We're thrilled to welcome grief expert, trauma psychotherapist, and author Meghan Riordan Jarvis to the podcast. In 2024, Meghan released her book Can Anyone Tell Me? Essential Questions about Grief and Loss. Developed from both personal and professional experience—especially after the heartbreaking loss of her mother—Meghan set out to find a book that could answer the many questions grief brings. When she couldn’t find one that fit, she wrote it herself!

In this episode, we dive into the many ways grief shows up in our lives—including ones that might surprise you. Meghan shares her insight with both passion and expertise, offering wisdom that resonates.

Because loss touches all of us at some point, this conversation is for everyone.

Have feedback about the podcast? Have an idea for a future episode? Get in touch with us: whatnow@hospicepeterborough.org

We are thrilled to once again have the opportunity to speak with Dr. MaryCatherine (MC) McDonald. Listeners will remember MC from Season 2 Episode 2, When Grief and Trauma Meet, when we spoke with her about her book Unbroken, The Trauma Response is Never Wrong. MC is back to speak with us about her soon-to-be-published second book, The Joy Reset, Six Ways Trauma Steals Happiness and How to Get it Back.

MaryCatherine speaks about cultivating true joy, a joy that is very different from the "positivity” recently popularized in our culture that tells us we need to be optimistic or think positively when we are feeling distressed. MC helps us understand that living joyfully requires attention and practice, but if we put in the time and effort, we can learn to see small little joys every day even when we feel the pressures and stresses of life closing in on us.

MaryCatherine explains how we can sabotage our happiness with different strategies that may initially feel protective, but in practice act as “joy thieves”. She reminds us that joy can be messy but can be found in the shadows if we know how to look for it.

Have feedback about the podcast? Have an idea for a future episode? Get in touch with us: whatnow@hospicepeterborough.org

The relationships we have with our pets has changed over the past several decades. The attachment we share with our pets has elevated their position to where they are often considered a valued member of the family. In this episode we speak with Dr. Lianna Titcombe, Palliative Veterinarian and Melanie Savage, Registered Social Worker specializing in pet loss.

Lianna and Melaine are both pioneers in their respective fields. Lianna specializes in supporting her patients to have a pain and symptom free death surrounded by loving family in the familiarity of their home environment (and she also educates other veterinarians to provide this care). Melanie specializes in supporting grieving individuals and families during the palliative and grief process for when a beloved pet dies. They bring insight and compassion into understanding why the palliative journey and death of our pets can be such a deep experience of grief and loss.

Please have a listen or send to a friend whose life has been changed and enriched through a relationship with a pet. If having a pet isn't part of your world, you may still want to listen as it may increase your understanding of others grieving the death of a pet.

Have feedback about the podcast? Have an idea for a future episode? Get in touch with us: whatnow@hospicepeterborough.org