Giving Grief Grace

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Giving Grief Grace

Lisa Hartung

28 episodes

1 day ago

Former teacher and principal, and current K–12 literacy director, Katie Megrian has spent over two decades working in schools. She founded The Reading Symphony, a mission-driven platform that helps families and educators understand how reading develops and how it can transform lives. Behind her work lies a deeply personal story of love and loss. In this episode, Katie shares how losing her brother at age four, her aunt as a teen, and her father to pancreatic cancer just months before her wedd...

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Health & Fitness

All content for Giving Grief Grace is the property of Lisa Hartung and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Former teacher and principal, and current K–12 literacy director, Katie Megrian has spent over two decades working in schools. She founded The Reading Symphony, a mission-driven platform that helps families and educators understand how reading develops and how it can transform lives. Behind her work lies a deeply personal story of love and loss. In this episode, Katie shares how losing her brother at age four, her aunt as a teen, and her father to pancreatic cancer just months before her wedd...

Show more...

Health & Fitness

Episodes (20/28)

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 26 - Grief, Legacy, and Literacy: How Loss Shaped an Educator’s Mission to Help People Read

Former teacher and principal, and current K–12 literacy director, Katie Megrian has spent over two decades working in schools. She founded The Reading Symphony, a mission-driven platform that helps families and educators understand how reading develops and how it can transform lives. Behind her work lies a deeply personal story of love and loss. In this episode, Katie shares how losing her brother at age four, her aunt as a teen, and her father to pancreatic cancer just months before her wedd...

17 hours ago

38 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 25 - Grief in the Digital Age: Dr. Camelia Clarke on Social Media Etiquette and Setting Boundaries After Loss

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Camelia Clarke — owner of Paradise Memorial Funeral and Cremation Services and nationally recognized Funeral Director and grief etiquette advocate — as she shares how compassion can guide us through even the most delicate moments of loss. With nearly thirty years in the funeral profession, Dr. Clarke has helped countless families navigate death with dignity. After experiencing the sudden loss of her nephew and witnessing how quickly painful news can sprea...

1 week ago

46 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 24 - Living Fully with Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer: The Freedom of Letting Go

When stage 4 ovarian cancer came back for the third time, Melanie Ezell made a radical decision—to stop fighting and start living. A surfer, yogi, nutritionist, and coach in Oahu, Hawaii, Melanie has turned her diagnosis into a daily practice of presence, gratitude, and freedom. She shares how surrender eased her anxiety, how acceptance steadied her body, and how peace arrived only after she let go of the need to “beat” cancer. Together, we explore what it means to live fully while going thro...

2 weeks ago

54 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 23 - Soul Echoes: Finding Comfort and Connection After Death Through a Spiritual Medium

This week we sit down with Trish Riggle, a fifth-generation intuitive and spiritual medium who has been connecting with spirits for over twenty years. Trish opens up about what it means to carry that lineage—how she first recognized her intuitive gift at the age of four, and how she now uses her abilities to bring comfort, healing, and validation to those seeking peace after loss through her company Soul Echoes with Trish. She's worked with nurses, lawyers, and police offers on missing person...

3 weeks ago

58 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 22 - From Soviet Silence to Soulful Healing: A Refugee’s Journey to Inner Peace After Lymphatic Cancer

Born Jewish in the former Soviet Union, Diana Esther grew up in a world where faith was forbidden and smiles were rare—she didn’t see a real smile until her late teens. Fleeing as a refugee with her parents and only three suitcases, she sought freedom but later faced another life-altering challenge: a rare lymphatic cancer diagnosis as a young mother. Diana traveled around Europe in search of the right doctors because she needed to be there for her family. After her treatment options were exh...

4 weeks ago

53 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 21 - Breaking Through the Dark: Redefining Self After a Near-Death Experience (NDE)

Dawn Christensen’s life has been defined by resilience and reinvention. Born without breath, surviving a near-death experience (NDE) after a car accident, living with chronic illness, and still finding her way back to the light—Dawn embodies what it means to reinvent the self amidst tremendous challenge. A certified somatic healer, expressive arts counselor, and founder of The Grace Program—a nonprofit bringing the arts to cancer patients—Dawn shares how body, soul, and synchronicity ca...

1 month ago

55 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 20 - A Sacred Passage: Shamanic Journeying Through Loss and Light

This week we sit down with Rachel Fitzpatrick, a yoga teacher, creator, and host of The FitZen Project Podcast. Rachel shares her life-changing experience of taking her grandmother’s hand and walking her home during a shamanic journey. She offers listeners an intimate look at how this spiritual practice can open space for love, presence, and release at life’s threshold. Together, we talk about how grief can be both a weight and a portal—an invitation to deepen intuition, connect with spirit, ...

1 month ago

47 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 19 - Senior Living Made S.I.M.P.L.E.™: Shari Ross on Caregiving, Community, and Courage

Navigating senior living decisions can feel overwhelming—whether you’re noticing red flags with loved ones' health, living situation, or wellbeing, avoiding challenging family conversations, or feeling guilt around choosing the best affordable caregiving option. In this episode, we sit down with senior living consultant, author, and advocate Shari Ross, creator of the Senior Living Made S.I.M.P.L.E.™ Method. Shari blends professional expertise with her own caregiving journey to bring families...

1 month ago

51 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 18 - What Happens After? Author Diane Namm on Love, Loss, and Healing on Your Own Time

This week we sit down with Diane Namm—author of 65 books to discuss the release of her new book:What Happens After? Together we explore love, loss, and how healing from grief takes as long as it takes. Diane shares her extraordinary writing journey and the inspiration behind this heartfelt story that honors grief as a process without a timeline. Together, we discuss the many ways we can move forward while still holding close the memory of loved ones, and how celebrating them in unique, ...

1 month ago

42 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 17 - Building a Roadmap of Hope for Pancreatic Cancer with Dino Verrelli of Project Purple

This week we sit down with Dino Verrelli, Founder and CEO of Project Purple, a leading nonprofit dedicated to fighting pancreatic cancer. Inspired by his father’s pancreatic cancer journey, Dino turned grief into purpose by creating a community that funds groundbreaking research, provides direct patient support, and builds hope for families navigating one of the toughest cancer diagnoses. Together, we explore Project Purple’s impactful support of early detection research with Duke Cancer Inst...

2 months ago

55 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 16 - How to Survive Caregiving: 5 Practical Tips to Ease Stress and Overwhelm

Caregiving can feel like too much to carry — the constant demands, the emotional weight, and the exhaustion that lingers even when you’re doing your best. In this solo episode, host Lisa Hartung shares five practical caregiving tips to help reduce stress, ease overwhelm, and find moments of peace amidst a challenging time. From taking just one minute for yourself, to cherishing small moments, letting go of regrets, leaning on your support network, and truly listening to your loved one, these ...

2 months ago

27 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 15 - The Power of Presence: A Mother’s Story of Child Loss, Leukemia, and Finding Joy

When Suzanne Andora Barron’s son Christopher was first diagnosed with leukemia at age three, she could never have imagined the rollercoaster that lay ahead. Over the next six years, Christopher faced leukemia three times, passing away at age 9. Through it all, Suzanne made a powerful choice: to be fully present with Christopher and his younger brother Ryan. Traditional rules went out the window, and each day was filled with fun and play, no matter the circumstances. Suzanne and her husb...

2 months ago

1 hour 1 minute

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 14 - Living with Lupus and APS After Stillbirth: A Story of Healing Through Abstract Art

Sheri Biritz and her husband were overjoyed to be expecting a baby boy. Over the holidays, they celebrated with family, imagining the joy of meeting their son, Calvin. But during a routine prenatal visit, Sheri was rushed to the hospital with preeclampsia. Doctors explained they would need to induce labor, but Calvin was too small to survive. Sheri learned she had Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS), an autoimmune blood disorder which likely caused Calvin's stillbirth. In this vulnerable conversa...

2 months ago

1 hour 21 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 13 - A Pancreatic Cancer Survivor’s Story: From Clinical Trials to the NYC Marathon

When Dan McNamee was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at 40, he didn't know how much time he had left. Five years later, he’s in remission—grateful, scarred, and transformed. In this powerful episode, Dan shares his journey through chemotherapy, clinical trials, and the emotional terrain of facing mortality at such a young age while raising two young sons. With a family of doctors at his side and a deep desire to leave something behind, Dan wrote Everything That Makes Me Happy Makes Me Sad—a ...

3 months ago

48 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 12 - Sibling Loss at 11: A Sister’s Story of Silent Mourning and What Could Have Been

When Jessica Kueck was just 11 years old, her 3-year-old brother Aaron drowned—an unspeakable tragedy that cracked her world open and quietly redefined her family. Jessica shares what it was like to be the “forgotten mourner,” the older sibling who held space for everyone else while her own grief went largely unseen. Now a devoted mother, spiritual seeker, and aspiring memoirist, Jessica reflects on how this early loss shaped her identity, how her grief evolved over the decades, and how...

3 months ago

45 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 11 - From Ashes to Art: A 30-Day Grief Healing Program with The Ash Rose Foundation

This week we sit down with Ian McCartor—visual artist, hospice nurse, Certified Grief Counselor, and President & Executive Director of The Ash Rose Foundation. With over a decade of end-of-life care experience, Ian brings a rare combination of clinical compassion and creative vision to his work with grieving individuals and families. At the center of this conversation is the compassion that Ian has for his clients as he walks with them through their grief journey. The Ash Rose Project is ...

3 months ago

1 hour 15 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 10 - It Is Never Too Late: Healing Childhood Trauma at 76

This week we sit down with Kathy Morrison of Campbell River, British Columbia to discuss how the profound loss of her father at the age of four shaped her life in ways she only came to understand decades later. Raised in a family where emotions weren’t openly expressed, Kathy grew up carrying silent fears, unspoken questions, and a deep longing to feel "whole". Decades later, it was the loss of her beloved dog that opened the door to long-overdue healing—and how hospice grief counseling, min...

3 months ago

44 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 9 - Navigating Serious Illness: A Psychosocial Oncology Counselor’s Companion Guide

This week we sit down with the incredible Kerry Irish, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW—a psychosocial oncology counselor, interfaith minister, and co-founder of the Dempsey Center and dive into the world of oncology counseling. With nearly three decades of experience in oncology and hospice settings, Kerry shares what it means to walk beside someone through serious illness—not to fix or rescue, but to listen, witness, and hold space with compassion. She opens up about her journey from leadershi...

4 months ago

1 hour 14 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 8 - Life Story: Creating a Legacy Love Letter

Join us this week as we remember when my sister, Jennifer Collinson, my dad, Dallas Hartung, and I sat down to interview my mom, Emily Doak Hartung in an intimate garden-side legacy conversation as she was nearing the end of her life. She told us stories about her childhood, shared her greatest joys, highlighted the lessons she wanted to pass on, and described how she hoped to be remembered. What unfolded was a beautiful, vulnerable, and love-filled conversation that our family greatly ...

4 months ago

48 minutes

Giving Grief Grace

Episode 7 - Whole Body Healing: Grief, Cancer, and the Journey to Wellness

In this heartfelt episode of Giving Grief Grace, wellness coach and yoga teacher Maria McKeon shares her powerful journey of transformation through grief, healing, and service. Maria opens up about the experiences that shaped her path—from founding a healing sanctuary for women with cancer to embracing holistic wellness as a way of life. Rooted in mindfulness, movement, and deep compassion, Maria’s approach to grief is both practical and profound. She invites us to consider how connection, pr...

4 months ago

43 minutes