Podcast
A Place of Yes | A Grief Podcast
Hosted by Heather Straughter · EN
Grief is messy, complicated, and deeply personal — but you don’t have to go through it alone. On A Place of Yes, host Heather Straughter creates a safe, unfiltered space to talk about the realities of loss. Each episode dives into the tears, the laughter, the WTF moments, and the hope — all of it. Through candid personal stories and expert insights, Heather explores the pain, resilience, and unexpected moments of light that come with grieving.
70episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
When Grief and Fear Collide: Surviving Loss, Trauma, and A Stalker
1w ago00:58:19Summary readyCassie Wilusz never expected her life to unravel the way it did. What began as a season of happiness — raising her daughter, running a successful café, and rebuilding a close relationship with her father after years apart — was suddenly shattered by a series of unimaginable events. First, her father died unexpectedly in a house fire. Then, just a few years later, her husband Dave was diagnosed with terminal cancer. At the same time, Cassie found herself trapped in a years-long nightmare involving an escalating stalker who terrorized her family while she was already fighting to survive overwhelming grief and trauma.In this conversation, Cassie and Heather talk about what it means to keep functioning when life becomes almost impossible to carry. Cassie shares the emotional toll of caregiving during Dave’s cancer journey, the fear and helplessness of navigating stalking while trying to protect her daughter, and the frustration of a system that repeatedly failed her. They also explore therapy, resilience, boundaries, and how profound loss can completely reshape the way we value time, relationships, and what truly matters. It’s an intense, honest conversation about survival, advocacy, motherhood, and finding clarity after years spent living in crisis.Resources & Ways to ConnectJake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelpJake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpAPOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcastHeather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughterOur YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcastFor more of Heather’s writing and thoughts: https://ohheather.substack.com/Everything’s Jakey (Substack): https://everythingsjakey.substack.com/
SummaryJake Turns 20: Heather Reflects on 16 Birthdays Without Her Son
2w ago00:25:52Summary readyThis solo episode from Heather marks what would have been Jake’s 20th birthday—a milestone that brings both reflection and reality into sharper focus. Sixteen birthdays have passed since Jake died at age four, and in this episode, Heather revisits a letter she wrote to him on his first birthday after his death, uncovering how grief has evolved in ways she didn’t fully realize until now.Heather shares what it means to live with grief over time—the shift from raw fear and constant anxiety to a more familiar, though still painful, presence in daily life. She reflects on the difficulty of imagining who Jake would be today, the weight of unanswered questions, and the quiet moments that still carry him forward. This episode is deeply personal, grounded in honesty, and a reminder that grief doesn’t disappear—it changes, softens, and becomes something we learn to carry.Resources & Ways to ConnectJake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelpJake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpAPOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcastHeather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughterOur YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcastEverything’s Jakey (Substack): https://everythingsjakey.substack.com/Heather’s Substack (Oh, Heather): https://ohheather.substack.com/
SummaryWhat to Say When Someone Is Grieving (And What to Stop Saying)
3w ago00:57:11Summary readyShelby Forsythia is a grief coach, founder of Life After Loss Academy, and author of Of Course I’m Here Right Now—a practical, compassionate guide for anyone who wants to better support someone through grief. After losing her mother unexpectedly at 21, Shelby began searching for language that could make grief feel less isolating and more understood.In this conversation, Shelby and Heather talk about the three core feelings so many grievers carry: feeling crazy, feeling alone, and fearing life will be like this forever. Shelby shares why the words we use matter more than we think, how common comfort phrases often miss the mark, and what actually helps instead. It’s a thoughtful, deeply useful conversation about validation, presence, and the simple language that can help grieving people feel seen rather than shut down.Resources & Ways to ConnectShelby Forsythia Website: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelpJake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpAPOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcastHeather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughterOur YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast
SummaryGuiding Families Through Their Hardest Day
4w ago00:40:07Summary readyTimothy Schramm has spent more than 40 years walking alongside families in the immediate aftermath of loss. As a funeral director and national spokesperson, he has helped guide thousands of people through grief—often on the worst day of their lives—while also serving as a state and federal mass fatality responder in times of large-scale tragedy.In this conversation, Tim shares what decades in funeral service have taught him about grief, human connection, and the quiet responsibility of showing up when it matters most. He explains how funeral directors help families make decisions they may not yet understand, why gathering together is such a critical part of the grieving process, and what it means to treat this work as both a calling and an honor. From deeply personal reflections to extraordinary experiences in disaster response, this is a powerful look at the people who help carry others through unimaginable moments—and why those moments shape us forever.Resources & Ways to ConnectTim is a spokesperson for the NFDA. Find out more at nfda.org nfda.organd rememberingalife.comJake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelpJake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpAPOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcastHeather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughterOur YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast
SummaryShe Lost 14 Family Members — And Chose Joy Anyway
Apr 1500:47:32Summary readyDr. Darlene “Dr. Dee” Williams has experienced a level of loss most people can’t imagine. Over the course of several years, she lost 14 members of her family—including both parents, her only sibling, and close relatives—all connected to the long-term impact of 9/11. What followed wasn’t just grief, but a complete reshaping of identity, family, and what it means to keep going when so much has been taken.In this conversation, Dr. Dee shares how she carries that loss while still choosing a life that holds joy. She and Heather talk about grief seasons, why grief isn’t linear, and how the idea of “growing around grief” can shift everything. Dr. Dee explains why joy and happiness are not the same, how guilt can show up when life starts to feel good again, and why community and connection are essential in navigating loss. It’s a conversation about surviving the unimaginable, honoring what’s been lost, and discovering that even after profound grief, joy is still possible.Resources & Ways to ConnectDr. Dee Williams Website: https://www.drdarlenewilliams.com/Email: info@drdarlenewilliams.comJake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelpJake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpAPOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcastHeather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughterOur YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast
SummaryWhat Grief Teaches Us About Caregiving and Being Human
Apr 801:00:06Summary readyRobert Espinoza has spent his career advocating for dignity in caregiving and long-term care—but his understanding of loss is deeply personal. After losing both of his parents and surviving a near-fatal heart attack at 39, Robert’s perspective on grief, mortality, and what it means to be cared for has been fundamentally transformed.In this conversation, he shares how those experiences reshaped his purpose and the way he moves through the world today. The discussion explores the contrast between sudden and anticipated loss, the emotional weight of surviving a life-threatening event, and the quiet ways grief shows up in moments of joy. It also expands into a broader, urgent conversation about caregiving, healthcare systems, and why dignity and compassion must be at the center of how we support one another—both personally and as a society.Resources & Ways to ConnectSubscribe to Robert’s Substack, Care Actually: https://careactually.substack.comJake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelpJake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpAPOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcastHeather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughterOur YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast
SummaryLosing the Sister You Thought You’d Grow Old With
Apr 100:56:32Summary readyKatrina Labate joins Heather to share what it means to lose your only sibling when the loss is sudden, disorienting, and far too soon. Her sister, Maria, was just 30 when she died after a rapid and devastating cancer diagnosis, leaving behind not only a close-knit family, but a future Katrina assumed they would share. In this conversation, Katrina reflects on their childhood together, the adult friendship they were just beginning to step into, and the particular heartbreak of sibling grief, a loss that is often deeply felt and far too rarely named.Heather and Katrina talk about the milestones that keep grief moving, the emptiness of becoming the only one left to hold certain memories, and the quiet ways loss resurfaces years later. They also explore what it means to keep living fully after profound loss, how joy and grief can sit side by side, and why Maria’s presence is still part of the biggest moments in Katrina’s life. It’s a tender, thoughtful conversation about sisterhood, memory, and carrying love forward after loss.Resources & Ways to ConnectOur Sweet Maria: A Father’s Story of Love, Loss, and Hope: https://www.amazon.com/Our-Sweet-Maria-Story-Loss/dp/1667878390A Place of Yes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast/Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter/Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: https://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp/Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpfromheavenA Place of Yes YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcastListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-place-of-yes-a-grief-podcast/id1725899363Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5aYEz4dvQXkux0x320eVFX
SummaryNavigating Life After Losing Both Siblings and a Mother
Mar 2500:53:53Summary readyChad Griffin was just 20 years old when his brother was diagnosed with cancer and died within months. Years later, he would lose his sister to alcoholism and his mother as well — a succession of losses that reshaped his understanding of family, faith, anxiety, and what it means to live with grief over decades, not days.In this conversation, Chad reflects on early numbness and escapism, the anxiety that followed his sister’s death, and the long road back through therapy, meditation, and deep introspection. He and Heather talk about compound grief, anticipatory grief, and the way loss evolves over a lifetime — shifting from raw pain to longing, from fear to acceptance. Chad shares how saved voicemails, AI-generated images, and simply saying their names have become acts of remembrance, and why honoring the full relationship — including the suffering — is part of healing. It’s a conversation about feeling the feels, facing what hurts, and discovering that on the other side of pain can be unexpected beauty.Resources & Ways to ConnectJake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelpJake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpAPOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcastHeather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughterOur YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast
SummaryHow to Support a Grieving Friend Without Making It Awkward
Mar 1800:55:20Summary readyHeidi Dunstan is a certified grief educator, author, and speaker — and she became that after losing her husband, Mike, suddenly from a massive heart attack just two days after Christmas and the day before her 40th birthday. In a single hour, her life shifted from planning a surprise birthday party to learning how to survive a loss that rewrote everything, including the holidays that followed.In this conversation, Heidi and Heather talk about why “grief is love” is more than a comforting phrase, and how judgment can quietly shut grieving people down. Heidi shares why common lines like “I’m sorry for your loss,” “you’re so strong,” and “at least…” can miss the mark, and what matters more instead: presence, specifics, and the courage to simply show up. They also explore the overlooked secondary losses that come with grief — shifting friendships, silence from people who don’t know what to say, and the complicated pressure to grieve “the right way” — along with practical language that helps people feel seen, safe, and supported.Resources & Ways to ConnectJake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelpJake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpAPOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcastHeather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughterOur YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcastHeidi Dunstan Website: https://heididunstan.ca/
SummaryGrief Goggles: Why Loss Changes How You See Everything
Mar 1101:00:07Summary readyLibby Adams is a radio host in Albany, New York—one half of the Fly Morning Rush on Fly 92.3—and she knows what it means to grieve in public while trying to keep life moving. After losing her mom to cancer in 2022, Libby began navigating adulthood with a new lens on everything: the milestones her mom won’t see, the joy that still shows up anyway, and the guilt that can come with feeling okay again.In this conversation, Libby shares what it was like to live with anticipatory grief as her mom’s health changed, how the smallest moments—like getting a haircut—can hit harder than the “big” days, and what it takes to show up for work when the grief is still raw. Heather and Libby talk about the strange mix of denial and survival, the way loss reshapes identity, and the quiet places love keeps showing up—sometimes as a voice in the back of your mind, sometimes as sunlight that feels like a reminder.Resources & Ways to ConnectFly 92.3: https://fly92.com/Fly Morning Rush: https://fly92.com/show/the-fly-morning-rush/Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelpJake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpAPOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcastHeather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughterOur YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast
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