Giving Grief Grace
Giving Grief Grace is a heartfelt podcast offering a safe space where stories of love, loss, light, and healing are shared with compassion and empathy. In each episode, honest conversations woven with nurturing insights create a safe haven, fostering a community of support where sorrow is met with kindness, and the path to healing is approached with utmost care, respect, and love.
Episodes
29 episodes
Episode 27 - Running with Purpose: My NYC Marathon with Project Purple and the Power of Community
In this solo episode, Lisa shares her experience of training for and running the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon with Project Purple. At ten months postpartum, she took to the streets of NYC on a perfect marathon day, raising awar...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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24:09
Episode 26 - Grief, Legacy, and Literacy: How Loss Shaped an Educator’s Mission to Help People Read
Former teacher and principal, and current K–12 literacy director, Katie Megrian has spent over two decades working in schools. She founded The Reading Symphony, a mission-driven platform that helps families and educators understand how reading ...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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38:35
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Episode 25 - Grief in the Digital Age: Dr. Camelia Clarke on Social Media Etiquette and Setting Boundaries After Loss
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Camelia Clarke — owner of Paradise Memorial Funeral and Cremation Services, National Funeral Director Association (NFDA) spokesperson, and grief et...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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46:59
Episode 24 - Living Fully with Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer: The Freedom of Letting Go
When stage 4 ovarian cancer came back for the third time, Melanie Ezell made a radical decision—to stop fighting and start living. A surfer, yogi, nutritionist, and coach in Oahu, Hawaii, Melanie has turned her diagnosis into a ...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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54:22
Episode 23 - Soul Echoes: Finding Comfort and Connection After Death Through a Spiritual Medium
This week we sit down with Trish Riggle, a fifth-generation intuitive and spiritual medium who has been connecting with spirits for over twenty years. Trish opens up about what it means to carry that lineage—how she first recognized her ...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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58:19
Episode 22 - From Soviet Silence to Soulful Healing: A Refugee’s Journey to Inner Peace After Lymphatic Cancer
Born Jewish in the former Soviet Union, Diana Esther grew up in a world where faith was forbidden and smiles were rare—she didn’t see a real smile until her late teens.Fleeing as a refugee with her parents and only three suitcases, she s...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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53:09
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Episode 21 - Breaking Through the Dark: Redefining Self After a Near-Death Experience (NDE)
Dawn Christensen’s life has been defined by resilience and reinvention. Born without breath, surviving a near-death experience (NDE) after a car accident, living with chronic illness, and still finding her way back to the light—Dawn embodies wh...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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55:30
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Episode 20 - A Sacred Passage: Shamanic Journeying Through Loss and Light
This week we sit down with Rachel Fitzpatrick, a yoga teacher, creator, and host of The FitZen Project Podcast. Rachel shares her life-changing experience of taking her grandmother’s hand and walking her home during a sha...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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47:23
Episode 19 - Senior Living Made S.I.M.P.L.E.™: Shari Ross on Caregiving, Community, and Courage
Navigating senior living decisions can feel overwhelming—whether you’re noticing red flags with loved ones' health, living situation, or wellbeing, avoiding challenging family conversations, or feeling guilt around choosing the best affordable ...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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51:34
Episode 18 - What Happens After? Author Diane Namm on Love, Loss, and Healing on Your Own Time
This week we sit down with Diane Namm—author of 65 books to discuss the release of her new book:What Happens After? Together we explore love, loss, and how healing from grief takes as long as it takes. Diane shares her extr...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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42:49
Episode 17 - Building a Roadmap of Hope for Pancreatic Cancer with Dino Verrelli of Project Purple
This week we sit down with Dino Verrelli, Founder and CEO of Project Purple, a leading nonprofit dedicated to fighting pancreatic cancer. Inspired by his father’s pancreatic cancer journey, Dino turned grief into purpose by creating a co...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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55:47
Episode 16 - How to Survive Caregiving: 5 Practical Tips to Ease Stress and Overwhelm
Caregiving can feel like too much to carry — the constant demands, the emotional weight, and the exhaustion that lingers even when you’re doing your best. In this solo episode, host Lisa Hartung shares five practical caregiving tips to h...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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27:09
Episode 15 - The Power of Presence: A Mother’s Story of Child Loss, Leukemia, and Finding Joy
When Suzanne Andora Barron’s son Christopher was first diagnosed with leukemia at age three, she could never have imagined the rollercoaster that lay ahead. Over the next six years, Christopher faced leukemia three times, passing away at age 9....
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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1:01:42
Episode 14 - Living with Lupus and APS After Stillbirth: A Story of Healing Through Abstract Art
Sheri Biritz and her husband were overjoyed to be expecting a baby boy. Over the holidays, they celebrated with family, imagining the joy of meeting their son, Calvin. But during a routine prenatal visit, Sheri was rushed to the hospital with p...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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1:21:21
Episode 13 - A Pancreatic Cancer Survivor’s Story: From Clinical Trials to the NYC Marathon
When Dan McNamee was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at 40, he didn't know how much time he had left. Five years later, he’s in remission—grateful, scarred, and transformed. In this powerful episode, Dan shares his journey through chemotherapy...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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48:07
Episode 12 - Sibling Loss at 11: A Sister’s Story of Silent Mourning and What Could Have Been
When Jessica Kueck was just 11 years old, her 3-year-old brother Aaron drowned—an unspeakable tragedy that cracked her world open and quietly redefined her family. Jessica shares what it was like to be the “forgotten mourner,” the older sibling...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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45:52
Episode 11 - From Ashes to Art: A 30-Day Grief Healing Program with The Ash Rose Foundation
This week we sit down with Ian McCartor—visual artist, hospice nurse, Certified Grief Counselor, and President & Executive Director of The Ash Rose Foundation. With over a decade of end-of-lif...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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1:15:43
Episode 10 - It Is Never Too Late: Healing Childhood Trauma at 76
This week we sit down with Kathy Morrison of Campbell River, British Columbia to discuss how the profound loss of her father at the age of four shaped her life in ways she only came to understand decades later. Raised in a family where emotions...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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44:37
Episode 9 - Navigating Serious Illness: A Psychosocial Oncology Counselor’s Companion Guide
This week we sit down with the incredible Kerry Irish, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW—a psychosocial oncology counselor, interfaith minister, and co-founder of the Dempsey Center and dive into the world of ...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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1:14:47
Episode 8 - Life Story: Creating a Legacy Love Letter
Join us this week as we remember when my sister, Jennifer Collinson, my dad, Dallas Hartung, and I sat down to interview my mom, Emily Doak Hartung in an intimate garden-side legacy conversation as she was nearing the end of her life. ...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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48:33
Episode 7 - Whole Body Healing: Grief, Cancer, and the Journey to Wellness
In this heartfelt episode of Giving Grief Grace, wellness coach and yoga teacher Maria McKeon shares her powerful journey of transformation through grief, healing, and service. Maria opens up about the experiences that shaped her path—...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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43:26
Episode 6 - Raw and Radiant: Getting Sober and Finding Purpose After Losing a Father
In this deeply moving episode, artist, writer, and storyteller Jessie Hansen shares the story of how losing her father became the catalyst for profound personal transformation. What began as anticipatory grief after her father's cancer diagnosi...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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47:36
Episode 5 - From Presence to Peace: Mindfulness Meditation, Reiki, and Spiritual Healing Practices
Through breathwork, Reiki, and guided meditation, interfaith Spiritual Director Cathie Wallace shares practical tools to help both caregivers and those facing the end of life cultivate inner peace. In this heart-centered conversation, we explor...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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39:47
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Episode 4 - Walking Each Other Home: A Hospice Nurse's Guide for Caregivers
What does it really mean to care for someone at the end of life? In this episode, we sit down with Registered Nurse Jean Jennings who has over 40 years of experience working in hospice care for both pediatric and adult patients. From practical ...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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43:27
Episode 3 - The Final Decision: Advice from a 6th Generation Funeral Director
Leon Roberts, a 6th generation funeral director uncovers the important conversations and decisions that shape the end of life. Leon and Lisa discuss how funerary practices have evolved over generations and explore ways people can plan ahead wit...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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45:03
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