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  • Suicide Grief Lasts Longer, and No One Warned Her: A Mother on the Shame and “What Ifs” Books Skip

    Suicide Grief Lasts Longer, and No One Warned Her: A Mother on the Shame and “What Ifs” Books Skip
    2026/10/20
    If you’ve tried to comfort a mother who lost a child to suicide, or lived it, episode 466 of Grief and Happiness is for you. Jackie M. Baker shares why suicide grief lasts longer, how shame and “what ifs” isolate parents, and how journaling healed her. Saying yes to help and finding beauty in brokenness helped her laugh again.In This Episode, You Will Learn:(00:43) Meet Jackie: pediatric nurse practitioner and mom of two(01:19) Losing her son to suicide and the journey to Messy Mourning(08:46) Reading her journal aloud to a grief counselor to release her pain(12:27) Finding beauty in her brokenness, one sunrise at a time(13:37) Saying yes and offering grieving friends practical help(17:32) Leading GriefShare and the pastor who urged her to grieve openly(21:09) Back at work as a nurse practitioner through grief fog(29:16) Free suicide loss resources, from laments to “things that help, things that hurt”Jackie M. Baker is a writer, storyteller, and pediatric nurse practitioner based in Vancouver, Washington. After her 23-year-old son, Sebastian, died by suicide in 2017, she began writing through her grief, which led to her debut book, Messy Mourning: Hope for Mothers Grieving the Loss of a Child by Suicide, a companion offering honest reflection and hope. Her work covers grief, faith, motherhood, and healing, and she writes on Substack. Jackie also leads a GriefShare group at her church, supporting widows, widowers, and parents through loss.In this episode, Jackie tells Emily how Messy Mourning came to be. After losing Sebastian, who struggled with bipolar disorder and depression, she became an empty nester within six months and took a creative nonfiction class. She wrote a memoir first, then started over on her writing coach’s advice. Finding little written on suicide loss, she saw that this grief often lasts longer and carries extra shame, guilt, and “what ifs.” Jackie explains how reading her journal aloud to a grief counselor released grief the body would otherwise carry, and how she looked for “beauty in my brokenness” daily. She also learned to say yes, accepting offers of help and taking a youth pastor’s advice to keep meeting with her church group of girls so they could see her grieve and keep living. She closes with free resources from her website, including a “things that help, things that hurt” list and songs of lament.Connect with Jackie M. Baker:WebsiteInstagramFacebookSubstackBook: Jackie M. Baker – Messy MourningLet's Connect: WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    33 分
  • Like a Child

    Like a Child
    2026/10/02

    Make a list of the good attributes you had when you were young, and consider how that child in your past can bring you joy today.


    Let's Connect:

    • You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
    • You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
    • You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
    • You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
    • Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here


    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    4 分
  • The Grief You Never Talk About May Already Be Shaping Your Children

    The Grief You Never Talk About May Already Be Shaping Your Children
    2026/09/29
    If you've wondered how unspoken grief shapes those you love, episode 464 of Grief and Happiness is for you. Author Audrey Hyams Romoff, daughter of a child Auschwitz survivor, shares how her family's silence reached her daughter. A joint trip to Auschwitz broke it, showing how honesty and kindness can keep trauma from the next generation.In This Episode, You Will Learn:(00:53) Audrey's background and her memoir on four generations of women(01:21) Her mother's childhood in Auschwitz and the silence passed down to her daughter(09:22) How a trip to Auschwitz with her daughter changed their relationship(11:56) Why the crowds at Auschwitz gave mother and daughter opposite reactions(15:25) Writing a grief memoir without tying it up in a pretty bow(17:23) Why the circumstances of a death shape how grief lingers(19:44) How her mother and grandmother carried the same trauma so differently(32:30) Why "survivor" marks the start of a new battle, not the end(34:07) Small kindnesses and her Aunt Sheila's motto: just show upAudrey Hyams Romoff was born in Montreal to a mother who was one of the youngest children to survive Auschwitz, and grew up in a home that looked polished while that history played out within. In Toronto, she founded OverCat, a communications and influencer agency, consulting for brands such as Victoria's Secret and Estée Lauder and stars like Jennifer Lawrence. Cosmetics Magazine named her a top public relations executive, and she chaired communications for the Fashion Cares AIDS fundraiser. Her memoir, The Undertow of Grief: Navigating Intergenerational Trauma, follows the Holocaust's impact across four generations of women.In this episode, Audrey shows how unspoken trauma is passed down. She describes her mother's refusal to face her past and the loss of both parents in 2008, when her mother ended her life and her father died alongside her. After learning her daughter, Lindsay, had hidden her own grief to protect her, Audrey traveled with her to Auschwitz for PBS NewsHour on the 80th anniversary of its liberation. She explains why her mother rejected the word "survivor," why Audrey sees survival as the start of a new battle, and why her book offers no tidy ending. Grief and joy coexist, she says, but grief never leaves, and she closes with a case for small kindnesses and her Aunt Sheila's motto: just show up.Connect with Audrey Hyams Romoff:WebsiteInstagramTikTokFacebookLinkedInYouTubeBook: Audrey Hyams Romoff - The Undertow of Grief: Navigating Intergenerational TraumaLet's Connect: WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    40 分
  • Lani

    Lani
    2026/09/25

    Hawaiians see the ocean and sky together as one, and they call that Lani, the Hawaiian word for heaven.


    Let's Connect:

    • You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
    • You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
    • You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
    • You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
    • Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here


    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    5 分
  • He Turns Every Tiara Sold Into a Princess Moment for a Child Battling Illness

    He Turns Every Tiara Sold Into a Princess Moment for a Child Battling Illness
    2026/09/22

    If you've ever wondered how one small idea could turn grief into a mission that helps hundreds of children, episode 462 of Grief and Happiness is for you. Guest Stephen Greengo turns a hospital memory of daughter Harper into Tiara4Harper.com, sending a tiara to a child at Children's Mercy Hospital for every one sold. Funded through his own concert security shifts, Stephen shows how one act of gratitude becomes a lasting legacy of joy.


    In This Episode, You Will Learn:

    (00:56) Stephen's background and gratitude behind the tiara business

    (02:21) Harper's hospital memory and the vibrating chair that shaped it all

    (04:55) Ten years after Harper's passing while still believing she's watching

    (06:08) The discovery behind it — 60,000 women search for tiaras monthly

    (07:32) How a tiara lets women feel like a princess, guilt-free

    (08:32) Growing the mission from 50 to 127 tiaras donated

    (10:43) Turning everyday encounters, like security shifts, into marketing

    (14:29) How listeners can get involved with Tiara4Harper


    Stephen Greengo is a Navy veteran and Kansas City dad whose daughter Harper was born on January 10, 2014, and passed away from Sandhoff disease, a rare genetic disorder, just eight days shy of her second birthday. Rather than let grief take over, Stephen turned that loss into a vow to keep Harper's light alive, and that vow became Tiara4Harper.com, a mission-driven tiara business built entirely around her memory.


    In this episode, Stephen focuses on the business itself: how a hospital memory of Harper finding joy in a simple vibrating chair, paired with his observation of how often women buy tiaras for everyday occasions, became the blueprint for a company where every tiara sold sends a matching one to a little girl at Children's Mercy Hospital. He speaks candidly about running the operation on his own, funding it through security shifts at concerts, partnering with union halls for bulk donations, and reaching 127 tiaras donated to date, all while working toward donating as many as possible by November 18, National Princess Day. Guided by his philosophy, "Lift Where You Stand," Stephen frames the business as both a way of honoring Harper and a model for turning grief into consistent, small acts of service.


    Connect with Stephen Greengo:

    Website

    Instagram

    TikTok

    Facebook


    Let's Connect:

    Website

    LinkedIn

    Facebook

    Instagram

    Twitter

    Pinterest

    The Grief and Happiness Alliance

    Book: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    19 分
  • Gatherings

    Gatherings
    2026/09/18

    Every week the Grief and Happiness Alliance invites you to come to our free gatherings.


    We meet Sundays at 9 AM Hawaii time, noon Pacific time and 3 Eastern time. Register each week to receive the Zoom link by clicking here.

    Sign up for our newsletter to learn all we do by clicking here.

    Visit our website by clicking here.


    We look forward to seeing you at our gatherings.


    Let's Connect:

    • You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
    • You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
    • You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
    • You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
    • Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here


    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    3 分
  • Why Your Loved Ones Aren't Sending You Dreams — A Medium Explains the Real Reason

    Why Your Loved Ones Aren't Sending You Dreams — A Medium Explains the Real Reason
    2026/09/15
    If you've ever wondered what tarot and ancient mourning rituals can teach us about grief, episode 460 of Grief and Happiness is for you. Psychic medium Jenna Matlin discusses her book, The Tarot Book of the Dead, born from helping clients hold unresolved loss—including the taboo "widow's fire" that can follow a partner's death. She compares global grieving traditions to the West's approach, showing how ritual can make grief sacred.In This Episode, You Will Learn:(01:06) Jenna Matlin's introduction — tarot reading, mediumship, and doula training(01:55) How tarot and mediumship help clients process unresolved grief(06:15) What Western culture gets wrong about holding space for someone else's pain(08:26) Emily's story of losing her husband Jacques — and the friends who stayed(14:00) Why some people receive spirit visits in dreams and others don't(18:04) The "At the Waterline" tarot spread for grief and mediumship readings(23:06) "Widow's fire": the instinctual desire for aliveness after loss(27:06) How death became the unexpected inspiration behind The Tarot Book of the DeadJenna Matlin is a professional tarot reader and psychic medium based in Durham, North Carolina, with a practice serving clients worldwide since 2012 and a tarot career dating to 1990. She is the author of multiple books, most recently The Tarot Book of the Dead, published by Weiser Books, drawing on her anthropology background and cross-cultural research into death and mourning. Her honors include a COVR Silver Award and Best Spiritual Guru distinction from Philadelphia Magazine, and she teaches at Omega Institute while mentoring aspiring readers.In this episode, Jenna brings that lens to grief, exploring it through tarot, mediumship, and ritual. Drawing on her anthropology background, she contrasts the West's administrative approach to death with the communal, presence-based mourning of indigenous cultures, arguing Western culture rarely teaches people to sit with pain without trying to fix it. She describes tools she uses with grieving clients, including a tarot spread called "At the Waterline," and speaks to disenfranchised grief among those excluded from funerals. She also introduces "widow's fire," the surge of desire that can follow a partner's death, framing it as sacred rather than shameful, and closes by weaving in myth to argue grief deserves more ritual and community.Connect with Jenna Matlin:WebsiteInstagramTikTokYouTubeGet Jenna’s books!Let's Connect: WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    31 分
  • We Get By With a Little Help From Our Friends

    We Get By With a Little Help From Our Friends
    2026/09/11

    Do you stay in touch with your friends? If not, today is a good time to start!


    Let's Connect:

    • You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
    • You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
    • You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
    • You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
    • Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here


    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    4 分