Trigger Warning:

This episode contains discussions of parental death, terminal illness, and anticipatory grief. Please take care while listening, especially if you are in the midst of fresh grief or navigating similar losses.

In this deeply heartfelt conversation, Sarah welcomes Tara Accardo, grief and transformational life coach, and host of the Life With Grief podcast. Tara shares her story of devastating loss—losing both parents to cancer within six months, followed by a traumatic birth experience—and how she slowly began to rebuild her sense of self and safety through it all. Together, Sarah and Tara explore the weight of mothering without your own mother, the experience of becoming an adult orphan, and the layered grief that surfaces during major milestones like childbirth and parenting. With honesty and grace, Tara offers insight into how we can begin to feel empowered again after a profound loss—without bypassing the pain.

Whether you're early in grief or years down the path, this episode offers a compassionate reflection on what it means to hold both love and sorrow as lifelong companions.

Today on MotherGrief:

• How grief changes your identity and internal landscape
• The loneliness of becoming an adult orphan and the redefinition of safety
• Moving through the “what ifs” and the self-blame that often accompanies loss
• What it means to keep a parent’s memory alive through parenting
• How loss reshapes the way we love, trust, and show up in the world

Connect with Tara:

• Instagram: @lossesbecomegains | @lifewithgriefpodcast
• Website: lossesbecomegains.com
• Podcast: Life With Grief Podcast
• TikTok: @lifewithgriefpodcast

Connect with Sarah:

• Instagram: @sarahsaintjohn
• Mama Nervous System Reset: https://theuncensoredempath.com/mama-nervous-system-reset

Today, Sarah offers listeners another tender and deeply personal episode. She opens her heart to share the grief of losing her two brothers, Jordan and Joe, and how their absence continues to shape her experience of motherhood. She reflects on what it means to mother without the presence of the very people who helped shape her and and how that loss quietly echoes through everyday moments. This episode holds space for all who have experienced sibling loss and are now raising children while carrying that layered grief. Whether your loss is fresh or decades old, Sarah’s reflections are a balm for the quiet ache you might carry.

Today on MotherGrief:

• How Sarah’s parenting is shaped by unresolved grief and lingering questions
• The longing and wondering of who her brothers would’ve been as uncles
• The visible and invisible ways grief shows up in her daughters’ lives
• The profound truth that we can grieve people we never met
• Creating a legacy through storytelling, rituals, and remembrance
• Navigating the duality of grief and joy in motherhood

Reflection Prompts from Sarah:

• What parts of your siblings do you wish your child could know?
• How has their loss shaped who you are as a mother?
• Is there a story or memory you want to share today to keep them alive?

Connect with Sarah:

• Instagram: @sarahsaintjohn
• Mama Nervous System Reset: https://theuncensoredempath.com/mama-nervous-system-reset

In this tender and intimate solo episode, Sarah explores a form of grief many mothers feel but don’t always have language for: anticipatory grief—the ache that arrives before anything is lost. From the sweetness of bedtime battles to the fleeting mispronunciations of toddlerhood, Sarah invites us into the quiet, sacred spaces where grief and joy co-exist.

Today on MotherGrief:

• The invisible grief mothers carry for the moments already slipping away
• What anticipatory grief feels like in the body and nervous system
• The ache of watching our children grow, even as we celebrate their milestones
• Why naming and moving with grief is an act of deep love
• Nature as a mirror for our own seasonal letting go

Connect with Sarah:

• Instagram: @sarahsaintjohn
• Mama Nervous System Reset: https://theuncensoredempath.com/mama-nervous-system-reset

In this solo episode, Sarah offers a space for you to simply be with your grief. Through guided breathwork and somatic practices, she invites you to acknowledge the weight of loss, to allow it to exist without needing to fix or outrun it. She shares insights on nervous system regulation, somatic healing, and how movement—no matter how small—can help us navigate the overwhelming tides of grief. If today feels like too much, let this episode be a place where you don’t have to hold it all alone. Let yourself be exactly as you are.

Today on MotherGrief:

• A grounding breathwork exercise to help you arrive in the present moment
• The unpredictable nature of grief and how to witness rather than resist it
• How grief manifests in the body and why somatic healing matters
• The role of gentle movement in restoring nervous system flexibility
• A reminder that even the heaviest waves of grief will shift with time

Connect with Sarah:

• Instagram: @sarahsaintjohn
• Mama Nervous System Reset: https://theuncensoredempath.com/mama-nervous-system-reset

In this deeply personal solo episode, Sarah invites us into the past 12 months of her life—a journey marked by grief, healing, and profound transformation. Through a raw and vulnerable narrative, Sarah recounts the loss, upheaval, and crisis that ultimately led to the birth of Poppy, her newly announced therapeutic flower farm in Loveland, Colorado. This episode is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, the power of community, and the beauty that can emerge from pain.

Today on MotherGrief:

• A reflection on navigating postpartum anxiety, illness, and survival mode
• Unraveling of life’s expectations and the surrender to transformation
• The powerful metaphor of labor and birth as a mirror for life's liminal spaces
• The intuitive pull towards healing through nature and the unexpected journey to flower farming
• The journey of reclaiming land and transforming it into a sacred space for grief, renewal, and healing
• Poppy’s unfolding story and vision

Learn more about Poppy:

• Website: poppyflowerfarm.com
• Instagram: @poppyflowerfarm
• Facebook: Poppy Flower Farm

Connect with Sarah:

• Instagram: @sarahsaintjohn
• Mama Nervous System Reset: https://theuncensoredempath.com/mama-nervous-system-reset

Trigger Warning:

This episode contains discussions about addiction, substance use, and the loss of a child and spouse. These topics may be distressing for some listeners, please take care of yourself while listening. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction or grief, resources and support are available.

Summary:

In this episode, Sarah speaks with Kym Hinchey, a certified grief educator and mother who lost her son, Adrian, to addiction and her husband, John, three years later. Kym shares her journey through grief, the complexities of parenting a child with addiction, and how loss reshapes family dynamics. Together, they explore the physical and emotional manifestations of grief, the signs loved ones send after passing, and the importance of creating personal rituals to honor them.

Today on MotherGrief:

• Kym’s journey through the loss of her son and husband
• Navigating the complexities of mothering a child with addiction and the tension between intervention and acceptance
• Recognizing the physical and emotional manifestations of grief
• The experience of anticipatory grief and living with constant fear of loss
• Finding signs and spiritual connections with loved ones after their passing
• Creating personal rituals to honor and remember those we’ve lost

Connect with Kym:

• Instagram: @agriefsupport
• Facebook: @agriefsupport
• Website: agriefsupport.com

Connect with Sarah:

• Instagram: @sarahsaintjohn
• Mama Nervous System Reset: https://theuncensoredempath.com/mama-nervous-system-reset

Today, Sarah sits down with Lisa Keefauver, MSW—grief activist, author, speaker, and host of the acclaimed podcast Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Lisa shares her profound insights on navigating grief in all its forms, from tangible losses to the loss of identity, health, and dreams we once held. Sarah and Lisa explore the layered ways grief impacts our minds, bodies, and relationships, while also emphasizing the radical truth that grief and joy can coexist. Together, they examine the cultural discomfort around non-death losses and discuss the need for a broader understanding of grief, one that acknowledges and validates all forms of loss.

Today on MotherGrief:

• The earliest memories of loss and how they shape our relationship with grief
• The intersection of trauma, grief, and medical mistrust
• How grief affects us physically, emotionally, and cognitively
• The impact of implicit and inherited grief narratives
• The balance of grief and joy: how to hold both at once
• Navigating non-death losses—identity shifts, illness, miscarriage, and divorce
• How to support ourselves and others in grief without trying to “fix” it

Connect with Lisa:

• Instagram: @lisakeefauvermsw
• Website: lisakeefauver.com
• Podcast: Grief is a Sneaky Bitch
• Book: Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss
• TEDxTalk: Why knowing more about grief can make it suck less

Connect with Sarah:

• Instagram: @sarahsaintjohn

Mama Nervous System Reset: https://theuncensoredempath.com/mama-nervous-system-reset

In this deeply insightful episode, Sarah welcomes Kendra Rinaldi, an intuitive grief guide and the creator of the Grief, Gratitude, and the Gray In Between podcast. Together, they explore the complex and nuanced space where grief and gratitude coexist, particularly in the realm of motherhood. Kendra shares her personal experiences of loss—the deaths of her sister, mother, and unborn child—and how these profound experiences have shaped her approach to grief and healing. She and Sarah discuss the cultural norms surrounding grief, the duality of emotions in motherhood, and the importance of honoring both loss and transformation.

Today on MotherGrief:

• How Kendra’s personal losses led her to create a space for grief conversations
• The ‘gray in between’ of grief and gratitude, and why both emotions can coexist
• The ways grief shapes identity shifts in motherhood
• Why guilt often accompanies both grief and motherhood
• How cultural norms shape and sometimes hinder our ability to grieve openly
• The importance of tuning into your intuition while navigating loss
• The evolving sibling dynamic after a loss and how to nurture family bonds
• How grief changes over time and the importance of self-compassion

Connect with Kendra:

• Instagram: @griefgratitudepodcast
• Website: griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com

Connect with Sarah:

• Instagram: @sarahsaintjohn
• Mama Nervous System Reset: https://theuncensoredempath.com/mama-nervous-system-reset