Grief is a Sneaky Bitch

Season 2, Episode 1: What I’ve Learned So FarWhether you’re a first-time listener or you have listened to every episode, I’m thrilled you’re here. And today, I’m equally excited to say, welcome to SEASON 2 of Grief is a Sneaky Bitch! This episode is a little bit unique because I don’t have a guest. Today I’m talking directly just to you, my incredible listeners. I'm sharing some things that are on my mind right now since we last connected in Season 1, including:⠀Some reflections I’ve had about what I learned from each of my incredible guests last season.How your response to the show has impacted me and my work.⠀What I’ve been thinking about and discovering during this time of the pandemic and the national reckoning on systemic racism.And of course, a sneak preview of some of the incredible conversations coming your way in Season 2!But I'm not just talking to you, I'm listening too! I'm asking you to share your ideas with me about the topics and guests you would like to see included in Season 2! About the showIf you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BONUS EPISODEI set aside my title as host and took a turn as a guest on The Death Dialogues Project, a podcast hosted by the talented and generous Becky Aud-Jennison. Much like the work I’m doing Reimagining Grief, Becky is seeking to do the same with death.As the guest, on the other side of the microphone, we shared a deeply honest, reflective, and emotional conversation about the experience of losing my husband when I was 40 and our daughter was just 7. I share what it was like to be holding Eric for the last 9 hours of his life until he passed in my arms. You will hear the surprising self-discovery I make on-air as I explain why being with my friend Joe a few years later when he died was actually a gift. One that brought a greater sense of peace to the memories of being by Eric’s side.I KNOW it can feel frightening to think about that moment. I get that it feels that if you bring it up, you will somehow manifest it into existence. The truth is I learned first-hand, that the only thing that happens by talking about people’s wishes, about the reality of this experience, is that you are better prepared when the moment arrives and better able to be fully present.If you want to be informed and inspired and join Becky in bringing death out of the closet, make sure you subscribe to her incredible show: The Death Dialogues Project!About the showIf you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this final episode of Season 1, I was joined by Ryan Bouman and Michael Janke, two filmmakers out of Calgary. They recently released a powerful short-form documentary film on grief called We, The Bereaved. In this meditation on grief, their goal was to show solidarity for those who are grieving and permission for those who felt they were never allowed.From the beginning of our conversation, Ryan and Michael demonstrated deep vulnerability. Both men shared their initial trepidation about taking on the awesome responsibility of telling other people’s grief story. They revealed how tackling this topic was a shift from their more commercial work and how it challenged them to think, act and structure the entire process in a new way. Their approach to conveying the stories of the 10 individuals they captured on film was a beautiful example of what ideal grief support looks like. They showed up, they let go of any direction or sense of authority, and they just listened.The impact of their choices for the film were profound. You can feel how much the bereaved felt safe and supported to share both their experiences and the wisdom they’ve gained on their journeys. The outcome for these filmmakers has been a deeper confidence in showing up for themselves and others in their grief journey.About the showIf you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I was joined by Krissy Teegerstrom, an Austin-based artist and creative consultant at Featherweight Studio, and podcast host of Beyond and Back Podcast.Krissy bravely explores how her father’s death due to addiction when she was 11, a condition her family never discussed, profoundly impacted her life. She reveals how her mother’s insistence on not talking about it, virtually removing traces of his existence from their home, taught her some damaging lessons about love, grief and loss. Krissy illuminates what her grief work has looked like, a journey she says she only began a few years ago, nearly 3 decades after her father’s death. She explores the power of a good question to break open the embodied trauma she had been carrying around since childhood. Krissy reflects honestly and openly about the various paths she has traveled to find healing. She is putting into practice a commitment she made recently on her healing journey, to use her voice.About the showIf you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts.On the next episode of Grief is a Sneaky B!tch, I was joined by international filmmakers Ryan Bouman and Michael Janke who created a beautiful short-film documentary called We, The Bereaved. I highly encourage you to watch it now before their episode airs on February 18th, 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I was joined by Renee Rouleau. She is a dynamic and inspiring woman who has many titles. Founder and CEO. Esthetician to the stars. Globe-trotter. Adventurer. Motorcyclist. About one year ago she added another title. Widow. Renee shares the lessons she learned from her business partner and husband, Florian, over their 22 year relationship. She reflects honestly and openly about the myths and the realities of accompanying someone through a cancer diagnosis. And she lets us in on how she is blazing a shining trail as she adventures on, carrying his memory into the future. About the showIf you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, my guest Mark Garza reminds us that honoring someone after loss can look like so many different things. Since the loss of his father, Mark has dedicated his life to shining a light on a critical but often unmet need in everyone’s grief journey - access to quality mental health services. Through his work at the Flatwater Foundation, Mark is carrying on a family legacy of honoring those we’ve lost. This tradition of giving back to the community was started by his father after the loss of Mark’s twin sister during his childhood. In this conversation, Mark is thoughtful, curious, and passionate about ensuring we all find a way to care for our minds and hearts as we face loss. He understands deeply that it starts at home with him.About the showIf you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I was joined by a very special human, Kelly Abbott. On a call from his home in San Diego, Kelly was open, thoughtful, and at times poetic about the journey he has been on for the past 4 1/2 years since his son Will drowned a few months before his 5th birthday.He shares what it has meant to him to have people show up for him and his wife in the beginning … and now. He explores what it means to do the work of grief. He reflects on how the nature of relationships is amplified in the face of great tragedy. He opens up about the powerful impact EMDR therapy has had on his healing. And he shares sweet memories of Will and the wisdom that his passing has offered him. I’m so grateful to know him, to now call him a friend, and to introduce him to you. You can read Kelly’s beautiful article, Grief Work, HERE.About the showIf you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode has been one of the most powerful and transformative experiences for me so far this season and I hope it will be for you too. As a trained narrative therapist, I understand that words and language are constitutive of our identity, our experience, our world view. And yet, there are some words that evoke so much shame, judgement, blame, vitriol and other emotions that they make conversations feel off-limits. And when we can't talk about things, we can't process our emotions or make meaning of our experiences, and that is well...really problematic.I was joined in- studio by a woman who, because of everything I just mentioned, is choosing to remain anonymous. Though she holds no shame about terminating her pregnancy, which she did for medical reasons, she knows there is judgement, perhaps from other family members and likely vile and acidic reactions to come from some who want to shut down conversations like these. Well, by now, you know I'm all about conversations. About showing up, holding space, and bearing witness to the experiences of others. In that act we can all begin to find the language we need to make meaning of our experiences and begin to rebuild a new narrative that will guide us along our grief journey.About the showIf you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Grief is a Sneaky B!tch, I was joined by my new friend and fellow social worker, Rachel Carnahan. As a social worker serving as part of a Pediatric Palliative Care Team for nearly a decade, Rachel explores what she has learned from accompanying parents as they endure the most excruciating experiences imaginable - the devastating illnesses and often death of their children. Her warmth and compassionate approach to her work show up throughout the interview as we discuss some of the common assumptions and misunderstanding of this particular type of loss. Rachel remains passionate about her work and curious to learn more about how we can all better support and accompany families through their grief journeys. This conversation reminded me of why I became a social worker in the first place. Join us for this special episode of Grief is a Sneaky B!tch. About the showIf you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Grief is a Sneaky B!tch, my dear friend Autumn Campbell bravely and boldly shares her experience of delivering her son Zion, stillborn, 18 years ago this month. She opens our eyes to how the medical, social, and larger cultural systems amplify the pain of this type of loss in so many ways. Autumn also reminds us that simple acts of showing up in silence, or accompanying people in their darkest moments, like her sister did for her can make the biggest difference in our grief journey. Autumn isn’t just breaking the silence on stillbirth, she is shattering it, full of swear words and all. Listen in to one of the most important conversations we’ve had yet on Grief is a Sneaky B!tch.About the showIf you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!If you like this series, please make sure to leave a rating and write a review TODAY on Apple Podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.