Giving Grief Grace

Lisa Hartung
  • 5.0 (7)
  • MENTAL HEALTH

Giving Grief Grace is a heartfelt podcast offering a safe space where stories of love, loss, light, and healing are shared with compassion and empathy. In each episode, honest conversations woven with nurturing insights create a safe haven, fostering a community of support where sorrow is met with kindness, and the path to healing is approached with utmost care, respect, and love.

  1. Episode 48 - Fought the Fight: Grief, Easter Sunrise, and Finding Joy Again

    6D AGO

    Episode 48 - Fought the Fight: Grief, Easter Sunrise, and Finding Joy Again

    Easter has a way of cracking grief wide open. In this solo episode, Lisa shares a raw and vulnerable reflection on how the season of resurrection intersects with loss. From waking up before dawn in a small Maine town to sing "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" on a hillside with her mom, to attending Duke Chapel's sunrise service the year after her mother Emily passed, Lisa walks us through the traditions that keep her mother's memory alive. She also shares about the moment a hymn lyric brought her to her knees, and the friend who held her through it. She also shares the beautiful cycle of grief and new life: her own daughter now old enough to pack a thermos of hot chocolate and head to the garden for sunrise Easter service. History, as Lisa says, repeats itself. Lisa also introduces something new - Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way: a 12-week journey into creativity she's embarking on with a community of women, and why she believes unblocking our creativity is one of the most powerful tools we have to move through grief. If you've felt stuck, joyless, or creatively frozen in your grief, this episode is for you.  To join the 12 week workshop, email hello@lisahartung.com or DM @givinggriefgrace on Instagram. All are welcome! The workshop kicks off on Monday, April 6, 2026. 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

    20 min
  2. Episode 47 - When Men Get Breast Cancer: Jake Messier on Stigma, Stage 4, and Breaking the Silence

    MAR 29

    Episode 47 - When Men Get Breast Cancer: Jake Messier on Stigma, Stage 4, and Breaking the Silence

    What happens when a man is diagnosed with a disease the world has decided belongs to women? Jake Messier, known as @theguywithstage4breastcancer, is living that answer every single day. After a stage 2 breast cancer diagnosis in 2023 progressed to metastatic disease in August 2025, Jake turned his 30-year marketing career into a mission: building the largest male breast cancer community in the world and refusing to let men suffer in silence. In this conversation, Jake opens up about finding a lump while putting on deodorant and brushing it off because no one had ever taught him that men could get breast cancer, too. He discusses the nearly year-long ordeal of four inconclusive biopsies, the moment he got the call that changed everything, and how he has recorded his experience from the highs to the vulnerable lows.  We dig into the toxic masculinity that literally keeps men out of treatment rooms, the staggering fact that very little funding is specifically dedicated to male breast cancer, and what it means to plant trees you'll never sit in the shade of. Jake also shares the story of a man who hid his breast cancer for 14 years and why Jake's platform finally made him feel brave enough to call himself a survivor. This episode is for anyone who has ever loved someone with cancer and didn't know what to say, and for every man who went on with his day when he should have made a call. Find Jake online: Website: theguywithstage4breastcancer.com Instagram & TikTok : @theguywithstage4breastcancer  LinkedIn: Jake Messier  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

    1 hr
  3. Episode 46 - When Grief Becomes a Calling: How Kelly Edmondson Turned Loss Into Light with Timely Presence

    MAR 22

    Episode 46 - When Grief Becomes a Calling: How Kelly Edmondson Turned Loss Into Light with Timely Presence

    What do you do with your grief when you've spent 25 years as a nurse helping families through their hardest moments and then overnight, you become the family in need? That's the journey Kelly Edmondson found herself on three years ago when she lost her oldest son, Darius, to epilepsy in his sleep. Kelly shares how that loss became the catalyst for Timely Presence, a year-long grief support service built on the belief that grief outlasts sympathy, and so should the support. Drawing on her nursing background in trauma, ICU, and the ER, her certification in grief counseling, and the lived experience of losing a child, Kelly walks us through what meaningful support looks like in the months that follow a loss, including the gifts that do what words simply cannot. Wind chimes on birthdays, preserved roses on Mother's Day, and engraved memory boxes arriving right after the service. Kelly also shares the story of a crystal sun catcher that turned one bereaved mother's darkest day into one full of color and light. We dig into grief in the workplace: what colleagues get wrong, what they can do better, and why showing up doesn't require a script. Kelly also opens up about anticipatory grief, disenfranchised grief, and what she discovered when she crossed from the clinical side of loss to the deeply personal side. This is an episode about presence, celebrating a loved one's legacy, and letting the family know: I still remember. You are not alone. Visit Timely Presence online; Instagram; Facebook  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

    51 min
  4. Episode 45 - It's Okay to Say Died: How to Talk to Children About Death at Any Age with Carrie Silver of A Haven

    MAR 15

    Episode 45 - It's Okay to Say Died: How to Talk to Children About Death at Any Age with Carrie Silver of A Haven

    What do you say when a child asks, "Is Mommy coming back?" This week, Lisa sits down with Carrie Silver, Clinical Director of A Haven, a nonprofit child and family grief center in Exton, Pennsylvania, to explore one of the most important and often-avoided conversations we can have with the children in our lives: talking honestly about death.  Carrie brings both professional expertise and compassion as she walks us through why using real language like the words died, death, dead, is one of the greatest gifts we can give a grieving child. Softer phrases like "passed away," "went to sleep," or "we lost them" can unintentionally create confusion, anxiety, and even shame in young minds still learning how the world works. This is the first episode of a mini-series with A Haven about how to support and talk to children about death and dying. In this episode, you'll learn: Why the #1 factor in how a child grieves is how their caregiver grievesWhat normative grief looks like at every developmental stage — from age 3 through young adulthoodHow to approach these conversations as a "side-by-side" activity rather than a face-to-face talkRed flags (and orange flags) that signal a child may need additional supportThe power of keeping rituals, memories, and stories alive, and why talking about and asking questions about a loved one is always a gift, even if it causes tearsFree resources available through A Haven for families everywhereWhether you're a parent, caregiver, educator, or grief professional, this episode offers tangible, take-home wisdom for supporting the youngest grievers in your community and yourself. Resources: A Haven: free printable grief resources and consultations availableJudi's House: comprehensive grief care for children and families and their CBEM Model for national data on children's grief by regionSend 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

    46 min
  5. Episode 44 - Still Raising Hell at 97: Alton "Honky" Hartung on Living Life to the Fullest in Maine

    MAR 10

    Episode 44 - Still Raising Hell at 97: Alton "Honky" Hartung on Living Life to the Fullest in Maine

    In this episode, Lisa sits down with her grandfather, Alton "Honky" Hartung who recently turned 97 and is still living alone and driving! Honky is a living piece of American history who has no intention of slowing down anytime soon. Born and raised on a farm in Manchester, Maine, Honky takes us back to a simpler time, describing what it was like working as a meat cutter at the local market. He shares stories of traveling around the US with his wife of 66 years, Alice Williams Hartung. His most prized possession is his 1929 Model A Ford - tune in to hear how he got his nickname "Honky!" He is one of those people who you just have to mention his name and friends get a smile on their face and have their own Honky story to tell.  This episode is a reminder that the greatest stories often come from the people sitting right across the dinner table. Honky's lived wisdom, humor, and wit are unparalleled and he is still raising hell every day. We are here for 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

    1h 19m
  6. Episode 43 - Finding Joy Without a Cure: Melanie Ezell on INHERITED, Motherhood & Living Fully with Stage 4 Cancer

    MAR 2

    Episode 43 - Finding Joy Without a Cure: Melanie Ezell on INHERITED, Motherhood & Living Fully with Stage 4 Cancer

    This week, we welcome back Melanie Ezell — writer, mother, yogi, and surfer from the North Shore of Oʻahu — to celebrate the release of her new book, INHERITED: A Life Without a Cure. Diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer at a young age, Melanie has shared honestly and been a luminous voice on grief, mortality, and the art of being present. Melanie unpacks the layered meaning behind the title INHERITED. From the BRCA1 mutation passed down from her father to the cultural and spiritual messages she absorbed about shame, worthiness, and productivity, and how she is now consciously choosing what to pass on to her five-year-old son, Velzy. The conversation moves through the surprising gifts that come from a terminal diagnosis: releasing resentment without moral superiority, stepping down from the judge's seat entirely, the freedom of radical acceptance, and how surfing chest-high waves under a double rainbow can be every bit as meaningful as charging big swells. Melanie also shares a vulnerable and recent update. Her cancer markers have recently jumped, a stronger round of chemo may be ahead. What she actually needs from the people she loves when fear sets in is not reassurances or solutions, but simple presence.  The following words are what Melanie shared she needs to hear most. For listeners who know someone journeying through illness or for caregivers and individuals themselves, these words can change your relationship: I hear you, I'm listening. This makes me feel ____, and I'm here for you. Talk as much as you want, tell me anything you want,  and I will sit here until you don't need my presence anymore. Whether you're living with a terminal illness, walking alongside someone who is, or simply searching for a more present, heart-centered way to move through this life, this episode will stay with you long after you listen. Pre-order Melanie's book: INHERITED: A Life without a Cure melanieezell.com | Amazon (e-book pre-order)  Follow Melanie:  @yogasurfmel on Instagram Substack: Melanie Ezell Please consider supporting Melanie on her cancer journey as she prepares to release her legacy book for her son.  GoFundMe If you want to hear more about Melanie's journey, listen to Giving Grief Grace's Episode 24: Living Fully with Stage 4 ovarian Cancer: The Freedom of Letting Go  or watch it on YouTube.  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

    51 min
  7. Episode 42 - Ash Rose Project (Week 4): Honoring Legacy, Finding Hope, and Looking Toward the Future

    FEB 22

    Episode 42 - Ash Rose Project (Week 4): Honoring Legacy, Finding Hope, and Looking Toward the Future

    In this bittersweet finale of the Ash Rose Project series, host Lisa Hartung and artist/Executive Director of the Ash Rose Foundation, Ian McCartor close out their 30-day grief journey with a conversation full of hope, whimsy, and renewal. The conversation was recorded, fittingly, on Ash Wednesday. Week 4's theme is Looking Toward the Future: Continuing the Legacy and Embracing Hope. As Ian puts the finishing touches on a one-of-a-kind portrait made with Emily Hartung's ashes, Lisa reflects on what this project has meant for her healing and what she hopes it will mean for others. Together Ian and Lisa explore the transformative power of curiosity in grief, why asking open-ended questions beats the usual platitudes, and how art becomes a talisman that keeps our loved ones present in everyday life. Lisa shares the legacy traditions she'll carry forward from "Emily's Planting & Blooming Day" at the Farmington Public Library in Maine to a memorial bench at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Maine and even hints at two books she hopes to write in her mother's honor. The episode closes with a passage from Wordsworth's I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, inscribed on a wind chime for Emily, and a reminder that there is always a path to spring again. A wonderful representation of the cycle of life.  A grand reveal episode is coming during the first week of spring — stay tuned! Catch up on the full Ash Rose Project series: Intro Week - When The Artist Becomes the Art: Episode 38 Week 1 – Honoring the Past: Episode 39 Week 2 – Processing Grief Through Creation: Episode 40  Week 3 – Finding Meaning in the Present: Episode 41 Visit the Ash Rose Foundation at TheAshRose.org for more information and to sign up for your own Ash Rose Project to celebrate a loved one who has passed.  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

    46 min
  8. Episode 41 - Ash Rose Project (Week 3): Finding Meaning in the Present Through Creativity & Connection

    FEB 15

    Episode 41 - Ash Rose Project (Week 3): Finding Meaning in the Present Through Creativity & Connection

    In Week 3 of the Ash Rose Project mini-series, host Lisa Hartung continues her 30-day grief journey with Ian McCartor of the Ash Rose Foundation. This week centers on finding meaning in the present moment. Lisa and Ian discuss integrating remembrance and creative exploration from the first two weeks into a grounded sense of healing, hope, and transformation. Lisa reflects on what it has felt like to send her mother’s ashes to be incorporated into a memorial portrait, and how the guided journaling and weekly conversations have helped her feel closer to her mom. Allowing her the opportunity to celebrate her mom's essence through storytelling, memory, and art. Together, Lisa and Ian explore: How creativity opens new pathways in griefThe role of journaling and expression in emotional healingSigns, symbols, and moments of connection with loved onesThe beauty of nature as a mirror for life, death, and renewalWhy “creating”, not just consuming, helps grief and energy move through the bodyLisa shares a story about her mother’s hibiscus plant blooming in the middle of winter which is a vivid reminder of presence, new life, and love that continues to surround and uplift. This conversation is an invitation to slow down, embrace vulnerability, and witness how creative expression can transform grief into intimacy, meaning, and even joy. If you are interested in working with Ian McCartor on your own Ash Rose Project, visit theashrose.org.  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

    53 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Giving Grief Grace is a heartfelt podcast offering a safe space where stories of love, loss, light, and healing are shared with compassion and empathy. In each episode, honest conversations woven with nurturing insights create a safe haven, fostering a community of support where sorrow is met with kindness, and the path to healing is approached with utmost care, respect, and love.

Information

  • Creator
    Lisa Hartung
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    50
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Giving Grief Grace
  • Show Website
    Giving Grief Grace