Grief and Light Podcast Nina Rodriguez

Janet Gwilliam-Wright , a grief awareness advocate and educator, shares her personal experience of losing her mother and how it shaped her life.

She launched the Mother Love Project as a platform for motherless daughters to share their stories, and co-founded Bloomwell Partners, a global training and consulting firm working to build more compassionate and grief-informed workspaces.

In this conversation, Janet discusses the importance of honoring and remembering our loved ones, the complexities of grief, and the need for support and understanding in the workplace.

Janet also shares the two main aspects of her work: consulting and training.

She helps organizations build grief-informed cultures through policies and practices, and provides grief education and training for managers and leaders. The training includes workshops and webinars, and focuses on a six-part framework with monthly coaching calls.

Janet emphasizes the importance of addressing various types of grief, including those not related to death. She also highlights the impact of grief-informed practices on employee retention, recruitment, and overall well-being.

Takeaways
Grief is complex and nuanced, and it is important to allow ourselves to feel all of the emotions that come with it.Support and community are crucial in the grieving process, and connecting with others who have had similar experiences can be incredibly healing.The workplace often lacks understanding and support for grieving employees, and there is a need for more compassionate and grief-informed workspaces.Managers and leaders play a key role in supporting grieving employees, and training and resources should be provided to help them navigate these situations.Grief-informed cultures can be built through policies and practices in organizations.Grief education and training for managers and leaders is crucial.Different types of grief, beyond the loss of a person, should be addressed.Grief-informed practices can improve employee retention, recruitment, and overall well-being.Supporting employees through grief and loss not only benefits individuals, but also creates more compassionate and engaged workplaces and communities.
Janet GWilliam Wright's Social & Website:
Mother Love ProjectBloomwell Partners@janetgwilliamwrightMay 9th Community CallNina Rodriguez Social & Website:
@griefandlightgriefandlight.com1:1 Grief SupportGrief & Light PodcastSubscribe to my newsletterDisclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers
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Lauren "Lolo" Paz, founder of A Soulful Sorrow, discusses the profound journey of grief and finding healing, meaning, and spiritual reconnection after pregnancy loss.

She highlights the lack of resources and support for women navigating this complex terrain, and emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach to healing, addressing the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of grief.

Lolo delves into the challenges of shame and guilt often associated with pregnancy loss, advocating for validation and permission to grieve. Nina and Lolo explore the power of therapy, somatic practices, nature, and rituals in the healing process, underscoring the transformative impact of community and support in navigating the journey of grief with compassion and resilience.

Takeaways:
Pregnancy loss is a deeply complex and emotional experience that often lacks resources and support.Women need validation and permission to acknowledge and process their grief after pregnancy loss.The physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of pregnancy loss can challenge a woman's identity and sense of worth.A holistic approach to healing, including therapy, mind-body practices, and self-care, is essential for navigating the grief journey.There is a need for frameworks and tools to help women honor their grief, find meaning, and integrate their loss into their lives. Grief is a lifelong companion that should be embraced and learned from, rather than overcome.Creating a safe space to acknowledge and process grief is essential for healing.Nature can be a powerful source of healing and support in the grieving process.Rituals and ceremonies can provide meaning and help honor lost babies.Community and support are crucial in navigating the complexities of grief.
Lauren Paz's Social & Websites:
Instagram: @asoulfulsorrowasoulfulsorrow.com1:1 CoachingFree Resources
Referenced in Episode:
Nurtured by nature: Letting nature carry the magnitude of our grief (Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Other Platforms)
Nina Rodriguez Social & Website:
Instagram: @griefandlightWebsite: griefandlight.com1:1 Grief SupportGrief & Light PodcastSubscribe to my newsletterDisclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

#griefandlight #griefandlightpodcast

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How do we free ourselves when we’re confined?
How can we heal from the trauma of our lived experiences?

THE OCEAN INSIDE ME is an award-winning and Amazon best-selling, spiritual memoir about healing racial trauma as a person of color incarcerated in an almost all-white prison. Amidst harsh conditions and blatant racism, R.G. Shore learned to meditate by going into his body, befriending his shadow, and learning to sit with the traumas held by his younger self.

Through his journey within, R.G. Shore learned to love and accept the cause of his deepest pain -- his brown body. His prison radio became the conduit by which he transcended the limitations of prison. The static white noise helped transform a world of concrete and injustice into a world where he could connect to nature and find healing through the element of water. 

His embodied spiritual journey eventually led him to studying law, where he advocated for the very men who oppressed him.

A Master in meditation, R.G. Shore found a way to liberate his inner child in the most unlikely place, and is now offering a path for you to find healing as well. 

This spiritual memoir also offers practical guided steps for you to begin your healing journey.

R.G. Shore Social & Website:
Instagram: @northwest_wisdomWebsite: northwestwisdom.orgBuy the Award-Winning BookMasterclass: Healing Trauma Through Visual MeditationBook a Reiki and Spiritual Counseling SessionJessie Shore YogaContact: r.g.shore@northwestwisdom.orgReferenced in Episode:
Race, Space, and Resistance in America's Whitest Big CityOxford Academic Article“The Racist History of Portland, the Whitest City in America” published in The AtlanticStudy: Portland is one of whitest cities in US
Nina Rodriguez Social & Website:
Instagram: @griefandlightWebsite: griefandlight.comWays to Work with Me1:1 Grief SupportGrief & Light PodcastSubscribe to my newsletter
Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safety
Support the Show.
Thank you for listening! Please share with someone you love.

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“Not everything happens for a reason, but sacred gifts MAY be found in everything that happens – even (and especially) in the most painful things.”  – Not Another Self-Help Book
That’s a quote from the newly published Amazon best-seller titled, "Not Another Self-Help Book: Finding Gifts in the Midst of Life's Sh*t," by guest, Lindsey Kane Leaverton,  who bravely shares her personal journey through grief, loss, and trauma, navigating life's challenges with resilience and humor.

A multifaceted individual, Lindsey serves as the director of wealth management at a boutique financial planning firm in Austin. 

She has seven recorded albums under her belt, is a self-taught guitarist and vocalist, a mother of three, an Amazon best-selling author, and has been featured on The Today Show, The New York Times, People Magazine, and TIME.

Beyond her professional pursuits, she has a strong sense of faith, a vibrant personality, and not-so-secretly dreams of pursuing a career as a stand-up comedian someday. 

In this candid episode, we delve into various pivotal moments that shaped Lindsey's life and personal story, including undergoing conversion therapy, reconciling her faith and lived reality within a conservative religious community, experiencing various traumas, losses, and finding the little miracles and hope in life's most challenging moments.


Lindsey Kane Leaverton's Social & Website:
Website: notanotherselfhelpbook.comGet the book on AmazonShe's a Lot Interview SeriesInstagram: @lindseykaneleavertonFacebookListen on SoundCloud
Nina Rodriguez Social & Website:
Instagram: @griefandlightWebsite: griefandlight.comWays to Work with Me1:1 Grief SupportGrief & Light PodcastSubscribe to my newsletter
Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

#griefandlight #griefandlightpodcast

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Support the Show.
Thank you for listening! Please share with someone you love.

Want your story featured in a podcast episode?
Please contact me via IG @griefandlight, via email at nina@griefandlight.com.

What role does movement play in grief?

Emily P. Bingham is a certified grief educator, grief coach, widow, and founder of moveTHRU, which she created after the loss of her husband, Ian, in 2019 to Uveal Melanoma.

moveTHRU was born as a way to create new meaning out of her tragedy by helping others heal.

Her book -- LOVE AND GRIEF: Find Healing, Meaning & Purpose in Life After Loss -- teaches readers how to survive early grief, how to find meaning and purpose as you grow from this experience, and how to rebuild a life where you ultimately thrive.

Emily has worked with hundreds of clients in both private and coaching groups. Additionally, she has reached millions of followers through her social media content.

Her goal is to help anyone who has experienced a loss embrace grief through movement and mindset.

In this open conversation, Emily shares her journey from caretaker of her beloved husband Ian, to newly bereaved widow and mother of two under the age of 3, to how she rebuilt her life helping others, and how she's ultimately thriving through grief and love.

Her story is ultimately one of resilience, surrendering, and deeply understanding that "nothing is ever lost".

Emily P. Bingham's Social & Website:
Website: movethrugrief.comInstagram: @emilypbinghamFacebookTikTokBuy the book: LOVE AND GRIEF
Nina Rodriguez Social & Website:
Instagram: @griefandlightWebsite: griefandlight.comWays to Work with MeSubscribe to my newsletter
Episodes of topics referenced in this episode:
Continuing Bonds: Death ends a life, but not a relationshipThe pain is real, but the suffering is optionalGrief and personal boundariesDisclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

#griefandlight #griefandlightpodcast

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Contact us via info@griefandlight.com.
Support the Show.
Thank you for listening! Please share with someone you love.

Want your story featured in a podcast episode?
Please contact me via IG @griefandlight, via email at nina@griefandlight.com.

In this episode, we deep dive into the reality of experiencing life's duality in its fullness as guest, Kera Sanchez, experienced both the birth of her daughter and the unexpected loss of her mother only a few days apart.

She shares how her grief left her with no choice but to turn "lemons into lemonade" as she learned to navigate loss and joy through the power of dark humor and community.

Kera channeled her love for her mother through her creative gifts, creating legacy journals, a first-of-its-kind magazine for grievers, and a welcoming space for all through her social media channels.

Kera Sanchez is a High School Spanish teacher in the Chicago area, a wife, and mom of two. After her mom unexpectedly died while on vacation in Italy at the age of 57, she dove deep into a grief journey, where she channeled her unexpressed love in the form of the Legacy Letters guided journal, offering a way to write and leave handwritten legacies of love, advice, and support for loved ones, to ensure families all over the world don't have to face unexpected loss without a legacy left behind. She also released a second journal, "No Legacy Lost", a guided memory and grief journal. Through her Instagram community, she pokes fun at her grief journey with relatable memes and dark humor. In early 2024, she launched Get Griefy Magazine, as a community outlet for grievers to publish their poetry, writing, art, photography, and more.
 

Kera Sanchez Social & Website:
Website: getgriefymagazine.comSubscribe to GET GRIEFY MagazineInstagram: @getgriefymagazineWebsite: legacylettersjournal.comPurchase the JournalInstagram: @legacylettersjournal
Nina Rodriguez Social & Website:
Instagram: @griefandlightWebsite: griefandlight.comWays to Work with MeSubscribe to my newsletterDisclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

#griefandlight #griefandlightpodcast

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Contact us via info@griefandlight.com.
Support the Show.
Thank you for listening! Please share with someone you love.

Want your story featured in a podcast episode?
Please contact me via IG @griefandlight, via email at nina@griefandlight.com.