EP.63 Season 4 Premiere |
Showing Up Meaningfully in 2025: Evolving from "me" to "we"
Host: Nina Rodriguez | IG: @griefandlight
2025: It’s a year of big changes, big feelings, and maybe even a little bit of big grief. Feeling a little lost in the chaos? You’re not alone. On this episode, we explore what it means to show up meaningfully in “unprecedented” times, the concept of the “pendulum redux,” the power of our individual callings, and why connection and joy are non-negotiable. Join me for an honest and reflective episode about meeting life as it is, and actionable tools to help you cultivate connection, compassion, and hope in the face of ... READ MORE
EP.64 The Grief Girlie: Shea Wingate on Compounded Grief, Myth Busting, and Making Room for Joy
Guest: Shea Wingate, LCSW, The Grief Girlie | IG: @thegriefgirlie
Have you ever felt like you're grieving "wrong"? Is there a "right" way to grieve?
In this episode of the Grief and Light podcast, host Nina Rodriguez talks with licensed therapist and grief coach, Shea Wingate aka. "The Grief Girlie," about the many faces of grief. Shea shares her own experience of profound loss and compounded grief, offering insights and wisdom gained from navigating the deaths of her parents and sister in a two-year span, and her calling to work ... READ MORE
EP.65 The Liminality of Grief: Embracing who you are becoming
Host: Nina Rodriguez | IG: @griefandlight
This episode explores the concept of liminality in grief, emphasizing the importance of giving oneself permission to feel and operate from a place of becoming. She discusses the challenges of navigating identity shifts after loss, the tools of heart-centered curiosity, boundaries, and self-compassion, and the significance of community and creative expression in the healing process. The conversation highlights the beauty of vulnerability and the ongoing journey of personal ... READ MORE
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EP.66 Lifebooks.io: Matt Jacobson on losing his father, and the future of preserving memories and legacies
Guest: Matt Jacobson, Jr., Lifebooks.io | @lifebooks.io
How can we ensure that the legacies of our loved ones are not forgotten?
In this episode, I speak with Matt Jacobson, a young entrepreneur whose father passed away unexpectedly, leaving a void in his life. He decided to create Lifebooks, a platform that allows families to collaborate on creating beautiful, high-quality legacy books that tell the stories of their loved ones.
Matt's story is one of resilience and hope. He is an inspiration to anyone who has lost a loved one. His work is helping to ensure that the legacies of those we love will never be forgotten... READ MORE
EP. 67 Love and Widowhood: Grief, Community, and Healing after Loss with Tina Fornwald
Guest: Tina Fornwald | Widowhood Real Talk with Tina, IG: @widowhood_real_talk_with_tina
How do we find the strength to keep going when the life we built with someone we love is suddenly gone? In this poignant episode, host Nina Rodriguez speaks with Tina Fornwald, an empowerment coach, podcast host, and retired Chief Warrant Officer, about her journey through grief after a miscarriage, surviving breast cancer, and losing Mark, her beloved husband of 32 years. Through her story, Tina illuminates the complexities of grief, the importance of community support, and the unique challenges faced by widows and widowers... READ MORE
EP. 68 | Uncensoring Grief, Centering Aliveness, and Navigating Loss with Lisa Keefauver
Guest: Lisa Keefauver, MSW | Grief is a Sneaky Bitch & Reimagining Grief | IG @lisakeefauvermsw
How can we center aliveness in a world full of loss? In this heartfelt conversation, host Nina Rodriguez and grief activist, TEDx speaker, podcast host, and author, Lisa Keefauver, MSW dive into the complexities of grief, offering insights on grief literacy and the personal experiences that shape how we process loss. They explore the emotional impact of grief, highlighting the gap between learning about grief and living through it. The discussion unpacks the nuances of emotions, feelings, and moods, shedding light on how understanding these distinctions can support healing. Lisa shares powerful tools from narrative therapy, emphasizing the importance of reframing... READ MORE
EP. 69 | Befriending the Unknown: Paula Sager on losing her father, Authentic Movement, and writing The Watch
Guest: Paula Sager, author and teacher, Three Stone Studio | IG: @body.and.word
What if grief holds its own wisdom, guiding us towards healing and understanding?
Paula Sager, writer and teacher of embodied contemplative practices, delves into the wisdom found in grief and the power of presence in times of loss. Paula reflects on her father's illness, passing, and the ongoing connection that unfolded afterward. They discuss how mindfulness, movement, and authentic movement practices can support grief by fostering inner listening and honoring the body’s response to loss. This conversation explores themes of love, letting go, and the mystical moments that can emerge during grief. Paula shares insights from her book, The Watch, and invites listeners to embrace unanswered questions... READ MORE
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EP. 70 | Brothers, Grief, and Identity: Nico Slate on navigating sibling loss, love, and race dynamics
Guest: Nico Slate | Professor of History, Carnegie Mellon University, & Author | nicoslate.com
How does grief intersect with race and identity when growing up in a multi-ethnic family?
Nico shares the deeply personal story behind his memoir 📖 “Brothers: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Race,” which honors the life and legacy of his late brother, Peter.
Raised in a multi-ethnic family, Nico reflects on Peter’s experiences as a Black man in America, the traumatic events that shaped their lives, and how writing became a path toward healing and understanding. This conversation explores the evolving nature of grief, the power of storytelling, and how we continue our relationships with those who have passed... READ MORE
EP. 71 | Grief vs. Grieving:
Why the Difference Matters
Host: Nina Rodriguez | IG: @griefandlight
We often use the words grief and grieving interchangeably—but did you know they’re not quite the same?
In this thoughtful solo episode of Grief and Light, host Nina Rodriguez invites listeners into a powerful reframe: grief is the natural response to loss, but grieving is how we live with and in relation to our grief. With tenderness and clarity, Nina explores how understanding the distinction between these two terms can transform our experience with loss—softening unrealistic expectations, reducing pressure to "move on," and opening up a path toward self-compassion and emotional expansion... READ MORE
EP. 72 | Navigating Motherhood after Loss with Liz Quinn
Guest: Liz Quinn, Host of the Healing Hearts Podcast IG: @healing_hearts_podcast
In this deeply moving episode Nina is joined by Liz Quinn — grief advocate, and host of the Healing Hearts Podcast. Liz opens up about her personal journey through layered loss, including the death of her daughter Alivia, and both of her parents. With tenderness and clarity, she shares what it means to grieve as a mother, how guilt and love can coexist, and how the relationship with a child in spirit continues to evolve... READ MORE
EP. 73 | Soul Pets and Sacred Goodbyes: Grant Hazell on the Grief of Pet Loss
Guest: Grant Hazell, "The Pet Loss Counsellor" |
IG: @thepetlosscounsellor
Pet loss is real grief — and it deserves real support.
In this heartfelt episode of Grief and Light, host Nina Rodriguez is joined by pet loss grief specialist, Grant Hazell, for an intimate conversation about the grief of losing a beloved animal companion. Together, they explore the deep bonds between humans and pets — often referred to as “soul pets” — and why losing them can be just as devastating as the loss of a human loved one... READ MORE
EP. 74 | Grieving One Child, Racing to Save Another: The Docobo Family’s Mission of Hope
Guests: Bryan and Danielle Docobo |
IG: @coatsplusfoundation
In this moving episode of Grief and Light, host Nina Rodriguez sits down with Bryan and Danielle Docobo to explore their journey through profound loss, love, and advocacy following the death of their son Ethan, who passed away from the rare genetic disorder Coats Plus Syndrome. As parents navigating complex grief while raising their surviving son Liam, who lives with the same diagnosis, Bryan and Danielle speak candidly about the emotional, spiritual, and logistical realities of their path, as they work against time to save him... READ MORE
EP. 75 | Navigating Life and Loss with a Medically Fragile Child
Guest: Jody Gelb | jodygelb.com
What does it mean to parent a child whose life is both a miracle and a medical emergency?
In this tender and unflinching conversation, Broadway actor and author Jody Gelb shares the story of her daughter Lueza—her first child, born with disabilities resulting from a catastrophic birth injury—whose life was defined by both relentless caregiving and radiant joy.Through the lens of her micro-memoir, SHE MAY BE LYING DOWN BUT SHE MAY BE VERY HAPPY, Jody speaks to the reality of raising a medically fragile child with cerebral palsy, where hope and anticipatory grief coexisted, and ... READ MORE
EP. 76 | The Grief of Uncertainty in Unprecedented Times
Host: Nina Rodriguez | IG: @griefandlight
In this solo, audio-only episode, host Nina Rodriguez explores the unspoken grief many of us are carrying right now—the grief of uncertainty.
From political turmoil and climate anxiety, to the dizzying pace of technological change, we’re living in times that feel increasingly unsteady.
This isn’t just stress; it’s a kind of ambient grief. It's the ache of losing the future we thought we were heading toward... READ MORE
EP. 77 | Grief at Work: From Self-Advocacy to Compassionate Leadership with Bloomwell Partners
Guests: Dr. Mekel Harris & Janet Gwilliam-Wright | IG: @bloomwellpartners
Grief doesn’t pause when you arrive at work, so why do so many workplaces expect us to carry on as if nothing happened?
In this powerful episode of Grief and Light, host Nina Rodriguez is joined by Dr. Mekel Harris and Janet Gwilliam-Wright, co-founders of Bloomwell Partners, a consulting firm transforming how organizations handle grief and loss in the workplace... READ MORE
EP. 78 | Why Everyone Over 18 Needs a Will: End-of-Life Planning with Death Doula Marni Blank
Guest: Marni Blank, Esq. | IG: @beginwith__theend
What if preparing for death could actually help you live more fully?
In this powerful episode, Nina Rodriguez speaks with Marni Blank, certified end-of-life doula and founder of Begin With The End, about why planning for death is one of the most compassionate acts we can offer, both to ourselves and those we love.
This conversation weaves together the legal logistics of wills, advance directives, and digital... READ MORE
EP. 79 | The Gift of Life: Organ Donation, Food Allergy Awareness, Child Loss & Legacy with Maryam De Groef
Guest: Maryam De Groef | @maryamdegroef
In this heartfelt and powerful episode of the Grief and Light podcast, host Nina Rodriguez speaks with grief educator, somatic practitioner, and mother Maryam De Groef about the unimaginable: the sudden loss of her 9-year-old daughter, Zeynah, to an anaphylactic reaction caused by a severe food allergy in 2023.
Maryam shares the deeply personal journey of navigating profound grief, witnessing her surviving child process sibling loss, and the life-affirming decision her family made opting for organ donation... READ MORE
EP. 80 | Healing the Father Wound and Sacred Lessons with Mike de la Rocha
Guest: Mike de la Rocha | @mrmikedelarocha
Drawing from his debut book Sacred Lessons: Teaching My Father How to Love, Mike explores how grief, silence, and inherited definitions of manhood shaped his early life—and how choosing vulnerability, mentorship, and collective healing became transformative. This intimate conversation unpacks the emotional cost of disconnection, the ancestral wisdom that guides us, and why healing the masculine lineage is essential for future generations. From the power of Ubuntu to the ongoing presence of loved ones beyond the veil, Mike reminds us that true healing is ... READ MORE
EP. 81 | Filmmaker Michael Flores: Grief and Healing in 'Dogs on the Sendero'
Guest: Michael Flores | senderomovie.com
Whether you’re a griever, creative, or lover of independent film (and puppies!), this conversation is a moving exploration of how film can help us navigate trauma, honor legacy, and find our way back to light. In this powerful episode of the Grief and Light podcast, acclaimed filmmaker and educator Michael Flores shares the deeply personal journey behind his award-winning feature film, Dogs on the Sendero. The film follows Sol, a grieving teacher who embarks on a transformative road trip with his dog, Rosie, after the devastating loss of his wife. Through their journey, the story explores grief, cultural identity, healing, and ... READ MORE
EP. 82 | Kids' Grief & Healing: Michelle Cove on Grief-Smart Culture, Intuition and Community
Guest: Michelle Cove | michellecove.com
How can we better support grieving kids and teens?
In this episode of the Grief and Light podcast, Nina Rodriguez sits down with Michelle Cove, award-winning media maker, communications manager of Experience Camps and Grief Sucks, in charge of making content across multiple platforms to build a more grief-smart culture. Together, they explore how teens navigate loss, the misconceptions surrounding teen grief, and the importance of creating safe spaces where young people can both process pain and simply be kids. Michelle shares powerful insights from her work at Experience Camps, where children connect, play, and heal, emphasizing that grieving teens often seek companionship over solitude. They also discuss the dual process model ... READ MORE
EP. 83 | Healing Through Journaling: Grief & Joy After Addiction Loss with Shawn Dinneen
Guest: Shawn Dinneen | heartstringsjournals.com
If you’ve ever wondered how to keep living, and even loving, after losing someone you can’t imagine life without, this episode is for you. I sit down with Shawn Dinneen, creator of HeartStrings Journals, to hear her deeply personal story of grief, resilience, and rediscovering life and new love after the devastating loss of her fiancé to an overdose in 2022. Shawn shares how journaling became a lifeline during her healing journey, inspiring her business and mission to support others navigating loss... READ MORE
EP. 84 | Award-Winning and Grieving: A Conversation with Women Who Podcast Magazine's founder
Guests: Nina Rodriguez | @griefandlight
Kathy Barron | womenwhopodcastmag.com
And just like that, we're an award-winning podcast!
In this special episode, I’m sharing a replay of my conversation with Kathy Barron, founder and editor-in-chief of Women Who Podcast Magazine. We talk about the journey behind Grief and Light, the power of being recognized as an award-winning podcast, and why grief isn’t a linear process—it’s deeply personal, unpredictable, and life-changing. We dive into stories of life after loss, the sneaky ways grief shows up in everyday life, and how giving yourself permission to feel can actually deepen your connection to life and others. Whether you’re a griever, a podcaster, or simply curious about the human experience, this ... READ MORE
EP. 85 | What if Death Wasn’t the End? Healing Through Mediumship with Karen Docherty
Guest: Karen Docherty | karendocherty.com
What if death wasn’t the end of the conversation?
In this episode, Nina and psychic medium and mentor Karen Docherty to explore how mediumship can become a powerful source of comfort, connection, and healing after loss. With warmth and clarity, Karen shares her own journey of discovering and embracing her calling, and how she now supports both the grieving and the departed through spirit communication.Together, they unpack what mediumship really is (and isn’t), why discernment matters when seeking a practitioner, and how the messages that come through can transform grief into moments of peace, reassurance, and ... READ MORE
EP. 86 | Permission to Pause: 7 Types of Rest for your own "Pause Week"
Host: Nina Rodriguez | IG: @griefandlight
What if you gave yourself permission to pause?
This episode explores why rest is essential, not optional, covering the seven types of rest, the cost of burnout, and practical ways to create your own “pause week.” Consider this your reminder that what doesn’t bend, breaks; and that even small pauses can refill your cup. Rather than a luxury, rest is a necessity for our mental, emotional, and physical well-being ... READ MORE
EP. 87 | Honoring Your Grief: a mini meditation for grievers
Guest: Hannah Castillo | IG @love_your_calm
A guided meditation created exclusively for Grief and Light listeners by Hannah Castillo, host of the Love Your Calm podcast. Hannah has been a Mental Health Counselor for over 20 years and is passionate about making meditation approachable and supportive, especially in tender seasons of life. Grief is a universal part of our human condition, and though your experience is uniquely yours, you don’t have to walk through it alone. Our hope is that this meditation offers you a moment of pause, comfort, and connection as you ... READ MORE
EP. 88 | Grieving While Parenting: Mindfulness, Mental Health, and Motherhood
Guest: Reshma Kearney | @reshmakearney
How do you grieve while parenting? How do you tend to your own heartbreak and hold space for your children’s?
In this heartfelt conversation with Reshma Kearney, a Trauma-Informed Mindfulness and Healing Guide, shares her journey after losing her husband, Sean, to suicide. She opens up about navigating grief as a solo parent, communicating loss with honesty, and finding moments of presence through mindfulness in the first three years of grief... READ MORE
EP. 89 | When Love Asks You to Let Go: Parenting, Grief, and Surrender with Dr. Tasha Faruqui
Guest: Tasha Faruqui, DO | @thefaruqui5
A mother’s story of love, advocacy, and finding joy while parenting a child in hospice.
What happens when the life you imagined for your child suddenly changes forever? For Dr. Tasha Faruqui, that question became her reality when her daughter, Soraya, was born with a rare and little-known genetic condition. A doctor herself, Tasha thought she knew how to navigate the medical world. But nothing prepared her for the mix of love, fear, and relentless uncertainty that came with parenting a child whose life would look very different from what she’d dreamed... READ MORE
EP. 90 | Turning Pain Into Poetry: Sara Rian on Grieving and Healing After Loss to Suicide
Guest: Sara Rian | @sara_rian_books
When Sara Rian’s mother unexpectedly died in 2018, her world, and her words, changed forever.
What began as a private act of survival through poetry slowly became a bridge to others who were grieving too. Her poems, often found reaching grieving hearts through social media feeds, give voice to what so many can’t yet name: the ache, the confusion, the beauty, and the brutal honesty of grief. In this conversation, Nina and Sara trace the ways grief reshapes not only the heart but also the body, relationships, and creative expression. Sara shares how poetry became both her mirror and her medicine, helping her navigate the duality of love and pain, the tension between vulnerability and protection, and the ongoing work of tending to loss as both a therapist and a human being who lost her mother to suicide... READ MORE
EP. 91 | No Man Walks Alone: A Journey Across America for Men’s Mental Health
Guest: Robb Pollard | @walkwithmebrother
Many men are hurting in silence, and Robb Pollard knows that silence well.
In this deeply human conversation, Nina Rodriguez sits down with Robb Pollard, founder of Walk With Me Brother, a nonprofit devoted to men’s mental health and connection. Robb shares his journey of living with bipolar disorder, navigating bullying and alcohol, and learning to face the parts of himself he once tried to outrun. What emerges is a story not just of survival, but of purpose. One of transforming pain into a path that invites others to walk beside him. In April 2026, Robb will begin a 3,600-mile walk across America, carrying with him one message: no man should have to walk alone... READ MORE
EP. 92 | Healing in the Himalayas: Motorcycle Therapy and Making Meaning After Sibling Loss
Guest: Ben Forman | @highercallingmovie
When his brother died, Ben's world split open. What followed was a search for meaning that took him halfway across the world, on a 10-day “motorcycle-adventure-therapy” journey through the Himalayas with two of his closest friends. There, surrounded by mountains, monks, and miles of winding roads, he began to integrate the loss of Sam. Through his film Higher Calling, Ben shares that journey, exploring adventure-based healing, brotherhood, and the enduring bond that continues long after death. It's a story of love, loss, and the lifelong process of finding your way back to yourself after everything changes. This conversation goes beyond grief. It's also about identity, resilience, and what it means to hold love and pain in the same breath.Also, check out this reel where Ben shares how he is still Sam's older brother... READ MORE
EP. 93 | Sibling Loss and Disenfranchised Grief
Guest: Dr. Angela Dean | @thebrokenpack
In this conversation, host Nina Rodriguez sits down with Dr. Angela Dean, a licensed psychologist, thanatologist, and founder of The Broken Pack™—an organization and podcast created to validate and support adults grieving the loss of a sibling.
After the unexpected death of her brother, Tony, Dr. Dean channeled her grief into advocacy, research, and community-building for those whose pain is often unseen. Together, Nina and Angela explore the unique nature of sibling loss, including how it impacts family dynamics, identity, and belonging, and ... READ MORE
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Also, check out Dr. Dean's take on what wolves and siblings share in common.
EP. 94 | How Digital Data Is Rewriting Suicide Prevention
Guest: Kim Burditt Bartlett | @stopsoldiersuicide
For Kim Burditt Barlett, that redirection began the day her brother Jon, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, died by suicide in 2010. What followed was a profound transformation that eventually led her into suicide prevention work and, ultimately, to her role at Stop Soldier Suicide. In this episode, Kim sits down with Nina to explore the layered reality of suicide loss—the silence, the stigma, the unanswered questions, and the way it can feel both isolating and overwhelming, even in a room full of support. They also dive into the Black Box Project, a groundbreaking effort at Stop Soldier Suicide that analyzes digital behavior from voluntarily donated devices to better understand risk and, hopefully... READ MORE​
EP. 95 | The Light That Shines Through Me: Tiriq Rashad on Grief, Family, and Spoken Word
Guest: Tiriq Rashad | @tiriq_rashad
Some stories are written in ink. Others are written in loss, love, and everything that comes after.
Today’s guest is Tiriq Rashad, spoken word artist, whose life has been shaped by the grief of losing his daughter, brother, and mother, and by the courage to transform that pain into poetry, music, and meaning. Through his books Shine Through Our Shade and A Diamond in God’s Dirt, and now his new album Kiss My Art, Tiriq invites us into the alchemy of survival where art becomes a way home to ourselves. Together, Nina and Tiriq explore the unpolished, raw realities of grieving: the trauma that lingers, the relief of finally speaking your truth, the grounding power of therapy, and the courage it takes to show up vulnerable. Tiriq shares how grief propelled him toward expression, how strength can emerge through vulnerability, and how poetry, music, and storytelling became a space where love and pain coexist... READ MORE​
EP. 96 | Evolving and Growing with Grief: A Grief Awareness Week Roundtable with 3 Grief-focused Podcasters
Collab: Liz Quinn @lizquinnheals
Tara Accardo @lifwithgriefpodcast
Nina Rodriguez @griefandlight
What happens when three grief podcasters sit down to talk about the happiest–saddest time of the year? In this special Grief Awareness Week episode, three grief storytellers and space-holders — Nina Rodriguez (Grief and Light), Liz Quinn (Healing Hearts Podcast), and Tara Accardo (Life with Grief podcast) — come together for a conversation that’s equal parts honest, tender, and deeply human. What unfolds is a spacious, story-rich dialogue about the many faces of grief: the way it evolves over time, the way it reshapes who we are, and the way the holidays often magnify both the ache and the sweetness. Together, the three share how their losses— Nina’s 32-year-old brother, Liz’s newborn daughter and both parents, and Tara’s parents and beloved 19-year-old dog — continue to ripple through their lives in ways that are both painful and illuminating.... READ MORE​
EP. 97 | Get Griefy With Us: A Grief Week Roundtable on How Loss Shakes Up Family and Community
Collab: Nina Rodriguez @griefandlight
x Members of Get Griefy Small Business Collective
What happens when you gather a circle of grievers, creators, and grief-literacy leaders around one table and ask them to tell the truth about how loss has reshaped their families, and their lives? In this special Grief Week episode of Grief and Light, we find out. This episode is an offering for anyone navigating family changes after loss, for anyone bracing for the holidays, and for anyone who needs to hear that their grief makes sense, that their story matters, and that connection is still possible even in the midst of heartbreak. Each year, the first week of December marks Grief Week—a global invitation to slow down, raise awareness, open conversations, and build a more grief-informed world. In honor of this mission, Nina Rodriguez brings together members of the Get Griefy Small Business Collective for ... READ MORE​
EP. 98 | How solo travel helped this Latina find herself again
Guest: Bianca Alba | @thislatinatravels
Sometimes, healing begins in motion. In this episode, Nina Rodriguez sits down with Bianca Alba, founder of This Latina Travels, to explore how grief, identity, and travel intertwine. What starts as a conversation about exploring the world becomes a deeper story about returning to yourself. Her story begins in a single-parent household where vacations felt like something other people did, faraway dreams that didn’t belong to families like hers. Today, Bianca has traveled to six continents and uses her platform to show women of color what’s possible when you give yourself permission to go. Her work reminds us that representation isn’t just inspiring, it’s necessary. Nina and Bianca also reflect on the power of community, having recently shared virtual space as speakers at the Latinas in Podcasting Summit 2025... READ MORE​
EP. 99 | Women Who Podcast:
Kathy Barron on Grief, Creativity, and Building Community
Guest: Kathy Barron | @womenwhosarcast @womenwhopodcastmagazine
An honest exploration of grief, creativity, and community with the visionary behind Women Who Podcast magazine—covering storytelling, anticipatory grief, and the movement to amplify women’s voices in podcasting. In this conversation, Nina Rodriguez sits down with Kathy Barron, founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women Who Podcast Magazine, to explore the power of women’s voices, the complexity of grief, and the courage it takes to tell honest stories. Kathy shares the origin story behind the magazine: a space born from her desire to see women not just represented in podcasting, but truly celebrated. As the conversation unfolds, Kathy opens up about her own relationship to loss, including the quiet, complicated ache of anticipatory grief as she navigates her mother’s aging, as well as moments of soul-level connection ... READ MORE​
EP. 100 | 100 Episodes of Leaning Into Grief: Navigating Life Shifts with Matt & Nina
Host: Matt Gilhooly @thelifeshiftpodcast | Guest: Nina Rodriguez @griefandlight
Episode 100 of Grief and Light marks a meaningful milestone shaped not only by consistency and care, but by the relationships formed along the way. Nina Rodriguez chose to honor this moment with a feed swap: a deeply personal episode originally recorded for The Life Shift Podcast, hosted by fellow podcaster and friend Matt Gilhooly. This episode reflects one of the most unexpected and beautiful ripple effects of saying yes to grief work: the genuine connections that emerge when we choose to stay in honest conversation over time. In this role-reversed dialogue, Matt interviews Nina about the sudden loss of her brother and the life-altering moment that reshaped everything that followed. Nina reflects on the spontaneous decision to visit her brother on his birthday, followed by the shock, surrealism, and disorientation of receiving the news of his unexpected death. She speaks openly about his long-term sobriety, the hope and plans they held for his future, and the complexity of grieving someone whose life carried both... READ MORE
EP. 101 | Curating Grief: Charlene Lam on Choosing What to Keep vs Release After Loss
Guest: Charlene Lam @curating_grief
How do we decide what to keep after a loved one dies? In this insightful episode, Nina Rodriguez is joined by grief coach, curator of The Grief Gallery™, and author, Charlene Lam, for a deeply human conversation about curating grief: the tender, often overwhelming process of choosing what to keep after loss. After the sudden death of her mother in 2013, Charlene found herself alone with the responsibility of sorting through her mom’s belongings. That experience became the foundation for her work, including the 10 Object Method, a reflective practice that invites grievers to select a small number of meaningful items as a way of honoring relationships, reclaiming narrative, and maintaining continuing bonds. Together, Nina and Charlene explore the emotional weight of everyday objects, the cultural and personal lenses that shape grief, and the evolving nature of our connection to those who have died. This conversation reminds us that grief is not something to complete or solve, it is something we live with, curate, and carry forward in ways that are deeply personal ... READ MORE
EP. 102 | Hope is a Verb: Staying Human in Uncertain Times
Host: Nina Rodriguez | IG: @griefandlight
In this solo episode of Grief and Light, Nina Rodriguez reflects on the ambient grief many of us are carrying in response to global, political, and collective uncertainty. After taking a pause to tend to her own nervous system and grief, Nina shares a reflection rooted in presence rather than answers, exploring what it means to keep creating, caring, and staying human when the world feels overwhelming and dissonant. Drawing on grief literacy, nervous system awareness, and the story behind Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, this episode gently reframes hope not as a feeling, but as an action, something we practice in small, everyday ways, even when clarity feels out of reach. This is an episode for anyone feeling frozen, disconnected, or unsure how to move forward without turning away from reality... READ MORE
EP. 103 | Grief, Poetry, and Resilient Leadership: Carl Manlan on Love, Loss, and Legacy
Guest: Carl Manlan | carlmanlan.com
In this episode, host Nina Rodriguez sits down with development practitioner, global thought leader, and poet Carl Manlan, author of i can breathe, for a moving conversation on grief, legacy, resilience, and meaning. Carl reflects on how loss reshaped his understanding of resilience, leadership, and what it means to honor those who came before us, and the grief that arises from life changes, transitions, and the unexpected losses that quietly reshape our lives. His poetry became a necessary language for grief, a way to express what policy, strategy, and everyday conversation often cannot. Nina and Carl explore grief as an experience rooted in love, memory, and ... READ MORE
