What if grief wasn’t something to “get over,” but something we learn how to carry — together?

This week on Spark Me, Liz and Michele open up about a chapter of life many of us enter quietly and unprepared: losing our parents. Over the past year, both have navigated profound loss while continuing to show up for work, family, friendships, and this very podcast.

They talk honestly about what grief actually looks like in real life — not just in the immediate aftermath, but in the months that follow. The empty chairs at holidays. The moments you instinctively reach for the phone to call someone who isn’t there anymore. The strange comfort of talking to loved ones after they’re gone, and the different ways faith, spirituality, science, and belief can help us make sense of it all.

Liz shares reflections on caregiving, anticipatory grief, and how loss reshaped her perspective on happiness, travel, and time. Michele reflects on losing both parents in the same year, finding comfort in signs, conversations, and legacy — including a powerful reminder to “Be Roberta,” honoring a beloved caregiver whose kindness left a lasting mark.

Together, they explore not just grief, but gratitude. Not just loss, but the light that can still exist alongside it. And they begin a larger conversation about how we prepare — or don’t — for aging, caregiving, and the end of life.

If you’re navigating grief, caring for aging parents, or simply feeling the weight of this chapter of life, this conversation is for you.

In This Episode You'll Learn:

• Why midlife often becomes the season of losing parents — and why it can feel so disorienting

• What grief looks like after the funeral, in everyday moments and quiet spaces

• Different ways people stay connected to loved ones after they’re gone

• How faith, spirituality, science, or personal belief can coexist in grief

• Why the “firsts” after loss — holidays, traditions, routines — can be especially hard

• How caregiving and anticipatory grief quietly shape our emotional lives

• Why talking about death, aging, and planning ahead can actually be an act of love

• How honoring someone’s legacy can become a daily practice (“Be Roberta”)

• A powerful perspective shift: letting grief deepen gratitude instead of diminishing joy

  
  

Keep Sparking

If this conversation resonated with you:

• Follow Spark Me wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss a Spark Short

• Share this episode with a friend navigating loss, caregiving, or a changing family dynamic

• Leave a rating or review — it helps other women in their second act discover the show

• Tag us when you’re listening and tell us: What has helped you navigate grief or honor someone you’ve lost?

  
  

What if the “future of AI” wasn’t just about technology, but about what kind of humans we become while we build it?

This week on Spark Me, Liz and Michele sit down for a Spark Short that’s… not actually all that short. They dive into the wild, complicated, and very real ways artificial intelligence is already reshaping our energy use, our jobs, our politics, and even how we show up for our kids’ futures.

Liz shares her perspective as an investor in AI-related companies, unpacking why AI isn’t actually “new,” why it’s suddenly moving at flywheel speed, and how its enormous computing demands are driving everything from nuclear energy conversations to geopolitical tensions over rare earth metals. Michele brings it down to ground level—wondering what all of this means for college majors, careers, small towns trying to site data centers, and those of us just trying to get through our inbox.

Together, they explore the double-edged sword of AI: the incredible productivity gains (think: hours of work turned into minutes) and the unsettling realities of job loss, deepfakes, and what happens when we let machines think for us instead of with us. They also talk about how they’re using AI in very human ways—from AI note-takers and enterprise tools that protect client data, to visual design helpers and “agentic” tools that can schedule your whole business trip in the background.

If you’ve ever felt both excited and uneasy about AI, or wondered how to stay grounded, authentic, and connected in a world where you might not be able to trust what you see or hear, this conversation is for you.

In This Episode You’ll Learn:

• Why AI isn’t “brand new” technology—and what it means that we’ve now hit the flywheel moment

• How AI’s massive energy and resource needs are tied to geopolitics, national security, and local fights over data centers

• The real ways AI is already reshaping the job market—from call centers to finance teams to new grads trying to get hired

• What parents might want to consider as their kids choose college majors and careers in an AI-saturated world

• Practical, real-life ways Liz and Michele are using AI in their businesses (and where they’re drawing the line)

• Why authenticity, in-person connection, and basic communication skills may become the “currency of the future”

• How over-relying on AI can quietly erode our own thinking— and why “use it, don’t lose it” applies to our brains, too

• A hopeful reframe: treating AI like something we can “nurture” with our values, instead of a force that’s automatically against us

Keep Sparking

If this conversation resonated with you:

• Follow Spark Me wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss a Spark Short
• Share this episode with a friend navigating grief, shifting traditions, or seeking presence this season
• Leave a rating or review — it helps other women in their second act discover the show
• Tag us when you’re listening and tell us: How do you maintain meaningful human connection in an increasingly digital world?

In this heartfelt Spark Short, Liz and Michele share how this holiday season is bringing surprising joy, deeper connection, and fresh starts—even in the middle of big life changes.

From a relaxed, sun‑soaked Thanksgiving at a North Carolina beach house to a bustling family gathering back home with all the classic recipes, they show how traditions can evolve and still feel just as rich and meaningful.

Liz talks about trading a 20‑person Thanksgiving for a smaller, more intimate celebration that left space for real conversation, laughter, and the cherished ritual of toasting loved ones who are no longer at the table—making her even more grateful for everyone who still is.

Michele celebrates a house full of family, a beloved pre-Thanksgiving tradition of walking around the lake as a family, and the overwhelming joy of watching her son choose to lean into healing and EMDR trauma work so he can step more fully into his future.

Work and purpose are in a season of growth too. Michele shares the excitement of her firm’s new merger and the energy of collaborating with trusted partners, plus the thrill of earning recent AIA design awards on projects that create community and honor courage. Liz reflects on cheering on the latest Amplify women’s leadership cohort, the unexpected delight of being told her work and this very podcast are changing lives, and the quiet power of helping women step into their leadership.

The conversation wraps with two perfectly timed book recs for the season: Liz’s pick, Theo of Golden by Allen Levi, a warm, hope‑filled novel about a mysterious stranger whose quiet kindness and gift of “seeing” people transforms an entire town. Michele’s pick, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, offers empowering, practical ideas for parents and communities who want to help kids (and themselves) spend less life on screens and more life in the real world.

In This Episode You’ll Learn:

• How to reimagine traditions so they reflect who you are now

• Simple ways to turn errands, walks, and dinners into lasting memories

• Why naming what you “see” in someone might be the greatest gift you give this year

• How work, purpose, and healing can all flourish—even during the holidays

Resources & Mentions

Books:

• Theo of Golden — Allen Levi

• The Anxious Generation — Jonathan Haidt

Links:

• LayerX Architecture — https://layerxstudio.com/

• Amplify Women’s Leadership Program — https://leadershipnortheast.org/programs/amplify-womens-leadership-certificate-program/

Keep Sparking

If this conversation resonated with you:

• Follow Spark Me wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss a Spark Short
• Share this episode with a friend navigating grief, shifting traditions, or seeking presence this season
• Leave a rating or review — it helps other women in their second act discover the show
• Tag us when you’re listening and tell us: What are you most grateful for right now?