Grief Dreams Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Nina Rodriguez is the founder and host of the Grief and Light Podcast, created after the unexpected loss of her only sibling, Yosef, as an authentic exploration of grief and life after loss. Beyond the podcast, Nina extends her heart-centered support through monthly circles, personalized mentorship, speaking engagements, active presence on social media, and forthcoming in-person retreats. She has also completed the Grief Care Professional Certificate Program. You can find more about Nina at https://www.griefandlight.com/

In this episode, I talk with Nina Rodriguez about the death of her brother from toxic drug poisoning, her journey in looking for answers and living without her only sibling, starting her podcast, and having 201 dreams of her brother.

You can find more about Grief Dreams here:

Our website – www.griefdreams.ca 

Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams

Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group

Looking for ways to support the podcast?

You can help support the Grief Dreams Podcast in a few ways:

1) Become a Patreon supporter (monthly financial support)

https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast

2) Subscribe to the podcast (on the platform you listen) and give a review. This improves our online visibility.

3) Support the topic by sharing the podcast or website. We appreciate any support that contributes to raising awareness on the topic.

Litsa Williams, MA, LCSW-C is the co-founder of the online grief organization What’s Your Grief. She’s a grief therapist with over 15 years of experience working with sudden, traumatic, and disenfranchised losses as well as ambiguous grief. Drawing on both personal and professional experience with grief, WYG was built as a resource offering concrete, accessible, and relatable support, founded on the values of psychoeducation and creative coping. It has grown to serve more than 3 million grievers each year. Litsa received her master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work, as well as a master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Warwick (UK). She co-authored the 2022 book What’s Your Grief: Lists to Help You Through Any Loss and has been interviewed as a grief expert for the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and the New York Times. You can find more about Litsa here - https://whatsyourgrief.com/

In this episode, I talk with Litsa Williams about her journey to becoming a grief therapist, co-founding the online grief organization What’s Your Grief, and creative ways of coping after loss. We also discuss the multiple losses in her life (e.g., the death of her stillborn brother, her best friend's mom, her dad, her sister’s partner, and her grandmother) and the grief dreams of her father, sister’s partner, and grandmother.

You can find more about Grief Dreams here:

Our website – www.griefdreams.ca 

Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams

Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group

Looking for ways to support the podcast?

You can help support the Grief Dreams Podcast in a few ways:

1) Become a Patreon supporter (monthly financial support)

https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast

2) Subscribe to the podcast (on the platform you listen) and give a review. This improves our online visibility.

3) Support the topic by sharing the podcast or website. We appreciate any support that contributes to raising awareness on the topic.

After teaching poetry as an academic for over 20 years, Cathy Sosnowsky started writing poetry herself in response to the sudden death of her teenaged son. Two lines of poetry came to her in a dream on the very night he died. She had to get out of bed and write them down. From then on, in her grief journey, writing poetry saved her. Eventually, many of these poems were published in the book, Holding On: Poems for Alex. Cathy has since published two more books: Snapshots: A Story of Love, Loss, and Life, and, more recently, Finding Heartstone: A Taste of Wilderness. As a chapter leader of The Compassionate Friends, a support group for bereaved parents, Cathy often gives “Writing as Healing Workshops.” You can find more about Cathy at www.cathysosnowsky.com 

In this episode we talk about the death of her 17-year-old son, how she used poetry to process her grief, poems she wrote, and a grief dream of her deceased son.

You can find more about Grief Dreams here:

Our website – www.griefdreams.ca 

Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams

Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group

Looking for ways to support the podcast?

You can help support the Grief Dreams Podcast in a few ways:

1) Become a Patreon supporter (monthly financial support)

https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast

2) Buy us a Coffee (one-time financial support)

 https://www.buymeacoffee.com/griefdreams 

3) Subscribe to the podcast (on the platform you listen) and give a review. This improves our online visibility.

4) Support the topic by sharing the podcast or website. We appreciate any support that contributes to raising awareness on the topic

Suzanne Falter is an author, speaker, blogger and podcaster who has published both fiction and non-fiction, as well as essays. Her essays have appeared in O Magazine, The New York Times, Elephant Journal, Tiny Buddha and Thrive Global among others. Her newest book is titled The Extremely Busy Women’s Guide to Self-Care. Suzanne speaks about self-care and the transformational healing of crisis, especially in her own life after the death of her daughter (Teal).

In this episode we talk about life before and after the death of her daughter, her daughter, learning to slow down and be patient, donating Teal’s organs, the importance of self-care over the holidays, and her multiple grief dreams of her daughter.

You can find more about Suzanne at www.suzannefalter.com and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest.

Marlie Rowell is a sassy word/mixed media artist, author, & lecturer. Her life changed after she became a suicide widow. She is now the self-proclaimed queen of suicide widow etiquette reformation.

In this episode we talk about her life with her husband, her husband’s depression, the stigma around mental illness, her husband’s suicide, the stigma around suicide, finding proper support, and her multiple grief dreams during 'night school'.

You can find more about Marlie here: www.suicidewidowetiquette.com  

Ryan Weaver is an All-American, rockin’ country music artist who proudly served as an active duty Black Hawk Helicopter Aviator in the United States Army. Weaver began his music career in 2005 while still on active duty, playing the club and festival circuit throughout the southeast. In 2017, Ryan signed on with the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) replacing Steven Tyler as the headlining act for the PBR World Finals at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. His music and speaking engagements are highly influenced by his journey through grief. Ryan has suffered the death of his brother (Aaron) and his brother-in-law (Randy) while they were on active duty. Both of his brothers’ ultimate sacrifices continue to fuel Ryan’s fire to accomplish his dreams in music.

We talk about being in the military, the death of his brother and brother-in-law, starting his music career, using his music to honor their memories, his song “what you think of me”, challenges after military loss (e.g., survivors remorse), and grief dreams of his brother.

You can find more about Ryan and his latest EP (Celebrate America) at

https://weavercountry.com/ and on IG @ryanweavercountry

Check out his two songs on loss

Never forgotten - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQs8khhWsro

What you think of me - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sua3nWfR4LE

Samantha Pasut is Authentic, Living Magnetism in a powerful package. She is an accomplished artist and art historian, a spirit guide, chakra healing clairvoyant, and an Abundant Love and Courage Facilitator. A healer and an empath, Samantha is Canada’s youngest Reiki Master. She is also one of the leading CBD educators in the country and part owner of the Hemp derived CBD Company called MonaLisa Healing.

In this episode we talk about being authentic, creating boundaries, loving yourself, CBD, MonaLisa Healing, the death of her grandfather, and a grief dream of him before he died.

You can find more about Samantha at IG @daughterofpicasso

You can find more about MonaLisa Healing at monalisahealing.com, IG and Twitter @monalisahealing

Dave Marteau is a mental health professional and a writer who has worked for 30 years with and for those close to death in hospital, rehab, prison and hospice settings. Between 2000 and 2012 he was clinical drug adviser to the UK government, and more recently he has worked for the European Union and the United Nations. Dave is the author of The English Book of the Dead, a personal and scientific exploration of mortality. Dave's sister Elizabeth took her own life at 31, and his son Jack was killed crossing the road aged 21, hit by a speeding driver. 

In this episode we talk about working in the mental health field, mental health issues of his sister, the death of his sister and son, issues faced after both types of loss, grief dreams of his sister and son, his wife’s grief dream of their son, and his new book.

You can find more about Dave at www.englishbookofthedead.com

Mirabai Bush teaches, practices, and develops programs through the application of contemplative principles and values to organizational life. She is a cofounder of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, founding board member of the Seva Foundation, and authored many books. Her most recent book (coauthored with Ram Dass) is called “Walking Each Other Home: Conversations on Loving and Dying”.

In this episode we talk about her new book, moments with Ram Dass, being a loving rock for the dying and bereaved, the death of her guru (Neem Karoli Baba) and her friend (Bokara), and a grief dream of Neem Karoli Baba

You can find more about Mirabai at www.mirabaibush.com

Lindsay Ciulla is an artist and musician who grew up in Medina, Ohio. Her father was her high school band director and also one of her very best friends. Also known as DJ laChewla, Lindsay hosts her own radio show on WGRN 94.1LPFM in Columbus, Ohio. She is also involved in activism through her volunteer work at the community radio station and with Vegan Shift. 

In this episode we talk about being a musician, her radio show, her life with her father, his death, and her many grief dreams.

Her show, Peaks and Valleys streams live every Sunday night at 9pm EST on www.wgrn.org. 

Here is her father conducting his jazz band the Stardusters on his last band trip to Disney World in 2015 ( https://youtu.be/VqYReDOU5A8 ) and this is footage from his last year as the marching band director ( https://youtu.be/01SVXxRVoF8 ).