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. 5d ago

    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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. Jul 12

    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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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
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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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