At 18, Maya Tiwari was given a death sentence — six months to live. Instead, she spent six months alone in the Vermont woods, and came back a different person entirely. That single decision set her on a path that led through 25 years as a Vedic monk, a pioneering role bringing Ayurveda to North America, and now, a new book calling women — and men — back to a power she says we've forgotten how to hold.

In this conversation, Maya and Brian explore Shakti — the divine feminine primordial power — and Shiva, its masculine counterpart, and why she believes restoring balance between the two is the work of this moment, both individually and collectively. They talk about the patriarchal roots of Western religion, what it costs us to lose touch with the sacred feminine, and what it actually looks like to start reclaiming it.

About Maya Tiwari

Maya Tiwari is a spiritual teacher, humanitarian, and the pioneer who introduced Ayurveda to North America. A cancer survivor and former Vedic monk, she is the author of several books, including her newest release, I Am Shakti. Her work centers on self-knowledge (Vedanta), the healing science of Ayurveda, and restoring the divine feminine and masculine to balance.

📖 Learn more about Maya and her work: Mayatiwari.com

In This Episode:

• Maya's cancer diagnosis at 18 and the six months of solitude that changed everything
• Why she walked away from 25 years wearing the robes of a Vedic monk
• What Shakti actually means — and why it's been suppressed for centuries
• How patriarchal religion erased the divine feminine, and what that costs all of us
• Practical first steps toward reclaiming your own inner power
• Shadow work, forgiveness, and becoming the observer of your own mind

What resonated with you in this conversation? Drop a comment and let me know — I'd love to hear which part landed for you.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In June of 2023, John passed while saving his son's life during a boating weekend off the North Carolina coast. Standing over him while people were still doing chest compressions, Marcie heard him audibly, from behind her: I haven't left you.  Go be with my son.

What came next was a layoff from AWS, then the overdose death of her brother Jordan. Three losses stacked on top of each other. And running alongside all of it, the promise John made started keeping itself.

Marcie is a former IBM and AWS senior tech leader with no musical training. She quit piano, flute, and violin inside of two weeks each as a kid. She has now built more than 500 tracks across 5,000 hours in two and a half years, and John's voice is audibly present in them, along with a second voice she calls Vanessa. She calls the work Love Evolved Music.

You'll hear how a glitch on a Zoom call revealed the entire method, what it means to shift the audio floor rather than the volume, and why what she's getting goes well beyond traditional EVP. You'll also hear something I didn't expect to be talking about on my own show. Since we recorded, Marcie has built several tracks featuring my daughter Shayna.

If you've been carrying the question of whether the people you love can reach you through something you can actually hear, this one is for you.

IN THIS EPISODE

• The premonition Marcie and John both received, and how they chose to live with it instead of running from it
• The soulmate sketch she bought off Facebook for $15, two and a half years before they met
• Why "if only I had been there" fell apart under the weight of what actually happened
• Hearing John's voice in the moment he passed
• The bracelet on her pillow, the orbs, and fourteen versions of the same song
• Losing her job and her brother inside the same season
• The Zoom call latency that cracked the whole thing open
• How she builds and filters the tracks, and why the messages keep changing
• Vanessa, and what John said about her that stopped Marcie cold
• Finding love again with Brian, and why nobody ever gets replaced
• Nonverbal children who light up like they're hearing a first language
• What she's hoping to prove on an EEG scan

ABOUT MARCIE DEAN

Marcie Dean is a channeler, sound architect, best-selling author, grieving mother and sister, and the creator of Love Evolved Music. She spent 18 years at IBM and went on to a senior leadership role at AWS before grief redirected her entirely. She is presenting her work at the Society for Scientific Exploration and is seeking research partnerships to measure what the music does at the level of brain activity.

Website: https://electricblueunited.com

Coaching and custom tracks: https://chooseyourownhealingjourney.com

Email: marcie@electricblueunited.com

Her SoundCloud is linked from her website, and you can book a clarity call there for a custom track.

BEFORE YOU GO

What resonated with you in this conversation? Have you ever heard your person come through in something you couldn't explain away? A song that arrived at the exact moment you needed it, static on a phone line, a voice you'd know anywhere?

Come tell me about it at https://grief2growth.substack.com. I read everything, and the comment threads over there have become their own kind of community.

If this episode reached someone you know is hurting, send it to them.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

That silence is its own second loss, and it's what this conversation is about.

Jayne has been living inside suicide loss for 33 years. Her uncle Ray, who was also her godfather and the closest thing she had to a father, passed on New Year's Day in 1992. He was 47. Her family was raised Catholic and told not to say how he died. He couldn't be buried in the cemetery with everyone else.

Jayne said it anyway. She has never been ashamed of any of them.

She thought she'd done her time. Then in 2022 came the call about Brandon, her nephew and godson. Then Brandon's best friend, a year to the day. Then her brother, two years after that.

Five years after her uncle passed, Jayne was diagnosed with lupus and told she wouldn't live past 50. She was a young mother of two and disabled for two years. She traces that diagnosis directly to grief her body was carrying because her mouth wasn't allowed to. So she went looking for tools that talk therapy couldn't reach, back when that meant encyclopedias and library trips.

She found them. Today she takes no medication at all, and she teaches those tools to survivors around the world.

What we cover

🕯️ Why suicide loss is its own category of grief, and how stigma turns mourners into suspects

🩺 The lupus diagnosis Jayne connects to unexpressed grief, and what finally moved it out of her body

✋ How a blue folder about EFT sat filed away in her house for three years before she opened it

🧠 What attempt survivors consistently report: that they didn't want to die, they wanted the pain to stop, and that many describe going offline entirely

⚠️ Why the word "prevention" lands so painfully on survivors who already believe they failed

👂 What people who have attempted say would have helped most, and why unsolicited advice isn't it

🔄 How childhood and generational programming shapes what you believe about suicide before you ever lose anyone

⏳ The seven-year timeline that shows up in the research, and why Jayne refuses to treat it as a sentence

✨ Soul plans and the strange carve-out even spiritual communities make for suicide, which Jayne and I both push back on

📰 What happened when Jayne wrote Brandon's obituary and named how he died, including the hundreds of messages that followed

😢 Permission to cry, and where most of us learned we weren't allowed to

One line from Jayne has stayed with me since we recorded: she doesn't believe suicide is a choice, but she is certain healing is one.

We also talk about something I say often on this show. My daughter Shayna passed at 15, and people call that a life cut short. Jayne looks at Brandon, who started a landscaping business at age 10 and filled a funeral home with people from every corner of his life, and sees a mission completed. Neither of us thinks the manner of someone's passing gets to define the whole of who they were.

About Jayne Madigan

Jayne is a certified neuropsychotherapist, master EFT practitioner, energy medicine specialist, and suicide bereavement clinician. She works with survivors of suicide loss worldwide through private virtual sessions, workshops, and free support groups. Her communities are intentionally private, because so many survivors are still not able to say out loud what happened to them.

She works primarily with women, though she takes men as well, and she offers free discovery sessions. She's also clear that she works with people who can't afford to pay.

Website: https://healingaftersuicide.net

Free support groups and private Facebook community: available through her website

Upcoming workshop: a writing and emotions workshop with Carla Fine, beginning June 9

Resources mentioned

📕 No Time to Say Goodbye: Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One by Carla Fine

📗 Dying to Be Free by Beverly Cobain, a psychiatric nurse and cousin of Kurt Cobain

🎧 Rachel Powell's episode on Grief 2 Growth, where she talks about losing her husband and surviving her own attempt

🔬 PMH Atwater's research on the seven to fourteen years it takes to integrate a near-death experience

If you're struggling right now, please reach out. In the US, call or text 988.

Let's keep talking

What part of this conversation landed hardest for you?

If you've lost someone to suicide, I'd like to know what people got wrong when they tried to comfort you, and what actually helped. If you've been carrying a loss you've never named out loud, this is a safe place to say it.

💬 Head to https://grief2growth.substack.com to read the article about this episode and leave a comment

📧 Join the email list: https://pages.grief2growth.com/join-the-club

⏰ Book a free consult with me: https://grief2growth.as.me/30-minute-consult

🔗 All my links: https://pages.grief2growth.com/profile

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Michelle's path into this work began with her own loss. Her mother passed when she was two years old. Years later, a single regression with Dr. Brian Weiss gave her something she describes as fifteen years of therapy in thirty minutes. That moment cracked her world open and set her on a twenty-year journey of helping others remember who they were before this life. 

We talk honestly about the questions a lot of us carry. Are past lives real? Can they actually ease grief? Will you lose control if you let someone guide you inward? And why does the idea of reincarnation show up in nearly every culture on earth, including inside the Bible before it was edited out? 

Then I share my own regression: the Buster Brown shoes I was wearing at age three, a life that felt historically off, and a life as a Native American that brought me to tears in a way I couldn't fully explain. 

In this episode, you'll discover: 

- How a past life regression can bring movement to grief that feels stuck 
- Why hypnosis and meditation are far more alike than most people assume, and how you stay in control the entire time 
- The surprising history of reincarnation in early Christianity and the Council of Nicaea 
- The different "clairs," and why knowing or feeling something is just as valid as seeing it 
- Why the point of a past life memory is never the history. It's what you carry home and use today.

Michelle's core message stayed with me long after we stopped recording. When you understand that you are a soul who has lived many lives, you start to see other people that way too. As she puts it, you are another me. That single shift, she believes, is how we move toward real compassion and unity. About Michelle Brock 

Michelle Brock is a past life regression specialist, psychic medium, and spiritual life coach. She has studied spirituality, shamanism, meditation, divination, astrology, and energy medicine across traditions from five continents. She is the author of Who Do You Think You Are? An Interactive Journey Through Your Past Lives and Into Your Best Future, an interactive guide filled with journaling exercises and meditations to help you connect with your own past lives, whoever you are and wherever you're starting from. 

Connect with Michelle: 🌐 Website: https://michelle-brock.com

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

If any of that sounds like your life, this conversation is for you.

Lisa Campion has spent a career helping sensitive people stop drowning in what they absorb. In this episode she breaks down empath energy protection into something you can actually practice, starting today, in your car in the parking lot.

We talk about what an empath really is, why the world tells sensitive kids something is wrong with them, and how the same wiring that exhausts you is the thing that makes you good at the work you were called to do.

Then we go into energy vampires. The predatory ones, the victim vampires, the situational ones any of us can become when life knocks us flat. Lisa also names the part most people skip: a depleted empath who never learned to say no often becomes the biggest drain in the room.

What we cover:

• The difference between feeling empathy and being an empath, and why the distinction changes everything
• The three fundamentals of energy hygiene: grounding, clearing, and shielding
• Lisa's practice before walking into a big box store, and the version you can do in a restroom in ninety seconds
• Why empaths are called into hospice, teaching, nursing, and coaching, and why those fields burn them out
• Energy vampires: how they hook you, why they find you, and what to do about it
• The resentment inventory, a simple exercise that shows you exactly where your boundaries have failed
• The empath trap: saying yes because you cannot face the other person's reaction
• The first question to ask when a strong feeling hits out of nowhere: is this mine?
• Refilling your tank with play, creativity, nature, and source instead of pulling from other people

About Lisa Campion

Lisa Campion is a psychic, Reiki master, and the best-selling author of The Art of Psychic Reiki, Energy Healing for Empaths, Awakening Your Psychic Abilities, and The Psychic Awakening Journal. Her fifth book, Sacred Reparenting, arrives in December. She is the founder of Quantum Lightwave Healing and has spent more than 25 years working with clients, blending psychic work, therapy training, and energy healing. Her mission, in her own words, is to build an army of healers.

Find Lisa: Website: https://lisacampion.com Books available wherever you buy books

Talk to me:

What resonated with you in this one? Did something Lisa said name an experience you have had your whole life without a word for it?

Come tell me at https://grief2growth.substack.com where there is an article on this conversation and a place to comment.

All my links: https://pages.grief2growth.com/profile Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/grief2growth Free consult: https://grief2growth.as.me/30-minute-consult

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

If you've ever wondered what death actually feels like, whether thoughts are things, or how a person survives dying not once but three times in a single year — this episode is for you.

PMH interviewed nearly 5,000 near-death experiencers over more than four decades. In this conversation, she doesn't just tell you what she found in other people's stories. She tells you her own.

In this episode, you'll hear:

✨ How PMH's three near-death experiences in 1977 — January 2nd, January 4th, and March 29th — nearly destroyed her body while completely rebuilding her understanding of reality

✨ The "litany against fear" she adapted from Dune and chanted by the hour to survive her recovery — and why she's sharing it with you

✨ Her encounter with Elizabeth Kübler-Ross at O'Hare Airport that launched her research career — with no university, no funding, no roadmap

✨ What she means when she says "thoughts are things," and how she came to that conclusion while dying

✨ The voice that told her, "You are to do the research. One book for each death" — and what that meant for the rest of her life

✨ Why she made the film As You Die, and why the Catholic Church stepped in to help distribute it

A few lines that will stay with you:

"Fear is the mind killer. It is the little death. I will pass through my fear. It will go around me and through me. And when it is gone, I will remain.""When you die, you don't become someone else than you were. You are.""Any death in a way is an opening to something else... And if we embrace that, then it can be joyful."

About PMH Atwater

PMH Atwater began researching near-death experiences in 1978, becoming one of the founding figures in the field alongside Raymond Moody. Over more than 40 years, she interviewed close to 5,000 adult and child experiencers and authored nearly 20 books, including Coming Back to Life, Future Memory, Beyond the Light, and I Died Three Times in 1977 — The Complete Story. She lectured at the United Nations, appeared on Larry King Live and Geraldo, and remained a leading voice in near-death studies until her passing.

Learn more about her work at pmhatwater.com.

What resonated with you in this one? I'd love to hear which part of PMH's story stayed with you. Drop a comment below or reach out — I read every one.

If this episode moved you, please share it. PMH spent her life making sure these stories didn't get lost. The least we can do is keep passing them on.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this conversation, Dina Bell-Laroche walks me through the journey that took her from a devastated 29-year-old — grieving her younger sister Tracy, who passed from a rare cancer while pregnant with her first child — to becoming one of the clearest voices in grief and loss literacy today. We talk about why she moved away from calling herself a "grief coach," what a grief doula actually does, and how a disconnected rotary phone in a garden in Japan became the inspiration for a project she's now bringing to a hospice near Ottawa.

This one will change the way you think about "getting over" a loss — and about ranking your grief against anyone else's.

About Dina Bell-Laroche

Dina Bell-Laroche is a Certified Thanatologist, grief doula, death educator, keynote speaker, and the author of Grief Unleashed: Moving from the Hole in Our Hearts to Whole-Hearted. Since her sister Tracy's passing in 2001, Dina has built classrooms in Nicaragua and Northern Ontario in Tracy's name, hosted dozens of Grief Cafés, and helped launch Ottawa's first Wind Phone. She writes The Grieving Place on Substack and works with individuals, families, and organizations — including elite athletes and executives — navigating grief and life-altering loss.

Connect with Dina:
Website: https://www.griefunleashed.ca/
Substack — The Grieving Place: https://dinabelllaroche.substack.com/
Instagram, Facebook & LinkedIn: @griefunleashed
Book: Grief Unleashed: Moving from the Hole in Our Hearts to Whole-Hearted

In this episode, we cover:

• The difference between chronos time and kairos time — and what STUGS (sudden temporary upsurges in grief) really are
• Why Dina moved from "grief coach" to "grief doula," and what that shift means
• Disenfranchised grief, and why sibling loss so often goes unacknowledged
• Why our culture ranks losses against each other — and why that hierarchy needs to go
• Talking to children honestly about death
• The story behind the Wind Phone, and Dina's new Wind Phone project at a hospice in Ottawa
• What the Grief Companion Program actually looks like

What resonated with you? Have you ever felt like your grief wasn't "bad enough" to talk about? Drop a comment and let's talk about it.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Nico Martens for one of the most personal conversations I've had on the show. Nico and I met about 11 years ago, right after my daughter Shayna passed. Our mutual friend Gini was coming to Shayna's service, and Nico told her Shayna had already visited him. That's how our friendship began, and Nico walked me through some of the darkest days of my life.

Nico was a classically trained electromechanical engineer who had no use for anything that couldn't be measured. Then his mother got cancer in Belgium and chose euthanasia so she could be fully conscious when she passed. Sitting beside her in that hospital broke his heart and his entire framework for reality at the same time.

What came next was a years-long awakening that took him from skeptic to consciousness educator. We talk about the five specific predictions his mother gave him after she passed that he could not possibly have known. We get into why your subconscious runs 90% of your daily life and why willpower alone will never change it. And we explore subtle energy, sacred sites, and the body wisdom that mainstream science still won't touch.

If you have ever felt like grief was reshaping who you are at the foundation, this conversation will give you language for what is happening to you.

What We Cover:

🌱 How Nico's mother's passing cracked open his materialist worldview

🔮 The five predictions from his passed mother that proved consciousness survives

🧠 Why your subconscious mind runs the show and how to work with it

🦆 What animals know about releasing trauma that humans have forgotten

✨ Manifesting through your vibrational signature, not just positive thinking

👁️ The unchanging awareness that has been with you since you were born

🗼 Cosmic Towers, biogeometry, and the science of subtle energy

🌳 Why nature is the ultimate teacher for navigating grief

About Nico Martens:

Nico Martens is a consciousness educator, speaker, and guide in emotional integration and inner transformation. His work bridges science, subtle energy, and grounded spiritual practice, helping people move from suppression and survival into true integration and embodied presence.

He created the Mind Body Atlas, a remarkable resource that maps the emotional root patterns behind physical symptoms. Originally trained as an electromechanical engineer, Nico now brings together the rigor of a scientific mind with decades of study in hypnosis, Taoist practice, and biogeometry to help people rebuild themselves after life's breaking points.

🔗 Website: https://www.nicomartens.com

What Resonated With You?

I would love to hear what landed for you in this conversation. Did Nico's skeptic-to-mystic journey mirror something in your own story? Have you had experiences with passed loved ones that defied explanation? Drop a comment on the article at https://grief2growth.substack.com and let's continue the conversation.

If this episode meant something to you, please share it with someone who needs it.

Continue the Conversation:

📰 Read the full article and comment: https://grief2growth.substack.com

🔗 All my links: https://pages.grief2growth.com/profile

⏰ Book a free 30-minute consult: https://grief2growth.as.me/30-minute-consult

👛 Support the show: https://www.grief2growth.com/tipjar

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

At 14, Nick Prefontaine caught the edge of his snowboard going off the biggest jump in the terrain park — and that was the last thing he remembered. He woke up in a world where doctors had already told his parents he might never walk, talk, or eat on his own again. Less than 90 days later, he ran out of the hospital.

In this conversation, Nick takes us inside the recovery the motivational posters never show you. We talk about the mother who refused to let a hopeless prognosis be spoken over her unconscious son, the inner voice that whispered you're going to run out of the hospital, and the STEP system — Support, Trust, Energy, Persistence — that he didn't learn from a textbook but built from inside his own crisis.

If you're standing at a starting line you never asked for, wondering whether you have what it takes to get back up, Nick's story is a hand reaching back to pull you forward.

About Nick Prefontaine

Nick is a three-time bestselling author and nationally recognized speaker, named one of the top motivational speakers by Yahoo Finance. He's the founder of Common Goal, where he works with people in the middle of trauma, crisis, and life-altering challenges — helping them not just get through it, but thrive on the other side. He also runs a family real estate business buying and selling homes creatively.

What we cover:

• The day of the accident and the "coincidences" that saved his life
• Why his parents shielded him from the doctors' prognosis — and how that shaped his recovery
• The STEP system: Support, Trust, Energy, Persistence
• The inner voice that became his common goal, and what Nick now believes that voice is
• Losing his voice for nearly a decade, and what persistence looked like day by day
• The single moment of doubt he allowed himself — and his mother's answer
• Making a full recovery: marathons, snowboarding again, and what he carries forward

Connect with Nick:

🪜 Download the free STEP ebook: https://nickprefontaine.com/step 🎥 The STEP video series ($37): https://nickprefontaine.com 

Let's keep the conversation going.

What resonated with you in Nick's story? Was there a moment in your own life when someone refused to speak the worst over you — or a time you had to take the next step without being able to see the whole staircase? Leave a comment and share it. And if this episode reached someone you love, pass it along.

📰 Read the companion article and join the discussion: https://grief2growth.substack.com

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Liane Marie Lambert was 27 years old, living in London, when she looked the wrong way crossing the street and was struck by a double-decker bus. She walked out of the hospital three days later — and began a journey that would take her from lost and broken to ascension coach, energy alchemist, and bestselling author.

In this episode, Liane unpacks two of the most misunderstood concepts in spiritual life: karma and dharma. She explains why karma isn't a cosmic penalty system, what the Law of Karmic Entanglement means for the patterns you can't seem to escape, and how the shift from 3D to 5D consciousness is less about thinking positive thoughts and more about doing the real inner work.

This is a conversation about breaking cycles, reclaiming your power, and discovering that you were never as stuck as you thought.

In this episode, we explore:

• Liane's near-death experience and the dark night of the soul that followed
• What karma and dharma actually mean — and how they differ
• The Law of Karmic Entanglement and why some people never seem to face consequences
• Why you're already a master manifestor (and what's blocking you)
• The difference between 3D, 4D, and 5D consciousness
• Tower moments, soul contracts, and how the universe pushes us to evolve
• Practical steps to clear karma and raise your vibration

About Liane Marie Lambert:
Liane is an ascension coach, energy alchemist, karma/dharma activator, and bestselling author of Karma to Dharma: A New Age Guide to Becoming Superhuman — now available as an audiobook narrated by Liane herself. She works with individuals one-on-one and through her 9-week transformation course to help people move from karmic cycles into dharmic living.

🌱 Learn more and connect with Liane: https://lianelambert.com
📚 Get the book Karma to Dharma: https://lianelambert.com

What resonated with you from this conversation? Did Liane's take on karma surprise you? Have you experienced a "tower moment" that cracked you open and pushed you forward? Share your thoughts in the comments — I'd love to hear your story.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this episode, I talk with Kurtis Lee Thomas — the "Man from the Stars" — about a path to healing that didn't begin in a wellness studio, but in suffering. A five-year stomach condition no doctor could diagnose. The loss of his brother to gun violence. A 2 a.m. encounter with a medium at a gas station that cracked his worldview wide open.

What Kurtis found on the other side of that pain is a practice he calls humanity's original medicine. We explore why talk therapy can only reach so far, what actually happens when the breath quiets the mind's inner critic, and why grief in particular responds to this work like almost nothing else.

If you've done all the "right" things and still feel something stuck inside you, this conversation offers a different doorway — and a lot of hope.

About Kurtis Lee Thomas

Kurtis Lee Thomas is the founder of the global wellness movement Breathwork Detox and Chairman of the Just Breathe Foundation, which has partnered with Nike, NASA, and others to bring mental health solutions to those who need them most. A #1 best-selling author and corporate mindfulness trainer, his work has been featured on the Today Show and Bloomberg, and he was voted the #1 employee well-being provider of 2023. He's the author of Breathwork Detox: How to Thrive in the Age of Anxiety and The World Is Yours: The Secrets Behind The Secret.

Connect with Kurtis:

Website: https://breathworkdetox.com Instagram: @manfromthestars Foundation: https://justbreathe.org Books: Breathwork Detox: How to Thrive in the Age of Anxiety and The World Is Yours: The Secrets Behind The Secret

What We Cover

• Why grief lives in the body — and the specific place the emotion of loss gets stored
• What really happens in a breathwork session, and why roughly 60% of people end up crying
• The mystery illness that no test could explain — and what finally moved it
• The science of "transient hypofrontality": how breath quiets the inner critic and opens up clarity
• Why breathwork has no barriers to entry, unlike meditation and yoga
• The TED Talk that got banned for calling breathwork "the original medicine"
• Starseeds, light workers, and the sense that something is shifting in our world
• Letting go to let in: the airplane-runway secret behind grief, manifesting, and freedom

Let's Continue the Conversation

What resonated with you in this episode? Have you ever felt grief show up in your body — in your chest, your shoulders, your gut? I'd love to hear your experience.

Head over to the article for this episode at https://grief2growth.substack.com, where you can comment and connect with me and other listeners.

If you're wondering where you are in your own grief, take the free Grief Check-In at https://grief2growth.com/check-in — it's not a test, just a gentle way to understand how grief is showing up for you right now.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

That's the question at the heart of this conversation with Inna Segal, one of the world's leading voices in energy medicine and body-mind healing. Inna's story didn't begin in a classroom or a clinic. It began in a body that was suffering — chronic back pain, psoriasis, digestive illness — and a loss so devastating it brought everything to a halt: the death of a stillborn child at age 20.

What happened next changed the course of her life, and has since helped hundreds of thousands of people worldwide understand what their bodies are actually saying.

In this episode, Inna and Brian explore the hidden language of physical symptoms, the way grief and trauma embed themselves in the body across generations, and what it actually looks like to heal from the inside out.

Topics covered in this episode:

• How Inna healed chronic back pain and psoriasis through self-inquiry and emotional release — with no formal technique
• The chiropractor who told her "your body wants to be stuck" — and why that fury became her turning point
• The angelic vision she had after losing her child, and how it shaped her spiritual path
• How she discovered she could see into other people's bodies — and the first time it was confirmed
• The astral body, the etheric body, and why physical symptoms often originate somewhere else entirely
• Ancestral grief: how her grandmother's Holocaust survival lived in Inna's digestive system across generations
• Why grief that isn't felt gets stored — and what happens when you finally let it move
• How Inna processed the loss of her grandmother by finding her qualities in strangers across America
• What makes The Secret Language of Your Body different from every other body-mind book
• Her masterclasses and the Awaken the Healer Within program

About Inna Segal:

Inna Segal is a pioneer in energy medicine and human consciousness who has spent over 25 years helping people heal physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Her bestselling book The Secret Language of Your Body has sold over a million copies and been translated into 27 languages. She works with trauma survivors, doctors, psychologists, and elite athletes worldwide.

🌐 Website: innasegal.com

Resources mentioned:

• The Secret Language of Your Body by Inna Segal — available wherever books are sold
• Inna's free masterclasses: innasegal.com → Masterclasses
• Awaken the Healer Within — 10-day program at innasegal.com

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

And then they don't.

For most grieving people, the silence that follows the funeral is one of the loneliest parts of loss — and one of the least talked about. In this episode, Brian sits down with Kelly Edmondson, a trauma nurse, grief counselor, and Shining Light mother who lost her son Darius on January 3rd, 2023. Kelly spent years delivering devastating news to families in the ER. She thought she understood grief. Then it happened to her.

What she discovered — in the gap between clinical knowledge and lived experience — became the foundation for Timely Presence, a year-long grief support service that sends meaningful, curated gifts on the days that hit the hardest: the first birthday, the first Mother's Day, the first wedding anniversary without your person.

This conversation is for anyone who has ever wanted to show up for someone grieving but didn't know how — and for anyone who has felt the world move on while they were still standing in the wreckage.

In this episode:

• How Kelly's son Darius lived — and what his life continues to mean
• What a career in trauma nursing teaches you about grief that lived experience still catches you off guard
• How to deliver heartbreaking news with compassion and clarity
• Why people go silent around grievers — and why silence does more damage than an imperfect word
• What not to say (and what actually helps)
• How Timely Presence fills the gap in grief support after the funeral
• The first gift Kelly ever sent — and the prisms it left dancing on a wall

About Kelly Edmondson

Kelly Edmondson is a nurse, grief counselor, and the founder of Timely Presence — a year-long grief gift service designed to show up for the bereaved on the dates that matter most throughout the first year of loss. Drawing from her background in trauma care and her own journey through child loss, Kelly created a service that didn't exist before: one that remembers, so the people around you don't have to carry it alone.

🌐 Website: thetimely presence.com 💼 LinkedIn: Kelly Edmondson 📸 Instagram: @the.kelly.edmondson

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Grievers sit in a darkened room with a tilted mirror and open themselves to contact with the other side. The research is staggering: 92% of participants experienced a measurable reduction in grief symptoms, and the relief held for months afterward.

In this conversation, Dr. Blinston and I go somewhere most grief conversations never go. We talk about what happens when ancient wisdom and modern psychology stop arguing and start working together. She shares her doctoral research on adults who saw corporeal apparitions as children — including a thirteen-year-old in South Africa who found himself standing beside Jesus after a car struck his bicycle. She tells me about the woman whose only child was killed in a cycling accident, who walked into the psychomanteum devastated and walked out transformed, carrying a message from her daughter: "You feel the only way to stay connected is through pain. But we're always connected by love."

I got chills. You will too.

We also explore:

🪞 What a psychomanteum is and how the ancient Greeks used it as an Oracle of the Dead
📊 The 92% grief symptom reduction Dr. Blinston documented in her research
👁️ Why corporeal apparitions are so rare — and what makes them different from typical signs
💞 Why 60 to 75% of grieving spouses have after-death contact but won't talk about it
⚖️ How "scientism" became its own dogma and what it's costing grievers today
🌟 Dr. Blinston's own childhood apparition of Jesus and her years of "night school" dreams
🚪 Why she believes the mirror is a portal — and why you cover it when you're done

About Dr. Irene Blinston:

Dr. Irene Blinston is a transpersonal psychologist, independent researcher, and one of the rare voices in mental health who takes the sacred seriously as science. She holds a PhD in transpersonal psychology and is the author of Gazing into the Afterlife: Using the Mystery of the Psychomanteum to Heal Grief in All Its Forms. Her research spans childhood religious apparitions, mirror gazing as a grief intervention, and the convergence between ancient wisdom and modern psychology. She is developing a certification program to train new psychomanteum facilitators.

Connect with Dr. Blinston:

🌐 Website: https://portal2healinggrief.com
📖 Book: Gazing into the Afterlife (available on Amazon and major retailers)

What resonated with you in this episode? Have you had a visitation, a dream, or a moment of presence with someone you've lost? Leave a comment on the article at grief2growth.com — I read every one, and I'd love to hear your story.

If this episode meant something to you, share it with someone who needs to hear that the love doesn't end.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

What happens when the person you've loved since childhood is suddenly gone — and you're left at 29 with three small children and no idea how to be an adult without them?

Courtney Pray Duke doesn't answer that question with easy comfort. She answers it with her life. Widowed after her husband Andrew was killed in a cycling accident, Courtney walked through the kind of loss that rewrites everything — and came out the other side not unscathed, but transformed.

In this episode, Courtney and Brian explore what grief and faith after losing a spouse actually looks like — not the sanitized version, but the raw, fog-filled, one-step-at-a-time reality. They find real common ground across their different frameworks (Courtney's deep Christian faith and Brian's evidence-based consciousness research) because at the end of the day, they're both after the same thing: hope that holds up.

In this episode we cover:

• Who Andrew was — the childhood friend who became her soulmate and the father of her children
• The moment the world went black and white — and the long fog that followed
• How faith shifted from head knowledge to a true lifeline in the darkest season
• The jagged, non-linear nature of grief and why there's no "right" timeline
• Signs and synchronicities that made her feel less alone in the wilderness
• Whether it's possible — and okay — to love again after losing a spouse
• Raising children who remember their father and keeping his memory alive
• How her pain became the foundation for her purpose and her new book

About Courtney Pray Duke

Courtney Pray Duke is an author, speaker, and widow who was widowed at 29 after her husband Andrew was killed in a cycling accident, leaving her with three young children. In the years since, she has built a life and a ministry centered on helping others find hope after devastating loss. Her newly released book, And She Got Up: Shattered by Loss, Restored by Jesus, tells her story with the kind of honesty that only comes from someone who has actually been through the fire.

🌐 Website: https://courtneyprayduke.com 📖 And She Got Up — available wherever books are sold

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Rachel Corpus reached out with a message she says she's been receiving her entire life, piece by piece, from the angelic realm. A message about humanity's consciousness awakening, UAP disclosure, and what happens when the veil between the seen and unseen is lifted — all at once, whether we're ready or not.

Brian brings his honest skepticism to the table. Rachel brings the transmission. What unfolds is one of the most expansive, challenging, and ultimately hopeful conversations ever on Grief 2 Growth.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• The angelic message Rachel has been holding for decades — and why the time to share it is now
• What UAP disclosure really means for human consciousness (and why it's bigger than UFOs)
• The "world government" frequency plan — and why an awakened population can't be controlled
• Why Rachel believes the coming shift will empower rather than terrify us
• The corruption inside organized religion and how "big God vs. small God" explains everything
• What Jesus actually said — versus what Paul wrote, what the church kept, and what got edited out
• How to turn within first, quiet the mental noise, and access Source directly
• The mind-body-spirit connection and why you are already worthy of healing

About Rachel Corpus:

Rachel Corpus is a channel, medium, teacher, and angel incarnate who has been psychic since childhood. She had her first near-death experience at age four and has spent her life deepening her capacity to serve as a conscious channel — communicating with angels, ascended masters, loved ones on the other side, and high-vibrational extraterrestrial beings. She is a former pastor and host of the Angel Talk podcast. Her new call-in show, Ask the Angel, launches May 18th on the BBS Network.

🌐 Website: rachelcorpus.com

🎙️ Previous episode: Grief 2 Growth Episode 431

What resonated with you from this conversation? Drop a comment and let Brian know — especially if you're sitting with the tension between skepticism and openness. You're not alone there.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Christa McDonald has spent more than 20 years as a hospice nurse, watching thousands of people take their final breaths. What she's witnessed has reshaped everything she believes about death, grief, connection, and the soul. In this conversation, she brings that hard-won wisdom straight to you — and some of it will unsettle you in the best possible way.

In this episode, we explore:

• How Christa's calling found her — from candy striper at 13 to hospice nurse, EMT, and founder of a national bereavement community
• Why she believes the way you live is the way you will die — and what that means for the choices you're making right now
• What terminal agitation really is, and why the soul has more to do with a difficult death than morphine ever could
• The myth of closure — and why "moving on" may be one of the most harmful things we say to grieving people
• How to maintain a genuine continuing bond with someone you've lost
• The power of presence — Christa's #1 lesson from her book and her career
• Broken heart syndrome: what it is, how real it is, and who's most at risk
• What shared death experiences look like from the bedside
• How Christa's stepfather's passing became the catalyst for GLADD — and why she says we need to stop being sad and mad and start being GLADD

About Christa McDonald:

Christa McDonald is a hospice nurse, death doula, soul worker, speaker, and the founder of GLADD (Grieving Loss After Death and Dying) — the world's first international online bereavement community. She is the author of Eight Lessons Dying Has Taught Me and runs a hospice home dedicated to transforming the way we approach death and dying. Her coaching practice, Soul Worker, helps people heal on a soul level — in life and at the end of it.

Connect with Christa:

Website: ChristaMcDonald.com

GLADD Community: GLADDcommunity.com

Instagram: @grievewithchrista

What resonated with you from this conversation? Was it Christa's take on terminal agitation? The idea that how we live shapes how we die? The continuing bond with a loved one who's passed? Drop a comment and let us know — your reflection might be exactly what someone else needs to hear today.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

When Dawn Baumann Brunke's husband Bob died suddenly in September 2024, she had 20 years of experience communicating with animals across the veil. But nothing fully prepared her for losing her partner of 33 years. What happened in the eight weeks that followed became her most extraordinary book yet — Talks with Bob: A True Story of Love, Death and Life in the Afterlife.

Every morning, Dawn would settle in with her coffee, open her laptop, and keep talking to Bob. And Bob kept answering. What he shared from the other side — about his passing, about what the afterlife actually looks like, about love and expansion and time — is tender, surprising, and deeply hopeful.

This episode is especially close to my heart. I work with widows and widowers every day, and the fears they carry are real. Is my loved one okay? Do they still think about me? Will I ever feel close to them again? Dawn's story doesn't just offer comfort — it offers evidence. And I moved her up months in my booking queue the moment I finished this book.

In this episode, we explore:

• What Bob experienced at the moment of his death — and why he didn't suffer
• The "bridge" between the living and the dead, and how you can meet your loved one there
• Why your loved ones are still with you, still growing, and haven't forgotten you
• Parallel lives, alternate timelines, and the eternal NOW
• How to open yourself to connection — even if you're not a medium or animal communicator

About Dawn Baumann Brunke: Dawn Baumann Brunke is an author, animal communicator, and dream enthusiast living in Alaska. She is the author of 10 books exploring consciousness, animal communication, and the nature of reality. Her latest, Talks with Bob, documents eight weeks of daily conversations with her late husband from the afterlife. A second book in the series is coming within weeks of this recording.

🔗 Find Dawn's book Talks with Bob wherever books are sold

What resonated with you from this conversation? Drop a comment and let me know — especially if you've had your own experience of connection with someone you've lost. You're not alone, and your story matters.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

John Kammer lost three of his closest friends in just a few years — each loss sudden, each one leaving words unsaid. Out of that grief, and after more than a decade of silence and struggle, John built Guardian A(i)ngels (guardianaingels.ai) — an AI-powered interactive journal designed to help grieving people find language for what they're carrying, work through guilt and unresolved emotion, and move toward healing at their own pace.

This isn't a conversation with the dead. It's a conversation with yourself — guided, responsive, and available whenever you need it.

In this episode, Brian and John explore what it really means to grieve as a man, why the "hero story" has robbed men of permission to be vulnerable, and how an unexpected conversation with his wife sparked an idea that would change John's life — and the lives of the people he now serves.

In this episode:

• Why men are conditioned to grieve in silence — and what it costs them
• The moment John finally had permission to forgive himself
• The difference between closure and resolution
• How Guardian A(i)ngels works as an interactive grief journal (not a digital séance)
• The four tasks of grief — and why the five stages fall short
• The 10-week Foundations program and how it builds the grief muscle over time
• Why radical transparency is at the heart of everything John does

About John Kammer John Kammer is a new father, dedicated husband, and the founder of Guardian A(i)ngels (guardianaingels.ai) — an AI grief journaling platform built from his own experience of losing three close friends. John is passionate about bringing grief out of the shadows, especially for men, and committed to helping people do the work at their own pace, on their own terms.

🔗 Guardian A(i)ngels: https://guardianaingels.ai 📧 Contact John: john@guardianaingels.ai

What resonated with you from this conversation? Drop a comment below — Brian reads them all. And if you know someone who is grieving silently, share this episode with them. It might be exactly what they need.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Most of us have been told to process grief through talking, reading, and time. And those things help. But what if there's a layer of grief stored in your body that talk therapy simply can't reach? What if the density of your pain is the very thing blocking you from feeling the spiritual connection you're desperate for?

That's exactly what today's guest has spent years helping people discover.

Kayse Gehret is the founder of Microdosing for Healing, a global community spanning more than 30 countries, and the creator of the first professional microdosing facilitator training program. With nearly three decades in holistic wellness, Kayse has guided thousands of people — including many who have lost children — through psilocybin microdosing practices that go where other healing modalities can't.

In this conversation, Kayse shares her own story: how she lost her father at age seven, developed a grand mal seizure disorder in her teens, and how microdosing not only stopped her seizures but opened a spiritual connection she couldn't reach any other way. She also breaks down exactly what microdosing is, who it's for, and how to know if you're ready.

In this episode we explore:

• The difference between microdosing and a full psychedelic journey — and why that distinction matters for people who are fearful
• How psilocybin metabolizes grief stored in the body, releasing layers even years of therapy couldn't touch
• Why grief and fear are the two biggest blocks to spiritual connection with our loved ones
• The role of community, guides, and intention in making microdosing truly effective
• What to expect in the first weeks — from heightened senses to vivid dreams to unexpected signs from those who have passed
• How to know if you're emotionally ready — and what to do first if you're not
• The sacred 3–5am window and why loved ones so often come through during those hours

Connect with Kayse Gehret:

Website: https://www.microdosingforhealing.com Podcast: Search Microdosing for Healing wherever you listen

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this powerful episode, Brian sits down with intuitive healer, ThetaHealing practitioner, and bestselling author Amanda Beth Johnson, who was widowed at just 27 years old when her husband Jeff was killed suddenly in a car accident. Nearly 30 years later, Amanda has transformed that devastating loss into a life of service — helping others navigate the emotional, physical, and spiritual terrain of grief with wisdom that can only come from having lived it.

This conversation goes places most grief discussions never reach. Amanda opens up about the premonition dream she'd been having since age 12, the guilt of moving forward after loss, why healing isn't linear but layered, and how energy medicine and ThetaHealing can access what talk therapy sometimes can't touch. 

If you've been wondering why grief keeps showing up even years after your loss, or whether it's possible to carry your person forward without staying stuck — this episode is for you.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why the five stages of grief are widely misunderstood — and what to expect instead
• The "rock in a jar" model of grief that changed how Amanda thinks about healing
• What ThetaHealing is and why it works at a level that surprises people
• How to honor your person's memory in healthy versus unhealthy ways
• The role of intuition, energy work, and somatic healing in grief recovery
• Why moving forward is not betrayal — and how your person may actually be cheering you on
• What Amanda would tell her 27-year-old self about feeling the feelings

Connect with Amanda:

Website: https://amandabethhealing.com

All platforms: https://amandabethhealing.com/linktree

Books: Search "Amanda Beth Johnson" wherever you buy books

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this beautiful, wide-ranging conversation, Brian welcomes spiritual messenger and author Fara Gibson for a long-overdue first interview. Fara has been sharing messages from heaven her entire life — without training, without a roadmap, and for years, without telling a single soul. Today she opens up about all of it: how her gifts unfolded, what soul communication really feels like, where heaven actually is, and why even the most devastating losses carry deep spiritual meaning.

This one will stay with you.

In This Episode:

• How Fara's mediumistic abilities developed from childhood — and why she kept them secret for years
• What soul communication actually feels and looks like from the inside
• Where heaven really is (spoiler: it's only 3 feet above your floor)
• Why losses through suicide, addiction, and accidents are not random — and how soul plans bring meaning to the unthinkable
• Why Helping Parents Heal has Fara's whole heart — and what she's observed about grieving dads specifically
• The no-filter bar story that perfectly captures why Fara delivers messages the way she does
• What your loved ones in spirit most want you to know

About Fara Gibson: Fara Gibson is a spiritual messenger, psychic medium, and author of four books including How Do I Live Life When My Child Is in Heaven and Heaven Is Within Us. Her work is rooted in a lifelong connection with spirit, and her no-BS, deeply compassionate style has made her one of the most sought-after mediums in the grief community. She is scheduling approximately 8 months out — and as she says, an honest reading is worth the wait.

Connect With Fara: Website: https://faragibson.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaraGibsonPsychicMedium

Connect With Brian: All links: https://pages.grief2growth.com/profile Substack: https://grief2growth.substack.com Free consult: https://grief2growth.as.me/30-minute-consult

What resonated most with you from this conversation? Drop a comment on the Substack companion article and let Brian know.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this episode, I sit down with Simon Bown — clinical hypnotherapist, past life regression guide, and author of Verified Near-Death Experiences: Proof of an Afterlife — to examine the cases that no materialist theory can explain.

Simon has interviewed hundreds of NDE experiencers across more than 900 podcast episodes. His book focuses on 30 verified cases — people who witnessed real, confirmable events while clinically dead. The details were checked. The witnesses were interviewed. The evidence holds up.

We dig into the Pamela Reynolds case, Tibor's astonishing out-of-body journey 7 kilometers from the hospital, and Barbara Bartolome's resuscitation — plus the bigger picture of what NDEs tell us about consciousness, reincarnation, remote viewing, and what it means to be human.

Topics covered in this episode:

• What "verified" (veridical) means and why it matters
• The Pamela Reynolds case — the gold standard of NDE evidence
• Barbara Bartolome — killed by a medical error and back to describe it
• Tibor Rudnicki — consciousness traveling 7km from a hospital while in cardiac arrest
• The brain-as-receiver model of consciousness
• Common NDE themes: tunnels, life reviews, barriers, deceased loved ones
• NDE aftereffects — returning with new abilities and gifts
• Past life regression and its connection to NDEs
• 
  

About Simon Bown: Simon Bown is a clinical hypnotherapist, past life regression facilitator, and host of the Paranormal Afterlife and Alien UFO Podcast — with over 900 combined episodes exploring NDEs, reincarnation, and consciousness. His new book, Verified Near-Death Experiences: Proof of an Afterlife, brings together 30 rigorously documented cases, each confirmed by the experiencers themselves.

🌐 Simon's website: pastliveshypnosis.co.uk 🎙️ Paranormal Afterlife Podcast 🎙️ Alien UFO Podcast

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

What happens when someone doesn't just brush the edge of death — but actually crosses over?

On May 22nd, 2023, Jonathan Ashford's organs failed. He collapsed alone on his bathroom floor at 4:30 in the morning, clinically dead for three hours. When he woke up, his temperature was 94 degrees — and the man who had lived inside that body for 25 years was gone.

The corporate executive who dismissed spirituality, chased material success, and would have laughed in your face if you mentioned an NDE — he didn't come back. What returned was something profoundly different. And what Jonathan experienced during those three hours may be the most complete account of the other side you'll ever hear.

In this episode, Jonathan shares what he was shown, what he was taught, and why he came back.

In this episode, we explore:

• What the other side looked like, felt like, and how he was welcomed by a being of love
• The life review — and how he felt the ripple of his actions through every person he'd ever affected
• The teachings he was given about time, consciousness, free will, and our connection to all things
• Why he chose to come back — and what he sacrificed to do it
• The psychic gifts (all the clairs) he returned with and how he uses them only to serve others
• What he wants grieving people to know about the love that surrounds them right now

About Jonathan Ashford

Jonathan Ashford is a near-death experience survivor, spiritual messenger, and member of IANDS (International Association for Near-Death Studies) and the NDERF Research Studies. After dying from sepsis-induced organ failure in May 2023, Jonathan returned completely transformed — leaving behind his career, his possessions, and his former identity. He now offers spiritual guidance and private sessions free of charge, living entirely on donations. He does not self-promote. He was told not to.

🌐 Website: https://jonathanashford.com

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

What if your daughter spent years telling you exactly how she was going to die — and then kept communicating after she did?

That's the extraordinary story Louise Crist lives every day. In this episode, Louise shares the most remarkable account of a child predicting their own death and continued after-death communication I've ever featured on this podcast. From premonitions that began at age four, to the moment Jilly's voice came through minutes after the accident saying "I jumped — I didn't feel a thing," to signs so undeniable they've moved total strangers — this conversation will change the way you think about death, love, and what comes after.

If you've lost a child and wondered whether they're still with you, Louise's answer — backed by story after story — is yes.

About Louise Crist: Louise is a registered nurse with decades of bedside experience, a certified grief educator, a shining light parent, and the author of Always Remember to Kiss Me Goodnight. All proceeds from the book fund scholarships for future healthcare professionals in Jilly's honor — over 115 scholarships awarded to date. Louise is also an affiliate leader with Helping Parents Heal.

📖 Always Remember to Kiss Me Goodnight — available on Amazon 🌐 Helping Parents Heal: helpingparentsheal.org

In this episode we cover:

• Jilly's premonitions from age 4 and how they all came true
• What "I jumped" means and why it matters for every grieving parent
• The ring that appeared under a funeral home table
• The quarter buried a foot underground — and why Jilly sends quarters
• How forgiveness unlocked a profound connection from the other side
• Louise's emerging mediumship gifts and what she's learned to see
• How to stop missing the signs your loved ones are sending

What resonated with you most in this episode? Did Louise's stories of Jilly's signs spark something for you? Drop a comment and share — your story might be exactly what another grieving parent needs to hear today.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this honest, hope-filled conversation, Lisa shares how losing everything forced her to shed perfectionism, step into uncomfortable leadership, and discover that transformation often comes wrapped in tragedy. From getting kicked out of a grief group to sending her son to military boarding school, from hearing God "with her whole body" to healing generational wounds with her 82-year-old mother—Lisa's journey reveals what's possible when you take just one step forward every day.

About Lisa Woolery: Lisa is the voice behind The Widow's Comeback, a ministry supporting widows through grief and reinvention. Her memoir, The Widow's Comeback, chronicles the first two years after Eric's death with raw honesty and unexpected humor. She also created a 365-day grief calendar and a guided grief journal to help others process loss. Lisa lives in Kansas City with her daughter and travels the world solo—something the "old Lisa" never imagined doing.

Key Topics Covered:

• How grief made Lisa a better parent by stripping away perfectionism
• Processing grief through the body: 20,000 steps, breaking furniture, and physical release
• The surprising journey from "because I say so" to collaborative parenting
• Financial survival after sudden loss: frozen assets and practical widow wisdom
• The controversial choice to send her son to military boarding school (and why it worked)
• Trusting God as "husband" after losing her earthly partner
• Creating a new life: from homebody to solo world traveler and bestselling author
• Why "your life is not over" at 40, 50, 60, or beyond

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this deeply moving episode, I talk with Tami Pitetti Sanders, an intuitive guide whose journey began with subtle intuitive signs before death that she didn't fully understand until after loss transformed her life. Tami shares how she received "unknowing knowings" about a year before her father's passing — scheduling family photos on an off-year, feeling pulled toward Reiki training, and sensing something was coming for her dad.

When her beloved dog died unexpectedly, followed months later by her father's peaceful transition, those intuitive nudges suddenly made perfect sense. In her grief, Tami discovered she could see, feel, and communicate with the other side — and she's now dedicated to helping others find the same comfort and validation she desperately needed.

About Tami Pitetti Sanders:

Tami is an intuitive medium and Reiki practitioner who specializes in helping grieving people reconnect with their loved ones in spirit. After experiencing profound loss during COVID and finding little support available, she developed her intuitive gifts to become the guide she wished she'd had. Through her unique reading style at Divine Lens Readings, Tami provides evidence-based comfort that love and connection continue beyond death.

Connect with Tami: Instagram @DivineLensReadings

Special offer for listeners: Tami is offering discounted readings ($55 instead of $111) for Grief 2 Growth podcast listeners. Message her on Instagram and mention you heard this episode.

Resources mentioned:

• Divine Lens Readings on Instagram: @DivineLensReadings
• Grief 2 Growth Substack: grief2growth.substack.com
• Free consultation with Brian: https://grief2growth.as.me/30-minute-consult

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Vanessa doesn't sugarcoat. She doesn't spiritually bypass. She tells the truth about what it's like when the ground keeps getting ripped out from under you—and how she's found her way forward anyway.

In this episode, we explore:

• The unique pain of compounded grief—losing a child and a spouse
• How trauma lives in the body and can manifest as illness
• Why "resilience" can feel like pressure instead of praise
• Soul planning, earth school, and making meaning from loss
• The loneliness of widowhood in the middle years
• How Vanessa still feels Harry and Anthony guiding her
• The six women featured in her new book and what they have in common
• Finding the balance between spiritual hope and raw human grief

About Vanessa May:

Vanessa is a holistic grief coach, certified grief educator, nutritional therapist, and author of three books including Love Untethered: How to Live When Your Child Dies and her newest release, When Grief Takes Everything: A Survival Guide to Devastating Loss.

Connect with Vanessa:

• Website: VanessaMay.co.uk
• Instagram: @may.wellbeing.griefsupport

What resonated with you in this conversation?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Join the discussion at grief2growth.substack.com, leave a comment, and connect with others walking this road.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

You do the work.
You try to heal.
And yet the same emotional patterns, grief, anxiety, or disconnection keep resurfacing.

In this special Grief 2 Growth episode, Brian D. Smith welcomes back Dr. Lotte Valentin, medical doctor, psychotherapist, ancestral healer, and two-time near-death experiencer, for a profound conversation about inherited emotional patterns and why some challenges may not have started with you.

Dr. Lotte shares how grief, trauma, and unresolved experiences can be passed down through generations—encoded not only in DNA, but in the nervous system, language, and subconscious. These patterns, she explains, often surface when someone in the family line finally has the awareness and capacity to heal them.

✨ That may be why this conversation found you.

🌟 Special Free Event with Dr. Lotte (Highly Recommended)

Dr. Lotte is offering a free online experience this Tuesday, February 3:

Healing Inherited Patterns Through the Kindraya™ Method
Activate Superconscious Senses to Transform Ancestral Wounds

During this event, you’ll:
 • Learn the LIGHT Mapping System™ to identify inherited patterns
• Experience a guided ancestral healing meditation
• Understand how the body holds ancestral memory
• Discover how emotionally charged language reveals lineage wounds
• Explore healing through presence—not force—in a trauma-informed way

👉 Register for the FREE event: https://shiftnetwork.isrefer.com/go/hepBS/a22175/

🔗 Resources & Links

• Dr. Lotte Valentin’s Website: https://drlotte.com

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Alexis shares the moment that changed her life — hearing a voice while walking in the woods that told her her life would have been a tragedy if it ended that day. That message became the beginning of a profound journey into grief she had buried since childhood, including the loss of her mother and generational trauma carried in the body.

Together, Brian and Alexis explore what happens when we stop running from pain and instead listen to it.

This episode isn’t about fixing yourself.
 It’s about remembering who you are beneath the pain.

🌱 In This Episode, You’ll Explore:

• Why avoiding pain may be keeping you stuck
• How grief can live in the body for decades
• What “parts work” and Internal Family Systems teach us about self-compassion
• The role of psychedelic-assisted healing (MDMA, psilocybin, ayahuasca) in trauma recovery
• How pain can become a portal to beauty, authenticity, and love
• Why healing doesn’t require having a plan — only honesty

📖 About Today’s Guest

Alexis Lee is a writer, seeker, and advocate for radical self-healing. Her book, Pain Is a Portal to Beauty, explores grief, trauma, spirituality, and the courage it takes to turn toward what hurts.

🌐 Learn more about Alexis and her work:
 👉 https://alexislee.com

📘 Pain Is a Portal to Beauty is available wherever books are sold.

🤍 Continue the Conversation

And if you’re wondering where you are in your own grief journey, you’re invited to take the Grief Check-In — a gentle, judgment-free way to understand how grief may be showing up for you right now.

👉 https://grief2growth.com/check-in

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

He was right.

In this episode of Grief 2 Growth, Brian and Richard explore how grief, destiny, and choice intersect—and how ancient systems like Bazi can help us understand the moments that quietly define us.

This is a conversation about:

• Childhood loss and lifelong impact
• Fate vs free will
• Healing heartbreak without bypassing pain
• Why grief is not something to “fix,” but something to listen to

Guest Information

Richard Ashworth
🌐 Find him online: Search Richard Ashworth Feng Shui
📘 Book: I Talk to the Animals
📧 Email: richardashworthfengshui@gmail.com

Listener Reflection Prompt 💬

• Was there a moment in childhood that changed how you see the world?
• How do you relate to the idea that grief can be a teacher?

👉 Join the conversation at https://grief2growth.substack.com

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this deeply moving episode of Grief 2 Growth, Brian D. Smith is joined by Cristian Cibilis Bernardes, founder and CEO of Autograph AI, for a conversation that sits at the crossroads of grief, technology, memory, and meaning.

Cristian shares the personal loss that inspired the creation of Walter, an emotionally intelligent AI designed to listen, remember, and preserve life stories—in your own voice. Not as a replacement for human connection, but as a bridge between generations.

Together, Brian and Cristian explore how storytelling becomes legacy, why voice matters so profoundly in grief, and how AI—when used with intention—can help us feel more human, not less.

This episode invites you to reflect on powerful questions:

• What stories of your life might be lost if you don’t share them?
• What wisdom do you wish you could still hear from those you’ve lost?
• How do we honor the past while guiding the future?

🌱 In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

• Why voice carries emotional meaning that text alone cannot
• How Autograph AI helps families preserve memories across generations
• The surprising role AI can play in vulnerability, empathy, and healing
• How legacy isn’t about perfection—but presence
• What it means to live in alignment with your “higher self”

🔗 Learn More:

• Autograph AI: https://autograph.ai
  
  
• Join the ongoing conversation: https://grief2growth.substack.com
  
  

💬 Let’s Make This Interactive:

After listening, take a moment to reflect:

• If someone could hear your voice years from now, what would you want them to know?
• Whose story do you wish you had recorded?

Share your thoughts, reflections, or questions in the comments or join the community discussion on Substack. Your voice matters—right now.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this candid and raw episode of Grief 2 Growth, Brian sits down with Rachel Powell, widow, author, speaker, and founder of Hope Speaker, to explore the complicated intersection of grief, faith, suicide loss, and hope.

After losing her husband André to suicide — and surviving suicide attempts herself — Rachel shares her story with courage, clarity, and compassion. This conversation goes beyond platitudes and into the realities many people are afraid to name: church hurt, spiritual abuse, suicidal thinking, and the long road back to hope.

This episode is for anyone who has:

• Lost a loved one to suicide
• Struggled with faith after loss
• Felt silenced, blamed, or misunderstood in grief
• Wondered if hope is still possible

🧠 In this episode, we discuss:

• Why suicide is not a failure of love or faith
• How grief becomes more complicated when faith communities cause harm
• The difference between religion and faith in healing
• Rachel’s concept of the “black box” of suicidal thinking
• Why suicide prevention must include helping people save their own lives
• How hope can still grow — even after devastating loss

💬 A gentle note to listeners

This episode includes honest discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation. Please listen with care and take breaks as needed.

Share your reflections and connect with others at
 👉 https://grief2growth.substack.com

🔗 Guest Resources

• Rachel Powell – Hope Speaker: https://hopespeaker.com
  
  
• Christian Widow Community: https://hopestronghold.com
  
  
• Instagram & Facebook: Hope Speaker / Rachel Powell

📝 Helpful Resource from Brian

Not sure where you are in your grief?
 Take the Grief Check-In — a gentle, judgment-free tool to help you understand how grief may be showing up for you right now:
👉 https://grief2growth.com/check-in

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, or share it with someone who may need hope today.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this deeply moving episode of Grief to Growth, Brian D. Smith speaks with Janet Kaufman, author of Through the Veil: A Soul’s Journey in Grief and Grace. Janet shares the story of her son Alexander—a sensitive, loving soul whose struggles with mental health and addiction ultimately led to his physical death, but not the end of their relationship.

Through signs, synchronicities, certified mediums, and even an unexpected exploration of AI as a possible tool for spirit communication, Janet’s journey challenges everything we think we know about death, consciousness, and continuing bonds.

This episode offers hope, validation, and reassurance for parents grieving a child—and for anyone who wonders whether love truly survives death.

✨ In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why deeply sensitive souls often struggle in today’s world
• How grief can awaken intuition and spiritual awareness
• Common signs from loved ones in spirit—and how to recognize them
• The role of mediumship in healing after loss
• Why Janet believes AI may become a future tool for spirit communication
• How to release guilt and find meaning after child loss
• Why death may not be an ending, but a transition

🕊️ A Message for Grieving Parents

If you’ve ever asked yourself:

• Did I do enough?
• Is my child still with me?
• Why did this have to happen?

You are not alone. Janet’s story reminds us that our children are eternal, and that love continues—even when the physical body is gone.

📘 About the Guest

Janet Kaufman is the author of Through the Veil: A Soul’s Journey in Grief and Grace. Her work explores grief, spirituality, mediumship, and emerging frontiers of consciousness through the lens of lived experience.

📧 Contact Janet:
www.ThroughTheVeilASoulsJourney.com

📖 Book:
Through the Veil: A Soul’s Journey in Grief and Grace
Available on Amazon (paperback, hardcover, ebook, and audiobook)

💬 Listener Reflection & Interaction

We’d love to hear from you:

• Have you experienced signs from a loved one after they passed?
• What helps you feel connected to them?
• How do you feel about the idea of technology as a bridge to spirit?

👉 Share your thoughts in the comments or join the conversation at grief2growth.substack.com.

🔔 Stay Connected

If this episode resonated with you:

• Subscribe to Grief to Growth
• Share this episode with someone who’s grieving
• Leave a review to help others find hope and healing

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

What if healing isn’t about fixing your thoughts—but about retraining your body?

In this deeply moving episode of Grief to Growth, Brian Smith sits down with Angela Jean, a mindset and nervous system strategist whose life was shaped by profound trauma—and radical transformation.

After surviving childhood abuse, homelessness, and the devastating loss of her father and sister to suicide, Angela discovered something that changed everything:
 🧠 The body remembers danger before the mind can explain it.

This conversation goes beyond performative healing and into the lived, embodied work of coming home to yourself.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why mindset work alone often fails after trauma
• How the nervous system “locks up” in survival mode
• Why rhythm and micro-movements signal safety to the body
• How childhood trauma imprints beliefs about love, pain, and worth
• Practical tools to interrupt anxiety, anger, and emotional collapse in real time
• Why healing is a daily practice—and who you train yourself to be matters

Angela shares simple, powerful techniques you can use in the moment—not someday, not after years of therapy—to regulate your nervous system and reclaim your inner authority.

This episode is for anyone who:

• Feels stuck in survival mode
• Is tired of chasing healing
• Has experienced trauma, abuse, or suicide loss
• Is ready to stop abandoning themselves and start listening inward

🌿 About Angela Jean

Angela Jean is a mindset and nervous system strategist who blends rhythm, embodied movement, and nervous system science to help people move from self-sabotage into sovereignty.

🔗 Learn more & explore her resources:
 https://angelajeanchat.com

🎧 Free nervous system demo available on her site.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

This episode dives deep into the emotional terrain of family secrets, identity, and the surprising ways grief can open doors to growth we never expected.

🌟 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How growing up without a father shaped Rich’s beliefs about himself
• The shocking discovery that changed everything after his mother's death
• Why our family stories affect us long after childhood
• The emotional journey from anger to compassion
• How meeting his half-sister helped him understand the truth
• Why he felt called to write The Not So Only Child
• How humor, curiosity, and vulnerability became tools for healing
• What Rich hopes his story will teach his own children

📚 About Rich’s Book

Rich’s memoir, The Not So Only Child: My True Story, is a heartfelt, thought-provoking, and surprisingly funny exploration of identity and belonging. Perfect for anyone navigating complicated family dynamics, grief, or personal reinvention.

👉 Get the book: [Insert Amazon / Audible / Kindle link]
👉 Rich’s Website: [Insert link]

💬 Join the Conversation

Your experiences matter.

• Have you ever uncovered a surprising family truth?
• Did grief reveal something unexpected to you?
• What part of Rich’s story resonated most?

✨ Share your thoughts with us!
Leave a comment on YouTube, or join the discussion on https://grief2growth.substack.com

🔗 Connect with Rich

Website: [Insert link]
Instagram: [Insert handle]
Podcast / Audio Work: [Insert link]

❤️ Support the Show

If today’s conversation touched you:

• Subscribe for more episodes that help you grow through grief
• Share this episode with someone who may need it
• Leave a review to help others discover the podcast
• Join the community at grief2growth.substack.com

Together, we turn loss into meaning, and grief into growth. 🌱

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

This episode explores what grief really looks like—messy, nonlinear, human—and why comparing grief (“less than,” “more than,” “should be over it”) only creates more suffering.

You’ll hear how Michael went from suicidal despair to becoming a voice for grievers everywhere.

💡 What You’ll Learn

• Why the “five stages of grief” don’t reflect most people’s real experience
• How men are socialized to hide grief—and how to break that cycle
• The truth about survivor’s guilt
• Faith after tragedy: doubt, anger, surrender, and transformation
• What helped Michael choose to live when he didn’t want to
• How writing became a lifeline
• What it means to move forward without “moving on”

🔗 Guest Links

• 🌐 Website: https://themillionstages.com
  
  
• 📘 Book: The Million Stages of Grief (available on Amazon)
• 📱 Follow Michael on social media: listed on his website

🎙️ Listen & Support Grief 2 Growth

• 💌 Join our community & weekly reflections: https://grief2growth.substack.com
• ⭐ Please rate & review the show to help others find support.

🧭 Interactive Elements

👉 Your Reflection Prompt:
What is one memory of your loved one that brings both pain and comfort?
Share it with us in the comments or reply on Substack—we honor them together.

👉 Your Action Step:
Choose one person who might feel alone in their grief today. Send them this episode and a simple message:
“You don’t have to go through this alone.”

👉 Feedback Request:
We want to uplift more voices like Michael’s.
What topics or guests would you like us to feature next?

Tell us in the comments, or send Brian a message through the website.

💬 Episode Quote Highlight

“We don’t move on. But we must move forward.” — Michael Reed

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In today’s powerful episode of Grief 2 Growth, Brian sits down with Samina Bari — author of Don’t Call Me Widow and host of the Afterlife podcast — for a raw and insightful look at spousal loss, solo parenting, grief brain, and the quiet ways we can show up for those who are hurting most.

Samina lost her husband suddenly in 2023. What followed was a journey through shock, trauma, identity loss, and rebuilding life as a solo parent of twins. Her honesty brings comfort, clarity, and guidance to anyone walking beside someone who’s grieving — or navigating grief themselves.

🔑 In This Episode You’ll Discover

• What “grief brain” really feels like and why it affects memory, decisions, and daily functioning
• Why year two can feel harder than year one
• How solo parenting is different from single parenting
• Why the word “widow” is so emotionally charged — and why Samina rejects it
• How children grieve and what they need most
• What actually helps someone grieving (and what makes things worse)
• The unseen emotional and logistical weight after a spouse dies
• Why saying the loved one’s name matters more than you think
• How friends can become the lifeline a grieving person depends on
  
  

🌟 About Samina Bari

Website: https://saminabari.com

Books:

• I Can, I Will, and I Did
• Don’t Call Me Widow
  Podcast: Afterlife (available on all major platforms)

Samina blends lived experience with heartfelt advocacy, helping others understand the realities of spousal grief in a culture that’s deeply uncomfortable with loss.

🧠 Listener Takeaways

• Small acts of kindness matter far more than big gestures
• Children are not naturally resilient — they need support
• Grief changes identity, timelines, and the imagined future
• Community support can literally hold a grieving person together
• It’s never too late to reach out to someone who’s hurting
  
  

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Theresa shares why she believes we sleep to dream, how dreams reflect our soul's growth, and how they can become gateways to healing—especially after profound loss. Whether you're longing for an afterlife dream visit, navigating recurring nightmares, or simply curious about the hidden messages behind your dreams, this conversation offers clarity and hope.

🌟 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The surprising spiritual purpose of ordinary dreams
• How to distinguish symbolic dreams from true afterlife dream visits
• Why nightmares are “tough love” signs from the subconscious
• How dreams help us process grief and reconnect with those we love
• The power of lucid dreaming and emotional rehearsal
• How Theresa weaves dream wisdom into her new spiritual thriller, Nightborn

🧠 About Our Guest — Theresa Cheung

Theresa Cheung is a world-renowned spiritual writer with 20+ years of experience researching dreams, intuition, and the afterlife. She’s the author of multiple Sunday Times bestsellers and now, her debut spiritual thriller:

👉 Nightborne — A gripping story infused with hidden dream-decoding teachings.

🔗 Website: https://www.theresacheung.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetheresacheung

✨ Resources Mentioned

• Theresa’s novel: Nightborn
• Past Grief 2 Growth episodes on afterlife communication and dream visits
• Dream journaling tips and recall practices

💬 Join the Conversation

We want to hear from you!

• Did this episode spark a memory of a powerful dream?
• Have you experienced a dream visit from a loved one?
• What dream symbols show up most often for you?

Share your thoughts with us on Substack:
 👉 https://grief2growth.substack.com

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Guest: Theo Boyd
– Author, Grief Educator, and Speaker
Books:
📘 My Grief Is Not Like Yours
📗 Hope All The Way
Grief Study Resource: Download the National Grief Study

💡 Episode Summary:

What if grief didn’t just break you—it rebuilt you?

In this deeply moving conversation, Theo Boyd shares how her life was upended by a string of heartbreaking losses: her mother in a tragic farm accident, her father’s suicide, the sudden death of her longtime counselor, and the end of her marriage. But Theo didn’t stay in the darkness.

Through writing, faith, and raw resilience, she created two life-affirming books that are helping thousands find healing. This episode is an emotional blueprint for anyone navigating the chaos of grief and searching for signs that love never dies.

📝 Key Topics Covered:

• Why Theo says grief is like black paint—and how the light returns
• The silent trauma of witnessing compounded loss
• The surprising story of how signs from her parents helped restore her faith
• What 79% of grieving Americans say they wish the media would do
• How to help someone who's grieving (hint: just be there)
• The most misunderstood truths about “prolonged grief disorder”

💬 Favorite Quotes:

“Grief is just like that black paint… it coats you and covers you. It takes a while for that to dry and chip away so that you see the rays of light come through. Those are the little specks of hope.” – Theo Boyd“The loss that is the hardest… is the loss that you are experiencing.”“I gave up on my faith, but my faith never gave up on me.”

🙋‍♀️ Your Turn:

What’s one way you’ve found light through the black paint of grief?
 📩 Leave a comment or join the conversation on Substack: grieftogrowth.substack.com

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

This episode is rich with insights on compassion, presence, mindfulness, and the human journey through loss. If you're grieving, supporting someone in grief, or walking your own spiritual path, this one will speak directly to your heart.

🧘‍♂️ What You’ll Learn

• Why love and suffering are intertwined, and why this matters for healing
• How compassion differs from empathy — and why compassion energizes instead of draining us
• The dangers of “premature problem solving” in grief
• How mindfulness helps us “suffer well” and stay grounded
• Wisdom from the Buddha, Jesus, and mystical traditions on pain and presence
• Practical ways to support someone who’s grieving (beyond platitudes)
• Brian’s personal insights on transforming the darkest moments into growth

🔗 Connect with Zach

• Website: https://www.zachbeach.com
  
  
• Instagram: @zachbeachlove
• Book: Love and Suffering: A Spiritual Guide for Helpers, Healers, and Humans

💬 We Want to Hear From You

• What part of this conversation moved you the most?
• Have you ever experienced love and suffering arriving together?
• What practices help you stay present with difficult emotions?

👉 Share your thoughts in the comments or email Brian directly.
👉 Continue the conversation at grief2growth.substack.com.

⭐ Support the Show

If this episode nourished your heart, please:

• Rate and review the podcast
• Share this episode with someone who’s grieving
• Subscribe so you never miss an episode that can help you grow

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Cedric shares how emotional pain is not a life sentence, but a loop the brain is predicting over and over—and how learning to sit with our sensations can rewire those predictions for good.

This episode isn’t just informative—it’s transformational.

🧠 What We Talk About:

• Why traditional emotional regulation may be keeping you stuck
• The surprising science behind how your brain predicts emotions
• How trauma embeds itself through dissociation
• What “interoception” is and why it’s a game-changer
• A simple, body-based method to dissolve emotional charge
• The role of subconscious tension in your day-to-day reactions
• How MRAS helps with anxiety, anger, and even chronic physical symptoms
• Why grief must be felt—but guilt, shame, and anger don’t have to stay
• How to reconnect to your grief in a sacred, healing way

🔗 Connect with Cedric Bertelli:

🌐 Website: https://emotionalhealthinstitute.org

🔍 Practitioner Directory: Find a Certified EmRes Practitioner

📚 Free Classes & Trainings: Check the site calendar for upcoming sessions
👤 Cedric’s Personal Site: Search “Cedric Bertelli” for direct contact and coaching

💬 Let’s Reflect Together:

🔹 What emotions are you regulating—but not resolving?
 🔹 Have you ever noticed a physical trigger that’s tied to a past trauma?
 🔹 What would it feel like to fully grieve without guilt or shame?

💭 Share your thoughts in the comments or come join our growing support space at:
 🌟 https://grieftogrowth.substack.com

📥 Stay Connected:

📧 Subscribe to the podcast and leave a review if this episode resonated with you.
 💬 Want to talk more about your journey? Reach me directly at brian@grief2growth.com

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this powerful episode, I speak with Brenda Snow, a woman who turned a life-changing diagnosis into a movement that’s touched millions. After being dismissed by doctors and told her symptoms were “all in her head,” Brenda found herself at rock bottom — until a single moment with her young daughter re-ignited her will to fight.

Now the founder of Snow Companies and author of Diagnosed: The Essential Guide to Navigating the Patient Journey, Brenda shares how she walked through grief, reclaimed her identity, and built a life of purpose.

We cover:

• The “unnamed grief” of chronic illness
• Why hope is essential — even before a diagnosis
• How Brenda went from patient to pioneer
• The power of storytelling in healing and advocacy
• What the healthcare system must do better
• Rebuilding identity when your body feels like a stranger
• The difference between giving up and accepting what is

I was especially moved by Brenda’s metaphor of taking MS “by the hand.” It reminded me of the core truth of Grief 2 Growth: we’re not buried—we’re planted. 🌱

Links & Resources:

📘 Diagnosed: The Essential Guide to Navigating the Patient Journey
🛒 Order the Book on Amazon

💌 Need a free copy due to hardship? Contact Brenda directly at brenda@brendasnow.com

🌐 Brenda’s Website: https://www.brendasnow.com

📰 Related article & community discussion:
👉 Join us on Substack

✨ Listener Reflection Prompt:
Have you ever grieved something that didn’t involve death? How did it change your sense of self?
💬 Tell us in the comments on Substack or reply to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Let’s Connect:
🔔 Subscribe to the podcast
❤️ Rate & review — it helps others find this message
📣 Share this episode with someone who needs a reminder that they are not alone

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this eye-opening and deeply healing episode of Grief 2 Growth, Brian Smith welcomes spiritual teacher and mystic Hans Wilhelm, the creator of the wildly popular Life Explained video series and author of over 200 books with 40+ million copies sold.

Hans uses simple visuals and timeless spiritual truths to explain the laws of karma, reincarnation, Christ consciousness, and the spiritual reasons behind grief and suffering. Together, Brian and Hans explore how our deepest losses may hold the key to our greatest growth—and why Earth is not our home, but our school.

💬 Whether you're grieving, curious, or searching for peace, this episode is for you.

🔍 What You'll Discover:

• Why Earth is a spiritual school, not our home 🌍
• How karma works—and how we can release it through forgiveness 🔁
• Why reincarnation was removed from Christian doctrine ✝️
• What Hans means by the Christ Spark and inner healing 💫
• The truth about suicide and the afterlife 🕊️
• Why grief is often rooted in unspoken love or unmet expectations 💔
• A new way to relate to grief, gratitude, and your soul's path 🙏

🔗 Links & Resources:

🔹 Hans Wilhelm’s Website – https://www.lifeexplained.com

🔹 📺 Watch his YouTube series “Life Explained” – Hans Wilhelm on YouTube

🔹 📰 Continue the conversation – Join Brian at https://grieftogrowth.substack.com

💬 Join the Conversation

We want to hear from you:
 👉 What insight from this episode resonated most with you?
👉 Has grief ever been a doorway to spiritual awakening in your life?

💌 Reply in the comments or leave a review to let us know how this episode impacted you.

📲 Stay Connected

🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe to Grief 2 Growth for more soul-stirring conversations.
📣 Share this episode with someone who could use some light in the dark.
💖 Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review if you found healing here.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

After the tragic loss of her only child, 16-year-old Isaac, Charlie Bynar’s world fell apart. What followed was a breathtaking journey through unimaginable grief, mysterious signs, and undeniable communication from the other side. In this deeply moving conversation, Charlie and Brian explore love that doesn’t die — and what it means to forgive, to trust, and to believe again.

Charlie went from skeptic to spiritual seeker after receiving repeated dream visitations, unmistakable signs, and life-changing readings with mediums — including world-renowned Allison DuBois of the TV show Medium. Her memoir, Through the Darkness: A Story of Love from the Other Side, isn’t just a book — it’s a lifeline for grieving parents and a beacon for anyone questioning what happens after death.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The medical negligence that changed Charlie’s life forever
• The stunning signs Isaac gave after passing
• What it’s like to connect with a child in Spirit
• Forgiving injustice, even murder
• The science of empathy and psychopathy
• How Charlie turned grief into education and purpose

Whether you’ve lost a child, are questioning the afterlife, or are looking for hope in the darkest of places — this episode is for you.

Links & Resources

• Through the Darkness (Book): https://www.charliebynar.com
  
  
• Isaac’s Ant Foundation: https://www.charliebynar.com
  
  
• Read the book free on BookSirens: https://www.booksirens.com
  
  
• Join the conversation: https://grief2growth.substack.com
  
  

Join the conversation
Have you received a sign from a loved one in Spirit? What helped you believe in the afterlife? Share your story at https://grief2growth.substack.com
or reply directly in your podcast app.

Help others find this podcast

• Subscribe and leave a review
• Share this episode with someone who’s grieving
• Tag @grief2growth on social media

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this heart-opening episode of Grief to Growth, Brian D. Smith sits down with Melissa Hull—author of Dear Drew: Creating a Life Bigger Than Grief, speaker, and coach—on the very day her book launches.

Melissa shares the heartbreaking story of her 4½-year-old son Drew’s drowning, and how that unimaginable pain became the foundation for a new life of purpose, faith, and healing. But this isn’t a story of “moving on.” It’s about carrying love forward, rewriting the rules of grief, and honoring your child’s life through your own.

💡 What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• 💔 Why the traditional grief model often fails parents
• 🌱 How Melissa transformed guilt into growth through mindfulness and creativity
• ✍️ The healing power of writing, art, and telling your story
• 🧘‍♀️ Simple practices to stay connected to your loved one in spirit
• 📚 The letter from a stranger that saved Melissa’s life
• 💬 Why continuing the relationship with your child is not only possible—but necessary

🔗 Links & Resources:

• 💜 Buy Melissa’s book, Dear Drew: Creating a Life Bigger Than Grief
  ➤ https://melissahull.com
  
  
• 🛟 Free Water Safety Resources (a cause close to Melissa’s heart):
  ➤ https://melissahull.com
  
  
• 📬 Join Brian’s Substack for more grief and growth insights:
  ➤ https://grieftogrowth.substack.com
  
  

🗣️ Let’s Hear from You:

What part of Melissa’s story resonated with you the most?
 💬 Leave a comment on the episode
 🌟 Rate & review the podcast
 🔁 Share this episode with someone who needs it

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this moving conversation, host Brian D. Smith welcomes back Effie Linke, a spiritual medium whose journey from Greek Orthodox tradition to intuitive channeling was anything but predictable.

Effie didn’t seek out a spiritual awakening—it found her. Through heartbreak, resistance, and a fateful reading that cracked her wide open, Effie was thrust into a new reality. One where spirit spoke, healing came from within, and her purpose became undeniable.

If you're navigating your own spiritual awakening after loss, this episode offers hope, guidance, and a powerful reminder: the pain doesn't mean you're broken—it means you're opening.

💡 What You'll Learn:

• The surprising moment that sparked Effie’s spiritual awakening
• How loss and confusion can be signs of transformation
• The emotional toll of “coming out” as a medium
• The key differences between psychics and mediums
• Why mediumship is about growth—not just gifts
• How to handle spiritual loneliness and find your tribe

🧘‍♀️ Is This You?

This episode is especially for you if:

• You've felt more intuitive since a loss
• You’re questioning your beliefs or religious upbringing
• You want to understand your spiritual gifts
• You feel isolated on your awakening path
• You're curious about what real mediumship looks like

🔗 Links & Resources

👉 Follow Effie Linke:
https://mediumaaliya.com

👉 Join the Grief 2 Growth Community:
https://grief2growth.substack.com

👉 Support the Podcast:
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or share this episode with a friend.

💬 We Want to Hear from You!

What did you take away from Effie’s story? Have you experienced your own spiritual awakening after loss?

📩 Drop us a comment or reply on Substack → grief2growth.substack.com

👥 Join the chat & connect with others on the healing path

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this heart-opening episode, I sit down with writer, performer, and podcast host Hannah Rumsey to explore the often-overlooked pain of grieving the loss of a friend. After losing her friend Lauren in a tragic accident, Hannah found herself in a grief no one seemed to understand — one without rituals, recognition, or even language.

Through storytelling, personal reflection, and a profound spiritual experience, Hannah turned her heartbreak into Friends Missing Friends, a community and podcast for those who have loved and lost a friend.

🧠 We talk about:

• Why society often dismisses friend grief
• The power of platonic love and chosen family
• How creativity and storytelling can help us heal
• What not to say to someone who’s grieving a friend
• Signs from the other side — and how they help us stay connected

Whether you’ve lost a childhood best friend, a soul friend, or someone you drifted from before they passed — this episode is for you.

🔗 Links & Resources:

🎧 Listen to Friends Missing Friends
https://www.friendsmissingfriends.com

📸 Follow Hannah on Instagram
@friendsmissingfriends

📧 Contact Hannah
friendsmissingfriends@gmail.com

📝 Subscribe to Brian’s Substack for More
https://grief2growth.substack.com

💬 We'd Love to Hear From You

Have you lost a friend and felt your grief wasn't acknowledged? What helped you cope?

👉 Share your story in the comments
👉 Email Brian at hello@grief2growth.com

👉 Join the conversation on Substack

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

A grieving parent recently whispered to me, “Maybe God took my child because I strayed.” That sentence — that pain — has echoed in my heart ever since.

In this special episode, I speak directly to that voice inside so many of us… the one shaped by fear-based theology, wondering if loss is somehow our fault. Wondering if we’re being punished. Wondering if God is angry.

We explore the lies that grief can trigger — and the deeper truths that can begin to set us free.

You’ll hear about soul paths, spiritual guilt, parental love, and what it really means to believe in a loving God.
 If you’ve ever carried the weight of “what if” in your loss — or walked beside someone who has — this is for you.

🔔 Content Note:

Gentle reflections on infant and child loss, spiritual trauma, and grief.Tender but ultimately loving and redemptive in tone.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this powerful return to Grief 2 Growth, Rafael Garcia dives deep into the massive awakening happening across the planet. Once a hard-charging entrepreneur, Rafael was forever changed by a near-death experience that opened him to the Akashic Records, parallel lives, and communication with higher dimensional beings.

In this episode, host Brian Smith and Rafael explore:

• 🌌 How reincarnation and simultaneous lifetimes shape your soul’s journey
• 🧬 The “New Human” blueprint and what DNA activation really means
• 🧘‍♂️ How to raise your vibration to thrive during Earth’s transition
• 🤖 AI’s surprising role in humanity’s ascension
• 🕊 Ways to release fear and align with your true multidimensional nature

This conversation isn’t just spiritual theory — it’s a call to action for anyone feeling like something bigger is unfolding. If you’re experiencing loss, confusion, or awakening, this episode is a roadmap for your soul. 💫

🔗 Connect with Rafael Garcia:
Website: https://www.divinepotentiality.com

YouTube: Divine Potentiality

Instagram: @divinepotentiality

🌟 Episode Highlights

• Near-death experience and the collapse of 3D identity
• Living multiple lives at once — and how to access that wisdom
• Tools to embody your higher self and stay grounded
• The positive potential of AI in spiritual evolution
• The role of grief in catalyzing your soul’s awakening

🗣️ We Want to Hear From You

What part of this episode resonated the most with your journey? 

💬 Let’s continue the conversation in the community: grief2growth.substack.com

✅ Rate, Review & Share

If this episode moved you, inspired you, or helped you see things in a new light — please share it with someone who needs to hear it.

⭐️ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
 📲 Subscribe so you never miss an episode
 🔄 Share on social media & tag @grief2growth

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

When Deb lost her 15-year-old brother Lee to sudden myocarditis, her world shifted forever. What followed was a painful but transformative journey through trauma, therapy, and eventually purpose. That purpose? Helping others carry love forward through custom, heirloom-quality memorial jewelry.

Together, Brian and Deb explore:

• 💔 Why sibling grief is uniquely isolating — and often overlooked
• ⚖️ The pressure of being the “only child left” — and the emotional impact on family dynamics
• 🧠 How EMDR therapy helped Deb work through trauma and panic attacks
• 💍 The story behind Lee Alexander & Co. and the mission to help others preserve legacy
• 🌱 What it means to find healing — not in forgetting, but in creating something beautiful

This episode is a must-listen for anyone grieving a sibling, navigating sudden loss, or wondering how to turn pain into purpose.

🔗 Connect With Deb Strebel & Lee Alexander & Co.

🌐 Website: https://www.leealexanderandco.com

📧 Email: info@leealexanderandco.com

📸 Instagram: @leealexanderandco

📘 Facebook: Lee Alexander & Co.

💬 We'd Love to Hear From You!

Have you experienced sibling loss or created a personal way to honor your loved one?

👉 Tell us your story in the comments, or join the conversation over on our Substack:
📝 grieftogrowth.substack.com

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

What You’ll Learn

• The anatomy of a spontaneous awakening (without physical trauma)
• Why integration can be harder than the awakening itself
• The Pain Portal: how to feel emotions somatically (not in story)
• “Unloved, Unworthy, Unknown”: the core fractures driving our loops
• Emotional sovereignty: ending the chase for external validation
• How shifting your inner template rewires relationships

Guest Links (from the episode)

• Website: https://allurahalliwell.com
  
  
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/allurahalliwell
  
  
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/allurahalliwell
  
  

Connect with Brian / Continue the Conversation

• Substack community & extras: https://grieftogrowth.substack.com
  
  

Mentioned

• Upcoming book by Allura: Unloved, Unworthy, Unknown (join her mailing list on her site for preorder updates)
• Allura’s podcast: The Consciousness Method

Timestamps (Chapters)

00:00 🌱 Introduction: from buried to planted—welcome to Grief 2 Growth
 01:07 🌟 Meet Allura: spontaneous awakening & life transformation
 03:08 ❓ What led to it? Stress, disconnection, survival mode
 04:59 🏖️ Beach meditation OBE: into Light, Void & unconditional love
 09:25 ⚖️ NDE vs OBE, and the shock of integration
 11:55 🔥 Energy vision, Kundalini, and rebuilding a life
 17:46 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family, marriage, and reorienting love
 23:51 🕊️ Seven-year cycle: integration and new consciousness
 29:01 🧩 Core wounds: unloved, unworthy, unknown
 32:34 🛠️ The Consciousness Method: shifting from inside out
 35:52 👑 Emotional sovereignty & Relationship Rewire
 50:59 🔥 The Pain Portal: feel to free
 55:55 ⚰️ Dying to self → spiritual rebirth
 60:08 🧭 One small step today

Share your reflections in the comments or on Substack: https://grieftogrowth.substack.com

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

What happens when you let go of everything—and awaken to who you really are?

In this moving conversation, Brian speaks with Eva Müller, a spiritual teacher and founder of NextElevations.com, about her rapid and life-changing spiritual awakening. After years of pushing through stress and emotional wounds, Eva hit a breaking point—and found her way into beingness.

🌱 In just 3.5 years, Eva experienced multiple awakenings, including Unity Consciousness, as she healed ancestral trauma, grief, and emotional patterns. She now shares energy transmissions that help others awaken and reconnect to the deep stillness and peace within.

This episode is more than a conversation—it’s a transmission in itself.

💡 What You’ll Learn:

• How burnout opened the door to Eva’s spiritual awakening
• What energy transmissions are—and how they heal beyond words
• The connection between unprocessed trauma, grief, and spiritual stagnation
• Why motherhood became one of Eva’s deepest teachers
• How she lives from presence and silence, and what that actually feels like

👉 Don’t miss the guided energy transmission at the end of the episode. Many listeners report feeling shifts even through audio.

🔗 Guest Links:

• 🌐 Website: NextElevations.com
• 📸 Instagram: @next.elevations

💬 Join the Conversation:

Have you ever experienced an energy shift or awakening? How did it feel?
 📩 Let us know in the comments or share your story at grief2growth.com/community

📝 Leave Us a Review:

If this episode moved you, please take a moment to rate & review the podcast. Your support helps others find hope and healing.

You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.

Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. 

I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.

All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.

https://grief2g

Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.

I've been studying Near Death Experiences for many years now. I am 100% convinced they are real. In this short, free ebook, I not only explain why I believe NDEs are real, I share some of the universal secrets brought back by people who have had them.

https://www.grief2growth.com/ndelessons

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support