Hope after Loss... Gentle conversations for grieving hearts

Marilyn Burns M.S., L.P.C.C., Author
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  • Mental Health

 Hello, and welcome to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief. My name is Marilyn Burns. I’m a licensed mental health counselor with 48 years of experience, an author, and a mother. I'm creating this podcast several years after losing my son, Chris, to addiction.  Learning first hand how to grieve with grace and hope is what it took for me to help you on your journey. Grief is something we don’t talk about enough… especially the kind of grief that begins long before a loss actually happens. As parents, we often live with the fear that something could happen at any moment. And when it does, life changes in ways we never imagined. In this space, we will have gentle, honest conversations about grief… about love, about loss, and about what it means to keep living when your heart is broken. I will share my personal journey, the lessons I’ve learned over time, and the experiences of others who are walking this path. We will talk about the hard things—guilt, regret, trauma, and the feeling that you don’t recognize your life anymore. But we will also talk about hope. About how love does not end. About how we carry our children with us in ways we may not fully understand. And about how, even in the deepest pain, there are moments that begin to bring us back to ourselves. If you are grieving… if you feel alone… or if you are trying to understand how to move forward… This space is for you. You are not alone. If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore, you’re welcome to email me at hopeafterlosspodcast@gmail.com. While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email, I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future episode so others may feel less alone. This podcast is dedicated to my son, Chris. This is Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief with Marilyn Burns. I’m so glad you’re here. Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional counseling, diagnosis, or treatment. Listening to this podcast does not establish a therapist-client relationship. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or need support, please contact a licensed professional or appropriate services in your area.

Episodes

  1. 3d ago

    Helping Children Grieve: What Every Adult Should Know

    Children experience grief differently than adults, yet their pain is just as real. As a licensed professional clinical counselor for nearly five decades, I've had the privilege of walking alongside grieving children and their families. In this episode, I share what I've learned about how children process loss, the questions they often carry in their hearts, and how the caring adults in their lives can offer comfort, honesty, and hope. We'll talk about common misconceptions about children's grief, what to say (and what not to say), and simple ways to help children feel safe expressing their emotions. I'll also share why I wrote my children's book, Now I Lay Him Down to Rest, a gentle story created to help children find hope and reassurance after the sudden loss of a parent. Whether you're a parent, grandparent, teacher, counselor, pastor, or simply someone who loves a grieving child, I hope this conversation encourages you and reminds you that healing begins with love, patience, and honest connection. Thank you for joining me on Hope After Loss. If this episode encouraged you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need it. Together, let's continue finding hope after loss. Send us Fan Mail Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief. If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support.  This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.  If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,  you’re welcome to email me at [your email]. While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,  I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future episode  so others may feel less alone.

    Helping Children Grieve: What Every Adult Should Know

  2. Jul 5

    Can Dreams Bring Hope? My Journey

    Can Dreams Bring Hope? My Journey Can dreams bring comfort after the loss of someone we love? In this deeply personal episode, I share a dream that forever changed my understanding of grief—and ultimately led me to write my book, Lost No More. I explore how dreams can become a source of hope, healing, and connection during our darkest seasons. Whether you believe dreams are spiritual experiences, messages from our subconscious, or simply part of the grieving process, my hope is that this conversation encourages you to remain open to the many ways love continues to reach us. In this episode, we'll explore:  Why dreams often become more meaningful after loss.  My own life-changing dream and what it meant to me.  Different ways grieving people experience connection—through dreams, signs, memories, music, or an unexpected sense of peace.  How to remain open without feeling pressured to believe any one explanation.  Why every grief journey is unique. No matter where you are in your grief, I hope this episode reminds you that love doesn't always end when a life does. Thank you for allowing me to walk beside you. Send us Fan Mail Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief. If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support.  This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.  If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,  you’re welcome to email me at [your email]. While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,  I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future episode  so others may feel less alone.

    Can Dreams Bring Hope? My Journey

  3. Jun 21

    Moving Forward Without Moving On: Learning to Coexist with Grief

    How do we move forward after losing someone we love without feeling like we're leaving them behind? In this episode of Hope After Loss, Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C., explores one of the most common fears grieving people face: the belief that healing means forgetting. The truth is, grief isn't something we "get over." Instead, we learn how to carry our loss alongside our love, memories, and hopes for the future. Marilyn shares insights from both her personal journey as a bereaved mother and her decades of experience as a mental health counselor. Together, we'll discuss how grief changes over time, why joy and sorrow can exist together, and how finding a "new normal" doesn't mean letting go of the people we miss. If you've ever felt guilty for laughing again, making plans, or rediscovering happiness after loss, this episode is for you. You don't have to choose between honoring your loved one and living your life fully—you can do both. I'd love to hear from you. What has helped you move forward while keeping your loved one's memory alive? Share your thoughts, questions, or experiences at hopeafterlosspodcast@gmail.com. You may hear your question featured in a future episode.  If this episode touched your heart, please subscribe, follow, rate, and review Hope After Loss. Sharing this podcast with someone who is grieving can be a powerful act of kindness.  Send us Fan Mail Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief. If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support.  This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.  If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,  you’re welcome to email me at [your email]. While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,  I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future episode  so others may feel less alone.

    Moving Forward Without Moving On: Learning to Coexist with Grief

  4. Jun 7

    Episode 7 Signs From Our Loved Ones: Coincidence, Comfort, or Connection?

    Signs From Our Loved Ones: Coincidence, Comfort, or Connection? After a significant loss, many people report experiences that leave them wondering whether their loved one is still near. In this episode, Marilyn Burns explores the common signs people describe after loss, including dreams, meaningful coincidences, familiar scents, songs, animals, and moments of unexpected peace. Through personal stories and professional insight, Marilyn offers a compassionate conversation about connection, hope, and the enduring bond of love. Send us Fan Mail Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief. If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support.  This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.  If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,  you’re welcome to email me at [your email]. While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,  I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future episode  so others may feel less alone.

  5. May 23

    Faith After Loss Finding Strength in Something Greater Than Your Pain

    Episode 6: Faith After Loss: Finding Strength in Something Greater Than Your Pain Grief has a way of shaking not only our hearts, but our beliefs. In this episode of Hope After Loss, Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C., explores what happens when loss leaves us questioning faith, meaning, and the very things that once grounded us. Whether your comfort comes through God, prayer, spiritual connection, nature, the universe, or simply the hope that something greater exists beyond your pain, this conversation offers gentle encouragement for the grieving heart. If you’ve ever asked:  Why did this happen? Where was God? How do I keep going when life no longer makes sense? This episode is for you. Healing does not require perfect faith—only a willingness to remain open to comfort, meaning, and light. 💛 Questions around faith inspired Marilyn’s children’s book, Where Are You, God? Send us Fan Mail Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief. If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support.  This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.  If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,  you’re welcome to email me at [your email]. While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,  I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future episode  so others may feel less alone.

    Faith After Loss Finding Strength in Something Greater Than Your Pain

  6. May 15

    Who Am I Now? Identity After Loss

    Grief doesn't just change our lives--it can change our sense of self.  In this episode of Hope After Loss, Marilyn Burns M.S., L.P.C.C. explores the deep sense of identity loss that often follows grief. When we lose someone we love, we don’t just lose the person — we also lose the parts of self connected to them, the roles we carried, and the life we once knew. Through compassionate reflection and emotional insight, Marilyn discusses the importance of embracing the changes happening within and around us. Although grief changes us forever, learning to walk through life without our loved one can slowly shape a new version of ourselves — one built from love, resilience, growth, and healing. This episode is a gentle reminder that becoming “someone new” after loss is not betrayal… it is part of surviving. grief may quietly reshape who we are becoming. Send us Fan Mail Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief. If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support.  This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.  If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,  you’re welcome to email me at [your email]. While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,  I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future episode  so others may feel less alone.

    Who Am I Now? Identity After Loss

  7. Apr 26

    Finding Your Way Through the Darkness of Grief

    Grief can feel like darkness—quiet, heavy, and hard to move through. In this episode, Marilyn gently explores what it means to live in that darkness, and how we begin, slowly and softly, to find our way again. When we are grieving, it’s common to feel lost, disconnected, and unsure of who we are or how to move forward. This isn’t weakness—it’s the mind and body trying to cope with something overwhelming. Through both personal experience and professional insight, Marilyn offers a compassionate perspective on grief and reminds us that we don’t have to find our way all at once. Sometimes… it begins with one small step. If you are moving through the darkness of grief, this episode is a gentle place to pause, breathe, and remember—you are not alone. This is Hope After Loss — gentle conversations for grieving hearts. Send us Fan Mail Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief. If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support.  This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.  If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,  you’re welcome to email me at [your email]. While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,  I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future episode  so others may feel less alone.

    Finding Your Way Through the Darkness of Grief

  8. Apr 12

    Living in the Space Between Hope and Fear

    There is a kind of grief that begins long before loss. In this episode, Marilyn shares the emotional reality of loving someone who is struggling, and what it feels like to live in the space between hope and fear. This is the space where you find yourself waiting…  waiting for the phone to ring…  waiting for things to change…  and carrying a quiet fear that never fully goes away. Through her personal experience as a mother and her professional understanding of grief, Marilyn gently explores anticipatory grief, the emotional toll of living in uncertainty, and the weight of feeling responsible for someone you love. If you are loving someone through addiction or walking through this kind of grief, you are not alone. Send us Fan Mail Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief. If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support.  This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.  If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,  you’re welcome to email me at [your email]. While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,  I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future episode  so others may feel less alone.

    Living in the Space Between Hope and Fear

  9. Mar 29

    Grief and the Emotional Brain

    Why does grief affect memory, concentration, sleep, anxiety and everyday thinking?   In this episode, counselor Marilyn Burns explores how trauma and grief affect the emotional brain, why these changes are a normal response to loss and how treating yourself with kindness creates the conditions where healing can begin. Grief is not just an emotional experience—it is also neurological. In this episode of Hope After Loss, Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C., explores how the emotional brain responds to grief and loss, and why so many people experience overwhelming thoughts, anxiety, and emotional distress during the grieving process. This episode gently explains: – Why your thoughts may feel out of control after loss  – How the emotional brain processes grief  – The connection between grief, anxiety, and chronic stress  – Why you are not “losing your mind,” even when it feels that way Whether you are experiencing recent loss, anticipatory grief, or ongoing emotional pain, this conversation offers understanding, validation, and hope. If you are struggling with grief, anxiety, or the emotional impact of losing someone you love, you are not alone—and what you are experiencing makes sense. Send us Fan Mail Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief. If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support.  This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.  If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,  you’re welcome to email me at [your email]. While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,  I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future episode  so others may feel less alone.

    Grief and the Emotional Brain

  10. Mar 22

    When Grief begins Before Loss

    Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional counseling, diagnosis, or treatment. Listening to this podcast does not establish a therapist-client relationship. If you are in need of support, please seek help from a licensed professional in your area. Anticipatory grief often begins long before the death of someone we love.  In this episode, Marilyn Burns shares how grief, fear and uncertainty begin affecting the heart and brain before loss occurs, and how understanding anticipatory grief can help us navigate this difficult time with compassion.  When a loved one struggles with addiction, families live with a quiet, constant fear—the possibility that life could change at any moment. This episode explores that experience through both personal story and professional insight. Marilyn speaks as both a mother and a counselor, offering understanding, validation, and gentle guidance for those navigating fear, helplessness, and emotional exhaustion. If you are walking alongside someone struggling… or living with the weight of loss… this conversation is for you. You are not alone. This episode is dedicated to my son, Chris. Send us Fan Mail Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief. If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support.  This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.  If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,  you’re welcome to email me at [your email]. While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,  I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future episode  so others may feel less alone.

    When Grief begins Before Loss
  • 10 Episodes

About

 Hello, and welcome to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief. My name is Marilyn Burns. I’m a licensed mental health counselor with 48 years of experience, an author, and a mother. I'm creating this podcast several years after losing my son, Chris, to addiction.  Learning first hand how to grieve with grace and hope is what it took for me to help you on your journey. Grief is something we don’t talk about enough… especially the kind of grief that begins long before a loss actually happens. As parents, we often live with the fear that something could happen at any moment. And when it does, life changes in ways we never imagined. In this space, we will have gentle, honest conversations about grief… about love, about loss, and about what it means to keep living when your heart is broken. I will share my personal journey, the lessons I’ve learned over time, and the experiences of others who are walking this path. We will talk about the hard things—guilt, regret, trauma, and the feeling that you don’t recognize your life anymore. But we will also talk about hope. About how love does not end. About how we carry our children with us in ways we may not fully understand. And about how, even in the deepest pain, there are moments that begin to bring us back to ourselves. If you are grieving… if you feel alone… or if you are trying to understand how to move forward… This space is for you. You are not alone. If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore, you’re welcome to email me at hopeafterlosspodcast@gmail.com. While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email, I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future episode so others may feel less alone. This podcast is dedicated to my son, Chris. This is Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief with Marilyn Burns. I’m so glad you’re here. Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional counseling, diagnosis, or treatment. Listening to this podcast does not establish a therapist-client relationship. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or need support, please contact a licensed professional or appropriate services in your area.

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