Welcome to the When Grief Comes Home podcast. We're glad you're here. This podcast supports parents who are grieving a spouse, partner, or child while helping their children who are living through the loss of a parent or sibling. With personal grief stories and professional guidance, we offer parents practical tips for supporting their child who is grieving while caring for their own grief.

When grieving, we desperately need what therapist Kristi Gaultiere calls "oxygen for the soul" – empathy. Not quick fixes or sympathetic platitudes, but the profound healing that comes through being truly seen in our pain.

In this illuminating conversation, Kristi unpacks why empathy transforms grief by allowing us to breathe through unbearable moments. Research shows that when someone responds to our vulnerability with genuine understanding, our whole body responds – energy increases, fatigue decreases, sleep improves, and our ability to concentrate returns. Without this empathetic connection, we remain isolated in our pain, unable to process our grief effectively.

Kristi walks us through her practical Four A's framework for offering empathy: Ask curious questions, Attune completely to the person, Acknowledge the unique significance of their loss, and Affirm their strength (but only after the first three steps). She clarifies crucial distinctions between healthy empathy and codependency, explaining how true empathy empowers while codependency drains both parties.

For parents navigating their own grief while supporting children, Kristi offers wisdom about self-empathy and befriending our emotions. When we judge or shame ourselves for feelings like anger or sadness, our children learn to suppress their emotions too. By modeling acceptance of our grief, we create safe spaces for our children to process theirs.

Most powerfully, Kristi reminds us that our wounds can become sources of healing for others. Through our grief journey, we develop deeper capacity for empathy – turning our pain into a gift that helps others feel less alone. Whether you're grieving, supporting someone who is, or simply want to become more empathetic, this episode offers practical wisdom and heartfelt guidance for the journey ahead.

Order the book When Grief Comes Home https://a.co/d/ijaiP5L

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For more information on Jessica’s House or for additional resources, please go to jessicashouse.org

Welcome to the When Grief Comes Home podcast. We're glad you're here. This podcast supports parents who are grieving a spouse, partner, or child while helping their children who are living through the loss of a parent or sibling. With personal grief stories and professional guidance, we offer parents practical tips for supporting their child who is grieving while caring for their own grief.

In this episode, Erin and Colleen share the powerful concept of "the rule of thirds" in grief support—how a third of people will disappointingly vanish, will provide neutral assistance, and will show up in ways you never imagined.

Beyond practical support, we dig into the emotional quality of relationships during grief. The difference between true compassion versus what we call "silent indifference" can profoundly impact healing. We discuss how to handle well-intentioned but painful platitudes, express your authentic needs, and conserve precious emotional energy by showing up as your true grieving self instead of maintaining appearances.

Order the book When Grief Comes Home https://a.co/d/ijaiP5L

Send us a text

For more information on Jessica’s House or for additional resources, please go to jessicashouse.org

Welcome to the When Grief Comes Home podcast. We're glad you're here. This podcast supports parents who are grieving a spouse, partner, or child while helping their children who are living through the loss of a parent or sibling. With personal grief stories and professional guidance, we offer parents practical tips for supporting their child who is grieving while caring for their own grief.

In this episode, Erin reflects on a moment of panic while driving through fog after her son’s death—an emotional “grief storm” that arrived without warning. We explore how grief can feel unpredictable and intense, and how tools like deep breathing and grounding can help bring us back to center.

Using Dr. Dan Siegel’s “window of tolerance” framework, we look at how grief can leave us feeling overwhelmed or numb—and how to gently return to a place of balance. For parents, we share a creative activity where children illustrate their own “grief weather,” helping them name their feelings and discover what helps them cope.

Grief storms do pass. And with the right support, we can move through them with greater strength and compassion.

Have you had a grief storm? Share your story or leave a review to help others find this conversation.

Order the book When Grief Comes Home https://a.co/d/ijaiP5L

Send us a text

For more information on Jessica’s House or for additional resources, please go to jessicashouse.org

Welcome to the When Grief Comes Home podcast. We're glad you're here. This podcast supports parents who are grieving a spouse, partner, or child while helping their children who are living through the loss of a parent or sibling. With personal grief stories and professional guidance, we offer parents practical tips for supporting their child who is grieving while caring for their own grief.

In this episode, we explore spirituality’s complex role in grief—from finding unexpected solace to wrestling with deep doubts.

Erin Nelson shares how scripture became her lifeline after her husband’s death, offering comfort in dark moments. We also address tough questions like “why us?” and the silence that follows prayers.

The episode highlights how faith communities provide vital support, creating spaces for shared grief. Brad reflects on the hopeful shift from “goodbye” to “see you later,” acknowledging the longing for physical presence.

Parents will find helpful advice on supporting children’s spiritual questions—from imaginative beliefs to deeper doubts—with Colleen offering honest, practical language to hold mystery and truth.

Order the book When Grief Comes Home https://a.co/d/ijaiP5L

Send us a text

For more information on Jessica’s House or for additional resources, please go to jessicashouse.org

Welcome to the When Grief Comes Home podcast. We're glad you're here. This podcast supports parents who are grieving a spouse, partner, or child while helping their children who are living through the loss of a parent or sibling. With personal grief stories and professional guidance, we offer parents practical tips for supporting their child who is grieving while caring for their own grief.

In this raw, honest conversation about grief and belief, Erin Nelson shares her starkly different spiritual journeys through two devastating losses. After her husband died in a plane crash, her faith deepened as she found comfort in scripture and prayer. Yet when her son Carter died years later in a car accident, she found herself furious with God, questioning everything she'd always believed.

The team explores why protest is not just normal but necessary in grief—and how that anger can actually be an expression of profound love. They tackle the well-meaning but sometimes harmful "bright-siding" that happens in faith communities and offer permission to question, doubt, and wrestle with spiritual beliefs without shame.

Please subscribe to the When Grief Comes Home podcast and leave us a review. The more stars, reviews, and downloads the show receives, the more parents and families in grief can find support.

Order the book When Grief Comes Home https://a.co/d/ijaiP5L

Send us a text

Send us a text

For more information on Jessica’s House or for additional resources, please go to jessicashouse.org

Welcome to the When Grief Comes Home podcast. We're glad you're here. This podcast supports parents who are grieving a spouse, partner, or child while helping their children who are living through the loss of a parent or sibling. With personal grief stories and professional guidance, we offer parents practical tips for supporting their child who is grieving while caring for their own grief.

In this episode, Brad, Erin, and Colleen explore how tangible reminders, personal stories, and ongoing emotional bonds play essential roles in both adult and child grief processes. By embracing the fullness of relationships and fostering open conversations about grief, families can find meaningful ways to keep memories alive.

Please subscribe to the When Grief Comes Home podcast and leave us a review. The more stars, reviews, and downloads the show receives, the more parents and families in grief can find support.

Order the book When Grief Comes Home https://a.co/d/ijaiP5L

Send us a text

For more information on Jessica’s House or for additional resources, please go to jessicashouse.org

Welcome to the When Grief Comes Home podcast. We're glad you're here. This podcast supports parents who are grieving a spouse, partner, or child while helping their children who are living through the loss of a parent or sibling. With personal grief stories and professional guidance, we offer parents practical tips for supporting their child who is grieving while caring for their own grief.

In this episode, Brad, Colleen, and Erin discuss the unique challenges families face when grieving the loss of a loved one from an accidental overdose. Families navigate the stigma associated with this type of death, as well as the complex emotions of shame, guilt, relief, and rage.

We share how families often experience years of anticipatory grief while living with someone battling addiction, setting boundaries with love, only to question those decisions after death.

Children also have their own regrets and fears, wondering if they could have prevented the death. It's vital to share the honest truth with them because it creates a foundation for trust and healing.

Please subscribe to the When Grief Comes Home podcast and leave us a review. The more stars, reviews, and downloads the show receives, the more parents and families in grief can find support.

Order the book When Grief Comes Home https://a.co/d/ijaiP5L

Send us a text

For more information on Jessica’s House or for additional resources, please go to jessicashouse.org

Welcome to the When Grief Comes Home podcast. We're glad you're here. This podcast supports parents who are grieving a spouse, partner, or child while helping their children who are living through the loss of a parent or sibling. With personal grief stories and professional guidance, we offer parents practical tips for supporting their child who is grieving while caring for their own grief.

In this episode, Brad, Colleen, and Erin explore the complexities of grief within a family, offering wisdom on navigating the unique healing journeys of each member.

Losing a loved one disrupts the natural rhythm of family life, often shifting roles and routines. We examine the concept of homeostasis and how families struggle to adjust to this absence. We will learn how tuning into one’s body and addressing personal needs can help restore a sense of stability.

Supporting children through grief brings its own challenges, especially while managing your own sorrow. This episode emphasizes the importance of allowing children to express their emotions and take the lead in their healing process. We offer guidance on recognizing when additional support may be needed and reassure parents that mood fluctuations are a natural part of grief.

Please subscribe to the When Grief Comes Home podcast and leave us a review. The more stars, reviews, and downloads the show receives, the more parents and families in grief can find support.

Order the book When Grief Comes Home https://a.co/d/ijaiP5L

Send us a text

For more information on Jessica’s House or for additional resources, please go to jessicashouse.org