Grief is a Sneaky Bitch

In today’s episode, I explore the creative response to loss and trauma with my dear friend, artist, and former GSB podcast guest Krissy Teegerstrom. In A Grief Journey Delayed in Season 1, Krissy explored the delayed and disenfranchised grief over the death of her father. Not long after that conversation, Krissy came to recognize the  unnamed neglect and emotional abuse by her mother in the wake of her father’s death. In this episode, she speaks openly and vulnerably about coming to grips with the resulting grief and trauma she endured, and the difficult, oftentimes painful, but profoundly healing journey she’s been on ever since. All of that led to her following her intuition to create one of the most exquisite and deeply profound one-of-a-kind experiential art exhibitions, entitled I Was Already Everything EPISODE RESOURCESKrissy Teegerstrom is a self-taught artist who lives in Austin. In 2017, she returned to her native state of Texas after living in New York City and the Bay Area.Drawing inspiration through her intuition, faith in the unseen, and a connection to the natural world, Krissy creates by hand with pencil, paper, paint, thread and fabric, sewing on her 1948 Singer Featherweight sewing machine. She is dedicated to sustainability, utilizing secondhand materials in the majority of her work. Her artwork includes murals, collage, drawings and sculpture. Her design work, under the name Featherweight Studio, focuses primarily on clothing. Clients and collaborators include Eddie Vedder, Phoebe Bridgers, X, Heritage Boot, Tellason Denim and Wrong Marfa.You can learn about her work at: www.featherweightstudio.comJUMP STRAIGHT INTO(04:03) - Krissy’s ideal way of dealing with sadness and loss. (09:52) - Grief and trauma as a form of revelation of other Krissy's loss(16:13) - The moment Krissy realized it was the time to heal(20:22) - Krissy reclaims her artistic side and creativity as instruments for healing and self-awareness. (28:33) - Important symbolism that Krissy uses in her artwork to convey feelings (36:16) - Krissy's work as a safe space for us to be vulnerableSTAY CONNECTED 1)     SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review. 2)    STAY UP TO DATE on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter. 3)    IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too.@lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus Holiday EpisodeSomehow the holiday season snuck up on us, didn’t it? Host Lisa Keefauver knows that whether this is your first or 21st holiday in the wake of loss, it can be tough. So in this bonus holiday episode, she is speaking directly to you. She put together 10 tips for you to consider as you navigate the holidays in grief. While she can’t promise you that grief won’t show up over the holidays (because of course grief will, even and especially when not invited), she offers you 10 invitations to help you navigate the holidays with a little more ease and a lot more grace.She will also be sharing these 10 tips in a blog post and in her Not-So-Regular Newsletter, so sign up at www.lisakeefauver.com/newsletter Stay ConnectedSUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.STAY UP TO DATE on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter. IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too. @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What must it be like to be a pediatric ICU Nurse day in and day out, witnessing children and families in the most vulnerable and often grief-filled moments of their lives? Today’s guest, Hui-Wen Sato weaves a beautiful narrative about the realities of professional grief and the important cultural shifts needed to better serve both families and the medical professionals that serve them. She also shares the personal resources she draws on to sustain her and the role of storytelling as healing for all involved. And, as the title implies, she also implores us to stop putting healthcare workers on a pedestal. Hui-wen is a pediatric ICU nurse based in Los Angeles. She holds an MPH and MSN from UCLA, and is currently obtaining her Certification in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University. She and her husband have two daughters, two tortoises and one complicated dog. EPISODE RESOURCES: Check out Hui-Wen's TEDx Talk: “How Grief Helped Me Become a Better Caregiver.” She has been featured in podcasts with NPR TED Radio Hour and The Silent Why, as well as webinars for Happify and the Speaking Grief Initiative. You can follow her work at http://heartofnursing.blog. JUMP STRAIGHT INTO: (06:30) - Hui-Wen’s first memory of loss and what she learned from it (17:06) - What led Hui-Wen to become an ICU nurse (26:20) - Grieving as a nurse (45:18) - Letting go of the fix-it narrative (57:25) - The big gulf: the expectation of healing vs. the harsh reality (01:08:43) - The healing power of storytelling  STAY CONNECTED: SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review. STAY UP TO DATE on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter. IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too. @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest Myra Sack shares the heart break and the beauty of what it was like to be with her daughter Havi in her too short life. She and her husband Matt ended up having only 13 months between Havi’s diagnosis of Tay-Sachs Disease at just 15 months old and her death at home with them. In that time, the created a sacred weekly ritual that combined the Jewish tradition of Shabbat with birthday celebrations that Havi would most likely not be alive for. The result was 57 Shabbirthdays and the recognition that we can all hold joy and pain in these liminal spaces. What a sacred and beautiful conversation we shared. EPISODE RESOURCES:A Mother’s Letter On The Passing Of A Young Daughter by Myra SackVisit the Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport  JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:(06:06) - Approach Behavior vs. Avoidant Behavior: Why approaching grief as a community should be encouraged - “We see grieving people somehow as scary or you know, this negative stimulus as opposed to seeing grieving people as beautiful and wise and light.” (09:18) - Myra’s story: How she met her Husband Matt, became themother of Havi and a fatal error that changed their lives forever.  (13:36) - Shabbirthday: Moving from shock and anger to activeliving and celebrating the time Havi had left - “It was in that moment that Irealized that she was here with me in this physical world for only a briefmoment more, and so I was going to summon whatever courage.”  (26:19) - Finding solace as a community: How people became presentin the Shabbirthdays and accompanied Myra’s family. (35:53) - How Myra continued a relationship with Havi after her death. STAY CONNECTEDSUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review.STAY UP TO DATE on the podcast and all the grief support offered by our host, Lisa Keefauver, by signing up for her Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.IF YOU’RE FEELING SOCIAL, you can find her on all your favorite social channels too. @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WELCOME TO SEASON 4! In this first episode of the season, host Lisa Keefauver invites Dr. Rachel Yehuda, a researcher she has long admired, to join her in a conversation that explores grief, stress, and rituals. Although they do touch on the wisdom she has gained from her seminal work in the areas of intergenerational trauma and stress and PTSD, they also got much more personal, including exploring what Dr. Yehuda learned about grief and ritual growing up in an observant Jewish household and community. Dr. Rachel Yehuda is an Endowed Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Trauma. She is also Director of Mental Health at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Dr. Yehuda is a recognized leader in the field of traumatic stress studies, PTSD, and intergenerational trauma. In 2019, Dr. Yehuda was elected to the National Academy of Medicine for her seminal contributions to understanding the psychological and biological impact of traumatic stress. In 2020, Dr. Yehuda established and now directs the Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research.EPISODE RESOURCESLearn more about Dr Yehuda’s work on psychedelic psychotherapy: The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research And don’t forget to check out Rachel Yehuda’s Publications.  JUMP STRAIGHT INTO(03:01) - Her earliest memory of grief(07:27) - How different cultures see death and grief, and how to express empathy and compassion with actions rather than words (20:55) - Making space for emotions in early grief(25:20) - Acknowledging your own grief so that you can be present and supportive for others when a loss occurs. (35:29) - The process of grief - moving on without letting the past take away your future  (44:21) - The impact of grief and the importance of meaning making STAY CONNECTED FOR MORE GRIEF SUPPORTSubscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform so you don’t miss an episode. If you love the show, I’d love to invite you to leave a rating and write a review on Apple PodcastStay up-to-date on the podcast including behind-the-scenes scoop by signing up for host Lisa Keefauver's Not-So-Regular Newsletter at lisakeefauver.com/newsletter.If you’re feeling social, connect with the host on all your favorite social channels too. @lisakeefauvermsw on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Check out her tweets @lisakeefauver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever devoured a book in a day? Well that’s exactly what I did with The Healing Power of Storytelling - an incredibly profound book written by my guest, Annie Brewster. Annie is an Assistant Professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, a practicing physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, a writer, and a storyteller. She is also a patient, diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2001. She started recording patient narratives in 2010 and, integrating her personal experiences with the research supporting the health benefits of narrative, founded Health Story Collaborative (HSC) in 2013. In this episode we explore the grief involved in a diagnosis, the lessons she learned about the healing power of narratives, the elements of storytelling that can help bring improved outcomes to our physical, psychological and emotional well-being and so much more. EPISODE RESOURCESRead The Healing Power of Storytelling by Annie Brewster, MDJUMP STRAIGHT INTO(03:32) - A Traumatic childhood event as an early experience of grief(07:32) - Addressing grief inside the medical field(11:14) - Disappointment as a form of grief and the diagnosis that encouraged Annie to write a book (20:28) - Collective patient stories: A call to integrate grief into our own personal narratives(25:37) - The five key qualities behind Annie’s methodology of meaning making(35:08) - Shaping our own stories to overcome the universal ‘master’ Narratives(43:25) - The transformative power of sharing stories between doctors and patients ABOUT THE SHOWIf you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. 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 host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!Learn more about becoming a GSB Podcast Supporter here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh my friends, I’m thrilled to bring you this beautiful and rich conversation I had with Naomi Edmonson. Naomi offers so much wisdom and insight as she explores her experiences and lessons learned after losing both a mother figure and her mother. She also shares the journey she’s been on creating safer grief spaces for Black people, something she felt missing in her early grief where she was often the only Black Queer person in the room. We explore the expectations we have about being alongside someone in their dying process and the importance of truly being seen and held in grief. EPISODE RESOURCESFollow Naomi at The Glorious Hum on Instagram EPISODE SPONSORThanks to our sponsor Empathy. GSB listeners get a complimentary phone consultation call with a Care Specialist. Get immediate support and guidance for your particular situation today. Go to www.empathy.com/gsb for more info. JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:(03:42) - Naomi’s anticipatory grief experience regarding the passing of her mother figure(13:14) - Accepting the version of ourselves that comes out when in grief(17:27) - Caregiving and the endeavors of showing up during a loved one's last(29:02) - Becoming more present and attentive after experiencing multiple losses(34:06) - From safe to safer space: How The Glorious Hum and Black Folks Grieve emerged and what it means for Naomi’s own processes(44:42) - Acknowledging less tangible types of loss, permission-giving and grief gone invalidated(53:06) - Adulthood and finding space to be: Reflections from Naomi’s birthday trip to Jamaica ABOUT THE SHOW:If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. 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 host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!Learn more about becoming a GSB Podcast Supporter here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cecilie Surasky is my guest in this special episode of GSB. Her stories of love and loss and ritual and divine connections with her 18 year old son Teo, who passed accidentally by unknowingly ingesting a lethal substance, will move you, sometimes make you laugh, and honestly might just inspire you to think differently about we can stay connected with our loved ones even after they’re physically gone from this earth.Cecilie is a longtime movement-builder who is currently the Director of Communications at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, and she reached out to me last year to share a sweet note of praise after her colleague john a powell was a guest on my show. We soon entered a beautiful back and forth series of emails about the nature of grief and how Immediately following the sudden loss of their 18 year old son Teo, Cecilie and her spouse Carolyn Hunt reached out to their son's friends and their extended family and friend network so they could all grieve and heal together. The result, still in progress, is an entire community that has been forever changed through storytelling, ritual, and deep listening...and also regular Zoom calls.  Episode ResourcesA recent article Cecilie wrote about Teo in the Berkleyside Episode SponsorThanks to our sponsor Vida Health. Visit www.vida.com to learn more.Jump straight into(06:04) - Cecilie’s earliest memories of grief (and how her family addressed it)(18:18) - A blended family: Cecilie shares stories about the life and personality of her son Teo(26:55) - Teo’s passing event: Why is anxiety among adolescents so normalized?(30:30) – Cecilie’s observations about the fact that this loss happened in an uncertain moment in history?(35:07) - The lack of farewell rituals due to the pandemic and Teo’s garden ceremony(47:59) - The magic of building a supporting community of humans around grief(55”42) - The afterlife: Recent spiritual experiences that have connected Cecilie and Teo About the showIf you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. 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 host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today! Learn more about becoming a GSB Podcast Supporter here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About this episode:My friends, what can I say about today’s guest. The minute we were introduced last year, we fell into deep and ongoing discussions about the importance of narrative and storytelling in healing spaces. Rachel Rusch is a social worker, educator and researcher specializing in pediatric palliative care in Los Angeles, California. Her work centers on the intersection of narrative and storytelling in healthcare the relationship between patient, family and clinician perseverance. We explore all of these subjects in today’s episode including her personal experiences of loss and the insights she’s gleaned from some of the incredible narrative medicine and improv projects she’s involved in today. Episode ResourcesFollow Rachel on Twitter to learn more about her incredible work with support of the Cambia Health FoundationHarnessing the Power of Improv During Uncertain Times Episode SponsorThanks to our sponsor Vida Health. Vida – healthcare designed for the body and mind! Visit www.vida.com to learn more.Jump straight into:(03:36) - Rachel’s earliest memory of grief (10:21) - Rachel’s time as an artist performing in New York City (18:04) - Becoming a social worker: Rachel’s experience as a volunteer for the 52nd street project (24:46) - The Perseverance Project: Behind Rachel’s awarded storytelling project (34:25) - The relationship between palliative care and storytelling (39:05) - ‘Lift of personhood’: The art of addressing vulnerability in the medical field (48:43) - How are we walking into forever shifted unprecedented times after experiencing so much loss? About the show:If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. 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 host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today! Learn more about becoming a GSB Podcast Supporter here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:My guest J’aime Morrison and I dove right in to such a rich and beautiful conversation about grief and loss and the way our bodies hold and can be used to express our grief. She is a former professional dancer and now a professor of theater and movement at California State University at Northridge. She's also a woman who fell in love with surfing later in life, which turned out to be a profoundly important passion that has helped her navigate the waters of deep grief after the death of her husband to a brain tumor. In fact, she's created a Cannes Film Festival award-winning short experimental called Upwell, that is such a beautiful and powerful reminder, really capturing the experience of grief so beautifully through dance, and surf, and community. Her ability to interweave story and metaphor and movement into this episode was such a gift in this conversation. Episode ResourcesDr. J’aime Morrison is a Professor of Theatre Movement at California State University, Northridge and she holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from New York University. Learn more about her Cannes Film Festival Award winning film and the incredible retreat she is a part of by clicking the links below. Upwellhttps://vimeo.com/manage/videos/370342378/914bfb68c9 Retreat informationhttps://www.twocanretreats.com/mourning-surf-grief-retreat-santa-teresa-costa-rica Instagram@mourningsurf Jump straight into:(10:20) - A language beyond words: J’aime’s journey to recognize the therapeutic value within movement(16:06) - Building a family: The day J’aime met her husband, his illness and the anticipatory grief experience(35:53) - Surfing is like grief(46:53) – The experience of community working on the film Episode SponsorThanks to our episode sponsor Eterneva. Eterneva is helping you remember your loved ones remarkably. Visit www.eterneva.com today to learn more. Don’t forget to check them out on Tik Tok too. About the ShowIf you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. 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 host Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.