Podcast
Giving Grief Grace, a Grief Podcast for the Sandwich Generation
Hosted by Lisa Hartung · EN
Loss changes everything. But it doesn't have to have the last word. Giving Grief Grace is a podcast dedicated to those in the throes of caregiving and loss with honest, compassionate conversations about grief, healing, and what it means to keep living after loss. Hosted by Lisa Hartung, a speaker, HR professional, and fellow griever, each episode creates space for the stories we don't always know how to tell.
From disenfranchised and hidden grief, to grieving while parenting, to the ways men experience loss differently, to the unexpected power of creativity and legacy, this show covers grief in all its forms. Featuring expert guests, real stories, and practical tools you can use right now.
If you've lost someone you love or are in the throes of caregiving, you belong here.
New episodes drop every Sunday. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
24episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 45 - It's Okay to Say Died: How to Talk to Children About Death at Any Age with Carrie Silver of A Haven
Mar 1500:46:24Tap to summarizeWhat do you say when a child asks, "Is Mommy coming back?" This week, Lisa sits down with Carrie Silver, Clinical Director of A Haven, a nonprofit child and family grief center in Exton, Pennsylvania, to explore one of the most important and often-avoided conversations we can have with the children in our lives: talking honestly about death. Carrie brings both professional expertise and compassion as she walks us through why using real language like the words died, death, dead, is one of the greatest gifts we can give a grieving child. Softer phrases like "passed away," "went to sleep," or "we lost them" can unintentionally create confusion, anxiety, and even shame in young minds still learning how the world works.This is the first episode of a mini-series with A Haven about how to support and talk to children about death and dying. In this episode, you'll learn:Why the #1 factor in how a child grieves is how their caregiver grievesWhat normative grief looks like at every developmental stage — from age 3 through young adulthoodHow to approach these conversations as a "side-by-side" activity rather than a face-to-face talkRed flags (and orange flags) that signal a child may need additional supportThe power of keeping rituals, memories, and stories alive, and why talking about and asking questions about a loved one is always a gift, even if it causes tearsFree resources available through A Haven for families everywhereWhether you're a parent, caregiver, educator, or grief professional, this episode offers tangible, take-home wisdom for supporting the youngest grievers in your community and yourself.Resources:A Haven: free printable grief resources and consultations availableJudi's House: comprehensive grief care for children and families and their CBEM Model for national data on children's grief by regionSend us Fan MailThanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you! Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone.Subscribe to the podcast and we'll see you next week! Special thanks to:Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star MusicPodcast Music Good_B_Music
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Episode 44 - Still Raising Hell at 97: Alton "Honky" Hartung on Living Life to the Fullest in Maine
Mar 1001:18:32Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Lisa sits down with her grandfather, Alton "Honky" Hartung who recently turned 97 and is still living alone and driving! Honky is a living piece of American history who has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.Born and raised on a farm in Manchester, Maine, Honky takes us back to a simpler time, describing what it was like working as a meat cutter at the local market. He shares stories of traveling around the US with his wife of 66 years, Alice Williams Hartung. His most prized possession is his 1929 Model A Ford - tune in to hear how he got his nickname "Honky!" He is one of those people who you just have to mention his name and friends get a smile on their face and have their own Honky story to tell. This episode is a reminder that the greatest stories often come from the people sitting right across the dinner table. Honky's lived wisdom, humor, and wit are unparalleled and he is still raising hell every day. We are here for it! Send us Fan MailThanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you! Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone.Subscribe to the podcast and we'll see you next week! Special thanks to:Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star MusicPodcast Music Good_B_Music
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Episode 43 - Finding Joy Without a Cure: Melanie Ezell on INHERITED, Motherhood & Living Fully with Stage 4 Cancer
Mar 200:51:22Tap to summarizeThis week, we welcome back Melanie Ezell — writer, mother, yogi, and surfer from the North Shore of Oʻahu — to celebrate the release of her new book, INHERITED: A Life Without a Cure. Diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer at a young age, Melanie has shared honestly and been a luminous voice on grief, mortality, and the art of being present.Melanie unpacks the layered meaning behind the title INHERITED. From the BRCA1 mutation passed down from her father to the cultural and spiritual messages she absorbed about shame, worthiness, and productivity, and how she is now consciously choosing what to pass on to her five-year-old son, Velzy.The conversation moves through the surprising gifts that come from a terminal diagnosis: releasing resentment without moral superiority, stepping down from the judge's seat entirely, the freedom of radical acceptance, and how surfing chest-high waves under a double rainbow can be every bit as meaningful as charging big swells.Melanie also shares a vulnerable and recent update. Her cancer markers have recently jumped, a stronger round of chemo may be ahead. What she actually needs from the people she loves when fear sets in is not reassurances or solutions, but simple presence. The following words are what Melanie shared she needs to hear most. For listeners who know someone journeying through illness or for caregivers and individuals themselves, these words can change your relationship:I hear you, I'm listening. This makes me feel ____, and I'm here for you. Talk as much as you want, tell me anything you want, and I will sit here until you don't need my presence anymore.Whether you're living with a terminal illness, walking alongside someone who is, or simply searching for a more present, heart-centered way to move through this life, this episode will stay with you long after you listen.Pre-order Melanie's book: INHERITED: A Life without a Cure melanieezell.com | Amazon (e-book pre-order) Follow Melanie: @yogasurfmel on Instagram Substack: Melanie Ezell Please consider supporting Melanie on her cancer journey as she prepares to release her legacy book for her son. GoFundMe If you want to hear more about Melanie's journey, listen to Giving Grief Grace's Episode 24: Living Fully with Stage 4 ovarian Cancer: The Freedom of Letting Go or watch it on YouTube. Send us Fan MailThanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you! Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone.Subscribe to the podcast and we'll see you next week! Special thanks to:Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star MusicPodcast Music Good_B_Music
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Episode 42 - Ash Rose Project (Week 4): Honoring Legacy, Finding Hope, and Looking Toward the Future
Feb 2200:45:40Tap to summarizeIn this bittersweet finale of the Ash Rose Project series, host Lisa Hartung and artist/Executive Director of the Ash Rose Foundation, Ian McCartor close out their 30-day grief journey with a conversation full of hope, whimsy, and renewal. The conversation was recorded, fittingly, on Ash Wednesday.Week 4's theme is Looking Toward the Future: Continuing the Legacy and Embracing Hope. As Ian puts the finishing touches on a one-of-a-kind portrait made with Emily Hartung's ashes, Lisa reflects on what this project has meant for her healing and what she hopes it will mean for others.Together Ian and Lisa explore the transformative power of curiosity in grief, why asking open-ended questions beats the usual platitudes, and how art becomes a talisman that keeps our loved ones present in everyday life. Lisa shares the legacy traditions she'll carry forward from "Emily's Planting & Blooming Day" at the Farmington Public Library in Maine to a memorial bench at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Maine and even hints at two books she hopes to write in her mother's honor.The episode closes with a passage from Wordsworth's I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, inscribed on a wind chime for Emily, and a reminder that there is always a path to spring again. A wonderful representation of the cycle of life. A grand reveal episode is coming during the first week of spring — stay tuned!Catch up on the full Ash Rose Project series:Intro Week - When The Artist Becomes the Art: Episode 38 Week 1 – Honoring the Past: Episode 39 Week 2 – Processing Grief Through Creation: Episode 40 Week 3 – Finding Meaning in the Present: Episode 41 Visit the Ash Rose Foundation at TheAshRose.org for more information and to sign up for your own Ash Rose Project to celebrate a loved one who has passed. Send us Fan MailThanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you! Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone.Subscribe to the podcast and we'll see you next week! Special thanks to:Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star MusicPodcast Music Good_B_Music
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