Giving Grief a Voice

Stories shared through podcasts can become a lifeline for those living with profound loss and life-altering change.

This virtual gathering will bring together podcast creators and hosts who speak candidly about grief, identity, and personal transformation following loss and life-altering change.

We’ll explore the unique healing power of sharing and hearing grief stories, particularly how podcasts help normalize conversations around loss, expand grief literacy, disrupt the grief-avoidant narratives that dominate our culture, and offer a sense of companionship, validation, and guidance for those navigating life after loss.

In addition to exploring the personal and cultural impact of grief storytelling, we’ll also dedicate space to those who feel called to share their own story through podcasting. Panelists will offer insights on how to launch a self-published podcast, handle emotionally charged conversations with care, and build a platform rooted in integrity, intimacy, and healing. 

Whether you're a devoted listener or a potential future host, this conversation will meet you where you are, and help you imagine what’s possible when we give grief a voice.

Attendees will receive:

• Insight into how grief-focused podcasts are reshaping the cultural narrative around loss, moving us away from silence, stigma, and rushed “resilience.”
• Stories that sound like your own, offering recognition, validation, and the reminder that you are not broken or alone.
• A behind-the-mic look at how grief podcasts are thoughtfully crafted, held with intention, and rooted in relational trust.
• Meaningful reflection on how storytelling supports grief integration and honors the ongoing nature of loss.
• A gentle invitation to consider how your own story might one day be shared, whether through podcasting or in community, as part of the collective healing we create together.
• Tools for personal reflection, including a curated list of powerful podcast episodes, guided prompts, and journaling questions you can return to in private moments.
• A feeling of belonging in a space where grief is not something to “fix”, but something to witness, tend, and carry with care.
• Language and permission to honor your grief on your terms, without needing to perform “okayness.”
• Hope—not the kind that forces a silver lining, but the kind that comes from knowing others have made it through the next breath, the next day, the next year

This Event Is For You If:

• You’ve found comfort in grief-focused podcasts, or are curious about how they might support your own healing.
• You want to feel seen and understood without needing to explain your story.
• You crave meaningful, non-performative connection in a culture that often asks grievers to smile through it.
• You wonder how others are living with the after of loss, and want to hear their truths.
• You’re a podcast listener who’s been moved by grief stories and want to connect with the voices behind the mic.
• You’ve considered sharing your own story, perhaps even launching a podcast, and want insight into how others are doing it with care, depth, and intention.
• You want to reflect on your own grief in a way that feels gentle, resonant, and affirming.
• You want to listen in from the privacy of your own space, without needing to show up visibly or hold it all together.
• You’re seeking language to name what your heart is carrying.
• You’ve felt like the “only one” and need a quiet reminder that you’re not.
• You’re drawn to storytelling as a way to integrate your experience or access deeper healing.
• You want a soft space where sorrow, joy, longing, and love can co-exist.
• You’ve been quietly holding your grief and are longing for connection, even if it’s just listening in silence.

Speakers:

Grant Garry is an award-winning filmmaker, actor, singer, and Certified Grief Educator. He is the director of the documentary Meet Me Where I Am - available on Amazon Prime, Tubi, and Apple TV. Grant recently starred as “The Cowardly Lion” in The Wizard of Oz at Opera San Luis Obispo. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Theatre Arts from Loyola Marymount University.

Previous credits include Beauty and the Beast, NCIS: Los Angeles, Legally Blonde: The Musical, Black Cat, Night of the Living Deb, Sweeney Todd, Cinderella. He currently hosts the podcast Where I Am on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

Website: grantgarry.com + Where I Am

Instagram: @grant__garry

To describe Lisa Keefauver, you could simply list her titles. They include, social worker, widow, cancer survivor, TEDx and keynote speaker, grief guide, top-rated podcast host and author of Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. That’s a start, but to know Lisa you need to understand she’s deeply compassionate, curious, insightful, generous, and funny. But discovering what someone’s passionate about is the best way to know them. For her that includes holding space and bearing witness, the power of narrative, creativity, improv, metaphor, poetry, and a judicious use of cussing. Put that all together and you’ve got a woman who’s on a mission to reimagine grief, one conversation at a time. Learn more at lisakeefauver.com or join her community on Substack at AFGO with Lisa Keefauver.

Instagram: Lisakeefauvermsw

LinkedIn: Lisakeefauvermsw

YouTube: Lisakeefauvermsw

Substack: AFGO with Lisa Keefauver

Podcast: Grief is a Sneaky Bitch (Podcast on Apple) Available on all platforms.

Nina Rodriguez is creator of Grief and Light, a grief guide, and host of the Grief and Light podcast born after the sudden loss of her only sibling, Yosef, as an authentic exploration of grief and life after loss. Through each conversation, she aims to give a voice to the griever’s experience, and foster a more grief-informed, hopeful world. Beyond the podcast, Nina extends her heart-centered support through The Community, monthly circles, 1:1 grief tending, speaking engagements, active presence on social media, and events. She has been featured in various publications and podcasts, regularly contributes to Get Griefy Magazine, co-authored Resilient A.F. Vol. 2: Stories of Resilience (2025), and completed the Grief Care Professional Certificate Program under renowned psychotherapist and best-selling author of It's OK That You're Not OK, Megan Devine. Get to know more at https://www.griefandlight.com

Podcast: GRIEF AND LIGHT. Available on all platforms.

Social Media: @griefandlight

YouTube: @griefandlight

Substack: Resting Grief Face

Grief Tending Toolkit (free download)

Tara Accardo is a Grief and Soul Purpose Coach and host of the Life With Grief Podcast. After losing her parents to cancer within six months of each other and navigating a traumatic birth experience, her journey of grieving led her to create Losses Become Gains—a community for fellow grievers that serves tools, resources, inspiration, and guidance on how to navigate grief, loss, and moving forward in life with both in tow. Through her podcast, one-on-one coaching and other modalities of support, Tara’s passion, calling, and commitment to uplifting and empowering fellow grievers runs deep.

Podcast: LIFE WITH GRIEF PODCAST

Instagram: @lifewithgriefpodcast + @lossesbecomegains

Matt Gilhooly (he/him) is the creator, host, and producer of The Life Shift Podcast, a storytelling series that explores the pivotal moments that shape who we become. After sharing his own story of early loss – the sudden death of his mother when he was just eight years old – Matt felt called to create a space where others could reflect on the shifts that changed everything for them. Through weekly conversations with guests from all walks of life, he invites honest, vulnerable storytelling about grief, identity, resilience, and transformation.

As a podcaster and communications professional, Matt believes in the power of listening as an act of love. He’s passionate about creating spaces where people can speak their truths, especially in the messy, unfinished chapters. Matt also recently delivered a talk at CreativeMornings Orlando on how vulnerability and creativity revived his sense of purpose – and how storytelling continues to connect and heal us all.

Website: thelifeshiftpodcast.com

Instagram: @thelifeshiftpodcast + @themattgilhooly

If you’ve ever tuned into a podcast and thought, “Finally, someone gets it,” this event is for you.