robinson, Ryan Rogers, and Nicole Tran – comedians with diverse viewpoints who are all coming together around the critical issue of supporting mental health and suicide prevention among young women. The tour will stop exclusively at sorority houses across the country.

 

Compelled to make a difference after losing a close friend and sorority sister to mental health challenges, Foster has created a program that will address critical mental health issues with a mix of humor and informative dialogue.

 

"This tour is in honor of my incredible friend and aims to address mental health issues head-on," said Foster. "As someone who has struggled with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, I believe that when we make extremely tough topics and challenges more approachable, there is a much greater likelihood of connecting individuals and encouraging them to reach out for support when needed. I'm so grateful for the talented women that are a part of this tour and am hopeful that we can help start a much-needed conversation.”

 

The Without Rhyme Nor Reason comedy tour launches as the U.S. faces a mental health crisis among children and young adults. Fueled by pandemic era challenges, recent data shows that suicide attempts among young people have dramatically increased over the past two years. A 2021 U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory report stated that Emergency Room visits for suspected suicide attempts were 51% higher for adolescent girls and 4% higher for adolescent boys compared to the same period in early 2019. Also, in 2021, the American College Health Association released the National College Health Assessment that stated one in four students had relayed to have had suicidal thoughts, whereas two percent of those had attempted suicide within the last year.

 

https://www.instagram.com/withoutrhymenorreason/

 

https://www.instagram.com/slufoster/

 

Nancy Green: Pet Loss

Today Meghan Talks with Nancy Green, RN, BS, CPC, ELI-MP, Grief Coach, Pet Chaplain, Ordained Minister, ELI-MP

Nancy shares with us her own experience with pet loss, loving animals and serving the pet loss community.  She is trained across multilevel grief work platform and brings spiritual seeking to her work.

You can find more about Nancy at her platform

Speaking of Grief

https://www.instagram.com/speakingofgrief/

Sowing Seeds of HOPE after Loss. Grief is about more than death. Grief is not a problem to be solved. It is a story of LOVE and loss and my heart is open to hear your story

 

 

Mark Chesnut: Author of Prepare For Departure

At an early age, award-winning travel writer, Mark Chesnut, learned to dodge discomfort by jumping on the nearest plane, bus or car. That tactic proved especially useful when his single mother made it clear that there was no room for discussion about his gay identity.

Mark, overwhelmed with wanderlust, shoplifts in airports, avoids Southern Baptist salvation, acts like Hillary Clinton in a nursing home, and dresses in drag with his grandfather. He even creates an imaginary airline and flies away.

Now, as 89-year-old Eunice Chesnut moves to a New York City nursing home to be near her son, Mark's obsession with travel takes a backseat as he embarks on the most emotional journey of all.

More than an end-of-life memoir, more than a collection of childhood memories and travel stories, Prepare for Departure showcases what happens when a permissive mother and a mistfit son face death while revisiting life. Buckle your seatbelts for a witty, touching and darkly humorous trip—through time, loss, forgiveness and acceptance.

https://www.markchesnut.com

Joe Meyer: A CEO who talks about Mental Health

Joe is Founder & CEO of ExecThread , a VC-backed crowdsourcing platform and premium job-sharing network that enables 225k+ professionals to access the “hidden job market”. ExecThread is the largest global aggregator of unpublished executive-level job opportunities.

Joe has been a successful start-up CEO and operating executive at high-growth tech companies including HopStop (acquired by Apple), Quigo (acquired by AOL) and eBay (EBAY) with a strong track record of recruiting teams, launching new products, raising venture capital, growing traffic, eliciting engagement, scaling revenue and achieving liquidity.
https://execthread.com