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When you're grieving, words from well-meaning friends often fall short. What actually helps is finding a story that reflects your own — proof that someone else has been where you are and survived it. But where do those stories live, and who ensures they reach the people who need them most?

In this episode, we sit down with Laura J. Kramer, journalist and founder of Waiting Room Publishing, to talk about why literature matters in grief — and what she's doing to put the right words in the right hands at exactly the right moment.

Laura lost both her father and her brother to suicide. Out of that loss, she created Candlelight, a print magazine designed for the waiting rooms of hospices, funeral homes, and senior living communities — spaces where people are sitting with some of the hardest moments of their lives.

In this episode:

- Why stories reach grieving people in ways that advice and information can't
- How Laura identified a gap in grief support inside healthcare spaces — and what she built to fill it
- Her own experience with suicide loss, and how personal tragedy became a mission to serve others

Whether you work in end-of-life care or you're navigating your own loss, this conversation is grounded, honest, and worth your time.

🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every week on grief, dying, and what it means to live fully.
📬 Connect with Laura: (https://waitingroompublishing.com/collections/candlelight)
🌐 Learn more about GRACE Pathways: (https://www.grace-pathways.com/)
📩 Contact us: endoflifeconvo@gmail.com
📖 Substack: endoflifeconvos.substack.com

#grief #griefsupport #endoflife #hospice #griefpodcast #deathpositive #literature #grieving #suicideloss

Support the show

We very much want to hear your thoughts. Please join us on Substack for our community chat.

This podcast helps anyone dealing with loss. It can guide you with end-of-life planning and death-positive resources.

Check out our introductory episode to learn more about Annalouiza, Wakil, and our vision/mission to normalize and destigmatize conversations about death, dying, grief, and loss.

You can find us on SubStack, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and BlueSky. You are also invited to subscribe to support us financially. Anyone who supports us at any level will have access to Premium content, special online meet-ups, and one-on-one time with Annalouiza or Wakil.

And we would love your feedback and want to hear your stories. You can email us at endoflifeconvo@gmail.com.

We want to be transparent that we use AI tools to help us with titles, show notes, editing, and introductions.

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