The Lessons from Loss Podcast

In this episode I'm in conversation with Lisa Jackson about the importance of choice in death, a timely topic given the upcoming Bill for Assisted Dying being voted on in UK Parliament on November 29th 2024.    Lisa's husband Graham endured agonising pain at the end of his life and Lisa is still haunted by his anguished cries for help and relief.  She wants people to know there are choices available in death and to have those important but difficult conversations whilst we can.  We also talk about the power of realistic optimism and positivity and Lisa shares a few tips on how to deal with particularly challenging moments.    For more information about the Bill for Assisted Dying please go to Dignity in Dying  https://www.dignityindying.org.uk/  a UK charity campaigning for Choice over where we die, who is present and our treatment options. Access to expert information on our options, good quality end-of-life care. Control over how we die, our symptoms, pain relief and planning our own death. There is a wealth of information and template emails for lobbying your MP to support the upcoming Bill.    To find out more about Lisa's work go to https://www.qmhypnotherapy.co.uk/meet-lisa-jackson/   Music by Jamie Farrell https://www.jfarrellmusic.com/   More about me at https://www.findingease.co.uk/  

In this episode I'm chatting with Maria Bailey, founder of Grief Specialists.   Maria first started working with grief as the communications expert for a grief education organisation and it was during the pandemic that she was able to put what she learned along the way to good use when both her parents passed away during this time.   Since then Maria set up Grief Specialists - a collective of grief experts dedicated to helping anyone who is experiencing loss and grief - to make support more accessible to more people with a whole range of resources covering many different types of loss and also different approaches to working through it.   We talk about the additional challenges of bereavement during this particular period,  of grieving on a personal level whilst the world was collectively grieving.  We also cover the language of loss, keeping loss on the public 'agenda', forgiveness,  the collective grief of the death of Queen Elizabeth II and some advice on how to approach anticipatory grief when someone has a terminal condition.     To find out more about Maria's Grief Specialist resource go to https://www.griefspecialists.org/ Dying Matters at https://www.hospiceuk.org/our-campaigns/dying-matters   Music by Jamie Farrell https://www.jfarrellmusic.com/ More about me at https://www.findingease.co.uk/  

In this episode I'm in conversation with Caroline Steel, a GP of 17 years, doctor of 25 years, coach, hypnotherapist and speaker.   Caroline grew up in a dysfunctional home with an alcoholic, narcissist, hoarding mother and an absent father, studying was her escape route and she escaped straight into the same chaotic dehumanising stress of the NHS.   Roll on two decades and Caroline experienced burnout, but has returned to thrive in her role with tools she learned on her journey to recovery.  We talk about losing bits of yourself to fit in with a certain identity,  the de-humanising of public service roles and the impact of being parented by emotionally immature parents.  Caroline shares the power of trigger tracking and how the strong support of colleagues around her helped her recovery.  Caroline now helps others in similiar situations recover from and even prevent experiencing burn out.  To find out more about her work at https://www.holisteelik.co.uk/ Adult children of emotionally immature parents by Lindsey C Gibson Music by Jamie Farrell https://www.jfarrellmusic.com/ More about me at https://www.findingease.co.uk/  

In this episode I'm in conversation with Kirsty Jandrell about the impact of losing her mum and step dad within half an hour of each other whilst she was negotiating being a first time mum at the age of 46.  These served as a turning point to live her life in alignment with her soul purpose.  We cover dealing with grief during Covid pandemic,  choosing love over fear and giving ourselves permission to grieve.  Kirsty explains about Akashic records and how exploring them can help provide answers and clarity, and some simple practical steps to start you on your own spiritual journey.   We talk about the power of stillness in meditation.  Kirsty is a channel, guide and facilitator of multiple modalities to help beautiful souls around the world get clear on what their true dream life is, and guide them into actually creating it and living it. More about Kirsty's work at https://kirstyjandrell.com/ Music by Jamie Farrell https://www.jfarrellmusic.com/ More about me at https://www.findingease.co.uk/    

In this episode I'm in conversation with author, ghostwriter and journalist Becky Bond.   Becky is passionate about giving people's stories a voice and she does this brilliantly in two ways.   Through her ghostwriting she capture's people's stories and her first ghostwriting opportunity happened when she wrote an article about former paramedic, Georgina Hurst. After an horrific car crash caused by her boyfriend, Georgina rebuilt her life from scratch, learning to walk, talk and eat again. She is now a pole dancer. When Georgina read the piece, she asked Becky if shed would help with her book. 'Unbroken: The Woman who Walked Again’ was published in 2021.    Becky then received a message from a man called Richie who was ready to share his own truth, but didn’t know how or where to start with his story of abuse, childhood prostitution and the failing care system. His book ‘Richie: Who Cares?' was published in 2022 and is currently being optioned for film and television.    More recently Becky has developed a service called Your Story Your Voice wherein she beautifully captures a recorded slice of personal history for future generations to enjoy.   We cover the importance of telling our stories, the impact of not doing so, and the joy of having something captured of those we love for when they have passed.  If you would like to chat to Becky about ghostwriting your story and for information about her books already written go to https://www.beckybondwrites.com/ And to capture a slice of personal history go to https://yourstoryyourvoice.co.uk/home-1   Music by Jamie Farrell - https://www.jfarrellmusic.com/ More about me at https://www.findingease.co.uk/    

In this episode I chat with Sarah van Thiel about the subtle loss and grief she unknowingly experienced when she and her family emigrated to a new country several years ago.   It was only when her Mum passed away recently and she picked up a copy of The Grief Recovery Handbook by John James and Russell Friedman and started some of the exercises that she realised how much she had been impacted by the move to a new country.  In acknowledging and grieving those losses she now feels truly at home and integrated there.     Sarah is training to be a coach and once graduated plans to combine her nursing and coaching skills in supporting and coach women after treatment has finished for cervical, endometrial and ovarian cancers.  Watch this space!   For more about The Grief Recovery Handbook see https://www.griefrecoverymethod.com/books/grief-recovery-handbook-src   Music by Jamie Farrell  https://www.jfarrellmusic.com/   More about me at https://www.findingease.co.uk/  

In this episode I'm in conversation with Sara Price about using what she learned from the dastardly decade of loss she experienced years ago to help her grieve for her mum, when she passed just over a year ago, in a much more sustainable and compassionate way.   Sara shares so many points of wisdom about grief,  we talk about about its unpredictable nature and how it has no respect for convenience or calendars.  We cover being kind to ourselves, being unapologetic for how we grieve and acknowledging the totality of the person/relationship lost for all that it brought, good or otherwise. It is an episode full of wisdom and love.     Sara is an expert too in being a rebellious optimist and a serial entrepreneur. She is driven by her desire to help other purpose-led business owners to make a great living AND make a real difference in the world. Sara founded her company, Actually, in 2019 after 26 years in communications, marketing campaigning and PR including co-founding one of London’s most successful independent PR agencies. Sara has dedicated her career to helping people, organisations and brands to communicate better and has advised some of the leading brands and charities in the world from Kellogg’s to Avon, from SheDecides to UNICEF. Now, she supports changemakers and impact business owners to unleash the power of great marketing with a straightforward, no BS mix of training, coaching and consultancy. To find out more about Sara's work please visit https://actually.world/ Music by Jamie Farrell https://www.jfarrellmusic.com/ More about me at https://www.findingease.co.uk/      

Delighted to have a return visit to the podcast from Dr Jane Lewis who featured in episode 43 about the ancient Hawaiian wisdom of Huna.  In this episode we are in conversation about touch, the importance of it for our health and the impact of being denied opportunities for touch during the Covid 19 pandemic restrictions.  As a body therapist it is a subject close to my heart.   To find out more about Jane's work please go to https://drjanelewis.com/ and https://secretartofhuna.com/ For more about Havening go to https://www.havening.org/ Music by Jamie Farrell https://www.jfarrellmusic.com/ More about me at https://www.findingease.co.uk/  

In this episode Dirk shares the journey to heal the estranged relationship with his Dad after his Mum died.  We talk about the languages of love, of accepting everything about those people we love the most, of taking ownership for the part we play in these special relationships.  It is a conversation filled with love and honesty.  Dirk offers therapy and coaching in London that encompasses both the mind and body, extending beyond traditional verbal therapy.  Find out more at https://www.dirkplas.com/ More about Languages of Love at https://5lovelanguages.com/ Music by Jamie Farrell https://www.jfarrellmusic.com/ More about me at https://www.findingease.co.uk/  

I have a lovely conversation with Julie New, Person Recovery Coach, in this episode which is full of warmth, love and humour and very much about hope.  Julie shares the very different experiences of losing her husband, her brother and her ex-husband and father of her children and how these experiences helped shape the writing of her beautiful book The Grief Garden Path.   Julie uses nature and the plants and flowers in our gardens to help people navigate their way through grief and recovery.   Julie is launching an audio version, personally narrated, of The Grief Garden Path in Dec 2023 to coincide with National Grief Awareness week in association with The Good Grief Trust.  To find out more about Julie's work and to purchase her books, audio or hardcopy go to https://julienew.co.uk/ More about National Grief Awareness week at https://www.thegoodgrieftrust.org/ngaw/   Music by Jamie Farrell  https://www.jfarrellmusic.com/ More about me at https://www.findingease.co.uk/