From Loss to Light

Our guest on episode 25 is our "grief" friend Kera Sanchez. She shares with us the loss of her mother and when she died and how it pushed her into a role of a grief journey she didn't understand. Kera shares her creation of her journal called "Legacy Letters Journal" and how you can turn lemons into legacies. She has since created a second journal "No Legacy Lost" that reflects what we all want to say and be remembered by.

Kera has gone on to create the first and VERY amazing "Get Griefy Magazine" that holds so much information and guidance for grievers. It's full of support, organizations, and foundations that anybody going through grief can relate to or lean into. It's where stories meet and grievers unite.

Give Kera a follow at any of the below IG or FB locations and give her magazine a follow. There are ways for you to support the work that is done in the magazine and offer to donate a coffee for the help of the magazine production. She also offers ways for you to submit articles or blog posts, so please reach out to her if you have something to submit.

Here is her song she shared that reminds her of her mother; it's by Andy Frasco "Dancing Around My Grave": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x5i9sakXoI

Learn about and read the Magazine - https://www.getgriefymagazine.com/home

Learn about Legacy letters: https://www.legacylettersjournal.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getgriefymagazine/

https://www.instagram.com/legacylettersjournal/

Purchase journals: https://a.co/d/5LfKeQH

Purchase get Griefy: https://amzn.to/4bQnjom

In episode 12 we welcome our special guest Cathy Fox, Field Education Director for the Social Work Program at Creighton University. Cathy has a stealth knowledge of grief and loss. Cathy has been a pillar within the Omaha, NE community with grief work and working in many areas building the guidance and knowledge of how to cope with loss in a persons life. In this episode Cathy shares so many tips on how to navigate one of the harder seasons a griever may go through. We talk all about the holiday season and Cathy gives us practical guidance to navigate the season.

Angie has had a first hand account of the exceptional work Cathy gives as her and Cathy met at Ted E. Bear Hollow, a non-profit organization that works with children and families during loss. This non-profit is now called "The Collective for Hope" and you are able to contact them if you are in the Omaha, NE area and see if there is an option that will fit your family at: https://www.thecollectiveforhope.org

Cathy also talked about the organization NACG (National Alliance for Children's Grief); which Cathy was just appointed as a new board member to. She will start her role as a board member with the NACG on January 1, 2024! Congratulations Cathy, we are proud of you! This organization is an abundance of resource for children's grief, you can look them up and see what they all offer at: https://www.nacg.org

If you are looking for other mentoring options or resources, Cathy says feel free to reach out to her and she will see if she has the resources and information to guide you. You can reach Cathy at: [email protected]

We want to thank Cathy for being a part of our podcast and for sharing so many wonderful tips and advice for navigating this Holiday season (a lot of this can also be used every day throughout the entire year as we go through the hard dates and anniversaries). Michelle & Angie are also holding space for ALL of you, our dedicated listeners in our hearts this holiday season. If you feel there is anything we can guide you with, feel free to reach out to us directly via our socials or email us at: [email protected] If at anytime you have unwanted, harmful, or negative thoughts, please reach out to the appropriate resources that are able to help you in an emergency.

To receive a 15% discount on Michelle's book to gift during the holiday, you can reach out to her at: @authormichellecowan and message her directly for the information to process that. As always, you can reach Angie and her shop at: https://www.butterfliesandhalos.com and if you listen to the podcast you can use code: Podcast15 to receive 15% off your entire purchase. Angie has many gifts such as ornaments, notebooks, notepads, and cards to share with a grieving friend.

Cathy's favorite song that she references at the end "Good Grief" by Bastille https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgunJrw2lrc

***WARNING - THE TOPIC OF SUICIDE IS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE IN DEPTH***
As a reminder Angie & Michelle are not therapists, but simply are having the discussions of loss in many forms. If anything is triggered by listening to an episode, please reach out to the appropriate channels regarding the specific discussion. Our main goal is to have an open discussion regarding loss to light however that looks for so many in our community.

Episode 7 is showcasing our guest Carrie England. She has been been sober and drug free since 1999! That in itself is something I want to hear about! Carrie takes on the journey of how her addiction affected her life and shares the tragic story of her beloved dad to suicide. Carrie gives us simple, but loving tips on how to cope through the many challenges life presents to us. She has loved and she continues to share love & pure joy to all she meets. We are so glad she gave us the time to be on our podcast and share her story of Loss to Light.

If you know of someone going through addiction, have them listen to this podcast and see if anything resonates with them. Listen how she shares what being honest looks like and working through the pain; sharing that there's nothing a drink will fix and it will just delay the pain.

***TRIGGER WARNING*** On this episode we dive into PTSD and self care, what that all means. We do talk about suicide in this episode. Michelle talks about her eye issues and what that means and some other recent losses that she has experienced and how it has triggered her. Angie chats about how we are all "better together" and how we can move through our journeys together. We talk about the tools we use and how we even make this podcast! This is a short episode for a quick check in with everyone and seeing how you like our podcast so far! This will be a step into some amazing guest episodes coming up for the remainder of the year!

In this episode, Michelle Cowan native of Iowa, shares her story of the death of her first husband Joe in March 2009. She shares how she navigated the grief journey with a teenager and gives us insight into what lead to try to pass the DRAM shop law in the state of Nebraska. She reflects on how her journey lead her to grief groups and how she journaled through her grief which in turn led her to today where she is the Author of "Better Not Bitter": a journey from heartache to healing. You can purchase this book on Amazon here. Michelle also gives some great input on the after life and things she experienced.

Michelle is "Co-Podcaster" with Angie Hanson and they are on the mission to guide anyone going through losses to see the light. You will hear amazing stories of resilience and hope.

You can find Michelle on FB @michellecowanauthor or her website: https://michllecowanauthor.com.