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  • Grieving a Child: The Real Work of Finding Purpose After Loss with Leanne Davidson

    Grieving a Child: The Real Work of Finding Purpose After Loss with Leanne Davidson
    2026/10/19
    "I'm still grieving, I'm still hurting, but I can still put something out there to help other people. I can still include other people in my journey and hope that it helps them in their journey." —Leanne Davidson Grief after losing a child doesn't wait for you to be ready — and neither did Leanne Davidson's. In this episode of Live, Love, Survive, Thrive, host Dr. Kimberly Hubenette sits down with author and grief mentor Leanne Davidson, a retired teacher of 25 years who lost her son Michael to a drug overdose in 2022 after his long struggle with addiction. Leanne opens up about the raw, unedited questions she asked God in the days after his death, and how a private journal turned into two published books and a growing grief ministry. This conversation goes beyond the surface of "healing takes time." Leanne talks candidly about mothering her surviving son through his own grief while carrying her own, the practical chaos that follows a death — banks, belongings, paperwork — and why she believes those logistical moments are where friends and family can offer the most concrete help. She also shares how her Christian faith shaped her devotional Tattered Hearts and Hopeful Souls and her forthcoming book, Mending Hearts and Anchored Souls. This episode is for anyone grieving a child, supporting a friend through loss, or navigating grief and addiction in their own family. • Leanne started writing about her grief roughly four months after Michael's death, and the entries she wrote to process her own pain became the foundation of her first book. • The most useful thing you can do for someone newly grieving is handle a concrete task with them — going to the bank, sorting belongings — because early grief makes logistics nearly impossible to face alone. • Losing a child creates two griefs at once for a parent: mourning the child and watching your other children grieve alongside you. • Leanne's devotional, Tattered Hearts and Hopeful Souls, was built around the specific emotions of grief — loneliness, guilt, anger, and questioning. • Surviving isn't the same as thriving; Leanne defines thriving as living out a purpose of love even while grief is still present. Leanne's message to grieving mothers is simple and direct: you are not alone, and there are others ready to support you. Connect with Dr. Kimberly: Website LinkedIn Instagram Facebook YouTube Pinterest Apple Podcast Spotify Episode Highlights: 06:17 Meet Leanne Davidson: Teacher, Author, Grieving Mother 09:13 Turning to God After Michael's Death 11:36 From Grief Journal to Published Author 14:21 Mothering Through Loss While Her Son Grieved Too 18:01 The Practical Side of Grief Nobody Talks About 22:53 Inside Tattered Hearts and Hopeful Souls 25:04 What Live, Love, Survive, Thrive Means fro Leanne 30:01 The Bible Verse Tattooed on Her Arm 32:54 One Message for Every Grieving Mother Resources: Get Leanne's Books 📖 A Beautiful Pain: Reflections from a Mother's Journey of Grief 📖 Tattered Hearts and Hopeful Souls: A Christian Devotional for Grieving Hearts 📖 Mending Hearts and Anchored Souls (COMING SOON!) Get Kim's Books 📖Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over 📖Live, Love, Survive, Thrive! Thank you for listening. To keep my podcast alive, Wanna buy my dog Dakota a bone? ☕️https://buymeacoffee.com/livelovesurvivethrive
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    37 分
  • The Silent Pandemic of Grief: The Real Reason Healing Hurts with Doug Lawrence

    The Silent Pandemic of Grief: The Real Reason Healing Hurts with Doug Lawrence
    2026/10/05
    "Somebody will be there to help you with your healing journey, but it only starts when you actually come out of that closet and actually ask for help." — Doug Lawrence Grief after losing a spouse doesn't follow a script, and this episode makes that clear from the first minute. Host Dr. Kimberly Hubenette sits down with Doug Lawrence — author, certified grief mentor, and widower — for an unfiltered conversation about what actually happens after the person you built your life with is gone. Doug lost his wife Deborah to cancer after 43 years of marriage. He's since become the only person in the world to hold the Certificate of Practice Journey Mentor from the International Mentoring Community, and he's channeled his own grief into three books, including Grief: The Silent Pandemic. This episode is for anyone rebuilding after loss, supporting someone who is, or quietly wondering whether it's normal to still be struggling months or years later. Doug and Kimberly talk candidly about the practical chaos of loss — relearning bills, chores, and routines a partner used to handle — and the emotional weight of grieving in public. Doug also opens up about remarriage, the moment a medium delivered a message he says was from Deborah, and the line he now lives by: grief exists because love existed first. Key takeaways: • Doug rebuilt his daily life from scratch after 43 years of shared responsibilities, learning to pay bills and manage a household for the first time in his sixties. • He describes reaching out for help as "coming out of the closet" — a phrase he uses deliberately to push men in particular past the stigma of asking for support. • Seven out of eight people in Doug's mentoring practice are women, a pattern he attributes to men being less willing to seek grief support in the first place. • His guiding belief, "grief exists because love existed first," reframes grief not as something broken but as proof of a relationship that mattered. • Doug doesn't rule out remarrying and encourages others not to see moving forward as a betrayal of the person they lost. • Small, consistent self-care — including saying no when he's carrying too much of other people's pain — is what allows him to keep mentoring others through their own grief. If this conversation resonated with you, listen to the full episode for Doug's complete story and subscribe to Live, Love, Survive, Thrive for new episodes every week. Connect with Dr. Kimberly: Website LinkedIn Instagram Facebook YouTube Pinterest Apple Podcast Spotify Episode Highlights: 05:16 Meet Doug Lawrence: Certified Grief and Journey Mentor 05:56 The Diagnosis That Changed Everything 06:55 Family, Grief, and Holding It Together 09:43 Relearning Life After 43 Years of Marriage 11:18 How Loss Reshaped Doug's Purpose and Identity 13:10 Advice for Anyone Starting Their Grief Journey 16:21 Inside His Rare Journey Mentor Certification 18:47 On Remarrying and Moving Forward After Loss 26:08 Lessons From Grief: The Silent Pandemic 30:20 Final Takeaway: It's Okay to Ask for Help Resources: Get Doug's Books 📖 Gift of Mentoring 📖You Are Not Alone: Mental Health Mentors Take the Journey with You 📖 Grief: The Silent Pandemic Get Kim's Books 📖Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over 📖Live, Love, Survive, Thrive! Thank you for listening. To keep my podcast alive, Wanna buy my dog Dakota a bone? ☕️https://buymeacoffee.com/livelovesurvivethrive
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    37 分
  • Motherhood Without Your Mother: Coping with Grief, Postpartum Anxiety, & Finding Joy Again with Laura Todd

    Motherhood Without Your Mother: Coping with Grief, Postpartum Anxiety, & Finding Joy Again with Laura Todd
    2026/09/21

    "Grief does not have a timeline. The intensity and the frequency of it can change, but it will always be there. And so, finding ways to acknowledge it and honor it is an important part of the grief process. And then community— because the only way we truly heal is being in connection with others that make us feel safe and make us feel loved." —Laura Todd

    Grief after losing a parent doesn't follow a schedule — and therapist Laura Todd knows that better than most. In this episode of Live, Love, Survive, Thrive, Laura sits down with host Dr. Kimberly Hubenette to share what happened after she lost her mother to stage four breast cancer at 24, and how that loss quietly resurfaced years later during her own postpartum period.
    Laura is a licensed therapist specializing in perinatal, infant, and early childhood mental health, and the founder of Early Bonds Therapy in Silicon Valley. She opened her practice after facing postpartum anxiety and grief while becoming a mother without her own mother by her side. This conversation moves through the sudden hospital diagnosis that gave her family four weeks' notice, the family dynamics that shifted afterward, and the moment a supervisor told her she couldn't keep "treating herself" through grief. It's a conversation for anyone rebuilding identity, family rhythm, or purpose after significant loss — especially those navigating grief and motherhood at the same time.
    Key takeaways:
    • Grief resurfaces at life's milestones — weddings, births, birthdays — even years after the loss itself.
    • A trained therapist can still need her own therapist; expertise doesn't exempt anyone from needing support.
    • Family roles shift permanently when the "emotional center" of the family is gone, often leaving fathers or partners unsure how to fill that space.
    • Community — not willpower — is what makes long-term healing possible.
    • Watching your children inherit a lost parent's traits (a love of dance, a facial expression) can become its own form of connection and healing.
    • Financial and lifestyle choices can shift permanently after loss, prioritizing present memories over indefinite delay.

    If this episode resonated with you, listen to the full conversation and subscribe to Live, Love, Survive, Thrive for more real stories on healing, growth, and resilience.

    Connect with Dr. Kimberly:
    Website
    LinkedIn
    Instagram
    Facebook
    YouTube
    Pinterest
    Apple Podcast
    Spotify

    Episode Highlights:
    04:32 Meet Laura Todd: Losing Her Mom Too Soon
    08:56 How Grief Reshaped Her Family Dynamics
    11:37 Her Father's Grief and Finding a New Family Rhythm
    20:05 Becoming a Perinatal Therapist After Loss
    24:24 The Belief She Had to Let Go of to Heal
    26:42 The People Who Carried Her Through Grief
    30:49 Seeing Her Mother in Herself and Her Sons
    34:51 Her #1 Grief Tip: There Is No Timeline
    36:48 A Family Recipe That Keeps Her Mom's Memory Alive

    Resources:
    Get Kim's Books
    📖Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over
    📖Live, Love, Survive, Thrive!

    Thank you for listening.
    To keep my podcast alive,
    Wanna buy my dog Dakota a bone?
    ☕️https://buymeacoffee.com/livelovesurvivethrive
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    42 分
  • Grief, Healing, and Inner Fabulosity: The Art of Taking Your Time with Ally Dalsimer

    Grief, Healing, and Inner Fabulosity: The Art of Taking Your Time with Ally Dalsimer
    2026/09/07

    "Don't let people bully you about your grief. You take as much time as you need." —Ally Dalsimer

    Inner fabulosity — the idea that you're worthy and whole even on the days you can barely tread water — is the heart of this conversation with award-winning author and speaker Ally Dalsimer.
    Ally lost her husband to cancer eleven years ago, and in this episode, she walks through what actually happened after: the job loss, a failed run for Congress, caring for a dying mother, and the morning she realized no one needed her to get out of bed.
    This episode is for anyone grieving a spouse, parent, or child, and for anyone who's been told — directly or not — that they should be "over it" by now. Ally is candid about how long healing took her, how she helped her two kids process losing their father, and how she eventually rebuilt a life around writing, speaking, and a philosophy she calls inner fabulosity.
    Key takeaways:
    • Grief has no universal timeline — it took Ally almost ten years before she could speak about her husband without crying, and she insists that's neither too long nor too short.
    • Kids process loss differently than adults because they lack the cognitive tools to name what they're feeling, so patience matters more than explanations.
    • Trying to "solve" a grieving person's pain often backfires; listening without offering solutions is usually the more supportive move.
    • Small, repeatable actions — Ally's rule was doing just three things a day — can rebuild a sense of purpose faster than waiting to "feel ready."
    • Telling someone their grief has an expiration date is one of the most damaging things you can say to a person in mourning.
    • Running for public office, even in a losing campaign, gave Ally proof that she was capable of far more than she believed.
    Listen to the full conversation and subscribe to Live, Love, Survive, Thrive for more real stories on healing, resilience, and rediscovering purpose after loss.

    Connect with Dr. Kimberly:
    Website
    LinkedIn
    Instagram
    Facebook
    YouTube
    Pinterest
    Apple Podcast
    Spotify

    Episode Highlights:
    04:07 Meet Ally Dalsimer
    06:03 What "Inner Fabulosity" Really Means
    08:16 Losing Her Husband: The Full Grief Story
    15:02 Helping Her Kids Grieve Without Fixing Them
    21:12 Grief as a Child vs. Grief as an Adult
    24:20 Running for Congress While Grieving
    27:20 Advice for Someone New to Grief
    40:31 Where to Find Ally and Her Podcast
    40:50 Ally's Favorite Plant-Based Recipe

    Resources:
    Get Ally's Book
    📖 It's Okay Not to be Fabulous Every Day: A Journey to Self-Discovery

    Get Kim's Books
    📖Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over
    📖Live, Love, Survive, Thrive!

    Thank you for listening.
    To keep my podcast alive,
    Wanna buy my dog Dakota a bone?
    ☕️https://buymeacoffee.com/livelovesurvivethrive
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    46 分
  • Grieving a Sibling's Overdose: Writing Through the Anger, Guilt, and Healing with Randi Lee Bowslaugh

    Grieving a Sibling's Overdose: Writing Through the Anger, Guilt, and Healing with Randi Lee Bowslaugh
    2026/08/24
    "Life is life, and sometimes it sucks, and we can figure things out together with people who care about us." —Randi-Lee Bowslaugh Grieving a sibling's overdose comes with a version of grief most people never talk about — one tangled up with anger, guilt, and the roller coaster that comes with it. In this episode, Dr. Kimberly Hubenette talks with author, advocate, and podcaster Randi-Lee Bowslaugh about the day she learned her brother had died, what it was like to be the one who told her mom, and why loving someone in addiction means grieving them twice — once for the person they could have been, and once when they're actually gone. Randi-Lee also opens up about writing "Goodbye Too Soon," a book she published on the one-year anniversary of her brother's death, and how that same story is now becoming an independent film. Along the way, she shares what it's really like to be diagnosed with autism as an adult, how she masks in conversation, and the small sensory tools that help her cope in loud or overwhelming spaces. If you're supporting someone through addiction, grieving a sibling, or just trying to understand what "moving through it" actually looks like, this conversation offers something concrete to hold onto. • Addiction grief carries a layer of anger and guilt that loss from illness or accident doesn't — the hope that someone will get sober dies with them. • Randi-Lee published "Goodbye Too Soon" exactly one year after her brother's death, turning her own grieving process into a resource for other families. • Cleaning out a loved one's belongings after an overdose can reduce a whole life to a handful of items — for Randi-Lee, it was one Bible and one drawing. • Journaling showed up as the single most common coping tool among the 300+ guests she's interviewed on her own podcast, Write or Die. • An autism diagnosis later in life doesn't erase a lifetime of learned masking — noise sensitivity, eye contact, and needing direct (not broad) questions are all part of her daily reality. • Her brother's story is being adapted into an independent film, with Randi-Lee playing herself and premiering it during Canadian Mental Health Awareness Week. • Listen to the full episode to hear Randi-Lee's complete story — and if it resonates, share it with someone who's grieving a loss they don't quite know how to name. Connect with Dr. Kimberly: Website LinkedIn Instagram Facebook YouTube Pinterest Apple Podcast Spotify Episode Highlights: 04:25 Facing The Day She Learned Her Brother Died 08:09 Telling Her Mom: A Moment She Never Expected 11:30 The Anger and Guilt Unique to Addiction Grief 13:40 Writing "Goodbye Too Soon" on His Death Anniversary 21:14 Turning Pain Into Purpose Through Her Podcast 23:12 Coping Tools: Therapy, Yoga, and Journaling 25:46 Diagnosed with Autism Later in Life 31:14 Adapting Her Brother's Story Into a Movie 38:07 How to Support the Film and Follow Her Journey Resources: Get Randi-Lee's Books: 📖 Goodbye Too Soon: A Family's Loss by Drug Overdose 📖 A Mother's Truth: Raising a Unique Child 📖 Neo's Forever Home 📖 Diamond the Cat 📖 Woofie Says Goodbye 📖 Woofie's Hospital Trip 📖 Thoughts of a Wanderer Get Kim's Books 📖Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over 📖Live, Love, Survive, Thrive! Thank you for listening. To keep my podcast alive, Wanna buy my dog Dakota a bone? ☕️https://buymeacoffee.com/livelovesurvivethrive
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    44 分
  • Decluttering After Loss: The Grief No One Warns You About with Tina O'Keeffe

    Decluttering After Loss: The Grief No One Warns You About with Tina O'Keeffe
    2026/08/10

    "Let some time dictate what you need to do. Let yourself grieve." —Tina O'Keeffe

    Decluttering after loss isn't about trash bags and deadlines — it's about timing, permission, and grief you can't rush. In this episode, Dr. Kimberly Hubenette sits down with Tina O'Keeffe, founder of Stow and Behold and a professional organizer of 13 years, to unpack what actually happens when someone tries to clear out a home after a death, a move, or years of quiet accumulation.
    Tina's path started far from organizing — in copywriting, grant writing, and two years in the Peace Corps — before a chance conversation at a Women Entrepreneurs conference in 2005 changed her direction. She's since become a go-to voice for senior downsizing, hoarding intervention, and the emotional side of letting go, and she's now helping launch the Hoarding Alliance of Long Island to connect families with the right support.
    This conversation is for anyone standing in a closet full of someone else's things, unsure what to keep, what to give away, and when it's okay to decide. Tina explains why sentimental items should be the last thing tackled, not the first, and why grief has its own timeline that no calendar or well-meaning relative can override.
    Key Takeaways:
    • Sentimental items — photos, letters, keepsakes — should be handled last, not first, because they carry the most emotional weight.
    • Grief-driven shopping sprees, what Tina calls the "widow habit," often fill an emotional gap rather than a practical need.
    • Roughly 80% of what Tina removes from a home gets donated, which helps clients feel their items are still useful rather than discarded.
    • No one else — not an adult child, not a spouse — gets to decide when someone else is ready to let go of a loved one's belongings.
    • Preserving and relocating an item is a valid middle ground between keeping it out and getting rid of it entirely.
    • Organizing for seniors often means keeping things visible and accessible, not hidden away, to protect their independence.
    • Ready to rethink how you approach the stuff that's been sitting untouched? Listen to the full conversation.

    Connect with Dr. Kimberly:
    Website
    LinkedIn
    Instagram
    Facebook
    YouTube
    Pinterest
    Apple Podcast
    Spotify

    Episode Highlights:
    05:21 Meet Tina O'Keeffe: From Peace Corps to Professional Organizer
    08:48 Why Organizing Isn't About the Stuff — It's About the Story
    13:00 When Family Pushes Faster Than a Loved One Is Ready
    17:22 The "Widow Habit": Grief-Driven Shopping Explained
    22:51 Organizing to the Client's Needs, Not Your Own
    32:31 The Mantras That Get Her Through the Hardest Rooms
    38:01 Do No Harm: Helping Hesitant Clients Take the First Step
    44:37 Ending the Shame Around Hoarding and Disorganization
    48:00 Free Consultations, Zoom Sessions, and Where to Find Tina

    Resources:
    Get Kim's Books
    📖Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over
    📖Live, Love, Survive, Thrive!

    Thank you for listening.
    To keep my podcast alive,
    Wanna buy my dog Dakota a bone?
    ☕️https://buymeacoffee.com/livelovesurvivethrive
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    53 分
  • Grief, Betrayal, & Cult Escape: A Mother's Story of Loss, Spiritual Awakening, and Radical Healing with Isabella Young

    Grief, Betrayal, & Cult Escape: A Mother's Story of Loss, Spiritual Awakening, and Radical Healing with Isabella Young
    2026/07/27

    "It's important to allow those emotions to move through, because emotions are energy in motion, and if we hold the emotions back, it can create physical and mental illnesses. So, it's important to be vulnerable." —Isabella Young

    Grief healing is rarely a straight path, and in this deeply personal conversation, New Human of New Earth author Isabella Young shares how unimaginable loss reshaped her life and ultimately led her toward healing through nature, spirituality, and personal resilience.
    After losing her first husband unexpectedly while pregnant with their child, Isabella's search for meaning eventually drew her into a controlling spiritual cult. Following years of manipulation and the devastating loss of her teenage son, she found the strength to reclaim her life and begin rebuilding from the ground up.
    Throughout this episode, Isabella discusses:
    • Navigating profound grief without expecting "closure"
    • Recognizing manipulation and reclaiming personal sovereignty
    • Why connecting with nature became the foundation of her healing
    • Daily practices including grounding, time outdoors, gardening, and mindful living
    • Viewing suffering as a catalyst for wisdom and personal transformation

    Dr. Kimberly and Isabella also explore how grief can reshape identity, purpose, and the journey toward thriving after adversity.
    Whether you're grieving the loss of a loved one, recovering from trauma, or searching for hope during difficult seasons, this episode offers thoughtful reflections and practical ideas for reconnecting with yourself.
    If this conversation resonates with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who may need encouragement today: https://bitl.to/5vY1

    Connect with Dr. Kimberly:
    Website: https://drkimberlyhubenette.com/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-hubenette-dds-magd-2800a624/
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authordr.kimberlyhubenette/
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authordr.kimberlyhubenette
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9--bH78AxF-FCR2ygP-Fyg
    Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/khubenette/_created/
    iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-love-survive-thrive-podcast/id1852221037
    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1U789oDWQrUBEPaSbdV9YU

    Episode Highlights:
    03:23 Losing a Husband and Beginning Grief
    06:25 A Spiritual Search for Meaning
    09:46 Life Inside a Controlling Cult
    15:01 Recognizing Manipulation and Leaving
    19:10 Healthy Ways to Process Grief
    23:31 Finding Purpose Through Suffering
    26:00 Nature-Based Healing Practices
    35:30 Grounding Practices for Overcoming Difficult Changes
    39:20 Nature is the Best Medicine

    Resources:
    Get Isabella's Book
    📖New Human of New Earth: Medicine for the Freedom and Future of Humanity

    Get Kim's Books
    📖Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over
    📖Live, Love, Survive, Thrive!

    Thank you for listening.
    To keep my podcast alive,
    Wanna buy my dog Dakota a bone?
    ☕️https://buymeacoffee.com/livelovesurvivethrive

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    43 分
  • When Grief Stays: A Coach's Honest Guide to Living Through Loss with Camille Ellis

    When Grief Stays: A Coach's Honest Guide to Living Through Loss with Camille Ellis
    2026/07/13

    "When you're really struggling, it's because you're in your own way… Don't judge yourself when you do it; just notice it. You can change your storyline to create momentum and the results you want to create within your life." —Camille Ellis

    Grief coaching isn't about rushing through pain — and Certified Grief and Life Coach Camille Ellis has lived that truth in the most personal way possible. After losing her youngest son and navigating the end of a 27-year marriage, Camille built a coaching practice grounded in one honest belief: that healing begins the moment you start paying attention to the stories you're telling yourself.
    In this conversation on Live Love Survive Thrive, Camille and Dr. Kimberly sit down for a raw, grounded discussion about what it actually looks like to move through devastating loss — not past it. Camille explains why grief never fully disappears, and why that's not something to fix. She walks through the practical technique she uses with every client: catching the thought, questioning the story, and finding a perspective that's equally true but far less crushing. She also shares what self-love looks like on the hard days — not as a wellness buzzword, but as a daily decision to ask yourself what you actually need right now.
    Whether you're in the thick of loss, supporting someone who is, or simply trying to understand why certain seasons of life feel impossible to move through, this episode gives you something real to hold onto.

    Connect with Dr. Kimberly:
    Website
    LinkedIn
    Instagram
    Facebook
    YouTube
    Pinterest

    Episode Highlights:
    03:34 Meet Camille Ellis: Certified Grief Coach and Life Coach
    05:40 How 35 Years as a Stylist Became a Coaching Career
    07:13 Navigating the Loss of Her Son: Where Her Philosophy Began
    11:57 The Thought Pattern That Keeps Grieving People Stuck
    13:44 Reframing Loss: The Technique She Used on Herself First
    16:41 When Grief Lingers for Years — What's Really Happening
    22:45 Self-Love as a Daily Practice, Not a Wellness Slogan
    28:18 What a Grief Coach Does That a Therapist Doesn't
    32:21 What Living, Loving, Surviving, and Thriving Really Means
    34:10 How to Connect with Camille and Book a Free Session

    Resources:
    Get Kim's Books
    📖Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over
    📖Live, Love, Survive, Thrive!
    Thank you for listening.
    To keep my podcast alive,
    Wanna buy my dog Dakota a bone?
    ☕️https://buymeacoffee.com/livelovesurvivethrive
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    39 分