GRIEF AND LIGHT

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GRIEF AND LIGHT

Nina Rodriguez

93 episodes

5 days ago

How does life shift when you lose the only person who shared your beginnings — your earliest memories, your inside jokes, your sense of home? In this tender and illuminating 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. *** Video is available here. *** After the unexpected death of her brother, Tony, Dr. ...

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Society & Culture,

Self-Improvement,

Health & Fitness,

All content for GRIEF AND LIGHT is the property of Nina Rodriguez and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

How does life shift when you lose the only person who shared your beginnings — your earliest memories, your inside jokes, your sense of home? In this tender and illuminating 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. *** Video is available here. *** After the unexpected death of her brother, Tony, Dr. ...

Show more...

Society & Culture,

Self-Improvement,

Health & Fitness,

Episodes (20/93)

GRIEF AND LIGHT

Sibling Loss and Disenfranchised Grief with Dr. Angela Dean

How does life shift when you lose the only person who shared your beginnings — your earliest memories, your inside jokes, your sense of home? In this tender and illuminating 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. *** Video is available here. *** After the unexpected death of her brother, Tony, Dr. ...

2 weeks ago

54 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

Healing in the Himalayas: Motorcycle Therapy and Making Meaning After Sibling Loss with Ben Forman

When Ben Forman lost his brother Sam, his world shifted overnight, leaving him with survivor’s guilt, grief for what could have been, and a search for meaning. In this episode of Grief and Light, Ben shares how a 10-day motorcycle therapy trip through the Himalayas became a transformative journey of healing, reflection, and connection. Along the way, he immersed himself in nature, friendship, and mindful practices, and drew on conversations with monks and his heritage to navigate loss. ...

2 weeks ago

49 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

No Man Walks Alone: A Journey Across America for Men’s Mental Health with Robb Pollard

No man should have to carry it alone. 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. *** VIDEO AVAILABLE HERE *** 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...

3 weeks ago

1 hour 4 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

Turning Pain Into Poetry: Sara Rian on Grieving and Healing After Loss to Suicide

When Sara Rian’s mother unexpectedly died in 2018, her world, and her words, changed forever. *** This episode is available in video here. *** 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 ...

1 month ago

53 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

When Love Asks You to Let Go: Parenting, Grief, and Surrender with Dr. Tasha Faruqui

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 ...

1 month ago

1 hour 6 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

Grieving While Parenting: Mindfulness, Mental Health, and Motherhood with Reshma Kearney

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. *** This episode is also available in video here....

1 month ago

55 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

Honoring Your Grief: a mini meditation for grievers by Hannah Castillo

This week, I’m honored to share something special with you—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. After her own health challenges led her to discover the power of daily meditation, she began sharing these practices with her clients, helping ...

1 month ago

7 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

Permission to Pause: 7 Types of Rest for Your Own "Pause Week"

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 Key Takeaways: Pause is rest, and rest is essential for survival and life.The...

2 months ago

15 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

Grief and Light: A Podcast About Life After Loss + Living in the 'and'

You just lost your loved one. Now what? Welcome to Grief and Light, a podcast about the honest truth of life after loss. Hosted by Nina Rodriguez, whose world was forever changed after the sudden death of her only sibling, this show explores the reality of grief, not as something to fix, but as a lifelong companion we learn to live with. On Grief and Light, you’ll hear: Honest reflections on the complexity of griefConversations about post-traumatic growth without bypassing painStories that re...

2 months ago

1 minute

GRIEF AND LIGHT

What if Death Wasn’t the End? Healing Through Mediumship with Karen Docherty

What if death wasn’t the end of the conversation? In this episode of Grief and Light, Nina Rodriguez sits down with 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 (an...

2 months ago

49 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

Award-Winning and Grieving: A Conversation with Women Who Podcast Magazine's founder

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 gi...

2 months ago

22 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

Healing Through Journaling: Grief & Joy After Addiction Loss with Shawn Dinneen

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. ***Video version available here*** Shawn shares how journaling became a lifeline during her healing journey, inspiring her busines...

3 months ago

45 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

Kids' Grief & Healing: Michelle Cove on Grief-Smart Culture, Intuition and Community

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 p...

3 months ago

48 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

Filmmaker Michael Flores: Grief and Healing in 'Dogs on the Sendero'

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...

3 months ago

1 hour 1 minute

GRIEF AND LIGHT

Healing the Father Wound and Sacred Lessons with Mike de la Rocha

In this powerful episode, strategist, musician, and author Mike de la Rocha opens up about healing generational trauma, redefining masculinity, and reconnecting with his father through emotional truth-telling. ***Click here to watch on YouTube*** 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 transfo...

3 months ago

47 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

The Gift of Life: Organ Donation, Food Allergy Awareness, Child Loss & Legacy with Maryam De Groef

Maryam De Groef on child and sibling loss, organ donation, food allergy awareness, faith, and the many ways her daughter, Zeynah, lives on. 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. *** Watch on YouTube *** Maryam shares the d...

4 months ago

1 hour 9 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

Why Everyone Over 18 Needs a Will: End-of-Life Planning with Death Doula Marni Blank

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. ***Click here to watch on YouTube*** This conversation weaves together the legal logistics of wills, advance directives, and digital assets with the emotional and spiritual tools ne...

4 months ago

47 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

Grief at Work: From Self-Advocacy to Compassionate Leadership with Bloomwell Partners

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. ***Watch on YouTube*** Drawing from their personal experiences of loss and their expertise in psychology, leadership, and org...

4 months ago

50 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

The Grief of Uncertainty in Unprecedented Times

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. The episode reflects on: Why uncertainty feels so destabilizing to our ner...

4 months ago

19 minutes

GRIEF AND LIGHT

Jody Gelb on Navigating Life and Loss with a Medically Fragile Child

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. *** Click here to watch on YouTube *** Through the lens of her micro-memoir, SHE MAY BE LYING DOWN BUT SHE MAY BE VERY HAPPY, Jo...

5 months ago

56 minutes