Finding your soul's purpose through grief
Tendrils of Grief
In this thoughtful and deeply grounded episode, I sit down with Gyani Richards, MA—a grief counselor, Certified Grief Educator, and lifelong student of meditation and wisdom traditions—to explore what it truly means to live with grief over a lifetime. Gyani’s path into grief work began early, following the death of his father when he was just 13 years old. That loss set him on a lifelong journey of inquiry—one that led him into meditation, Eastern and Western wisdom traditions, martial arts, and ultimately the field of grief counseling. With over 40 years of personal practice and...
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How To Manifest Signs from Your Loved Ones
Tendrils of Grief
In this episode of Tendrils of Grief, we are honored to welcome Kelly Daugherty, a seasoned social worker with over two decades of clinical experience and a Fellow in Thanatology: the study of death, dying, and bereavement. Based in Malta, NY, Kelly is the founder of Greater Life Grief Counseling and the Center for Informed Grief, LLC. Her personal journey with grief began as a teenager following the loss of her mother to breast cancer, inspiring her lifelong dedication to supporting individuals navigating the complexities of grief. Kelly's mission extends beyond individual support to creating...
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You Don’t Heal Grief—You Live With It: An Embodied Approach to Loss
Tendrils of Grief
In this deeply grounding episode of Tendrils of Grief, I’m joined by Sheena Nancy Sarles—lifelong student of well-being, certified yoga teacher, author, and creator of Yoga for Living with Loss™—for a powerful conversation about grief as an embodied experience and the wisdom of learning to live with loss rather than trying to heal or fix it. After the profound losses of her parents, sister, and best friend, Sheena began to notice what many grievers intuitively feel but rarely hear validated: grief doesn’t only live in the heart or mind—it congests in the body. Through years of...
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Continuing bonds after death
Tendrils of Grief
In this deeply moving episode of Tendrils of Grief, I sit down with Ksenia Merck—artist, architect, and creative storyteller—to explore how love, creativity, and spiritual connection continue long after loss. Ksenia shares her powerful grief journey following the death of her husband, William F. Merck II, and how honoring his final wish led her to bring his genre-blending science fiction novel, Ghost Flower, to life through posthumous publication and her own original illustrations. What unfolds is an intimate conversation about enduring bonds, creative healing, and the unseen ways our...
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Beyond the Goodbye – Perspective on grieving from a funeral director
Tendrils of Grief
In today’s episode with Karen Roldan, a licensed funeral director, embalmer, and the creator of Behind the Funeral, to pull back the curtain on one of the most misunderstood industries in our lives — death care. With nearly twenty years of experience and a deep respect for the families she serves, Karen brings honesty, compassion, and clarity to conversations many of us avoid until we’re forced to have them. As a graduate of Worsham College of Mortuary Science and a licensed professional in funeral services, cremation, pre-need planning, and cemetery property, Karen offers a rare insider...
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Curious Compassion: A Gentle Look At Grief
Tendrils of Grief
Today I sit down with Kyle Kittleson, the on-camera host for MedCircle, known for making complex mental health topics accessible through thoughtful, compassionate conversations. Kyle opens up about his personal grief journey after losing his mother as a teenager and how unprocessed loss shaped his emotional world for years. Drawing from both lived experience and thousands of interviews with leading mental health experts, Kyle shares powerful insights on grief, trauma, emotional healing, and rebuilding life after loss. We talk about why there’s no “right” way to grieve, how avoidance...
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Don’t Call Me Widow
Tendrils of Grief
In this episode of Tendrils of Grief, I sit down with Samina Bari—a corporate leader, author, and grief advocate whose life changed forever after the sudden loss of her husband. Known for advising CEOs and boards on over $40 billion in global M&A transactions, Samina brings that same clarity and strength to a deeply personal conversation about grief, widowhood, and rebuilding life after loss. We talk openly about the realities of sudden grief—the loneliness, identity shifts, and emotional overwhelm that often go unseen. Samina shares why grief makes people uncomfortable, how...
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What Grief Really Feels Like
Tendrils of Grief
In this episode, I’m joined by Marie Crews, a transformational coach, speaker, retreat facilitator, and best-selling author whose work is grounded in one core belief: your story can set you free. For over 15 years, Marie has helped women rewrite the narratives that limit them—guiding them through grief, trauma, and profound life transitions with compassion, courage, and clarity. Marie’s 25-year journey of self-discovery led her to the practice that became her greatest healing tool: journal writing. This deeply personal process inspired her to create The Nautilus Way: Write Your Way Free,...
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Don’t Grieve Alone – There is a Community Ready to Support You
Tendrils of Grief
In today's episode Julie Fingersh, an accomplished writer and freelance journalist with a knack for exploring the intricacies of life. Through her essays, editorials, and reporting, Julie dives into topics like culture, wellness, relationships, and parenting adult children—all while offering insights on how to lead a better, more meaningful life. Her work has graced the pages of The New York Times, Oprah Magazine, The Huffington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The Miami Herald, to name a few. Julie's current blog is a midlife sequel to her award-winning humor column she wrote in her...
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What To Do When Your Faith Isn’t Enough
Tendrils of Grief
I sit down with Rev. Kate J. Meyer, LPC—an ordained minister, licensed professional counselor, hospice professional, and acclaimed author—whose life’s work is dedicated to bringing grief out of the shadows and helping people move through loss with honesty, compassion, and faith. Drawing from decades of experience in hospice care, private practice, and spiritual counseling, Kate offers deeply grounded insights into the emotional, spiritual, and psychological realities of grief. She shares why so many grievers feel unseen or misunderstood within their faith communities, how spirituality...
info_outlineIn this thoughtful and deeply grounded episode, I sit down with Gyani Richards, MA—a grief counselor, Certified Grief Educator, and lifelong student of meditation and wisdom traditions—to explore what it truly means to live with grief over a lifetime.
Gyani’s path into grief work began early, following the death of his father when he was just 13 years old. That loss set him on a lifelong journey of inquiry—one that led him into meditation, Eastern and Western wisdom traditions, martial arts, and ultimately the field of grief counseling. With over 40 years of personal practice and professional experience, Gyani brings a calm, compassionate, and deeply human presence to conversations about loss.
In this episode, we talk about grief not as something to “get over,” but as an experience that unfolds, evolves, and teaches us over time. Gyani shares how meditation, embodied awareness, and spiritual inquiry can support grievers without bypassing pain or forcing healing. Drawing from his background in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology, Aikido, and grief education, he offers insights into how grief lives in the body, how presence can soften suffering, and why meaning-making is a deeply personal process.
Together, we explore themes such as:
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Early loss and its lifelong impact
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Grief as a teacher rather than a problem to solve
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Meditation and mindfulness in grief support
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The role of embodiment and movement in healing
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Integrating wisdom traditions with modern grief counseling
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Learning to meet grief with curiosity, compassion, and patience
This conversation is especially meaningful for those seeking a quieter, more contemplative approach to grief—one that honors sorrow while gently opening space for growth, insight, and resilience.
Whether you’re newly grieving or decades into your loss, this episode offers reassurance that grief does not mean you are broken—and that wisdom, presence, and healing can emerge when we learn to walk alongside it.
Episode Highlights
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grief counselor interview
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living with grief
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grief and mindfulness
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grief and meditation
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navigating grief and loss
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embodied grief healing
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grief as a lifelong journey
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grief support podcast
Know Gyani Richards
Website at www.ourgriefpath.com
YouTube at https://youtu.be/3Y0F5IPcWO4
Substack at https://gyanirichards.substack.com/p/grief-and-aikido-relaxing-under-pressure
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