Grief Dreams Podcast

Tina Mirabella is a poet and retired creative writing teacher with a Master's Degree in Education and Literature Studies. She is the author of the poetry collection, The Road Taken, and writes about her experiences with the intention of connecting readers to the beauty of a weathered life. Her debut poetry book offers a glimpse into love, loss, navigating grief and the complex journey of finding one’s inner power. She resides with her husband and children in both Canada and Italy, spending much of her time marvelling at the beauty of nature. You can find some of her work on Instagram, @mylife.inpoetry, where she shares meaningful prose, poetry and photography highlighting our humanness.   In this episode, we explore her relationship with her father, the journey through grief following his death, and how writing became a way for her to process and navigate her loss. She also shares insights into her new poetry book, The Road Taken, including the grief poetry woven throughout and the grief dreams she has experienced about her father.   You can find more about Grief Dreams here: Website – www.griefdreams.ca  Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group   Looking for ways to support the podcast? You can help support the Grief Dreams Podcast in a few ways: 1)  Subscribe to the podcast (on the platform you listen to) and give a review. This improves its online visibility. 2) Support the topic by sharing the podcast or website. I appreciate any support that helps raise awareness of the topic. 3) Become a Patreon supporter (monthly financial support) https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast    

Vera Decena is the founder of ColourFull Nutrition and a grief-informed nutrition counsellor and health & wellness coach. With over a decade in food, nutrition, and health sciences, she created ColourFull Nutrition after her own spousal loss, where she noticed a gap in grief care, which had plenty of emotional support, but little guidance for the physical body in mourning. Today, Vera supports the bereaved with compassionate, whole-body care, helping people nourish, regulate, and rebuild gentle routines. She normalizes the body’s response to grief and highlights the mind-body connection so people can feel more grounded in themselves. You can find more about Vera at colourfullnutrition.com and IG @colourfull_nutrition.   In this episode, we discuss her journey into valuing nutrition, her relationship with her partner, the loss of her partner from substance use, the changes in her body that she went through, nutrition and grief, and the grief dreams she has had about her partner.   You can find more about Grief Dreams here: Website – www.griefdreams.ca  Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group   Looking for ways to support the podcast? You can help support the Grief Dreams Podcast in a few ways: 1)  Subscribe to the podcast (on the platform you listen to) and give a review. This improves its online visibility. 2) Support the topic by sharing the podcast or website. I appreciate any support that helps raise awareness of the topic. 3) Become a Patreon supporter (monthly financial support) https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast  

Kyle Kittleson is the engaging on-camera host for MedCircle, educating millions on the vital topic of mental health through compelling interviews and educational content with world-class mental health professionals. He is skilled at translating complex topics into accessible, engaging conversations. You can find more about Kyle at https://kylekittleson.com/   In this episode, we discuss the loss of his mother during childhood, how he used avoidance to cope, his work with the MedCircle Beyond Bereavement course, and the grief dreams he has had about his mother and his dog.   You can find more about Grief Dreams here: Website – www.griefdreams.ca  Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group   Looking for ways to support the podcast? You can help support the Grief Dreams Podcast in a few ways: 1)  Subscribe to the podcast (on the platform you listen to) and give a review. This improves its online visibility. 2) Support the topic by sharing the podcast or website. I appreciate any support that helps raise awareness of the topic. 3) Become a Patreon supporter (monthly financial support) https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast

In this episode, I recap some of the dream conversations I had with guests in 2025.    You can find more about Grief Dreams here: Website – www.griefdreams.ca  Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group   Looking for ways to support the podcast? You can help support the Grief Dreams Podcast in a few ways: 1) Subscribe to the podcast (on the platform you listen to) and give a review. This improves its online visibility. 2) Support the topic by sharing the podcast or website. I appreciate any support that helps raise awareness of the topic. 3) Become a Patreon supporter (monthly financial support) https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast

Marney Thompson is the Director of Bereavement Services at Victoria Hospice and an executive member of the Canadian Grief Alliance. She is the recent recipient of the King Charles Coronation Medal in recognition of her contribution to the field of bereavement care. She is an experienced conference presenter, clinical co-lead of the BC Psychosocial ECHO project, and a counsellor in private practice. In addition to these roles, she is also co-author of the award-winning book, “Transitions in Dying and Bereavement,” and a number of peer-reviewed articles related to psychosocial palliative care, medical assistance in death, and prolonged grief. In 2012, she was part of the international “Train the Trainers” pilot project with the Center for Prolonged Grief at Columbia University and has continued to work and study in this area of grief.   In this episode, we discuss her journey into the field of bereavement care, the Canadian Grief Alliance’s “Next Steps Action Plan”, their new website aboutgrief.ca, AI and grief, and grief dreams in her practice.   You can find more about Grief Dreams here: Website – www.griefdreams.ca  Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group   Looking for ways to support the podcast? You can help support the Grief Dreams Podcast in a few ways: 1)  Subscribe to the podcast (on the platform you listen to) and give a review. This improves its online visibility. 2) Support the topic by sharing the podcast or website. I appreciate any support that helps raise awareness of the topic. 3) Become a Patreon supporter (monthly financial support) https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast

Michael Mackenzie has worked in Developmental Services, supporting people with intellectual disabilities, for more than 35 years. His areas of focus have included person-directed employment navigation, fundraising, staff training, advocacy and rights, decision making in health care, palliative and Hospice family support, and legacy work through storytelling. Michael is also a volunteer at Bereaved Families of Ontario (Toronto), where he facilitates peer grief groups for people with intellectual disabilities and another series for direct support workers who have experienced loss of those they have supported. He is joined today with Luke Lapas, who has co-facilitated the grief group with people who have intellectual disabilities.   In this episode, we discuss their grief, developing and running a grief program for people with intellectual disabilities, support staff grief, and the grief dreams they have had (grandparents, friend, and clients).   You can find more about Grief Dreams here: Website – www.griefdreams.ca  Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group   Looking for ways to support the podcast? You can help support the Grief Dreams Podcast in a few ways: 1)  Subscribe to the podcast (on the platform you listen) and give a review. This improves its online visibility. 2) Support the topic by sharing the podcast or website. I appreciate any support that contributes to raising awareness on the topic. 3) Become a Patreon supporter (monthly financial support) https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast

As the Operations Manager at ARCH Hospice, Julie Premo is responsible for Operations, Human Resources, Fundraising, Training, and Continuing Education. She is a passionate Healing Arts Practitioner, Reiki Teacher and Yoga Instructor owning a local business (Infinite Healing Arts). She also practices Dental Hygiene part-time and owns an independent Dental Hygiene Practice. In this episode, we discuss working at a hospice, a precognitive dream of her mom’s death date, her mom‘s end-of-life journey at the hospice and choosing MAiD, her mom’s code word challenge, a grief dream of her mom, and grief in the workplace.   You can find more about Grief Dreams here: Website – www.griefdreams.ca  Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group   Looking for ways to support the podcast? You can help support the Grief Dreams Podcast in a few ways: 1)  Subscribe to the podcast (on the platform you listen) and give a review. This improves its online visibility. 2) Support the topic by sharing the podcast or website. I appreciate any support that contributes to raising awareness on the topic. 3) Become a Patreon supporter (monthly financial support) https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast  

Felicia Cardinal manages an Indigenous clothing store in Chilliwack, British Columbia called Section 35. She is originally from Saddle Lake Cree Nation. Saddle Lake Cree Nation is a Plains Cree, First Nations community, located in the "Beaver Hills" region of central Alberta, Canada. Felicia was born in Edmonton, Alberta and raised in and around there. She moved to Chilliwack in 2009 with her grandmother, who has since moved back to Alberta. Felicia likes to spend her free time at home with her 2 cats or connecting with close friends.   In this episode, we talk about her love of dreams, the death of her parents and friend, changes in how she has dealt with grief over the years, Indigenous culture, her journey with her grandmother’s dementia, dreams of her grandmother, and grief dreams of her mother, auntie, and friend.   You can find more about Grief Dreams here: Website – www.griefdreams.ca  Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group   Looking for ways to support the podcast? You can help support the Grief Dreams Podcast in a few ways: 1)  Subscribe to the podcast (on the platform you listen) and give a review. This improves its online visibility. 2) Support the topic by sharing the podcast or website. I appreciate any support that contributes to raising awareness on the topic. 3) Become a Patreon supporter (monthly financial support) https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast 4) Buy me a Coffee (one-time financial support)  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/griefdreams

Earla Legault advocates for adult sibling grief peer support and using creativity to process grief. She co-wrote and illustrated the book Living With Sibling Grief: Imagining a Way Forward with her sibling grief buddy Monica Murphy. Earla is the 2024 recipient of The Compassionate Friends Karen Snepp Outstanding Sibling Award, given to those making significant contributions to fostering and furthering the philosophy of sibling programs. She currently co-hosts the monthly online Canada Sibling Sharing Circle, a peer grief support group for adult siblings. You can find more about Earla on Instagram @sibling.grief.buds or here   In this episode, we talk about her grief after the death of her sister, the importance of support for adult siblings, her new book, grief dreams she had of her sister and dad, and her niece’s grief dream.   You can find more about Grief Dreams here: Website – www.griefdreams.ca  Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group   Looking for ways to support the podcast? You can help support the Grief Dreams Podcast in a few ways: 1)  Subscribe to the podcast (on the platform you listen) and give a review. This improves its online visibility. 2) Support the topic by sharing the podcast or website. I appreciate any support that contributes to raising awareness on the topic. 3) Become a Patreon supporter (monthly financial support) https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast 4) Buy me a Coffee (one-time financial support)  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/griefdreams

Lindsey Whissel Fenton is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker, international speaker, and grief educator. In her current role as a senior producer and director at PBS/NPR affiliate WPSU, Lindsey focuses on projects related to grief, trauma, and mental health. She is the creator of Speaking Grief and its sister-initiative, Learning Grief, and serves on the board of directors for the National Alliance for Children’s Grief (NACG). Lindsey is the founder of Empathic Media, a company that works with clients from non-profit organizations to provide thoughtful and compelling content creation services. She’s also the creator, producer, and host of The Apologies Podcast. You can find more about Lindsey on Instagram @lindseywhisselfenton or at https://lindseywhisselfenton.com/   In this update episode we talk about her new losses since being on the show over 4 years ago (episode 168), including the death of her dog. We discussed her relationship with her dog, her grief, and her grief dreams. We also chatted about the Learning Grief website.   You can find more about Grief Dreams here: Website – www.griefdreams.ca  Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group   Looking for ways to support the podcast? You can help support the Grief Dreams Podcast in a few ways: 1)  Subscribe to the podcast (on the platform you listen) and give a review. This improves its online visibility. 2) Support the topic by sharing the podcast or website. I appreciate any support that contributes to raising awareness on the topic. 3) Become a Patreon supporter (monthly financial support) https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast 4) Buy me a Coffee (one-time financial support)  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/griefdreams