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. 1d ago

    Grief Is Our Roommate, Not Our Enemy: Rebecca Feinglos on Founding Grieve Leave (Episode 74)

    Rebecca Feinglos, certified grief support specialist, founder of Grieve Leave, and host of Grief'd Up podcast, shares how losing both parents and ending her marriage led to a year-long "grief sabbatical" and a movement to make grief a normal part of life and work. Rebecca was five when her mom was diagnosed with glioblastoma. After treatment and clinical trials, Rebecca's mom passed away when she was 13. In 2020, her dad died suddenly on the first day of COVID lockdowns, and Rebecca got the call while at work. Her dad was her best friend and Rebecca's world changed instantly. In this conversation, Rebecca discusses how grieving during COVID was especially challenging without the usual rituals or support, and how her "Year of Grieve Leave" grew into a global movement and community. In this episode, you'll learn: Grief doesn't only look sad. Rebecca explains the dual process model of grief and why joy, distraction, and a Duke basketball game can be part of healing.Grief doesn't stay home when you go to work. Rebecca had no bereavement leave when her dad died. She later helped win 40 hours of paid bereavement leave for most North Carolina state employees.Loss isn't only about death. Divorce, changing careers, and becoming a different person after loss all deserve the time and space to be grieved. "Grief is our roommate, not our enemy." — Rebecca Feinglos Connect with Rebecca and Grieve Leave: Website and blog: grieveleave.com and grieveleave.com/blogInstagram: @grieveleave and Rebecca's personal account @rfeinglosSad Hours: grieveleave.com/sad-hourGrief'd Up podcast: grieveleave.com/podcastWorkplace training: grieveleave.com/workplace-trainingCelebrating a loved one on their special day? Download Lisa's free one-pager of ideas at lisahartung.com, or email her at hello@lisahartung.com.  Whatever your grief looks like today, 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

    Grief Is Our Roommate, Not Our Enemy: Rebecca Feinglos on Founding Grieve Leave (Episode 74)

  2. Sep 27

    Healing the Unseen: Nicole Mixdorf on Akashic Records, Grief & Ancestral Wounds (Episode 73)

    Nicole Mixdorf spent 15 years chasing a chronic illness through 60+ healing modalities before she found the piece no doctor could give her: the grief she never let herself feel. In this episode, the transformational healer and Akashic Records practitioner shares how losing her dad just months after her premature son's birth became the doorway to her own healing. Nicole discusses how her father's love helped guide her through challenging motherhood moments after his passing. Additionally, Nicole digs into her five layers of healing (physical, mental, emotional, energetic, and spiritual), what actually happens in an Akashic Records session, and how ancestral wounds can travel through a family line. She closes the conversation with a live group healing session for anyone listening who is open to receive it. Takeaways: Grief we don't process doesn't disappear. Nicole believes it can settle into the body and show up as physical illness years later.The Akashic Records aren't about predicting the future; Nicole uses them to trace a symptom or pattern back to its emotional or ancestral root.Healing isn't one-size-fits-all. Nicole's "five layers" (physical, mental, emotional, energetic, spiritual) offer a way to ask where an issue is actually stuck.Visit Nicole Mixdorf's website and check out her podcast HEALED with Nicole Mixdorf wherever you get your podcasts.  Wherever you are in your own grief journey, we hope this conversation offers you a new perspective and a little more grace. If it resonates, share it with someone who needs it, and reach out any time at hello@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

    Healing the Unseen: Nicole Mixdorf on Akashic Records, Grief & Ancestral Wounds (Episode 73)

  3. Sep 20

    I Play Solitaire with My Dead Mom and Eat Chocolate for Both of Us (Episode 72)

    This week, Lisa discusses running a half marathon on the anniversary of her mom's death and getting get news at work, and all she wants to do is pick up the phone and call her mom. Instead, she communicates with her mom through what her mom did best: playing solitaire and eating chocolate. This is a solo episode about how grief shows up in life's best moments, not just its hardest ones, and the small rituals that keep our loved ones close. Along the way, a bedtime moment with her five-year-old daughter reveals just how quietly those rituals get passed down. Takeaways: Grief doesn't wait for sad anniversaries. Grief shows up in celebrations and big wins too.Small, specific rituals (a card game, a saved piece of candy) can be a real way of communicating with and celebrating someone you've lost.Kids absorb how we cope, so be aware! Our actions are often mirrored by our children. As Lisa says, grief shows up in every day, in every way and it is how we choose to carry it that matters. If this episode resonated, share it with someone who's learning their own way of saying “I miss you” to a person they've lost. Have a ritual of your own? Email hello@lisahartung.com and tell Lisa about it or find the full show and community at podcast.lisahartung.com. Grief was never meant to be carried alone, you are welcome here.  Cultivate What Matters PowerSheets can be found here through January 2027. How to Number Your Days - Lara Casey's podcast episode.  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

    I Play Solitaire with My Dead Mom and Eat Chocolate for Both of Us (Episode 72)

  4. Sep 13

    Grief and Marathon Running: Losing Your Mom While Raising Kids with Heather Morrison Mainville (Episode 71)

    Grief and life are a marathon, not a sprint. They are full of uphills, downhills, and unexpected turns. In this episode, recorded live on the fourth anniversary of Lisa’s mother Emily's passing (and just hours after finishing a half marathon together), Lisa sits down with her running partner and friend Heather Morrison Mainville to talk about what it really looks like to carry the loss of a mother for a decade and still keep moving forward, both literally and emotionally. Heather lost her mom, Tammy, to lung cancer ten years ago, in the middle of her own postpartum depression. Heather experienced overwhelming grief while caring for her 6-month-old. She and Lisa talk candidly about anticipatory grief, the ambush of unexpected triggers even a decade out, and what it's like to keep talking about her mom. Small rituals like texting updates during a Patriots game, wearing her mother’s apron, or seeing a ladybug on a run keep Heather’s mom Tammy’s legacy and memory alive. In this episode: Why Lisa calls grief "a marathon" of highs, lows, and unexpected turnsHeather's experience grieving her mom Tammy while in postpartum depression, and what it meant to "relive" that grief laterThe friendship, built on flag football, a ladybug towel, and a shared understanding of loss, that turned into a running partnershipMilestone grief: why the first year, the second year, and unexpected decade-markers hit differentlySmall, sustaining rituals — family recipes, Patriots traditions, and "signs" from moms who've passed — that keep a parent presentHeather's advice for someone newly grieving a mother: take it one day at a time, and it's okay to both wallow and celebrateIf this conversation resonated with you, share it with a friend who's carrying a loss of their own. Sometimes the biggest comfort is knowing you're not the only one still grieving. Sharing a story of their loved one with them also helps! Grief has no timeline.  Do you have a story about how your person shows up for you? Email Lisa at hello@lisahartung.com. We’d love to hear it!   Grief is not something you get over, it becomes something you carry.  Give yourself grace. Find Heather on TikTok: @heather.m.m512 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

    Grief and Marathon Running: Losing Your Mom While Raising Kids with Heather Morrison Mainville (Episode 71)

  5. Sep 6

    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

  6. 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"

  7. 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

  8. 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
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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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