Giving Grief Grace, a Grief Podcast for the Sandwich Generation

Lisa Hartung
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Mental Health

Loss changes everything. But it doesn't have to have the last word. Giving Grief Grace is a podcast dedicated to those in the throes of caregiving and loss with honest, compassionate conversations about grief, healing, and what it means to keep living after loss. Hosted by Lisa Hartung, a speaker, HR professional, and fellow griever, each episode creates space for the stories we don't always know how to tell. From disenfranchised and hidden grief, to grieving while parenting, to the ways men experience loss differently, to the unexpected power of creativity and legacy,  this show covers grief in all its forms. Featuring expert guests, real stories, and practical tools you can use right now. If you've lost someone you love or are in the throes of caregiving, you belong here. New episodes drop every Sunday. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

  1. 2d ago

    Episode 62 - Alzheimer's, Caregiving, & the Anticipatory Grief No One Prepares You For with Caroline Shelby

    There's a particular kind of heartbreak in loving someone whose mind is fading while their body stays. Caroline Shelby, founder of Grief Clarity Labs, lived inside that heartbreak for over a decade as her mother's Alzheimer's progressed. It started with small slips that got explained away until one night at dinner, her mother looked at Caroline's college T-shirt and said, "My daughter Caroline goes to Goucher. Do you know her?" In this conversation, Caroline and Lisa talk through what it actually felt like to become her mother's caregiver: the "Mom Calendar" her family built to share the load, the arguments she now wishes she hadn't had, the guilt of wanting the suffering to end, and the moment after three years of silence when her mother said "I love you" and then went back to eating dinner. Caroline is honest about the parts of caregiving no one prepares you for: the 24/7 mental load that never fully shuts off, the anger and relief that come tangled up with guilt, and the strange grief of losing a role that once felt like a burden. We close with her hard-won take on anticipatory grief, including why she believes you truly cannot "pre-grieve" a loss. In this episode: Anticipatory grief often starts years before anyone names itThe shift from daughter to caregiver rarely happens in one moment, it builds slowly, through rearranged roles and daily logisticsCaregiving carries an invisible, around-the-clock mental load that follows you homeAnger, guilt, and even wishing the suffering would end are normal, not signs of being a bad daughter or sonYou can't prepare for a loss you haven't experienced yet; presence matters more than bracing for what's aheadBook a FREE 30-minute call with Caroline here. https://www.griefclaritylabs.com/call Connect with Caroline: griefclaritylabs.com | Book: Living Beside the Leaving: A Daughter's Story of Caregiving, Alzheimer's and Loss (available on Amazon) [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GRGTPWXD] | Instagram: @GriefClarityLabs Wanting to join in community? Join us on the 3rd Thursday of every month from 9-10pm ET for an hour of PLAY! We'll doodle, dance, and dream. The is a free online Zoom event. Sign up at www.lisahartung.com.  Send us Fan Mail Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!  Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone. Subscribe to the podcast and we'll see you next week!  Special thanks to: Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music Podcast Music Good_B_Music

    Episode 62 - Alzheimer's, Caregiving, & the Anticipatory Grief No One Prepares You For with Caroline Shelby

  2. Jul 5

    Episode 61 - Scriptotherapy: The Healing Power of Writing Through Grief

    Writing has been a thread running through Lisa's grief journey long before she had a name for it. In this mini-sode, she introduces "scriptotherapy" — a term coined by Suzette Henke, researched by James Pennebaker — and explores why putting pen (or pencil!) to paper is one of the most accessible, intimate tools we have for processing loss. Lisa shares why writing is helpful because it externalizes feelings, reduces stress, and brings clarity. She reflects on journaling nightly while caring for her mom, and opens up a toolbox of ways writing can take shape: morning pages, letters, postcards, post-it notes, poems, and even prayers. She tells the story of a post-it note her father-in-law left before he died suddenly and now it is framed and seen every day.  In this episode, you'll learn: What "scriptotherapy" is and why it works for griefA dozen simple forms writing can take, from morning pages to postcardsWhat to do with your writing once it's on the page such as keep it, burn it, mail it, or release it to the wildWhy you don't need to be a "writer", all you need to do is write one sentenceLisa closes by reading part of a letter she wrote to her mom this week, remembering their Fourth of July traditions together. Writing Prompt: write one sentence to your loved one, starting with the best meal you ever shared together.  "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust" — sometimes healing isn't in keeping what you write. Sometimes it's in setting it free. Send us Fan Mail Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!  Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone. Subscribe to the podcast and we'll see you next week!  Special thanks to: Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music Podcast Music Good_B_Music

    Episode 61 - Scriptotherapy: The Healing Power of Writing Through Grief

  3. Jun 28

    Episode 60 - Vacation Starts Now: How to Stop Waiting to Really Live

    What does a Zanzibar vacation have in common with a terminal diagnosis? More than you'd think. In this solo episode, Lisa reflects on a pattern she noticed during her recent trip to Tanzania — every single day for five days, there was one more thing to finish before vacation could really begin. Sound familiar? That "one more thing" mindset doesn't just follow us on trips. It follows us through caregiving, grief, and even into our final days. When a family friend recently received a difficult prognosis, it brought Lisa back to her mother Emily's stage four pancreatic cancer diagnosis — and the profound work of helping her unravel from daily life with intention and grace. In this episode, Lisa explores three ways to embrace the truth that presence is a decision, not a destination: 1. Get Clear on What Matters Who do you want to spend your time with? What actually fills your cup? Whether you're on vacation or navigating a terminal diagnosis, getting honest about your priorities is the first act of presence. 2. Prioritize and Delegate the Rest There will always be a to-do list. The question is: which one thing on it truly matters today? Stepping back from boards, volunteer roles, and professional commitments isn't failure, it's freedom. 3. Have the Conversations You Keep Postponing Tell people how they've impacted your life. Ask what they're most proud of. Share stories. Don't wait for the right moment, the right moment is now. Lisa also shares a practical legacy tool: the list of 10 loves and 10 dislikes, and why it matters more than you might think. (And references the Mary McGreevy Tips from Dead People Episode 53 for more on that.) Listener Challenge: Text or call one person today. Tell them one specific thing you're grateful for about them or how they have made a positive impact on your life. You never know how it will brighten their day!  🔗 More at podcast.lisahartung.com | hello@lisahartung.com | @GivingGriefGrace Send us Fan Mail Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!  Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone. Subscribe to the podcast and we'll see you next week!  Special thanks to: Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music Podcast Music Good_B_Music

    Episode 60 - Vacation Starts Now: How to Stop Waiting to Really Live

  4. Jun 21

    Episode 59 - This is Your Permission Slip: A Guided Meditation from Zanzibar

    What does it look like to give yourself permission — really, truly, no-guilt permission to rest, restore, and fill your own cup? In this special field note episode, Lisa calls in live from her balcony in Zanzibar, Tanzania.  In this intimate, meditative episode, Lisa leads listeners through a guided visualization with waves, warm sand, a fancy drink with a little umbrella and gently names what so many in the Sandwich Generation know too well: when the quiet finally comes, sometimes so does the grief. Lisa opens up about her own struggle to fully receive rest without her family, and how thinking of her late mother Emily gave her the reframe she needed: She'd want me here. Enjoying the beach. Feeling fully alive. This episode is part field note, part permission slip and it's for the mom who hasn't taken a minute for herself in longer than she can remember. In this episode, Lisa explores: Why filling your cup isn't selfish, it's survivalHow grief can surface in the quiet, and what to do when it doesThe "yes, and" mindset for Sandwich Generation caregiversSimple ways to reclaim yourself today, even without a trip to ZanzibarWhat your loved one would actually want for you right nowWhether you're breastfeeding and depleted, drowning in the school drop-off loop, or simply haven't stopped moving in months — this episode is for you. Your mom would give you the permission slip, and Lisa does too. Go for it because grief was never meant to be carried alone. You're worth it.  Send us Fan Mail Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!  Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone. Subscribe to the podcast and we'll see you next week!  Special thanks to: Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music Podcast Music Good_B_Music

    Episode 59 - This is Your Permission Slip: A Guided Meditation from Zanzibar

  5. Jun 14

    Episode 58 - Grief, Joy, and Clean Water: A Field Note From Tanzania

    In this field-recorded episode, Lisa broadcasts live from rural Tanzania during a work trip with her day job with a water nonprofit. Visiting communities at different stages of clean water access, she finds an unexpected throughline: grief, love, and motherhood look remarkably similar across cultures and continents — and joy and grief can coexist in the very same moment. What You'll Hear: How clean water access transforms the lives of women and children in rural TanzaniaConversations with Tanzanian women about losing spouses and parents, and how community carries them throughCultural and religious perspectives on death, mourning, and the afterlife — including a 40-day Muslim mourning traditionA home visit, shared meal, and the simple beauty of communal cooking and connectionA surprise women's drumming circle that becomes an unexpected, full-circle connection to Lisa's late motherReflections on being away from her breastfeeding 17-month-old son while doing meaningful work in the fieldWhy "joy is the other side of grief" — and how both can live in the same momentWhat is one happy memory with your mom that you could write down or share with someone this week? Mentioned in This Episode: Lisa's day job in water access advocacy with a global water nonprofitThe Sandwich Generation experience of caregiving while grievingCross-cultural grief traditions (Christian and Muslim practices in Tanzania)Send us Fan Mail Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!  Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone. Subscribe to the podcast and we'll see you next week!  Special thanks to: Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music Podcast Music Good_B_Music

    Episode 58 - Grief, Joy, and Clean Water: A Field Note From Tanzania

  6. Jun 7

    Episode 57 - What No One Tells You About Grieving Your Mom and How She Still Shows Up

    Grief doesn't wait for a convenient moment. Sometimes it finds you mid-walk, while packing for a trip, or when you are stressed, missing the woman who would have been your first call. In this solo episode, Lisa shares what she's learned about grieving her mother, Emily, while still choosing to live fully. She discusses the tradition she's not ready to bring back yet, the ordinary moments where absence hits hardest, and the quiet, unexpected way her mom showed up while unpacking her work bag. If you've lost your mom and wondered why her absence feels loudest in your most alive, most unbridled moments, this episode is for you. In this episode: Why grief surfaces during joy and tenderness, not just sorrow. Lisa speaks about how your mom can show up while breastfeeding, reading to your children, and wondering how did she do it all?The girls' week tradition Lisa held with her mom, mother-in-law, sister-in-laws, and their friends. How generations of women were letting their hair down, truly resting, and celebrating every season of motherhood together — and why she's giving herself grace around when to bring it backThe "Bring a Buddy" practice: how Lisa invites her mom into ordinary moments such as a drive across town, an ice cream date with mom, already knowing she'd want the chocolate dip topHow a rose quartz heart became a moment of presence across distance and loss, showing up when Lisa needed her mom mostReflection question for listeners: Where or how has your mother shown up for you in an unexpected way since her passing? What ordinary moment do you most wish you could share with her? Send us Fan Mail Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!  Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone. Subscribe to the podcast and we'll see you next week!  Special thanks to: Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music Podcast Music Good_B_Music

    Episode 57 - What No One Tells You About Grieving Your Mom and How She Still Shows Up

  7. May 31

    Episode 56 - Crafting Through Grief: How Kenya McCarthy Turns Her Mom's Belongings Into Healing Gifts

    What do you do when grief meets a house full of craft supplies? For Kenya McCarthy, creator of @chronicallykenya and @k.carthydesigns, the answer was to start making things, sharing the process online, and building a strong grief community so people wouldn't feel alone.  Kenya's story is layered: she was already navigating a multiple sclerosis diagnosis when her mom Nikki suffered a sudden stroke. Kenya traveled cross-country from California to Virginia to spend the last nine days of her mom's life by her side. When it came time to pack up Nikki's home — a woman who could, as Kenya says, make anything out of anything — Kenya made a decision that would change everything: she would turn her mom's belongings into memorial gifts for the people who loved her. In this episode, Kenya and Lisa discuss: Why crafting works as a grief tool and how Kenya assigns each project with a  "spoon rating" so grievers can find a craft that matches their energyThe story of her mom, Nikki: vibrant, feisty, and the inventor of the phrase "chuck it in the f**k it bucket"How Kenya hears her mom's voice as she problem-solves her way through every projectThe K. Carthy Designs story — the moment Kenya discovered her mom had written Kenya's abandoned fashion dream on the first page of her own goal journalWhy Kenya grieves her mom publicly and honors her legacy by talking about her every dayIf you are grieving, crafting, chronically ill, or trying to find a way to keep the people you've lost a little bit closer, this episode is for you. Connect with Kenya: TikTok & Instagram: @chronicallykenyaDesigns: @k.carthydesignsWeekly series: Crafty Grieving (new episodes every Wednesday)Connect with Lisa & Giving Grief Grace: Website: podcast.lisahartung.comEmail: hello@lisahartung.comInstagram/Facebook: @givinggriefgraceSend us Fan Mail Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!  Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone. Subscribe to the podcast and we'll see you next week!  Special thanks to: Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music Podcast Music Good_B_Music

    Episode 56 - Crafting Through Grief: How Kenya McCarthy Turns Her Mom's Belongings Into Healing Gifts

  8. May 24

    Episode 55 - 100 Years of Living: Lucy DeRoche's Secrets to Adventure, Purpose, and Joy

    She feels 45. She has been all around the US. She planned a month-long trip through England, Scotland, and Ireland in 1971 with no cell phones, no credit cards, and a 9-year-old in tow, and she thought nothing of it. She lost her first husband Vincent to lung cancer when he was just 41, raised her daughter Tammy on her own, and kept going. She still walks the halls of her building every day, still does puzzles, and loves Maine lobster. Lucy DeRoche of Yarmouth, Maine turned 100 on May 20, 2026 and she is here to show us what a fully lived life actually looks like. In this joyful milestone episode, Lisa sits down with Lucy and her daughter Tammy to celebrate a century of adventure, purpose, and unending love. Lucy shares the philosophy that carried her through teaching fifth graders for decades, planning epic road trips with AAA guides before the internet existed, volunteering long into retirement, and weathering the deepest losses - all with curiosity, humor, and a fierce desire to be useful. What you'll hear in this episode: Lucy's secret to staying sharp, active, and motivated at 100How she navigated losing her husband at a young age and how she and Tammy became each other's purposeThe legendary 1971 trip to England, Scotland, and Ireland, planned entirely with travelers checks and a travel agent, no internet requiredThe zebra that stuck its entire head through the car window on the Olympic PeninsulaThe 6-inch John Wayne "statue" that was NOT the six-foot statue they drove across the Peninsula to findHer food memories: Thursdays and Sundays at the 99 in Brunswick, Maine with Jim, fish chowder and blueberry muffins at the Dolphin, and lobster that must — absolutely must — come from MaineSitting in a Paris restaurant at 86 with a sneaky grin on her faceWhat truly kept her going all these years: "I always wanted to be useful. I really did."This one is a love letter to long lives, adventurous hearts, and the mothers who drag us to Gettysburg, Paris, and off-road in a Jeep Wrangler and make us better for it. Cheers to 100 years, Lucy Williams DeRoche. We love you! Send us Fan Mail Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!  Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone. Subscribe to the podcast and we'll see you next week!  Special thanks to: Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music Podcast Music Good_B_Music

    Episode 55 - 100 Years of Living: Lucy DeRoche's Secrets to Adventure, Purpose, and Joy
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5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Loss changes everything. But it doesn't have to have the last word. Giving Grief Grace is a podcast dedicated to those in the throes of caregiving and loss with honest, compassionate conversations about grief, healing, and what it means to keep living after loss. Hosted by Lisa Hartung, a speaker, HR professional, and fellow griever, each episode creates space for the stories we don't always know how to tell. From disenfranchised and hidden grief, to grieving while parenting, to the ways men experience loss differently, to the unexpected power of creativity and legacy,  this show covers grief in all its forms. Featuring expert guests, real stories, and practical tools you can use right now. If you've lost someone you love or are in the throes of caregiving, you belong here. New episodes drop every Sunday. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

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