Lizzie Pickering, grief educator and author of When Grief Equals Love joins host Lisa Keefauver sharing profound insights on how grief evolves over time and how maintaining bonds with loved ones keeps love alive long after loss. Her own story of the death of her son Harry along with interviews she did with grievers help challenge the myths of closure, emphasizing that grief and love coexist in a journey of ongoing relationship and growth. Some of the themes explored in this episode include:

• The long-term perspective on grief and why it’s not linear
• The importance of continuing bonds and evolving relationships with the deceased
• How cultural stories shape our expectations about the duration and process of grief
• Practical strategies for cultivating curiosity and balance in grief over years
• The power of “for now” as a gentle acknowledgment of where we are in our grief
• The role of community and support systems in sustaining long-term grief work

This episode embraces the reality that grief is lifelong, continuously shaping and reshaping our relationship with love, memories, and ourselves. Remember, grief is a journey not a destination—it's an ongoing act of love and connection.

Lizzie is a Grief Educator, Author and bereaved mum. She offers Grief Guidance to organisations and individuals, educating people about grief and helping them back to life and work following major losses, from bereavement, to diagnosis, divorce and workplace change. Her book When Grief Equals Love is available from bookshops, plus Kindle, Audible and other listening platforms.Connect with Lizzie Pickering at https://lizziepickering.com/ to learn more about her book, When Grief Equals Love, her work as a grief educator and grief supporter. You can also follow her on Instagram and LinkedIn at lizzie.pickering.

Lisa Keefauver is an author, keynote speaker, social worker, widow, assault & cancer survivor turned grief activist on a mission to help us center aliveness in a world full of loss by reimagining the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LISA: at https://lisakeefauver.com/

ACCESS GRIEF SUPPORT: https://lisakeefauver.com/support

READ BOOK: Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. https://bookshop.org/p/books/grief-is-a-sneaky-bitch-an-uncensored-guide-to-navigating-loss-lisa-keefauver/ffd73d6b6921e6b5?ean=9781477329306&next=t&

READ ESSAYS: AFGO with Lisa Keefauver on Substack - https://afgowithlisakeefauver.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

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Death doula and storyteller Darnell Lamont Walker joins host Lisa Keefauver for the second time on the show. Since their last conversation, Darnell has reflected on the stories of his work and his life, offering them up in his poignant and powerful new book, Never Can Say Goodbye. They explore how curiosity, storytelling, and deep compassion are at the core of what it takes to accompany someone at the end of life; and to help those left behind find a meaningful way forward. From grieving complex relationships to the often misunderstood expressions of grief and the gift of stories, Darnell brings his heart, his humor, and his wisdom to this very special conversation.

Darnell Lamont Walker is a death doula, Emmy-nominated writer, and cultural anthropologist whose work lives at the intersection of grief, culture, and storytelling. His voice shows up in children’s television, writing for Karma’s World, Work It Out Wombats!, Blue’s Clues & You, and more, as well as in books and in the quiet, sacred rooms where people take their last breaths. Across the world, from Johannesburg and Saigon to London, Amsterdam, Ghana, and beyond, Darnell has helped individuals and communities find spaces where their stories could be shared safely and held with care. In his legacy work with dying clients, this often looks like preserving favorite recipes, ensuring that long after someone is gone, families can still gather, cook, eat, and remember the love that once lived at the table. His book, Never Can Say Goodbye (HarperOne), reflects on his journey as a death doula and the lessons learned from walking alongside the dying. At the heart of all his work is a simple mission: to help people tell the truth of their lives, tend to one another through transition, and leave behind something nourishing, whether that’s a story, a ritual, or a meal that keeps them close.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DARNELL: https://darnellwalker.com/

READ BOOK: Never Can Say Goodbye: https://bookshop.org/p/books/never-can-say-goodbye-the-life-of-a-death-doula-and-the-art-of-a-peaceful-end-darnell-lamont-walker/c3eec4285f0215dd

FOLLOW DARNELL ON SOCIALS: @hello.darnell on IG

Lisa Keefauver is an author, keynote speaker, social worker, widow, assault & cancer survivor turned grief activist on a mission to help us center aliveness in a world full of loss by reimagining the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LISA: at https://lisakeefauver.com/

ACCESS GRIEF SUPPORT: https://lisakeefauver.com/support

READ BOOK: Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. https://bookshop.org/p/books/grief-is-a-sneaky-bitch-an-uncensored-guide-to-navigating-loss-lisa-keefauver/ffd73d6b6921e6b5?ean=9781477329306&next=t&

READ ESSAYS: AFGO with Lisa Keefauver on Substack - https://afgowithlisakeefauver.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

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

Naila Francis joins host Lisa Keefauver for a tender and magical conversation on the sacred nature of grief. Naila begins by acknowledging an experience of grief too often ignored—the anger that arises when the person who died was someone with whom you had a complicated or problematic relationship. For Naila, that was her dad. Together they explore their shared interest in centering aliveness in a world full of loss, the power of nature as a container for grief, and the way writing, poetry, and creativity allow us to metabolize and move our grief. Naila shares how nature, singing, and even animals have the power to hold our grief and help us see the beauty that exists alongside it. They touch on loss when the relationship was complicated, how new loss opens us back up to teachings still waiting to be learned from old grief, and so much more.

Naila Francis is a certified grief coach and death midwife, an ordained interfaith minister, a poet, and an accomplished writer. As the founder of This Hallowed Wilderness, she helps people transform their relationship to grief and loss through one-on-one coaching, workshops, presentations, rituals and community grief tending. Naila is also a co-founder of Salt Trails, a Philadelphia collective normalizing grief through community rituals, and was on the steering committee that launched the four-day inaugural Philadelphia Death & Arts Festival in 2024. For many years, she worked as a journalist, interviewing artists from all backgrounds, before finding her way to the vocations of companioning others through grief and dying after suffering several personal losses in her own life, including the death of her father. An ardent joy enthusiast, Naila believes in grieving well as a fundamental human skill that ultimately deepens our capacity for pleasure, connection and compassion.

LEARN MORE ABOUT NAILA: www.thishallowedwilderness.com

FOLLOW NAILA ON SOCIALS: @thishallowedwilderness on IG and FB.

Lisa Keefauver is an author, keynote speaker, social worker, widow, assault & cancer survivor turned grief activist on a mission to help us center aliveness in a world full of loss by reimagining the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LISA: at https://lisakeefauver.com/

ACCESS GRIEF SUPPORT: https://lisakeefauver.com/support

READ BOOK: Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. https://bookshop.org/p/books/grief-is-a-sneaky-bitch-an-uncensored-guide-to-navigating-loss-lisa-keefauver/ffd73d6b6921e6b5?ean=9781477329306&next=t&

READ ESSAYS: AFGO with Lisa Keefauver on Substack - https://afgowithlisakeefauver.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

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