GRIEF AND LIGHT

Nina Rodriguez
  • 5,0 (23)
  • RELACIONAMENTOS

This space was created for you by someone who gets it – your grief, your foundation-shattering reality, and the question of what the heck do we do with the shattered pieces of life and loss around us.It’s also for the listener who wants to better understand their grieving person, and perhaps wants to learn how to help.Now in its fourth season, the Grief and Light podcast features both solo episodes and interviews with first-hand experiencers, authors, and professionals, who shine a light on the spectrum of experiences, feelings, secondary losses, and takeaways.As a bereaved sister, I share my personal story of the sudden loss of my younger brother, only sibling, one day after we celebrated his 32nd birthday. I also delve into how that loss, trauma, and grief catapulted me into a truth-seeking journey, which ultimately led me to answer "the calling" of creating this space I now call Grief and Light.Since launching the first episode on March 30, 2023, the Grief and Light podcast and social platforms have evolved into a powerful resource for grief-informed support, including one-on-one grief guidance, monthly grief circles, community, and much more.With each episode, you can expect open and authentic conversations sharing our truth, and explorations of how to transmute the grief experience into meaning, and even joy.My hope is to make you feel less alone, and to be a beacon of light and source of information for anyone embarking on this journey."We're all just walking each other HOME." - Ram DassThank you for being here.We're in this together.Nina, Yosef's Sister--For more information, visit: griefandlight.com

  1. Sibling Loss and Disenfranchised Grief with Dr. Angela Dean

    12 DE NOV.

    Sibling Loss and Disenfranchised Grief with Dr. Angela Dean

    How does life shift when you lose the only person who shared your beginnings — your earliest memories, your inside jokes, your sense of home? In this tender and illuminating conversation, host Nina Rodriguez sits down with Dr. Angela Dean, a licensed psychologist, thanatologist, and founder of The Broken Pack™—an organization and podcast created to validate and support adults grieving the loss of a sibling. *** Video is available here. *** After the unexpected death of her brother, Tony, Dr. Dean channeled her grief into advocacy, research, and community-building for those whose pain is often unseen. Together, Nina and Angela explore the unique nature of sibling loss, including how it impacts family dynamics, identity, and belonging, and why it remains one of the most overlooked forms of grief. Angela shares the story behind The Broken Pack™, drawing parallels between the way wolves mourn a lost member and how humans experience the reorganization of their “pack” after a sibling’s death. The conversation moves through topics like grief expression, communication styles within families, the evolution of grief theory, and the power of enfranchising what has long been disenfranchised. This episode invites listeners to reflect on the bonds that continue after loss, the healing potential of language and connection, and the importance of community in tending to sibling grief. Key Takeaways Sibling loss is one of the most underrecognized yet identity-shaping forms of grief.After a sibling dies, family systems shift; roles, dynamics, and unspoken bonds all reorganize.Grieving styles differ, even within the same family; compassion and communication can help bridge those differences.The metaphor of The Broken Pack™ reminds us that when one member of the “pack” dies, the structure changes forever, but connection endures.Disenfranchised grief (grief that society doesn’t fully acknowledge) can deepen isolation; naming it helps restore dignity and belonging.Theories of grief are evolving, from linear “stages” to models that honor ongoing bonds, meaning-making, and the coexistence of love and loss.Community and conversation are vital to healing; grief needs witnesses, not fixes.The conversation closes with a reminder that even when our “pack” is broken, love continues to ripple outward through story, memory, and connection.Guest: Angela Dean, PsyD, FT  Licensed psychologist, thanatologist, podcaster, sibling grief specialistCreator of The Broken Pack™thebrokenpack.comIG: @thebrokenpack | FacebookHosted by: Nina Rodriguez Creator of Grief and Light, Grief Guidegriefandlight.com@griefandlightResting Grief Face on SubstackGrief Support Resources for the Road: Grief Tending ToolkitAccess our online communitySupport the show Thank you for listening! Please share with someone who may need to hear this. Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

    55min
  2. Healing in the Himalayas: Motorcycle Therapy and Making Meaning After Sibling Loss with Ben Forman

    11 DE NOV.

    Healing in the Himalayas: Motorcycle Therapy and Making Meaning After Sibling Loss with Ben Forman

    When Ben Forman lost his brother Sam, his world shifted overnight, leaving him with survivor’s guilt, grief for what could have been, and a search for meaning.  In this episode of Grief and Light, Ben shares how a 10-day motorcycle therapy trip through the Himalayas became a transformative journey of healing, reflection, and connection. Along the way, he immersed himself in nature, friendship, and mindful practices, and drew on conversations with monks and his heritage to navigate loss. *** This episode is also available in video here. *** Ben also discusses his deeply personal film, Higher Calling, which captures this journey and explores themes of adventure-based therapy, brotherhood, grief, and the power of storytelling to channel pain into meaning.  Together, we explore how grief can reshape identity, open new paths for growth, and leave a lasting imprint of love. Key Takeaways Grief can redefine identity and purpose. It reshapes who we are and invites us to find meaning in a changed world.Survivor’s guilt happens. Acknowledging it helps us honor both our life and the one we lost.Adventure therapy can help us move through grief. Physical journeys, like Ben’s 10-day ride through the Himalayas, can mirror emotional healing.Nature grounds and reflects us. In its stillness and vastness, we can find space to breathe and begin again.Pain reflects love’s depth. The intensity of grief feels like a measure of how deeply we’ve loved.Healing requires patience and self-compassion. Grief has no set timeline. Only gentle permission to mend at your own rhythm.Every grief journey is personal. Healing looks different for everyone; there’s no single path.Suffering can lead to growth. Turning toward pain opens the door to transformation and resilience.Art and storytelling heal. Creative expression helps us make meaning and carry love forward.Sibling bonds endure beyond death. The connection we share with those we’ve lost continues to shape, guide, and illuminate our lives.Guest: Ben Forman Filmmaker, ProducerWatch the Trailerhighercallingmovie.com@thebenforman  and  @highercallingmovieHosted by: Nina Rodriguez Creator of Grief and Light, Grief Guidegriefandlight.com@griefandlightResting Grief Face on SubstackGrief Support Resources for the Road: Grief Tending ToolkitAccess our online communitySupport the show Thank you for listening! Please share with someone who may need to hear this. Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

    49min
  3. No Man Walks Alone: A Journey Across America for Men’s Mental Health with Robb Pollard

    4 DE NOV.

    No Man Walks Alone: A Journey Across America for Men’s Mental Health with Robb Pollard

    No man should have to carry it alone. Many men are hurting in silence, and Robb Pollard knows that silence well. In this deeply human conversation, Nina Rodriguez sits down with Robb Pollard, founder of Walk With Me Brother, a nonprofit devoted to men’s mental health and connection. *** VIDEO AVAILABLE HERE *** Robb shares his journey of living with bipolar disorder, navigating bullying and alcohol, and learning to face the parts of himself he once tried to outrun. What emerges is a story not just of survival, but of purpose. One of transforming pain into a path that invites others to walk beside him. In April 2026, Robb will begin a 3,600-mile walk across America, carrying with him one message: no man should have to walk alone.  Through his openness, Robb reminds us that vulnerability isn’t the opposite of strength. It’s the foundation of it. Together, Nina and Robb explore what happens when men begin to talk, listen, and support one another, and how breaking the silence can change not only individual lives, but entire communities. This episode is an invitation: to listen differently, to show up for the men in our lives, and to remember that healing starts with a single honest step forward. Key Takeaways: Many men are hurting in silence and need safe spaces to talk about it.Asking for help can save your life.Vulnerability is a form of strength, not weakness.Bullying and shame can leave lasting marks on mental health.Community and connection are vital for healing.Therapy, medication, and alternative approaches can be life-changing.Listening is an act of love, and often more powerful than advice.Robb’s Walk With Me Brother movement is a call for awareness, compassion, and shared humanity.Guest: Robb Pollard Founder of Walk With Me, BrotherIG: @itsrobbp and @walkwithmebrotherConnect with Robb: linktr.ee/walkwithmebrotherHosted by: Nina Rodriguez Creator of Grief and Light, Grief Guidegriefandlight.com@griefandlightResting Grief Face on SubstackGrief Support Resources for the Road: Grief Tending ToolkitAccess our online communitySupport the show Thank you for listening! Please share with someone who may need to hear this. Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

    1h5min
  4. Turning Pain Into Poetry: Sara Rian on Grieving and Healing After Loss to Suicide

    24 DE OUT.

    Turning Pain Into Poetry: Sara Rian on Grieving and Healing After Loss to Suicide

    When Sara Rian’s mother unexpectedly died in 2018, her world, and her words,  changed forever.  *** This episode is available in video here. *** What began as a private act of survival through poetry slowly became a bridge to others who were grieving too. Her poems, often found reaching grieving hearts through social media feeds, give voice to what so many can’t yet name: the ache, the confusion, the beauty, and the brutal honesty of grief. In this conversation, Nina and Sara trace the ways grief reshapes not only the heart but also the body, relationships, and creative expression. Sara shares how poetry became both her mirror and her medicine, helping her navigate the duality of love and pain, the tension between vulnerability and protection, and the ongoing work of tending to loss as both a therapist and a human being who lost her mother to suicide. Together, they explore what it means to live inside the messiness of grief — where healing isn’t about tidying the pain but learning to move with it.  The episode both opens and closes with two of Sara’s poems, a quiet reminder that love doesn’t end where life does. Key Takeaways Grief reshapes how we inhabit our bodies, our creativity, and our relationships.Writing can become a form of survival; a place to meet emotions without needing to fix them.The mother–child bond leaves an indelible mark on how we grieve and love.Grief isn’t only love, it’s also raw, contradictory, and profoundly human.Healing asks for tenderness toward the body as much as the heart.Artistic expression can transform isolation into shared understanding.Follow Grief and Light wherever you tune in, and join us as we keep exploring the many ways love and loss coexist. Guest: Sara Rian Grief Writer • Author • Therapistsararianbooks.comGet the Books@sara_rian_booksHosted by: Nina Rodriguez Creator of Grief and Light, Grief Guidegriefandlight.com@griefandlightResting Grief Face on SubstackGrief Support Resources for the Road: Grief Tending ToolkitAccess our online communitySupport the show Thank you for listening! Please share with someone who may need to hear this. Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

    54min
  5. When Love Asks You to Let Go: Parenting, Grief, and Surrender with Dr. Tasha Faruqui

    14 DE OUT.

    When Love Asks You to Let Go: Parenting, Grief, and Surrender with Dr. Tasha Faruqui

    A mother’s story of love, advocacy, and finding joy while parenting a child in hospice. What happens when the life you imagined for your child suddenly changes forever? For Dr. Tasha Faruqui, that question became her reality when her daughter, Soraya, was born with a rare and little-known genetic condition. A doctor herself, Tasha thought she knew how to navigate the medical world. But nothing prepared her for the mix of love, fear, and relentless uncertainty that came with parenting a child whose life would look very different from what she’d dreamed. In this week’s episode, Tasha — physician, advocate, and author of her debut book Keep Your Head Up: A Mother’s Story of Chasing Joy in the Face of Grief — opens up about what it means to grieve the child you imagined while fiercely loving the one in front of you. We talk about how she’s learned to balance hope and surrender, the ways her other children have shaped her understanding of anticipatory grief, and how joy has become an act of resistance against the unfairness of it all. Nina and Tasha explore: What it means to grieve the ideal while embracing what isHow advocacy and agency intertwine in a child’s careThe quiet grief of siblings walking their own path beside medical complexityWhy hope and heartbreak can live side by sideHow spirituality and creativity help her family keep goingWhy joy isn’t found, it’s chosen, over and over againIf you’ve ever lived between grief and gratitude, this conversation will remind you you can hold both. Guest: Tasha Faruqui, DO Physician • Author • Speaker • AdvocateRead: KEEP YOUR HEAD UPtashafaruqui.comFundraising & Merch@thefaruqui5Hosted by: Nina Rodriguez Creator of Grief and Light, Grief Guidegriefandlight.com@griefandlightResting Grief Face on SubstackGrief Support Resources for the Road: Grief Tending ToolkitAccess our online communitySupport the show Thank you for listening! Please share with someone who may need to hear this. Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

    1h7min
  6. Grieving While Parenting: Mindfulness, Mental Health, and Motherhood with Reshma Kearney

    8 DE OUT.

    Grieving While Parenting: Mindfulness, Mental Health, and Motherhood with Reshma Kearney

    How do you grieve while parenting? How do you tend to your own heartbreak and hold space for your children’s? In this heartfelt conversation with Reshma Kearney, a Trauma-Informed Mindfulness and Healing Guide, shares her journey after losing her husband, Sean, to suicide. She opens up about navigating grief as a solo parent, communicating loss with honesty, and finding moments of presence through mindfulness in the first three years of grief. *** This episode is also available in video here. *** Reshma’s story touches on the complexities of mental health, cultural perspectives on grief, and the delicate balance of creating new traditions while honoring those we’ve lost. Through her experience, she reminds us that grief is not something to fix, but something to tend to, with gentleness, awareness, and grace. Whether you’re parenting through loss, supporting someone who is, or learning to meet your own pain with compassion, this episode offers warmth, wisdom, and ways forward. Key Takeaways: Grief is non-linear, and there’s no “right way” to heal.Mindfulness helps bring steadiness and presence to painful moments.Children grieve differently; their process deserves honesty and patience.Truthful communication about death fosters safety and healing.Cultural background shapes how grief is expressed and supported.Emotions like anger, guilt, or relief are natural parts of grief.Creating new traditions can help families honor loved ones meaningfully.Small moments of joy can coexist with deep sorrow.Open conversations about mental health can save lives.Parenting through grief calls for grace, flexibility, and self-compassion.Guest: Reshma Kearney Trauma-Informed Mindfulness and Healing Guide@reshmakearneyreshmakearney.comHosted by: Nina Rodriguez Creator of Grief and Light, Grief Guidegriefandlight.com@griefandlightResting Grief Face on SubstackGrief Support Resources for the Road: Grief Tending ToolkitAccess our online communityIf this conversation moved you, please share it with someone who might need to hear it. Support the show Thank you for listening! Please share with someone who may need to hear this. Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

    56min
  7. Honoring Your Grief: a mini meditation for grievers by Hannah Castillo

    1 DE OUT. · BÔNUS

    Honoring Your Grief: a mini meditation for grievers by Hannah Castillo

    This week, I’m honored to share something special with you—a guided meditation created exclusively for Grief and Light listeners by Hannah Castillo, host of the Love Your Calm podcast. Hannah has been a Mental Health Counselor for over 20 years and is passionate about making meditation approachable and supportive, especially in tender seasons of life. After her own health challenges led her to discover the power of daily meditation, she began sharing these practices with her clients, helping them find balance and calm. Her meditations are short, beginner-friendly, and designed to make the practice feel less intimidating. When I invited Hannah to create a meditation specifically for grievers, she graciously said yes. Together, we decided to release it on both of our podcasts as a way of widening the circle of care. Grief is a universal part of our human condition, and though your experience is uniquely yours, you don’t have to walk through it alone. Our hope is that this meditation offers you a moment of pause, comfort, and connection as you navigate your own path. A gentle note: This practice is best listened to when you have a few uninterrupted minutes and can settle into a quiet, comfortable space. Take what feels supportive, leave what doesn’t, and return to this meditation whenever you need it. To hear more of Hannah’s work, check out her Love Your Calm podcast below.  And if this is your first time here, I invite you to explore past episodes of Grief and Light for more reflections and conversations about living with loss. Guest: Hannah Castillo Creator & Host, Love Your Calm PodcastLove Your Calm: mini meditations podcastLove Your Calm website@love_your_calm Hosted by: Nina Rodriguez Creator of Grief and Light, Grief Guidegriefandlight.com@griefandlightResting Grief Face on Substack Grief Support Resources for the Road: Grief Tending ToolkitAccess our online communitySupport the show Thank you for listening! Please share with someone who may need to hear this. Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

    8min
  8. Permission to Pause: 7 Types of Rest for Your Own "Pause Week"

    23 DE SET.

    Permission to Pause: 7 Types of Rest for Your Own "Pause Week"

    What if you gave yourself permission to pause?  This episode explores why rest is essential, not optional, covering the seven types of rest, the cost of burnout, and practical ways to create your own “pause week.” Consider this your reminder that what doesn’t bend, breaks; and that even small pauses can refill your cup. Rather than a luxury, rest is a necessity for our mental, emotional, and physical well-being Key Takeaways: Pause is rest, and rest is essential for survival and life.There are seven distinct types of rest as identified by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith—physical, mental, emotional, social, sensory, creative, and spiritual—and each plays a role in our well-being.Burnout isn’t just exhaustion; it’s a warning sign that something has to change.Burnout is not sustainable; intentional rest prevents breakdown.Long-form content and slower rhythms can reawaken our capacity for focus and depth.You don’t have to pause from everything; you can choose one area to pull back from in order to nourish another.Rest strengthens resilience, helping us bend instead of break.Scheduling rest in your calendar is an act of self-commitment, just as important as any external obligation.A pause can look different for everyone: travel, nature, time with loved ones, or simply creating quiet space at home.This solo episode with Nina Rodriguez is also your invitation to look at your own calendar and schedule in a "pause week", whatever that looks like for you. Resources mentioned in this episode: "You Deserve Rest" social media postResting Grief Face on SubstackGrief Support Resources for the Road: Grief Tending ToolkitAccess our online community About the Host: Nina Rodriguez is a podcaster, grief-informed coach, speaker, writer, and the creator of GRIEF AND LIGHT, a podcast and support platform born from the sudden loss of her only sibling. She helps grievers navigate life after loss with curiosity, compassion, and agency, on and off the mic. Through her work, Nina invites others to honor the full spectrum of being human and build sustainable practices that embrace the both/and of life. Visit: griefandlight.comConnect: @griefandlightSupport the show Thank you for listening! Please share with someone who may need to hear this. Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

    16min
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This space was created for you by someone who gets it – your grief, your foundation-shattering reality, and the question of what the heck do we do with the shattered pieces of life and loss around us.It’s also for the listener who wants to better understand their grieving person, and perhaps wants to learn how to help.Now in its fourth season, the Grief and Light podcast features both solo episodes and interviews with first-hand experiencers, authors, and professionals, who shine a light on the spectrum of experiences, feelings, secondary losses, and takeaways.As a bereaved sister, I share my personal story of the sudden loss of my younger brother, only sibling, one day after we celebrated his 32nd birthday. I also delve into how that loss, trauma, and grief catapulted me into a truth-seeking journey, which ultimately led me to answer "the calling" of creating this space I now call Grief and Light.Since launching the first episode on March 30, 2023, the Grief and Light podcast and social platforms have evolved into a powerful resource for grief-informed support, including one-on-one grief guidance, monthly grief circles, community, and much more.With each episode, you can expect open and authentic conversations sharing our truth, and explorations of how to transmute the grief experience into meaning, and even joy.My hope is to make you feel less alone, and to be a beacon of light and source of information for anyone embarking on this journey."We're all just walking each other HOME." - Ram DassThank you for being here.We're in this together.Nina, Yosef's Sister--For more information, visit: griefandlight.com

Informações

  • Criado por
    Nina Rodriguez
  • Anos de atividade
    2023 - 2025
  • Episódios
    93
  • Classificação
    Explícito
  • Copyright
    © 2025 GRIEF AND LIGHT
  • Site do podcast
    GRIEF AND LIGHT

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