Nina Rodriguez joins host Lisa Keefauver to explore aspects of grief too often ignored, particularly focusing on sibling loss and the the societal stigmas surrounding addiction-related deaths. Nina shares the impact of unexpected loss, the importance of savoring life's little pleasures, her journey of reclaiming narratives and the ongoing process of living with wonderment. One of the things you won’t hear in her bio, though you will get to know about her in our conversation today, is the way she carries her grief with such care. Honoring the love she still holds for her brother Yosef, even in a world that often dismisses or diminishes deaths that result from addiction.

Nina Rodriguez is a grief-informed guide, indie podcaster, host and founder of Grief and Light, a platform and podcast dedicated to fostering a more grief-informed, hopeful world through honest conversations about life after loss. Following the sudden passing of her only sibling in 2019, Nina launched the Grief and Light podcast to shine a truthful light on grief as a lived experience to honor, tend, and integrate, rather than something to 'fix'. Now in its fourth season, the show has earned a 2025 Women Who Podcast Magazine award and ranks #18 of 100 on Goodpods in the Grief category.

Nina speaks nationally on grief, grief literacy, and post-traumatic growth, with recent engagements at the University of Miami, the 2025 Latinas in Podcasting Summit, and multiple Reimagine events. She writes the Substack 'Resting Grief Face', contributes to Get Griefy Magazine, co-authored Resilient A.F.: Stories of Resilience, Vol. 2, and completed a Grief Care Professional Certificate Program.

Based in South Florida, Nina welcomes aligned collaborations, speaking engagements, and opportunities to create spaces where grief, resilience, and humanity can be met with honesty and care. Follow her work at Grief and Light on all platforms.

LEARN MORE ABOUT NINA: https://www.griefandlight.com/

LISTEN TO HER PODCAST: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grief-and-light/id1680003901

Lisa Keefauver is an author, keynote speaker, social worker, widow, assault & cancer survivor turned grief activist on a mission to help us center aliveness in a world full of loss by reimagining the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LISA: at https://lisakeefauver.com/

ACCESS GRIEF SUPPORT: https://lisakeefauver.com/support

READ BOOK: Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. https://bookshop.org/p/books/grief-is-a-sneaky-bitch-an-uncensored-guide-to-navigating-loss-lisa-keefauver/ffd73d6b6921e6b5?ean=9781477329306&next=t&

READ ESSAYS: AFGO with Lisa Keefauver on Substack - https://afgowithlisakeefauver.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

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Poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer joins host Lisa Keefauver for a heartfelt conversation exploring the complexities of grief, the power of poetry, and the importance of self-compassion in the grieving process. They dive deep into the role of metaphor as a way to metabolize grief, and how writing can serve as a vehicle for self-compassion. Rosemerry is in a deep and expansive relationship with grief after the death of her son Finn by suicide in 2021 followed shortly afterwards by the death of her dad. In her work, just as she does in this conversation, she offers a tender voice, big heart, appetite for play, willingness to plum the depths of love and loss, and an insistence to be honest in her use of words. She emphasizes the duality of love and loss, and the significance of community in navigating grief. The conversation culminates in a powerful reading of Rosemerry's poetry, highlighting the beauty and pain intertwined in the human experience of love and loss.

Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer has been writing and sharing a poem a day since 2006—a practice that especially nourished her after the death of her teenage son in 2021. Her daily poems can be found on her blog, A Hundred Falling Veils, or a curated version (with optional prompts) on her daily audio series, The Poetic Path, available with the Ritual app. She is the author of Exploring Poetry of Presence II: Prompts to Deepen Your Writing Practice. Her spoken-word albums include Dark Praise, which explores “endarkenment,” and Risking Love, which explores loving even when it seems impossible. Both are available anywhere you listen to music.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ROSEMERRY at www.wordwoman.com

READ HER BOOKS: Unfolding, All The Honey, and more at https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=rosemerry+wahtola+trommer

SIGN UP FOR HER POETRY WORKSHOPS: at www.wordoman.com

Lisa Keefauver is an author, keynote speaker, social worker, widow, assault & cancer survivor turned grief activist on a mission to help us center aliveness in a world full of loss by reimagining the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LISA: at https://lisakeefauver.com/

ACCESS GRIEF SUPPORT: https://lisakeefauver.com/support

READ BOOK: Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. https://bookshop.org/p/books/grief-is-a-sneaky-bitch-an-uncensored-guide-to-navigating-loss-lisa-keefauver/ffd73d6b6921e6b5?ean=9781477329306&next=t&

READ ESSAYS: AFGO with Lisa Keefauver on Substack - https://afgowithlisakeefauver.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

grief, grief support, child loss, suicide, grieving, grieving parent, community, poet, poetry, writing, healing, unfolding, podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lisa Pahl joins host Lisa Keefauver to explore themes they're both passionate about—the sacred thresholds of life: dying, dementia, death, and grief. As a deeply experienced hospice social worker, she shares her wisdom on creating lasting memories with loved ones facing end-of-life, the role of hospice in grief support, and the dynamics that influence decision-making around hospice care. She discusses the importance of centering the wishes of the dying and offers tools to help us have the meaningful conversations we're often too afraid to start.

06:29 Understanding Grief Through Family Stories 11:56 Cultural Beliefs About Grief 14:33 Professional Insights on Grief and Loss 17:00 The Role of Hospice in Grief Support 20:01 Navigating Myths About Hospice Care 23:49 Personal Stories of Caregiving and Loss 34:51 Navigating End-of-Life Conversations 37:48 The Importance of Being Present 40:13 The Delicate Dance of Grief 44:43 Tools for Meaningful Conversations 53:47 Introducing the Dementia Deck 01:00:53 Right-Sizing Our Relationship with Death 01:05:55 Introduction to Grief Conversations 01:06:49 Exploring the Death Deck and Conversation Starters

Lisa Pahl is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Advanced Practice Hospice and Palliative Social Worker, with over eighteen years in hospice and seven in emergency medicine. She’s passionate about increasing death literacy and helping people face illness, dying, and grief with courage and clarity. Whether it’s hosting a Death Deck Game Night or speaking to a community or professional group, she guides individuals and families to engage in meaningful conversations about end-of-life preferences—so that when the time comes, they are prepared and empowered.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LISA: https://thedeathdeck.com/

FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thedeathdeck/?hl=en

GET DECKS AT A DISCOUNT: Lisa is offering our listeners a special discount code, so visit thedeathdeck.com and enter GSB20 at checkout to get 20% off your order. That's GSB20 when you visit thedeathdeck.com.

Lisa Keefauver is an author, keynote speaker, social worker, widow, assault & cancer survivor turned grief activist on a mission to help us center aliveness in a world full of loss by reimagining the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LISA: at https://lisakeefauver.com/

ACCESS GRIEF SUPPORT: https://lisakeefauver.com/support

READ BOOK: Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. https://bookshop.org/p/books/grief-is-a-sneaky-bitch-an-uncensored-guide-to-navigating-loss-lisa-keefauver/ffd73d6b6921e6b5?ean=9781477329306&next=t&

READ ESSAYS: AFGO with Lisa Keefauver on Substack - https://afgowithlisakeefauver.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

grief, grief support, legacy, connection, family, communication, intentions, emotional support, death, dying, dementia, hospice, social worker, Lisa Pahl, The Death Deck, Lisa Keefauver, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch, podcast

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