If you’ve ever wondered how it’s possible to survive the loss of a child, episode 368 is for you. Author and healer Vickie Menendez joins Emily to share how losing four children became the catalyst for her healing, spiritual connection, and mission to help others. Through stories of synchronicities, raising vibration, and reframing grief into love, Vickie shows how even the deepest sorrow can transform into purpose.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

(01:03) The book that came from the heart

(01:49) Reframing tragedy through love

(04:40) Messages through rainbows

(06:11) First loss at 20 years old

(07:40) Overdose and a cascade of losses

(10:40) The double blow of 2017–2018

(12:40) Discovering tools for healing

(15:02) Transforming grief into purpose

(25:38) The gift of mandalas

(31:35) The chrysalis journey

In today's episode, I'm joined by Vickie Menendez, a grief guide, author, and spiritual healer who helps others turn loss into healing and empowerment. After the unimaginable deaths of her four children, she discovered practices that reframed grief through love and spiritual growth. Author of Mother of All Memoirs: The Crystal’s Butterfly Effect and The Compass to the Soul, Vickie blends personal experience with modalities like breathwork, mandala art, and MAP (Make Anything Possible) therapy. Through her books, workshops, and private sessions, she shows others how to raise their vibration, process emotions, and reconnect with their true essence, offering hope and practical tools for navigating profound loss.

Throughout this episode, Vickie shares her journey from the stillbirth of her daughter in 1980 to the later losses of three more children. Though devastating, these experiences became the foundation of her healing work. She explains how spiritual coaching, breathwork, and MAP therapy helped her process grief and shift perspective. Instead of remaining in sorrow, she now sees her children as pure love, often felt through signs like rainbows and synchronicities. She highlights the power of raising one’s vibration to connect with loved ones, honoring their legacies by helping others heal, and transforming pain into purpose.

Connect with Vickie Menendez:

• Website
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Vickie Menendez: Mother of All Memoirs book series

Let's Connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• The Grief and Happiness Alliance
• Book: Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

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Everyone needs people, especially while grieving. Listen to Michal Franti’s song here.

People need People: https://youtu.be/PaDUAGcfuWw?si=CUH-ctFnhxEB-cRA

Let's Connect:

• You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
• You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
• You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
• You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
• Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’ve ever wondered how to talk to children about death, episode 366 is for you. Author and grief advocate Clarissa Moll shares how losing her husband reshaped life as a widowed mother of four—and why honest conversations help kids more than protection. Through her children’s book Hope Comes to Stay and her own story, Clarissa shows how grief can grow resilience, compassion, and even joy.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

(1:00) Life shattered by sudden loss

(1:40) Choosing joy amid grief

(2:40) The story behind hope comes to stay

(4:30) Teaching kids that pain exists—and joy too

(5:10) The myth of invincibility

(8:30) Why we must talk about death with children

(13:40) Lost rituals, lost comfort

(15:40) The power of consolation and community

(17:30) The limits of online support

(18:50) Staying present for the grieving

In today's episode, I'm joined by Clarissa Moll, an author, podcaster, and grief advocate who helps people navigate loss with honesty and hope. After her husband’s sudden death in 2019, Clarissa began writing and speaking about grief, parenting through loss, and finding joy in life’s hardest seasons. She produces and moderates The Bulletin, Christianity Today’s flagship news podcast, and is the author of Beyond the Darkness: A Gentle Guide for Living with Grief and Thriving After Loss and the children’s book Hope Comes to Stay. Drawing on personal experience and compassionate insight, Clarissa encourages open conversations about death, resilience, and community. Through her books, podcasting, and speaking, she offers families practical tools to face grief together while cultivating compassion and courage. She lives with her four children, carrying forward her late husband’s legacy with honesty and joy.

Throughout this episode, Clarissa shares a deeply personal perspective on grief and resilience. After becoming a widowed mother of four, she dedicated her work to guiding others through loss, showing that grief, though painful, can nurture compassion and interdependence. In Hope Comes to Stay, she demonstrates how stories of hardship help children grasp both the reality of suffering and the possibility of joy. Clarissa stresses the importance of speaking directly with kids about death—avoiding euphemisms and giving them the language they need—and reflects on how modern culture conceals death, erasing rituals that once offered comfort. Ultimately, she highlights the irreplaceable role of community support—meals, childcare, presence—over the illusion of handling grief alone.

Connect with Clarissa Moll:

Website

Instagram

Substack

LinkedIn

Get Clarissa’s books!

Let's Connect:

Website

LinkedIn

Twitter

The Grief and Happiness Alliance

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discover how to become friends with you mind so that it can serve you the best.

Let's Connect:

• You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
• You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
• You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
• You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
• Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’ve ever wondered how to turn loss into hope, episode 364 of Grief and Happiness is for you. Advocate and author Ashlee Cramer shares how caring for her son through a rare cancer battle inspired her children’s book Michael, The Boy Who Danced on the Waves. With honesty and strength, she reveals how writing, family, and resilience can transform grief into new ways of “dancing on the waves” of life.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

(3:40) A son’s rare diagnosis

(6:10) The birth of a story in a hospital room

(7:30) From surfboard to storybook

(9:50) Hope without sugarcoating

(11:30) Why siblings must be included

(19:30) Writing as a lifeline

(26:40) Practical advice for caregivers

(35:20) Dancing forward, not back

In today's episode, I'm joined by Ashlee Cramer, Co-Founder and Chief Community Officer of No Patient Left Behind, a nonprofit advocating for affordable healthcare. A former dancer and early childhood educator, her life changed when her husband died of cancer in 2016 and later when her son Michael was diagnosed with a rare lymphoma. Ashlee became a full-time caregiver and advocate, raising awareness for pediatric cancer. During long hospital stays, she turned to journaling, which inspired her children’s book Michael, The Boy Who Danced on the Waves—a hopeful story of resilience that also supports pediatric cancer research. Through her work, Ashlee blends personal strength with a mission to ensure no patient and no family feels left behind.

Throughout this episode, Ashlee shares her journey with honesty and courage. She describes how writing evolved from a coping tool to the creation of Dancing on the Waves and stresses the importance of including siblings, being open with children, and using writing to ease grief and anxiety. Above all, she highlights the hope in her book—that while life may never return to “before cancer,” families can still find strength, connection, and joy by learning to “dance on the waves” in new ways.

Connect with Ashlee Cramer:

No Patient Left Behind

Michael and Mom Talk Cancer

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Book: Ashlee Cramer - Michael, The Boy Who Danced on the Waves

Let's Connect:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

Pinterest

The Grief and Happiness Alliance

Book: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grief lasts as long as love remains in your heart.

Let's Connect:

• You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
• You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
• You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
• You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
• Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’ve ever wished you could hear a lost loved one’s voice again, episode 362 is for you. Personal trainer, writer, and podcaster Jenny Skoog joins Emily to share how 30 minutes of saved voicemails from her late mother became the foundation for a powerful podcast—and a pathway to healing. Through stories of reconciliation, navigating religious estrangement, and preserving tangible keepsakes, Jenny reveals how honoring memories can transform grief into lasting connection.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

(2:21) The voicemails that started it all

(4:50) From estrangement to reconnection

(7:40) A season of loss

(9:30) Turning grief into art

(12:38) Preserving memories with care

(18:53) The power of being seen in grief

(25:05) Alienation and chosen family

(29:58) The things we keep

(36:11) A legacy of connection

In today's episode, I'm joined by Jenny Skoog, a New York–based personal trainer, writer, and podcaster whose work blends wellness, creativity, and storytelling. A former Emmy-nominated reality TV personality (Pushing It on Cozy TV), she brings authenticity and resilience to everything she does. After losing her mother, father, and sister in quick succession, Jenny transformed her grief into a podcast built around preserved voicemails from her late mother, tracing the evolution of their relationship. With a master’s degree in biography and memoir, she is committed to honoring loved ones’ stories while navigating the ethics of telling them. Her background in fitness, art, and writing gives her a unique lens on physical and emotional healing, inspiring others to embrace honesty, connection, and the power of preserving memories.

Throughout this episode, Jenny reflects on navigating profound loss amid religious estrangement from most of her family. She shares how saving her mother’s voicemails—begun on a hunch years earlier—became both a lifeline and the heart of her podcast. Her insights center on reconciliation, storytelling’s transformative power, and the tangible keepsakes—letters, recipes, art—that keep connections alive. Jenny underscores the impact of being “seen” during grief, recounting moments of unexpected kindness, and explores the challenges of sharing personal histories when loved ones valued privacy. Her perspective is defined by authenticity, respect, and a deep desire to preserve the essence of those she’s lost.

Connect with Jenny Skoog:

Website

Instagram

Substack

LinkedIn

Podcast: The Silence Between Hello

Let's Connect:

Website

LinkedIn

Facebook

The Grief and Happiness Alliance

Book: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Write about what you do to practice loving self-care.

Let's Connect:

• You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here
• You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.
• You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:
• You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here
• Request your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide here

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.