When Grief Won't be Quiet: Practical Ways to Process Loss
Release Date: 07/07/2026
How to Be a Better Patient Advocate for Someone You Love
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What does it mean to advocate for someone you love during a healthcare journey? In this episode of Lighting the Path, Robin Shapiro defines patient advocacy and explores how caregivers can speak up, ask questions, and support the person in their care. Robin and Jerry discuss how healthcare has changed over the years—and why advocacy matters more than ever. She offers practical tips for caregivers, describes signs that it may be time to bring in a professional advocate, and explains why an independent advocate is worth considering. For caregiver checklists, Robin recommends ....
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Dementia affects far more than memory. It can change how a person understands language, finds words, follows a conversation, expresses needs, interprets their surroundings, and connects with the people they love. In this episode of Lighting the Path, we welcome Hollie Lowe, LPC, Director of Education and Family Support Services at the James L. West Center for Dementia Care in Fort Worth, Texas. Hollie is a dementia-care expert and certified grief counseling specialist who helps families and professionals better understand the challenges of dementia. You’ll hear practical communication...
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In this episode, we highlight the , a free, family-friendly event that supports hospice patients and their families. Learn how this meaningful gathering brings the community together to honor loved ones, celebrate life, and create moments of hope and healing. We also share how the purchase of butterflies and t-shirts helps fund compassionate care for those navigating end-of-life journeys. The Harbor Foundation supports the community through hardship grants, Bravehearts grief kits for children, and scholarships for high school seniors, nursing students and social work students. The butterfly...
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How to Support Pre-teens Through Loss and Emotional Pain
Lighting the Path
In this episode, we welcome Dr. Jerry Woodbridge, author and advocate for children navigating grief. Drawing from both professional insight and personal experience, Dr. Woodbridge shares a powerful perspective on how pre-teens process loss—and why their grief often goes misunderstood. We explore the unique ways children respond to grief, including behaviors that may surprise caregivers, such as anxiety and panic attacks. Dr. Woodbridge speaks candidly about her own son’s experience after the death of his father, offering a deeply personal look at how grief can manifest when children lack...
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When Grief Won't be Quiet: Practical Ways to Process Loss
Lighting the Path
In this deeply personal and insightful episode, Dr. Jerry L. Woodbridge—educator, author of children’s books on grief, and widow—talks about her journey through loss after the death of her husband in 2004. With honesty and wisdom, Dr. Woodbridge shares how grief showed up in unexpected ways and how she learned to navigate the emotional “buzz” that often accompanies profound loss. One of the most powerful tools in her healing process was writing. She describes her thoughts and emotions as “bees buzzing” in her mind—constant, overwhelming, and difficult to quiet. Through...
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Practical Tips on How to Support Grieving Children
Lighting the Path
In this episode, host Jerry Fenter welcomes Katie Ransdell, a certified child life specialist and founder of Grief Garden, for a thoughtful conversation about supporting children through grief. Katie shares the personal and professional journey that led her to create Grief Garden, a space designed to help children process loss in developmentally appropriate and compassionate ways. Drawing from her expertise, she explains how children of different ages understand death and grief, and why their responses can look very different from those of adults. A key part of Katie’s work is play...
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How to Support Grieving Children; Insights from a Child Life Specialist
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In this episode, we sit down with child life specialist Katie Ransdell to explore how children experience grief and how hospice professionals can better support them. Katie shares her journey into the field of child life, practical insights for working with grieving children, and meaningful stories from her work that highlight the power of presence and connection. About Our Guest Katie Ransdell is a certified child life specialist dedicated to supporting children and families through serious illness, grief, and loss. Her work focuses on helping children express emotions, understand complex...
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How to Preserve a Loved One's Legacy Using Modern Technology
Lighting the Path
In this episode, Dawn Delaloye returns to talk about Reflekta, a digital platform designed to help people preserve memories, stories, and legacies of the people they love. Dawn shares the origin story of Reflekta, the need the founders saw, and the mission that continues to shape their work: giving people a meaningful way to remember, honor, and stay connected with loved ones through story and intentional reflection. Dawn walks us through how Reflekta works and how individuals and families can use it to collect and store legacy information about loved ones—whether they are still...
info_outlineIn this deeply personal and insightful episode, Dr. Jerry L. Woodbridge—educator, author of children’s books on grief, and widow—talks about her journey through loss after the death of her husband in 2004. With honesty and wisdom, Dr. Woodbridge shares how grief showed up in unexpected ways and how she learned to navigate the emotional “buzz” that often accompanies profound loss.
One of the most powerful tools in her healing process was writing. She describes her thoughts and emotions as “bees buzzing” in her mind—constant, overwhelming, and difficult to quiet. Through writing, she found a way to give those feelings shape, focus, and release. What began as a personal coping mechanism eventually grew into meaningful work helping others, especially children, understand and express their grief.
Dr. Woodbridge also offers compassionate guidance for those walking their own grief journey. Her approach is gentle, practical, and accessible—reminding listeners that grief does not have to be faced alone or without tools for expression.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
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How grief can feel overwhelming and disorganized, especially in the early stages
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The role of writing as a therapeutic and spiritual practice in processing loss
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How personal grief experiences can shape meaningful work and ministry
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Two simple, practical suggestions for navigating grief in daily life
Whether you are grieving, supporting someone who is, or serving in a caregiving role, this conversation offers both validation and practical insight for the journey.
To learn more about Dr. Woodbridge please visit her website here; Dr. Jerry L. Woodbridge
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