Before he passed, Estrella's father left her a message worth more than billions:

✨ "I hope a million angels look after you." ✨

Those seven words changed everything.

They carried her through grief. They inspired her to travel to over 50 countries. And they ultimately led her to co-found Last Farewells — a platform helping people leave their own meaningful messages for the ones they love, even after they're gone.

In this inspiring episode, Estrella Quiroz, self-proclaimed "life enthusiast" and death tech entrepreneur, opens up about the moment her father's passing cracked her world open, and how she transformed that pain into a mission: to help others "leave no words left unspoken."

Her story is about more than grief. It's about agency, faith, acts of kindness, and what it really means to leave a legacy.

What you'll take away:

+ Why the words we leave behind matter more than anything else
+ How faith and personal values can anchor you through unimaginable loss
+ What "end-of-life planning" looks like when it's driven by love, not fear
+ How one woman turned heartbreak into a movement

💬 What message would you want to leave behind?

🔔 Subscribe for conversations about purpose, resilience, and living fully, even in the face of loss.

Key Topics:

• The powerful story of Estrella’s father’s voicemail and its influence on her life
• Her experience traveling solo across 50+ countries and how loss shifted her priorities
• The origins of Last Farewells and its mission to fill the emotional gap in end-of-life planning
• How creating last messages can bring peace and agency during grief
• The role of faith and spirituality in healing and purpose
• Insights into death tech: what it is, how it works, and its impact
• The importance of authenticity and acts of kindness in content creation
• Personal stories of helping others, from an elderly grandmother to terminally ill patients
• The significance of signs, synchronicities, and trusting life's journey

Connect with Estrella Quiroz & Last Farewells:

• lastfarewells.com
• Instagram: @lastfarewellsapp x @estrellaq95

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Support the show

Connect with Nina Rodriguez:

• griefandlight.com
• @griefandlight
• Resting Grief Face on Substack

Grief and Light is an award-winning, independent podcast exploring the honest, messy, and deeply human experience of loss. New episodes wherever you watch or listen.

Thank you for listening!

If this conversation resonated with you:

✅ Share this episode with someone who needs it
✅ Follow Grief and Light so you never miss a conversation
✅ Leave a review! It helps this podcast reach more hearts

Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

In this deeply personal reflection, Nina Rodriguez shares her experience with the profound grief and loss of her only sibling, and the realization that the family tree may end with her.

This emotional healing journey is further explored through her contributions to Get Griefy Magazine, offering a space for shared understanding.

Nina Rodriguez shares a powerful reflection on redefining legacy beyond lineage, revealing how our influence, choices, and relationships create a ripple effect that endures long after we're gone.

She dives into the societal stories that tie worth to continuity and permanence, and explores how legacy is actually about the imprint we leave: the lives we touch, the courage we inspire, and the rooms we fill with our presence.

Key Points:

• Why the traditional family tree is only one metaphor for continuity
• How our influence extends through relationships, not just DNA
• Surprising insights into the fragility of digital memories and the illusions of permanence

In a world where milestones like marriage and children are no longer guaranteed, Nina offers a liberating perspective: Legacy is less about who continues your bloodline and more about the ways your life radiates outward.

She challenges you to consider how your unique story, actions, and relationships form a lasting imprint, even if you never become a mother or an ancestor in the traditional sense.

How does your life echo in the lives of other simply by the way in which you exist?

Key topics:

• The burden of being the "last" in a family line after the loss of loved ones
• The societal narrative of legacy tied to reproduction and lineage
• The distinction between lineage (biological) and legacy (relational, influence)
• How non-biological relationships shape our sense of legacy
• The impermanence of digital memories and the illusion of permanency
• Legacy as diffusion, participation, and ripple effect rather than extension
• The importance of intentional impact over recognition or recognition
• Practical ways to reframe personal legacy in a shifting world

Read on Get Griefy Magazine: The Family Tree That Ends With Me

Visit getgriefymagazine.com

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Connect with Nina Rodriguez:

• griefandlight.com
• @griefandlight
• Resting Grief Face on Substack

Grief and Light is an award-winning, independent podcast exploring the honest, messy, and deeply human experience of loss. New episodes wherever you watch or listen.

Thank you for listening!

If this conversation resonated with you:

✅ Share this episode with someone who needs it
✅ Follow Grief and Light so you never miss a conversation
✅ Leave a review! It helps this podcast reach more hearts

Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

Grief and Light is proud to participate in Podcasthon 2026, the world's largest podcast charity initiative, joining podcasters across the globe to amplify the organizations doing work that the world needs to hear about. Learn more: podcasthon.org

***

What happens when men are never given permission to grieve?

In this episode, we hear from Daniel Ratchford, founder and president of Broreavement, and Quaheem Brooks, two men who are building something life-affirming: a brotherhood for men and boys of color navigating the turbulent, often silent, experience of grief and loss.

Broreavement was born from personal pain and transformed into a mission. A mission to break the stigma around men's grief, create safe spaces for emotional expression, and prove that healing doesn't have to happen alone.

This episode celebrates the power of shared stories, safe spaces, and community efforts to heal grief and build resilience among men and youth. If this message resonates with you, consider supporting or joining Broreavement’s mission to expand the healing brotherhood.

This conversation explores:

• The origin story behind Broreavement and the loss that sparked it
• Why men and boys of color are often the most underserved when it comes to grief support
• How vulnerability, trust, and brotherhood become tools for healing
• The role of everyday activities (like cooking, sports, art, finances, fishing) in creating connection
• Community programs like prom suit drives and after-school initiatives that offer hope to young people in grief
• Their vision for taking Broreavement national, and eventually global
• How you can support this work and create ripple effects of healing in your own community

This one is for every boy and man who was told to hold it together.

Resources & Links:

• broreavement.org
• 🌟Donate Here🌟
• @broreavement

From workshops to recreational outings to educational resources, Broreavement meets men and boys where they are, offering practical tools, emotional guidance, and real community to those navigating the loss of a loved one. Because healing looks different for everyone, and support should too.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Connect with Nina Rodriguez:

• griefandlight.com
• @griefandlight
• Resting Grief Face on Substack

Grief and Light is an award-winning, independent podcast exploring the honest, messy, and deeply human experience of loss. New episodes wherever you watch or listen.

Thank you for listening!

If this conversation resonated with you:

✅ Share this episode with someone who needs it
✅ Follow Grief and Light so you never miss a conversation
✅ Leave a review! It helps this podcast reach more hearts

Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers