How to Show Up for Someone in Grief (When You Don’t Know What to Say)
Real Women's Work Podcast
What do you say to someone who’s grieving? Most of us don’t know. So we send flowers. We drop off food. And then… we disappear. Today’s guest, Kelly Edmondson, is here to change that. Kelly is a nurse executive, grief counselor, and founder of Timely Presence—a service created after the death of her son, Darius. Through her own experience of profound loss, she’s learned something most of us never have: Grief doesn’t need fixing. It needs presence. In this conversation, Kelly shares what people got right—and wrong—after her son passed, and gives us practical, deeply human ways...
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Rebecca Nurse and The Danger of Being Human: The Salem Witch Trials and What They Reveal About Us
Real Women's Work Podcast
This episode is part of Podcasthon, a global podcasting event spotlighting meaningful causes and stories that matter. What happens when fear becomes belief—and belief becomes certainty? In this episode, I speak with Kathryn Rutkowski, president of the Rebecca Nurse Homestead, about one of the most devastating stories from the Salem witch trials. Rebecca Nurse was a 71-year-old woman, deeply respected in her community, who was accused, tried, and executed for a crime she did not commit. But this conversation doesn’t stay in 1692. As we explore Rebecca’s story—her arrest, her quiet...
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What Happens When We Start Talking About Dying with Laura Cleminson
Real Women's Work Podcast
What if talking about death actually helped us live better? In this episode of Real Women’s Work, Jen Keefe sits down with Laura Cleminson, a death doula and founder of the Pre-Dead Social Club, where people gather to talk openly about mortality, dying, and what matters most in life. Laura’s work began after walking alongside her mother through the dying process. That experience opened her eyes to something many of us never learn: we often face death without the language, awareness, or confidence to navigate it. Instead of avoiding these conversations, Laura helps people...
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Brenda Sullivan, Gravestone Girls Part 2
Real Women's Work Podcast
Some people find their calling in the most unexpected places. And for Brenda Sullivan, that calling happened… in the cemetery. In this two-part conversation, I'm joined by the fascinating, funny, wildly knowledgeable founder of The Gravestone Girls — cemetery artists and historians who are helping people all over the country reconnect with history, symbolism, mortality, and the stories literally carved into stone. I first discovered Brenda's work a couple of years ago when my daughter and I attended one of her talks at a library here in New Hampshire. I honestly didn't know...
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Brenda Sullivan Founder, Gravestone Girls
Real Women's Work Podcast
Some people find their calling in the most unexpected places. And for Brenda Sullivan, that calling happened… in the cemetery. In this two-part conversation, I’m joined by the fascinating, funny, wildly knowledgeable founder of The Gravestone Girls — cemetery artists and historians who are helping people all over the country reconnect with history, symbolism, mortality, and the stories literally carved into stone. I first discovered Brenda’s work a couple of years ago when my daughter and I attended one of her talks at a library here in New Hampshire. I honestly didn’t know what to...
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Wendy Peirce Vice President of Sales, Alnoba Leadership and Team Development
Real Women's Work Podcast
Some places change you the moment you arrive. Alnoba is one of them. In this conversation, Wendy Peirce, Vice President of Salles, shares how her path led her to Alnoba—and why this land, this work, and this community feel so deeply alive. What begins as a leadership and team development retreat quickly reveals itself as something much more: a space where nature, spirituality, and real human connection come together in a way that’s hard to put into words… but impossible to forget. We talk about the vision of Alnoba’s founders, Alan and Harriet Lewis, and their deep reverence for...
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Life Coach for Mums with Trisha Gudka
Real Women's Work Podcast
We have all heard the term "Life Coach" but what does it actually mean? What does a LIfe Coach do? Trisha Gudka was at a dangerous point in her life. The joy was gone. As a mom of two young children the expectations and realities did not line up. This led to unhappiness and depression. She was at a critical moment. Fortunately, Trisha was able to find resources, tools, and practices that brought her out of deperession and into happiness, joy, and love. Now, she spends her life helping other mums who want it do the same. This interview is so relatable. We all know the moment of responding...
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Cheryl Holling, Podcast Host and Voice Talent
Real Women's Work Podcast
Yes, Cheryl Holling talks about what it was like to create a podcast out of thin air and bring it to a multiple award winning pocast. Yes, Cheryl talks about her exiting work as a voice talent. This conversation veers deeper. In her incredible, love-filled voice, Cheryl offers us practical inspiration on how to offer kindness to those who are having a hard time. Her experience with her two pocasts; 19 Stories and The Voice Kitchen meld together beautifully to remind us why belonging matters, how kindness and love can positively shape a life, and the importance of staying flexible. Listen...
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Sasha Graham, Host, Sports Will Save Us All Podcast
Real Women's Work Podcast
Not a sports fan? No worries—this episode is still absolutely for you. Sasha Graham, former Walt Disney executive and Oregon farm kid turned award-winning podcaster, joins me to talk about what it really means to live a life that feels good, positive, and meaningful. Her podcast, Sports Will Save Us All, has earned multiple awards and now sits in the top 2% of podcasts globally. I wasn’t just curious about how she built all this as a fellow podcast host—I was curious as someone who’s ambitious, but who sometimes lets self-doubt get in the way. So when our conversation quickly turned...
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What I Learned from the Women of the Salem Witch Trials
Real Women's Work Podcast
In this episode, I step back from interviewing and instead reflect on what I learned while hosting my three-part series on the Salem witch trials. These conversations left a mark on me—deeply, unexpectedly—and today I’m sharing the insights that stayed long after the microphones were turned off.
info_outlineWhat if dieting actually makes you gain weight? Not because you lack discipline or self control but because it's the basic mechanics of your body?
What if you could eat anything you wanted -literally anything- and enjoy it guilt free?
What if you never, ever had to think about calories or carbs or had to check your watch to see if it was a time of day when you are "allowed" to eat?
What if you could stop obsessing about food? Whether it's ogling the ice cream instead of eating it, berating yourself for bingeing on cookies, or promising yourself that tomorrow you will go the whole 16 hours without eating- what if you never, ever had to think about those things again? Not just pretending or masking it, but eating whatever you want whenever you want it?
What if food were just a normal part of your life? Just like driving to get the kids, reading a book, or watching your favorite show?
Do you believe that's possible?
It is.
Would you like to know how?
First, we have to understand Diet Culture. You might think it sounds like a goofy philosophy that doesn't apply to you but I promise it does. How do I know?
It permeates every part of our culture. It tells us we are only worthy if our bodies are a certain size and if we look a certain size.
It keeps us focused on what we look like instead of moving forward.
It causes us to miss out on important medical care.
It makes us believe that if we eat certain things -or at certain times- our bodies will look a certain way and our health will improve.
This is a lie.
It's not a miscommuncation.
it's not a misunderstanding.
It is a lie. And the more of us who understand it, the less Diet Culture is able to keep us down.
If you've ever tried Noom, Atkins, WW, Intermittent Fasting, or any other "program" the promises a particular body shape by restricting/regimenting food with the promise of any kind of weight loss, "shape shifting", or anything else body altering, this episode is for you.
If you've ever refused to buy the size clothes that fit you because you are ashamed, this episode is for you.
If you've ever skipped going to the doctor because you know they are going to prescribe weight loss, this episode is for you.
If you have ever gone to the gym to burn off the dessert you had last night, this episode is for you.
Give it a chance. I know it's hard to believe.
But if you open yourself up to understanding, your whole life might change.
And it's all thank to people like Debbie Lesko who puts on her cape of bravery every single day to spread this message and empower women in droves. Debbie has found recovery from over sixty years with an eating disorder. Now she devotes much of her life to educating others about Diet Culture so they can find joy, happiness and freedom.
You can find Debbies Facebook page, Diets Don't Work, by clicking here.
You can access the book Debbie references, by clicking here.