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

    The $200K Mistake Families Don't See Coming with Senior Transition Advisor Ryan Riggins

    There's a mistake hiding in almost every "we'll buy your house for cash" letter. These sometimes come when a family is most vulnerable as they prepare for or already have a loved one in a continuing care community. It can cost them $200,000 instead of $100,000, often after they've already given everything they have. Ryan Riggins knows this world having spent eight years as a house flipper. Eventually, he switched sides and created Riggins Strategic Solutions to help families know all their options instead of rushing to sell their home. In this episode he walks through the Medicaid five-year look-back trap, how to spot a fair cash offer, and how to tackle going through a lifetime of belongings. A few things you'll take away from this episode: Why the house is usually item 21 on a much longer and more urgent to-do listHow Medicaid's five-year look-back can turn a well-intentioned gift into a $200,000 mistakeHow to recognize a fair cash offer versus a wholesaler's letterA weekly two-bag approach to clearing out a parent's homeWhy aging in place only works if you plan for who your parent might be in five years, not just who they are todayIf you are considering next steps for your parent or grandparent, you don't have to have all the answers today. Ryan Riggins created a free Senior Transition Blueprint to walk you through next steps of what to consider, how to take action, and what to expect. You are not alone, lean on your community and specialists who work in this realm every day.  Book a free 20 minute call with Ryan Riggins.  Download the SeniorSafe App! 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

    The $200K Mistake Families Don't See Coming with Senior Transition Advisor Ryan Riggins

  2. Aug 30

    Episode 69 - Be a Little Dolly: Honoring Dolly Parton's Legacy of Grief, Generosity & Grandpa Honky's "Girlfriend"

    This week, Lisa reflects on Dolly Parton's passing. Dolly was a legend, a woman whose warmth, honesty, and generosity touched millions. Her legacy teaches us about turning personal loss into lasting good. From the origin of the Imagination Library (born from her father's inability to read and write) to a heartwarming family story about a cardboard Dolly cutout that became her grandfather Honky Hartung's "girlfriend" after losing Alice, his wife of over 60 years, this episode is a celebration of how grief can inspire connection, creativity, and community impact. Lisa shares personal family memories tied to Dolly from Dollywood road trips to enjoying the Imagination Library with her own daughter.  Lisa challenges listeners:  how can you "be a little Dolly" today, in honor of someone you've lost? How can you spread kindness and generosity? Key Takeaways: Dolly Parton founded the Imagination Library after her father never learned to read or write. Through this program, millions of children and families have been touched and the ripple effect will continue to influence change around the world for years to come. Legacy work doesn't have to be grand. How would your loved one want you to remember them? How many people can you help? Start small, start local. A simple, unconventional comfort object (like a cardboard cutout) can become a meaningful source of connection for someone grieving.Honoring someone's memory can be as simple as continuing what they loved. Maybe it is helping children with literacy, spreading kindness, cooking for the people you love, or showing up authentically.Ask loved ones, while they're here, how they want to be remembered and start carrying their story forward now.Interested in bringing the Imagination Library to your community? You can apply here and if you'd like a personal contact of someone who has started a program in their area, email Lisa at hello@lisahartung.com.  This week, find your own small way to "be a little Dolly": a little sparkle, a little kindness, a little joy and give yourself grace.  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 69 - Be a Little Dolly: Honoring Dolly Parton's Legacy of Grief, Generosity & Grandpa Honky's "Girlfriend"

  3. Aug 23

    Episode 68 - The Call You Never Want: Real Talk on Caregiving Next Steps for a Parent

    Lisa got the call about her dad this week, and instead of pretending everything's fine, she decided to talk about it because that's what this podcast has always been for. This is a real-time, in-the-thick-of-it episode about what happens in the first days after a parent's diagnosis: the urge to jump straight into fixing and downsizing and logistics, and why Lisa is learning to slow down and just be with him instead. She talks about honoring what her dad wants (even when it's hard to hear), building out his care team from a distance, getting the legal and financial pieces in order, and the sweet, funny moment when her dad said exactly how he'd let her know he's okay once he's gone.  If you're in the sandwich generation raising your own kids while becoming the person your parent leans on, we hope this gives you both comfort and a place to start. 5 Key Takeaways Sit with it before you solve it. Let yourself and your loved one feel the news fully — grief and love are two sides of the same coin — before you move into logistics mode.Ask, don't assume. Your parent gets to decide what care looks like for them, even when it's not the choice you'd make. Ask what they want; don't assume you know best.Build a care team early. Line up specialists, a local set of eyes and ears if you're far away, and lean on your employer's EAP to find resources so you're not doing it alone.Get the paperwork moving — a little at a time. Health power of attorney, an updated and notarized will, and joint bank accounts are all easier to set up in advance than to untangle in a crisis.Let your people in. Tell your workplace and your support network what's going on. You don't have to carry this quietly, and you don't have to carry it alone.If you're walking a similar road of caring for a parent while raising your own kids, DM Lisa on Instagram @GivingGriefGrace or email hello@lisahartung.com. Share your story, ask for a pick-me-up, or just say "me too." If this episode gave you something to hold onto today, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with one person who needs to hear it isn't just them. 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 68 - The Call You Never Want: Real Talk on Caregiving Next Steps for a Parent

  4. Aug 16

    Episode 67 - You Never Know If It's the Last Goodbye: Make Every Farewell Count

    In this solo episode, Lisa tunes in from her family's camp in Maine — a place where her mom's presence still lingers in the woodland gardens, the lake air, and the memories tucked into every corner. Between a midsummer garden party at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, a visit to her mom's memorial bench there, and celebrating her 97-year-old grandfather's "oldest citizen in town" award, Lisa found herself surrounded by generations of family in one place and got choked up saying goodbye, because you never really know if it's the last one. This episode is a gentle but honest nudge to think about how you leave your relationships — the phone call, the text message, the hug at the door. Lisa shares why every goodbye deserves a little more intention, especially with aging or ill loved ones. She opens up about noticing early signs of decline in her own father's health this trip and why showing up in person matters more than any phone check-in ever could. Takeaways: Every goodbye — a phone call, a text, an in-person visit — deserves to be left with love, because we rarely know in advance which one will be the lastIf something was left unsaid or unresolved, it's never too late to say "I'm sorry" or "I love you," even after someone is goneBeing physically present with aging loved ones reveals what phone calls and texts can hide — if you can make the trip, do it, you won't regret itGrief and new life can coexist — love after loss is possible, and moving forward doesn't mean leaving someone behindA goodbye said with intention — an extra squeeze, an "I love you" — is a gift you can give yourself as much as the other person"Whenever I say goodbye, it's not goodbye — it's I'll see you later, because maybe we'll see them on the other side." - LH If this episode moved you or made you think of someone you haven't said "I love you" to in a while, share it with them. Tell them you heard something that made you think of them, and give them the extra squeeze next time you say goodbye.  Follow Giving Grief Grace on Instagram @GivingGriefGrace for more, and if this episode helped you, please subscribe and leave a review — it helps this show reach the next person who needs 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 67 - You Never Know If It's the Last Goodbye: Make Every Farewell Count

  5. Aug 9

    Episode 66 - Turning Grief Into Growth: Ksenia Merck on Creative Expression Through Art, Loss, & Ghost Flower

    What happens when the person you built your life with leaves behind an unfinished manuscript? In this episode, artist and architect Ksenia Merck joins us to talk about turning grief into growth. We learn how she picked up her late husband Bill's final book, Ghost Flower, and finished it through her illustrations, transforming an act of mourning into a lifelong creative collaboration that continues past death. Ksenia walks us through her caregiving journey. She discusses the heartbreaking loss of her father who was her biggest cheerleader. Ksenia was the primary caregiver for her mother Eva, who lived with Ksenia and Bill for 14 years, and then for Bill himself through a prostate cancer diagnosis that led to a grueling hospital stay. She shares how creativity became her processing ground for grief: illustrating Ghost Flower, building its companion journal from her own sketches and reflections, and discovering that healing doesn't follow a timeline, it follows its own pace, one brushstroke or drawing at a time. In this episode, you'll learn: How Ksenia turned illustrating Bill's unfinished novel into an act of healing and continued connectionWhat caregiving for a parent and a spouse taught her about self-careWhy she believes creative work can hold grief in ways words alone can'tHow the Ghost Flower Companion Journal  became a way to help others process their own lossWhy healing at your own pace matters more than following anyone else's timelineHeal at your own pace, rather than following a timeline someone else set for you. If this conversation resonated with you, subscribe to Giving Grief Grace and share it with someone who's grieving. Explore Ksenia's work at merckiipress.com, and follow @merck2press for more on her art and Ghost Flower journey. Website: https://www.merckiipress.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ksenia-merck-44525514/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/merck2press  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merck2press/  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 66 - Turning Grief Into Growth: Ksenia Merck on Creative Expression Through Art, Loss, & Ghost Flower

  6. Aug 3

    Episode 65 - What Is Your Handicap? Choosing Joy, Presence, & What Really Matters After Loss

    In this solo episode, Lisa opens up about a bittersweet wave of grief triggered by an old photo memory of a day spent with her mom exploring Maine — and turns it into a gentle teaching moment on how to live with grief rather than wait for it to disappear. Leaning on a favorite passage from Melody Beattie's Journey to the Heart, she introduces the idea of grief as a personal "handicap": not something to overcome, but something to carry with grace while still choosing to live a full, joyful life. Along the way, Lisa shares an intimate ritual — pulling tarot cards from a deck she and her mom used together during her mom's pancreatic cancer diagnosis — and reflects on the card she drew that day and what it meant to her. She closes with a reminder, inspired by a Michael Josephson's What Will Matter poem reflection on legacy, that what matters most isn't what we accumulated, but what we gave, taught, and how we made others feel. Takeaways: Grief triggers (like social media memories) aren't something to dread — they're often a gift in disguiseYou don't "get over" grief; you learn to live with it and around it, like a handicapRituals — even small ones — can be powerful ways to stay connected to a loved one who's passedChoosing joy and presence isn't a betrayal of grief; it's part of honoring the life your loved one wanted for youWhat we're remembered for has far more to do with character and compassion than achievementIf this episode resonated with you, share it with someone in their own season of grief — and if you'd like Lisa to pull a tarot card for you and your loved one, send her a message on Instagram @GivingGriefGrace or hello@lisahartung.com.  New episodes of Giving Grief Grace drop weekly, because grief was never meant to be carried alone. 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 65 - What Is Your Handicap? Choosing Joy, Presence, & What Really Matters After Loss

  7. Jul 26

    Episode 64 - Moments Matter: What I'd Do Again Caregiving for Mom and Her Terminal Diagnosis

    When someone you love receives a terminal diagnosis, time suddenly feels different — heavier, more precious, and impossible to plan around. In this solo episode, Lisa shares what caregiving through her mom's stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis taught her about making the most of uncertain time. She walks listeners through practical logistics like assembling a care team and navigating the shift into hospice, to the small daily choices that turned hard days into meaningful ones: a favorite ice cream, a beloved TV show, a spontaneous stop at a small-town shop. This is the caregiving guidance Lisa wishes she'd had going in, and the moments, both big and small, she'd choose again in a heartbeat. Whether you're newly navigating a diagnosis, deep in the trenches of caregiving, or supporting someone who is, this episode offers both practical tools and permission to find real joy alongside the hard days. Key Take-Aways: Build a care team early and broadly — beyond doctors, consider nutritionists, therapists, hospice, and community/illness-specific organizations; don't be afraid to ask for help.Keep a notebook or recording of appointments — the fog of caregiving makes details easy to lose, and a log helps you (and your care team) stay grounded.Enrolling in hospice is a mindset shift, not a defeat — it moves the focus from preserving life to preserving comfort and dignity.Protect small daily joys — a favorite food, a familiar show, a beauty ritual — they matter as much as the big milestones.Say yes to spontaneous adventures, even tiny ones close to home; the ones that stick with you aren't always the big bucket-list trips.If you are caregiving for a parent or loved one right now, we see you, and we are so glad you are here. Subscribe so you don't miss next week's episode, and if this one resonated with you, please share it with someone else in the thick of it — you don't have to carry this alone. 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 64 - Moments Matter: What I'd Do Again Caregiving for Mom and Her Terminal Diagnosis

  8. Jul 19

    Episode 63 - Grief at Work: A Compassionate Guide for Employees, Managers & HR Practitioners

    Grief doesn't clock out when the workday starts. In this solo episode, Lisa draws on her own experience as an HR practitioner and a griever, from caregiving for her mother through stage 4 pancreatic cancer to losing her grandmother while sitting alone in an office. She walks through what it actually looks like to navigate grief at work, from every seat at the table. Lisa breaks down anticipatory grief, caregiving exhaustion, and delayed grief that resurfaces around anniversaries and holidays, and offers concrete guidance for employees on communicating needs, understanding FMLA and bereavement leave, and knowing when to lean on an EAP or short-term disability. For managers and HR practitioners, she shares what compassionate support really looks like from checking in privately, marking anniversary dates, avoiding empty platitudes, to building flexibility into policy rather than just offering it as an afterthought. Key Takeaways: Grief has no timeline- anticipatory, delayed, and disenfranchised grief all deserve space at work, not just the days immediately following a lossEmployees: be transparent early with your manager, understand your FMLA and bereavement rights, and don't wait too long to take leaveManagers: lead with presence over policy, check in privately, mark important dates, and never assume grief ends when leave doesHR practitioners: EAPs, PTO donation programs, and flexible leave policies can make a life-changing difference for grieving employeesNo one should have to carry grief alone at work or anywhere else If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Maybe that's a grieving coworker, a manager who doesn't know what to say, or an HR practitioner building a more compassionate workplace.  Subscribe to Giving Grief Grace wherever you listen. 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 63 - Grief at Work: A Compassionate Guide for Employees, Managers & HR Practitioners
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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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