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What does it mean to love someone through the end of their life? How do we hold joy and heartbreak at the same time?

In this profoundly moving episode of Grief 2 Growth, host Brian D. Smith speaks with Tony Stewart, author of Carrying the Tiger: Living with Cancer, Dying with Grace, Finding Joy While Grieving. Tony shares the intimate journey he and his wife Lynn traveled after her diagnosis with incurable lung cancer.

Together, they navigated six years of life lived fully in the shadow of death—a journey filled with courage, creativity, and deep connection.

This episode will move your heart, shift your perspective on illness and loss, and help you see grief as something that can deepen our capacity for love.

💡 What You’ll Learn:

• How a Tai Chi metaphor helped inspire the title Carrying the Tiger 🐅
• What it’s really like to care for a partner with terminal illness 💔
• Why Tony says those final years were the most beautiful of their relationship
• The emotional impact on caregivers—grief, guilt, and growth 💬
• How Tony gave himself permission to love again while holding Lynn in his heart 💞

🔗 Connect with Tony Stewart:

• 🌐 Website: tonystewartauthor.com
• 📘 Book: Carrying the Tiger — Available in [Print, eBook, and Audiobook (narrated by Tony)]
• 📥 Email Tony: tony@tonystewartauthor.com

🧠 Favorite Quotes

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Do near-death experiences inspire you? Are you moved by the research showing we are more than our bodies?

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of near-death studies, IANDS has launched the Chrysalis Campaign. Join at the Supporting level or higher, or make a donation of $100 or more, you’ll receive a commemorative mug.

🌍 Visit IANDS.org and click “Give” to support this vital work.

What really happens when we die? And how can understanding near-death experiences transform the way we live?

Join nearly 1,000 attendees August 27–31, 2025 at the Hilton Oak Brook Hills near Chicago for four days of soul-stirring keynotes, healing practices, and conversations that expand your understanding of life, death, and everything in between.

Register now at Conference.IANDS.org

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
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📰 Get A Free Gift
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📈 Leave A Review

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When Theresa Bruno lost her husband James to suicide, she was plunged into a wilderness of sorrow, guilt, and silence. In this moving conversation, Theresa shares how she found the courage to survive—and eventually, to rebuild. From writing letters to her late husband to discovering the transformative power of what she calls “defiant gratitude,” Theresa opens up about healing after unimaginable loss.

This is a raw, honest, and ultimately hopeful episode for anyone asking:
“How do I live again when I’m still in pain?”

💡 What You’ll Learn In This Episode:

• Why suicide grief brings unique emotional complexity
• How shame and silence keep us stuck
• The spiritual awakening that can follow trauma
• Why healing isn’t linear—and that’s okay
• How nature and small rituals can become lifelines
• How Theresa’s affirmations helped her rediscover herself
• The meaning behind the title He’s Not Coming Back

🧭 Connect With Theresa Bruno:

🌐 Website: Soul Talks with Theresa
📘 Book: He’s Not Coming Back: Rewriting Life After Loss — [Available on Amazon & Barnes & Noble]
🎙️ Podcast: Soul Talks with Theresa on YouTube
📸 Instagram: @soultalkswiththeresa

🔁 Join The Conversation:

🗣️ What’s one small act that helped you begin again?
💬 Share your thoughts with us in the comments or inside the Grief 2 Growth community.

👉 Join the Community

🎧 Listen & Subscribe:

🟣 Apple Podcasts
🟢 Spotify
🟠 Google Podcasts
🎥 YouTube

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Do near-death experiences inspire you? Are you moved by the research showing we are more than our bodies?

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of near-death studies, IANDS has launched the Chrysalis Campaign. Join at the Supporting level or higher, or make a donation of $100 or more, you’ll receive a commemorative mug.

🌍 Visit IANDS.org and click “Give” to support this vital work.

What really happens when we die? And how can understanding near-death experiences transform the way we live?

Join nearly 1,000 attendees August 27–31, 2025 at the Hilton Oak Brook Hills near Chicago for four days of soul-stirring keynotes, healing practices, and conversations that expand your understanding of life, death, and everything in between.

Register now at Conference.IANDS.org

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Send me a Text Message- please include your contact information so I can respond

What if the grief you carry isn't a burden, but a teacher?

In this deeply moving episode, Brian is joined by integrative healer Dr. Richard Grossman to explore how trauma—no matter how devastating—can become a path to awakening. With over 40 years of experience in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Amazonian plant medicine, Dr. Grossman shares the pivotal moment he received the message: “Trust and forgive.”

Together, they dive into why true healing often begins not with answers, but with presence. Whether you're wrestling with recent loss, ancestral trauma, or feeling stuck despite years of therapy, this conversation offers a fresh lens—and genuine hope.

🔑 Key Topics:

• 🌱 Trauma as a doorway—not a dead end
• 🧬 How generational trauma can live in the body
• 🍃 The role of plant medicines like Ayahuasca in emotional healing
• 💡 Why understanding pain isn't always necessary to release it
• 🎯 How to stop carrying the "backpack" of old wounds
• 🙌 Learning to be with suffering without analysis or judgment
• ✨ What it means to "see the tree as a tree"—and life as magic

🔗 Guest Resources:

🌐 Visit Dr. Grossman's website: https://heartfeather.com
📘 Get his book: Trust and Forgive: The Medicine of Your Life on Amazon

💬 We’d Love Your Feedback:

Was this episode meaningful to you? Leave a review or send Brian a message at grief2growth.com.

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Do near-death experiences inspire you? Are you moved by the research showing we are more than our bodies?

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of near-death studies, IANDS has launched the Chrysalis Campaign. Join at the Supporting level or higher, or make a donation of $100 or more, you’ll receive a commemorative mug.

🌍 Visit IANDS.org and click “Give” to support this vital work.

What really happens when we die? And how can understanding near-death experiences transform the way we live?

Join nearly 1,000 attendees August 27–31, 2025 at the Hilton Oak Brook Hills near Chicago for four days of soul-stirring keynotes, healing practices, and conversations that expand your understanding of life, death, and everything in between.

Register now at Conference.IANDS.org

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Send me a Text Message- please include your contact information so I can respond

What if angels walk among us—not just as spiritual beings, but as everyday people delivering messages exactly when we need them most? And what if the pain we carry—grief, trauma, illness—is actually a call from our soul, inviting us to heal and remember who we truly are?

In this deeply moving episode of Grief 2 Growth, Brian D. Smith welcomes Christi Clemons Hoffman, a lifelong intuitive, Reiki master, channel, and Level 3 QHHT practitioner. Christi shares transformative stories from her new book Real Life Angel Encounters, revealing how divine support surrounds us—even when we feel most alone.

Together, they explore:

• 👼 How angels and guides communicate with us (and why we need to ask!)
• 🧘‍♀️ What QHHT (Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique) is and how it unlocks wisdom from past, parallel, and future lives
• 🐶 Whether pets have souls—and how they support us from the other side
• 💡 How chronic illness often roots in emotional or spiritual trauma
• 💔 How to reach your higher self in the midst of grief and find meaning in the pain

Whether you're navigating a loss, seeking healing, or simply curious about the unseen world that holds us up, this episode offers hope, tools, and divine perspective.

👉 Don’t miss Christi’s angelic insights and Brian’s powerful reflections on the eternal bonds we share with loved ones—even after death.

🔗 Guest Links:

🔮 Christi Clemons Hoffman
🌐 Website: https://www.radiatewellnesscommunity.com
📚 Book: Real Life Angel Encounters (Available July 1)
🎧 Podcast: Real Life Angel Encounters

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Do near-death experiences inspire you? Are you moved by the research showing we are more than our bodies?

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of near-death studies, IANDS has launched the Chrysalis Campaign. Join at the Supporting level or higher, or make a donation of $100 or more, you’ll receive a commemorative mug.

🌍 Visit IANDS.org and click “Give” to support this vital work.

What really happens when we die? And how can understanding near-death experiences transform the way we live?

Join nearly 1,000 attendees August 27–31, 2025 at the Hilton Oak Brook Hills near Chicago for four days of soul-stirring keynotes, healing practices, and conversations that expand your understanding of life, death, and everything in between.

Register now at Conference.IANDS.org

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Send me a Text Message- please include your contact information so I can respond

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by grief and wondered if there was more to your pain? What if your darkest moments are actually invitations to rise—guided by angelic beings who surround you with love?

In this powerful conversation, host Brian D. Smith welcomes back Reverend Sue Frederick, an angel intuitive, master numerologist, and author of Angel Up: The Angel’s Guide to Ascension. Together, they explore how loss can open the door to a deeper spiritual awakening and how each of us can "angel up" to walk in the light—even through the most devastating circumstances.

You'll learn how Sue’s personal tragedies—including the death of her husband at age 29 and her own recent cancer diagnosis—became spiritual initiations. Sue shares channeled insights, divine downloads, and practical tools to connect with your angelic team and walk your soul’s path with purpose.

💡 What You’ll Learn:

• What angels really are—and how to work with them 🙏
• The difference between guides, angels, and departed loved ones
• How to recognize when an angel is guiding or intervening in your life
• The incredible story of Sue’s angelic vision during a health crisis
• Why "angelic living" means showing up for others in even the smallest moments 💞
• A simple mantra to call in angelic support when you're struggling

🔗 Connect With Sue Frederick:

🌐 Website: http://suefrederick.com
📚 Book: Angel Up: The Angel’s Guide to Ascension
🧭 Free Tool: Discover your soul path number with Sue’s calculator at http://suefrederick.com

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Do near-death experiences inspire you? Are you moved by the research showing we are more than our bodies?

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of near-death studies, IANDS has launched the Chrysalis Campaign. Join at the Supporting level or higher, or make a donation of $100 or more, you’ll receive a commemorative mug.

🌍 Visit IANDS.org and click “Give” to support this vital work.

What really happens when we die? And how can understanding near-death experiences transform the way we live?

Join nearly 1,000 attendees August 27–31, 2025 at the Hilton Oak Brook Hills near Chicago for four days of soul-stirring keynotes, healing practices, and conversations that expand your understanding of life, death, and everything in between.

Register now at Conference.IANDS.org

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Send me a Text Message- please include your contact information so I can respond

In this thought-provoking and heart-centered conversation, Brian D. Smith sits down with Sifu Boggie, a Taoist guide, healer, and lifelong student of energy medicine, to explore how ancient practices like Qigong, Taoist philosophy, and meditation can help us heal from grief, stress, and emotional pain.

With over 40 years of experience — and a fascinating life journey from pastry chef to spiritual mentor — Sifu Boggie brings an accessible, playful approach to deep concepts. Discover how our thoughts affect our biology, how movement restores balance, and how reconnecting with our inner child can open a path to peace.

Whether you're navigating a personal loss or just curious about the mind-body-spirit connection, this episode offers practical insights for living with more harmony, purpose, and joy.

💬 Topics We Cover:

• What Taoism really is (and what it’s not)
• The connection between grief, energy, and the body
• Qigong and Tai Chi as tools for emotional and physical healing
• The science behind the placebo effect, nocebo effect, and epigenetics
• Why the mindset of a child is key to healing
• Meditation, redefined: not about stillness, but presence
• How fidgeting and playfulness are part of self-regulation
• Are we more than our bodies? Taoist views on death and consciousness
• The power of belief: How your thoughts shape your health

👤 About Sifu Boggie:

Sifu Boggie is a Taoist teacher, healer, and mentor who blends Qigong, Tai Chi, Taoist shamanic practices, and body-centered energy healing. Known as a modern “barefoot doctor,” he guides others to awaken the healer within — not by fixing them,

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Do near-death experiences inspire you? Are you moved by the research showing we are more than our bodies?

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of near-death studies, IANDS has launched the Chrysalis Campaign. Join at the Supporting level or higher, or make a donation of $100 or more, you’ll receive a commemorative mug.

🌍 Visit IANDS.org and click “Give” to support this vital work.

What really happens when we die? And how can understanding near-death experiences transform the way we live?

Join nearly 1,000 attendees August 27–31, 2025 at the Hilton Oak Brook Hills near Chicago for four days of soul-stirring keynotes, healing practices, and conversations that expand your understanding of life, death, and everything in between.

Register now at Conference.IANDS.org

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Send me a Text Message- please include your contact information so I can respond

💔 About This Episode

What do you do when grief crashes into your life without warning?

In this intimate and emotionally raw conversation, host Brian Smith sits down with Diandra Ford-Wing, an African-American author and sales director who made the courageous decision to pause her life and fully sit with her grief after her mother’s sudden passing.

Together, Brian and Diandra—both of whom have experienced the devastating shock of sudden loss—open up about the moments that shattered them, the signs that gave them hope, and the transformation that comes when we choose to feel deeply rather than move on quickly.

This is more than an interview. It’s two people speaking from their hearts about the mess, the mystery, and the meaning found in mourning.

🕊️ What You'll Hear

• The moment Diandra got the call that changed everything
• Why she left her career to process grief on her own terms
• The powerful symbolism behind the red bird
• The mystery surrounding her aunt’s death in The Gambia
• How Brian's daughter Shayna continues to guide his life after death
• Why grief in the Black community often goes unspoken—and how storytelling breaks that silence
• A candid discussion about anger, disbelief, and the fog of the first year
• The surprising connection between Diandra’s mother and her newborn great-niece, Eden

📘 About Diandra's Book: Red Bird

Red Bird began as journal entries written during a sacred pause—and grew into a soul-stirring novel that helps readers explore their own relationship to loss, love, and legacy. It’s a short, powerful read meant to be absorbed in a day or two, but carried with you for a lifetime.

📚

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Do near-death experiences inspire you? Are you moved by the research showing we are more than our bodies?

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of near-death studies, IANDS has launched the Chrysalis Campaign. Join at the Supporting level or higher, or make a donation of $100 or more, you’ll receive a commemorative mug.

🌍 Visit IANDS.org and click “Give” to support this vital work.

What really happens when we die? And how can understanding near-death experiences transform the way we live?

Join nearly 1,000 attendees August 27–31, 2025 at the Hilton Oak Brook Hills near Chicago for four days of soul-stirring keynotes, healing practices, and conversations that expand your understanding of life, death, and everything in between.

Register now at Conference.IANDS.org

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Send me a Text Message- please include your contact information so I can respond

🧠 What if the voice in your head saying you're not enough… isn’t really yours?

In this powerful and vulnerable episode of Grief 2 Growth, Brian D. Smith sits down with Monica Gullotta—educator, author, and shame recovery mentor—to unmask the silent, insidious force that shapes how we see ourselves: shame.

Whether it stems from childhood trauma, religion, culture, or societal conditioning, shame often drives our behaviors without our awareness. Monica bravely shares her personal story, clinical insights, and the 7 Developmental and Recovery Stages of Shame—a framework that has transformed countless lives.

If you've ever felt like you're not worthy, not lovable, or stuck in your healing journey, this episode will give you the awareness, tools, and hope to take your first step toward emotional liberation.

🔑 What You’ll Learn:

• The surprising definition of shame—and why most people don’t know they have it
• How shame differs from guilt (and why that matters)
• The hidden ways shame shows up: addiction, anxiety, imposter syndrome, isolation
• Why religion and culture often unintentionally breed toxic shame
• Monica’s ARM Method and “Detect & Redirect” technique for real-life healing
• How shame deepens the pain of grief and blocks emotional recovery
• The 7 stages of shame recovery—from victimization to liberation

👩‍⚕️ About Monica Gullotta:

Monica has over 25 years of experience supporting people through panic, anxiety, depression, and most importantly—shame. She founded the Upstate Group for Panic, Anxiety, and Depression in 1999, and in 2009 opened the Ray of Hope Wellness Center. Her mission is to help individuals reclaim t

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Do near-death experiences inspire you? Are you moved by the research showing we are more than our bodies?

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of near-death studies, IANDS has launched the Chrysalis Campaign. Join at the Supporting level or higher, or make a donation of $100 or more, you’ll receive a commemorative mug.

🌍 Visit IANDS.org and click “Give” to support this vital work.

What really happens when we die? And how can understanding near-death experiences transform the way we live?

Join nearly 1,000 attendees August 27–31, 2025 at the Hilton Oak Brook Hills near Chicago for four days of soul-stirring keynotes, healing practices, and conversations that expand your understanding of life, death, and everything in between.

Register now at Conference.IANDS.org

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support