Grief Out Loud

In this episode of Grief Out Loud, Jana is joined by N'keya Peters-Camille, LCSW, RYT® 200, a social worker, certified Grief Yoga teacher, facilitator for e-motion grief meet ups, and creator of Hope: A One Line A Day Journal for the Bereaved. N'keya shares the story of her mother, Hope - a woman she describes as her soulmate - who died of pancreatic cancer in 2021 at the age of 46. N'keya reflects on growing up alongside her mother, witnessing her overcome immense challenges, and experiencing firsthand what it meant to be deeply seen, supported, and loved. After her mother's death, N'keya found herself navigating grief without strong cultural or community rituals to hold her. In response, she created her own network of support through grief counseling, retreats, movement practices, and eventually, offering those same resources to others - particularly within her Afro-Caribbean and African American communities. The conversation explores caregiving during the pandemic, the absence of end-of-life conversations, and what it means to grieve while parenting young children. N'keya shares how she spoke honestly with her three-year-old son about death, how grief continues to evolve five years later, and how she makes space for both sorrow and joy - especially on complex days like Mother's Day. N'keya also speaks candidly about pregnancy loss and infertility following her mother's death and how those grief experiences intersected. She describes how her mother's voice continues to guide her—in her work, her parenting, and her sense of self—and how she honors that connection by living fully, while also deeply grieving. Note: this episode mentions childhood sexual assault. Please take care while listening. In this episode, you'll hear about: Grieving the death of a parent while raising young children The impact of limited cultural grief rituals and creating your own Movement, community, and storytelling as grieving practices Navigating Mother's Day while holding multiple losses Pregnancy loss, infertility, and layered grief experiences Maintaining an ongoing bond with someone who has died N'keya Peters-Camille, LCSW, RYT® 200, is a Social Worker and Grief Educator who integrates clinical support with somatic healing. Her work is deeply rooted in her own grief history—from navigating the death of her beloved mother, Hope, to the profound challenges of miscarriage and the complexities of IVF and IUI. As an African American woman born and raised in Brooklyn with Caribbean roots, N'keya is dedicated to bringing meaningful grief support to her community. Certified in Grief Yoga, she believes that grief is often too heavy to carry alone and too deep to process through words alone. In addition to her private practice, she serves as a volunteer with E-Motion, facilitating 6–8 week grief movement groups. By blending clinical social work with somatic movement and meditation, N'keya provides a "soft landing" for those walking the path of loss—helping them bridge the gap between mind and body, find their breath again, and carry their loved ones' legacies forward. Want to learn more about supporting children and teens who are grieving? Sign up for our online courses here: https://classes.dougy.org/

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Kailey Bradley about support for grieving a death loss, but also the more overlooked non-death losses, including chronic illness, infertility, shifting identities, and the futures we imagined but don't get to live. Dr. Bradley is a clinician and educator who specializes in working with children and families navigating grief and illness. Kailey shares her experiences growing up with chronic illness and being diagnosed with premature ovarian failure at age 12, and how those layered losses affected her at different life stages. We explore what it means to "process" grief, why anger and big questions deserve space, and how grief can show up in ways we don't always recognize. We also discuss how being diagnosed later in life with autism spectrum disorder shifted how Kailey understands grief – hers and those she supports. We discuss: Why grief care can be seen as preventative mental health care What Kailey learned working with teens in juvenile detention about unprocessed loss How children express grief through play, behavior, and the body Supporting neurodivergent kids and teens, including those with autism The importance of choice and autonomy in grief support What makes a grief-informed community and why we need more of them The collective grief of the pandemic and how little space we've made to process it This conversation is both practical and expansive, offering ideas for parents, caregivers, educators, clinicians, and anyone who wants to better understand grief in all its forms. Connect with Dr. Kailey BradleyRefuge Counseling: https://allrefuge.com/The Death & Sex Podcast: https://pod.co/the-death-and-sex-podcast The Ohio Bereavement Collaborative: https://ohiobc.com/ Want to learn more about supporting children and teens who are grieving? Sign up for our online courses here: https://classes.dougy.org/

What does it mean to live with uncertainty - especially when your body, your capacity, and your sense of self are all changing at once? In this episode, Jana is joined again by author and advocate Marisa Renee Lee. You may know Marisa from her first book, Grief Is Love, or from her work helping people tell the truth about grief. In this conversation, she returns to share about her new book, Waiting for Dawn, and the realities of living with long COVID - an experience that has reshaped her daily life, her work, and her understanding of grief. Marisa reflects on the many losses she's navigated over the years: the death of her mother when she was 25, a pregnancy loss, the recent death of her beloved dog, and the ongoing grief of living with chronic illness. We explore how grief shows up not only after someone dies, but also in the loss of health, identity, and certainty. Marisa shares how she's learning to live within that uncertainty, from asking for (and accepting) help, to finding small, sustaining moments of joy, to letting go of who she used to be. The conversation also touches on parenting through grief and illness, including how Marisa talks with her young son about death, and what it's been like to watch him develop his own relationship with grief. We discuss: The difference between grieving a person and grieving your own health How long COVID has reshaped Marisa's identity, work, and daily life The loneliness of illness and the challenge of asking for help Parenting through grief and talking with children about death The impact of cumulative loss and how different losses intersect Letting go of who you were before loss or illness Finding "micro joys" and small footholds in hard seasons The role of faith, hope, and rest in navigating uncertainty Find Marisa: marisareneelee.com Get the book: Waiting for Dawn — available April 7, 2026 Read transcript Want to learn more about supporting children and teens who are grieving? Sign up for our online courses here: https://classes.dougy.org/

What does grief look like when you lose your wife, two daughters, your home, and nearly everything you own - all in a single night? In this episode we talk with Michael Reed, a husband, father, and author whose life was forever changed when a wildfire swept through his community, taking the lives of his wife Constance, his older daughter Chloe, his youngest, Lily, their pets, and reducing their home to ashes. Nearly a decade later, Michael shares about the darkness he fell into, who was there to hold him and his son up, the ways he stays connected to his wife and daughters, and how he's re-engaged with life through writing and helping others. Michael Reed is the author of The Million Stages of Grief, a self-published book born from years of middle-of-the-night writing as he tried to make sense of catastrophic loss. He also became an unexpected public face of his community's tragedy - a role he has since transformed into a mission of talking openly about grief, faith, and learning to live again. In this episode: Michael shares vivid memories of his daughters: Chloe's extraordinary compassion and Lily's unforgettable sass and spirit. What it's like to lose not only the people you love but every physical trace of them - and how Michael keeps their memory close without tangible reminders. How his son Nicholas became a teacher for Michael in how to grieve. His experience with EMDR therapy and what acceptance means to him. The origin of The Million Stages of Grief: how raw, unedited Facebook posts led to a blog, then to a self-published book. Why the five stages of grief didn't work for Michael - and how he came to understand that grief can move through a million stages in a single day. A raw, honest account of his anger at God after the fire. What it was like to become the unwilling public spokesperson for a community's tragedy, and how he has reclaimed that platform on his own terms. His core message: loss is loss, no matter who or what you've lost — and using your own hurt to help others is how we change the world. Connect with Michael: Website - https://themillionstages.com/ Books - https://themillionstages.com/books IG - https://www.instagram.com/reedstrong2020 Transcript Want to learn more about supporting children and teens who are grieving? Sign up for our online courses here: https://classes.dougy.org/

When Matt Fogelson's father died of lung cancer during his senior year of college, he turned to music to express what words couldn't - rage, self-loathing, and grief so profound he didn't know where to put it. In this conversation, Matt - author of the new memoir Restrung - talks about the silence that surrounded his father's terminal illness, the vacuum left by an absent but beloved parent, and how grunge music (especially Soundgarden and Pearl Jam) created space for him to feel what was hard to put into words. Matt shares how his Aunt Wendy became his unlikely guide, why he wore his father's suits to work for years trying to feel close to him, and the breakthrough moment when Pearl Jam's "Release" helped him shift his relationship with his father's memory and his grief. We also discuss how grief shaped his approach to parenting, why he sang a Grateful Dead song to his son every night for 14 years, and the three songs he wishes he could share with his father now. Resources Matt's memoir Restrung (released February 3, 2026) Matt's Substack and music blog (Fine Tuning) More at dougy.org Grief Out Loud is a production of Dougy Center, the National Grief Center for Children and Families.

In this episode of Grief Out Loud, we talk with Adell Coleman about her mother who was killed when Adell was just 24 years old. Adell reflects on the closeness of their relationship and how her mom's death radically shifted her sense of safety in the world. She shares how the circumstances around her mother's death, including being the person who found her, has made it difficult to remember how her mom lived, without reliving how she died. Adell also talks about what it's been like raising two daughters who never met their grandmother, but somehow carry her presence in surprising and meaningful ways. She reflects on anniversaries 14 years later, the exhaustion of grief, and how becoming the family "grief expert" interrupted her capacity to engage with her own grief. The conversation closes with Adell describing how community, therapy, boundaries, and creative work - including her documentary and podcast, Echoes of Her: To Mom With Love - have helped her find language, connection, and space for her grief. We discuss Losing a mother in young adulthood and feeling "not ready" to be an adult How violent death and trauma impact grief and memory The challenge of accessing good memories when you are dealing with traumatic imagery Parenting while grieving and helping children connect with a grandparent they never met Anniversaries, emotional exhaustion, and grief over time Becoming the family "grief expert" and having to put off personal grief Finding community after loss and why the right support can take time Creating meaning through storytelling, connection, and creative projects Adell's documentary and her new podcast, Echoes of Her: To Mom With Love Connect with Adell Instagram: @iamadellcoleman Podcast: Echoes of Her Threads: @iamadellcoleman Documentary: Echoes of Her: To Mom With Love Substack: On My Momma

In the fall of 2023, Mackenzie Galloway-Cole was living out her rom-com-worthy love story with her wife Megan in New York City. Then, on an ordinary night in November, Megan collapsed and died a few hours later from a sudden cardiac event. In the aftermath, Mackenzie had to find her way in this newly shattered world without Megan, her anchor and biggest cheerleader. Mackenzie reflects on the shock of becoming a young widow, the added layers of grief that come with queer partner loss, and the painful realities of navigating death care systems that often default to heteronormative assumptions. Together, Jana and Mackenzie talk about the isolating nature of sudden and unexplained death, the importance of finding people who "get it," and the ways time itself becomes a particularly painful aspect of grief. Mackenzie also shares why New Year's can feel like a uniquely brutal grief milestone, how absence accumulates as life continues, and how Megan's love still shapes the way she takes care of herself today. This conversation holds space for heartbreak, dark humor, love stories, and the not-so-quiet ways grief rewires daily life - especially when the person you most want to turn to is the one who died. In this episode, we discuss: The story of how Megan and Mackenzie met and fell in love Sudden death and the trauma of an ordinary day turning catastrophic The intersection of being a young, gay widow Navigating hospitals, funeral homes, and death administration as a queer spouse Why the small, everyday moments can hurt more than the big ones How the second Christmas can feel even harder than the first New Year's as a "sneaky" grief holiday How the choices you make in life can reflect and honor your person who died Mackenzie Galloway-Cole writes about grief at Good Gay Grief on Substack and can also be found on Instagram at @deadwifeclub

When Kyndal Parks' grandfather died on Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving – she lost one of her biggest supporters and confidants. While navigating her grief, Kyndal was also navigating life as a college student where she often felt unseen in her grief by faculty and the wider institution. What began as a class assignment turned into a powerful audio piece about loss, legacy, and the urgent need for grief-informed spaces on college campuses, particularly at HBCUs where collective trauma, silence, and resilience intertwine. In this conversation, Kyndal shares about her grandfather's extraordinary life - from his childhood in the 1940s, to living with a disability, to his time as a Black Panther, a gardener, a traveler, and the steady source of love that shaped her into the person she is today. She talks about the traditions they built together, how her grief shows up even from 2,000 miles away, and why vulnerability and community care are essential if we want to build environments where students who are grieving feel supported. Kyndal also explores the cultural and historical patterns of grief in Black communities, the pressure to "push through," and her vision for a world where grief is met with connection, not silence. We discuss: What made Kyndal's grandfather such an influential figure How his death reshaped her understanding of family, holidays, and identity What grief looked like at her college, and within her family and community Why she created her audio piece and what she hopes listeners take from it The need for vulnerability, community support, and grief-informed care at HBCUs and beyond How her grandfather continues to guide her today Check out News Ambassadors, the program that helped connect us with Kyndal and her audio piece.

When Cassie arrived at Dougy Center for her first peer grief support group for young adults after her dad died, she sat in the parking lot wondering if she could even walk inside. When she did, she found people her age who understood what it meant to have a parent die - people who would end up shaping her life in ways she never imagined. In this episode, Cassie talks about how grief changed her, what it was like to find community in a peer support group, and how those friendships continue to support her years later. Now, as a volunteer facilitator in a peer grief support group for children, Cassie reflects on what it means to come full circle - turning the care she received into care she now offers others. We Discuss: The early days and weeks after her dad's death How grief can be physically painful Finding connection and laughter in a support group Building lifelong friendships with people who "get it" Learning to make space for grief on purpose The importance of rituals and traditions What it's like to return as a volunteer to support children who are grieving The unexpected gifts of friendship Cassie's discovered in grief Learn more about Dougy Center's peer grief support groups and resources for Young Adults ages 18-40.

When Leena Magdi's younger brother, Hamoodi, was killed, her world shifted entirely. In her debut book Mourning Air, Leena explores how grief reshapes identity, faith, and love. In this conversation, Leena shares what it meant and means to be Hamoodi's sister, how sibling grief is often dismissed, and how writing helps her navigate the grief. Leena also shares about her family's forced displacement after war broke out in Sudan less than a year after Hamoodi's death - and how she's learning to grieve both her brother and her home. We discuss: What it means to be a sister after a sibling dies The invisibility of sibling grief Finding connection through spirituality and writing Grieving a home and a country - and the additional losses her family experienced in fleeing to Egypt from Sudan after war broke out How Leena stays connected to Hamoodi About Leena Magdi: Leena Magdi is a Sudanese-American writer and poet, author of Mourning Air, and mother of two. She was born in Sudan, raised in California, and currently lives in Egypt. You can find her on Instagram @xleenamagdix and TikTok @xleenamagdix.

When Tiriq Rashad, artist, poet, and performer, sits down to write, he's not just telling his own story - he's carrying his daughter, his brother, and his mother with him. In this conversation, Tiriq shares the layered ways grief has shaped who he is: from the death of his first child before she was born, to growing up caring for his brother who lived with cerebral palsy and autism, to the sudden death of his mother. Through it all, Tiriq's foundation in caregiving, service, and community continues to guide him - both in his personal life and in his art. His new album, Kiss My Art, is woven through with grief, including themes of regret, forgiveness, and deep unwavering love. Each track on Kiss My Art reminds listeners that grief doesn't end, it evolves and we evolve with it. We talk about: How the death of his daughter shapes his life perspective – and his parenting. How caregiving for his brother as a child set him on the path to social work. The trauma and legacy of his mother's death in a car accident. Choosing to face grief without leaning on vices. Writing and performing as practices of healing. How the death of a public figure can impact those who never even met them. Connect with Tiriq Rashad: Website: tiriqrashad.com Instagram: @tiriq_rashad No Regrets Official Music Video

In 1986, when Kristine S. Ervin was eight years old, her mother was abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered in Oklahoma. Decades later, Kristine tells her story in Rabbit Heart - A Mother's Murder, A Daughter's Story, a memoir weaves together her fragmented childhood memories, growing up with grief, and then as an adult, reckoning with the painful details of her mother's death. The course of the book shifts when there is a break in the cold case of her mother's murder, leading to a trial and eventual conviction of Kyle Eckhart, one of the men responsible. In this conversation Kristine reflects on what it means to grieve for her mother and for the violent way she died. She explores the power of imagination in grief, the struggle of piecing together memories shaped by others, and how writing became both an outlet and a way to preserve a connection to her mother. Together, Jana and Kristine talk about: What she remembers about her mother and which of those memories are shaped by what others remember. How Kristine reacted to media portrayals of her mother's life and death. What she remembers about learning her mother was abducted and then the day she found out she was murdered. What it was like to grow up not knowing who killed her mother. The story behind the title of her memoir, Rabbit Heart. The role of imagination and fantasy in both childhood and adult grief. The emotional impact of learning new, violent details about her mother's death, and how this knowledge changed Kristine's relationship with her grief over time. How the publication of Rabbit Heart allowed her to connect with her mother's memory in a new way. Content note: this episode includes details of violence, sexual assault, and murder, along with some adult language. Please listen with care. Kristine Ervin grew up in a small suburb of Oklahoma City and is now an associate professor at West Chester University, outside Philadelphia. She holds an MFA in Poetry from New York University and a Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literature, with a focus in nonfiction, from the University of Houston. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Fourth Genre, Crimereads, Crab Orchard Review, Brevity, Passages North, and Silk Road. Her essay "Cleaving To," was named a notable essay in the Best American Essays 2013. Kristine's debut memoir Rabbit Heart is currently available from Counterpoint Press.