Words Matter: What To Say When Someone Is Grieving - Shelby Forsythia
Grief Out Loud
is well acquainted with grief. After a series of losses that started in her late teens and culminated in the death of her mother from cancer, Shelby became an expert in avoiding and outrunning her grief. Then, an incident with a stolen wallet broke through that avoidance; in the aftermath of letting those feelings out, she realized she needed to give herself permission to grieve. Since then, Shelby’s done so much in the realm of grief support—as a coach, author, and host of the podcast. Shelby’s newest book, , written for friends, family, and community members, provides answers to the...
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The Million Stages Of Grief - Michael Reed On Finding His Way After Catastrophic Loss
Grief Out Loud
What does grief look like when you lose your wife, two daughters, your home, and nearly everything you own - all in a single night? In this episode we talk with , a husband, father, and author whose life was forever changed when a wildfire swept through his community, taking the lives of his wife Constance, his older daughter Chloe, his youngest, Lily, their pets, and reducing their home to ashes. Nearly a decade later, Michael shares about the darkness he fell into, who was there to hold him and his son up, the ways he stays...
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Tending To The Roots Of Ritual With Joél Simone, The Grave Woman
Grief Out Loud
In this episode of Grief Out Loud, we talk with death & grief care professional, educator, and cultural advocate Joél Simone, also known as . Joél shares the story behind a childhood drawing that declared her future as “the grave woman,” and how that early curiosity about death grew into a lifelong vocation in funeral service, grief education, and cultural competency. Drawing from decades of experience, Joél reflects on the spiritual, cultural, and embodied dimensions of grief,...
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Restrung: Music, Grief, And Fatherhood With Matt Fogelson
Grief Out Loud
When father died of lung cancer during his senior year of college, he turned to music to express what words couldn't - rage, self-loathing, and grief so profound he didn't know where to put it. In this conversation, Matt - author of the new memoir - talks about the silence that surrounded his father's terminal illness, the vacuum left by an absent but beloved parent, and how grunge music (especially Soundgarden and Pearl Jam) created space for him to feel what was hard to put into words. Matt shares how his Aunt Wendy became his unlikely...
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When Grief and Trauma Collide – Christina Babich, MA
Grief Out Loud
When partner, Alex, died suddenly from a brain aneurysm while they were visiting his family in Italy, her world shattered in more ways than one. In addition to the grief of losing the person she loved and the future they were building together, Christina was also left to navigate the aftermath of a deeply traumatic event - one that profoundly impacted her nervous system, sense of safety, and identity. In this episode, Christina shares what it was like to grieve a sudden, “out-of-order” death while also navigating the...
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Echoes Of Her - Adell Coleman On Grieving Her Mother & Finding Community
Grief Out Loud
In this episode of Grief Out Loud, we talk with Adell Coleman about her mother who was killed when Adell was just 24 years old. Adell reflects on the closeness of their relationship and how her mom’s death radically shifted her sense of safety in the world. She shares how the circumstances around her mother’s death, including being the person who found her, has made it difficult to remember how her mom lived, without reliving how she died. Adell also talks about what it’s been like raising two daughters who never met their grandmother, but somehow...
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Why Grief Isn’t A Journey (And What It Is Instead) - John Onwuchekwa
Grief Out Loud
What if grief isn’t a journey for us to eventually finish, but more a language we become fluent in? In this first episode of 2026, we talk with , , and , John Onwuchekwa, whose life was profoundly shaped by the death of his brother Sam in 2015. John shares how Sam’s death altered not just his relationships and priorities, but his understanding of grief itself. Rather than framing grief as a journey with an endpoint, John offers a different metaphor: grief as a language that we learn over time, one with past, present,...
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Time Keeps Moving, But She Doesn’t: Mackenzie Galloway-Cole On Grief And New Year’s
Grief Out Loud
In the fall of 2023, Mackenzie Galloway-Cole was living out her rom-com-worthy love story with her wife Megan in New York City. Then, on an ordinary night in November, Megan collapsed and died a few hours later from a sudden cardiac event. In the aftermath, Mackenzie had to find her way in this newly shattered world without Megan, her anchor and biggest cheerleader. Mackenzie reflects on the shock of becoming a young widow, the added layers of grief that come with queer partner loss, and the painful realities of navigating death care systems that often default to heteronormative...
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Brennan Wood On How Grief Is To Feel, Not Fix - Even At The Holidays
Grief Out Loud
It’s our annual holiday episode, this time with Dougy Center Executive Director and . Brennan first encountered Dougy Center after her mom, Doris, died of breast cancer three days after Brennan’s 12th birthday. She has since navigated almost four decades of holiday seasons with grief along for the ride. She shares about the early years that were awful; the young-adult years she spent volunteering away from family; and how, as an adult, she’s learned to hold both grief and joy while creating new traditions for...
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Beyond Silence: Kyndal Parks On Honoring Her Grandfather & Advocating For Better Grief Support
Grief Out Loud
When Kyndal Parks’ grandfather died on Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving – she lost one of her biggest supporters and confidants. While navigating her grief, Kyndal was also navigating life as a college student where she often felt unseen in her grief by faculty and the wider institution. What began as a class assignment turned into a powerful audio piece about loss, legacy, and the urgent need for grief-informed spaces on college campuses, particularly at HBCUs where collective trauma, silence, and resilience intertwine. In...
info_outlineIt's our fifth annual holidays & grief episode! This time of year can be grueling for anyone, but particularly for those who are grieving. So, each year we put out an episode to help you feel less alone and hopefully more equipped to traverse the next few weeks. Today's guest, Melissa Peede Thompson, M.S., is a Grief Services Coordinator at Dougy Center. While she has lots of professional knowledge in this realm, we asked her to talk about her personal experience of grieving during the holidays. Melissa was six when her sister died of gun violence. She was 13 when her father died in a motorcycle accident. And she was a young adult when her grandparents died. Each loss shaped - and continues to shape - how Melissa and her family approach this time of year.
We discuss:
- How her sister's death impacted her parents at the holidays
- What she remembers about the first Christmas after her dad died
- Grieving for her her grandparents before they died
- How the holidays can feel empty, even when the house is full
- Melissa's realization that grief has left her a little bit "Grinchy"
- What she's doing to shift how she thinks and feels about the holidays
- Learning to appreciate being able to spend time with the people who are still alive
- Why St. Patrick's Day became her favorite holiday
- Taking the pressure off trying to make the holidays feel the same after someone dies
If you missed our past Holidays & Grief episodes, be sure to listen to Ep. 27, 98, 174, 240.
Tips For Getting Through the Holidays & Holiday Plan Worksheet.
Register for our "Navigating Grief During the Holidays" webinar happening on Thursday, 12.7.23, 10 am - 11:30 am PST.