Podcast
Grief & Happiness
Hosted by Emily Thiroux Threatt · EN
Aloha! Welcome to the Grief and Happiness podcast. My name is Emily Thiroux Threatt, and I am your host. I am the author of Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief, The Grief and Happiness Handbook, and creator of Grief and Happiness Cards: Gentle Support for Dealing with Grief and Finding Happiness
My purpose with the Grief and Happiness Podcast is to demonstrate to people who are dealing with grief and loss that they can grieve and be happy at the same time. The wide variety of guests address the myriad of issues that arise with loss and the spectrum of how grief and happiness relate. After a loved one dies, often people say they will never be happy again. By covering thought-provoking topics like creativity, compassion, community, purpose, inner peace, strength, coping, surrendering, and resilience with authors, speakers, coaches, and friends, listeners find inspiration and confidence guiding them on their grief journey. Each week the podcast showcases an interview with an inspiring guest and an additional brief podcast with a message of support and comfort.
Anyone dealing with grief or loss can come to the Grief and Happiness podcast to find comfort, support, love, and happiness. You are welcome here to learn ways to live your best life.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
15episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Grief Advice Nobody Gives You, According to Lisa Woolery: It's OK to Be a Mess, and It's OK to Laugh About It
1w ago00:25:14Tap to summarizeIf you've ever felt pressure to hold it together after loss, Episode 430 of the Grief and Happiness podcast is for you. Widow, author, and mentor Lisa Woolery shares the unfiltered reality of grief — from bank meltdowns to ill-fated dating attempts — and makes a compelling case for why laughter is one of the most powerful healing tools available. Giving yourself permission to be a hot mess, she says, is the first step toward your comeback.In This Episode, You Will Learn:(00:52) From Southern California to Kansas City: the sudden loss that changed everything(03:42) Why most grief books fall short and what Lisa did differently(05:11) Writing funny chapters about grief's most painful moments(07:46) Why laughing without guilt is a powerful grief recovery tool(10:12) Dating as a widow: sharing her lowest moments so others feel less alone(13:22) Emily's story: finding love again after swearing she never would(14:01) The dream that gave Lisa permission to move forward(16:55) Why widows must stop judging each other's grief journeys(18:35) What not to say to a widow — and what actually helps(19:55) You can handle anything, but you don't have to do it all(22:50) Why Lisa keeps saying yes to new adventuresLisa Woolery is a widow, author, and widow mentor based in Kansas City, Missouri, raising two teenagers and three dogs after losing her husband Eric suddenly — just eight months after their family relocated from Southern California. A former Vice President of Public Relations at Wells Fargo, Lisa channeled her grief into The Widow's Comeback, an International Impact Award-winning memoir about her first two years of widowhood, alongside a grief calendar workbook, guided journal, and an active Facebook community for widows.In this episode, Lisa shares why she wrote her memoir with raw honesty and deliberate humor — a direct response to the sugar-coated grief narratives she encountered after Eric's death. From laugh-out-loud chapters about bank meltdowns to candid reflections on the guilt-laden process of dating again, she shows how comedy and self-permission became essential tools in her healing. The conversation closes on Lisa's most powerful takeaway: that she can handle anything, but doesn't have to do everything alone — and that while the "hot mess" phase is real, it doesn't last forever.Connect with Lisa Woolery:WebsiteFacebookInstagramBooks: Lisa Woolery - The Widow’s Comeback Series Let's Connect: WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Tenacity
2w ago00:04:58Tap to summarizeDo you get in your own way?Let's Connect:You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking hereYou can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking hereRequest your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide hereSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Why This Widower Says "Thank You" to the Cancer That Killed His Wife
2w ago00:37:38Tap to summarizeIf you've ever questioned whether beauty can come from the worst moments of your life, Episode 428 of the Grief and Happiness podcast is for you. Widower and author Danny Lesslie shares how losing his wife Raffaella to Stage 4 cancer led him to write their co-authored memoir Thank You, Cancer — and what he discovered in her unedited journals after she was gone. He also opens up about the miraculous "Jesus moments" that carried his family through the unimaginable, and what moving forward — not moving on — can actually look like.In This Episode, You Will Learn:(00:53) Danny's story — Raffaella's five-year cancer battle and their choice to share it(03:21) How writing transforms grief from a "nebulous storm" into clarity(04:49) The two-voice structure of Thank You, Cancer and what Danny found in her journals(08:25) Why Raffaella's voice continues to reach strangers after her death(12:12) Writing as a companion in loneliness — and the grief of finishing the book(13:09) Losing someone "over and over again" — and how those moments shift toward gratitude(17:39) Moving forward vs. moving on — and the shift that signals it's time(24:51) Why building your emotional home in another person leaves you lost after loss(26:13) The "Jesus moments" that carried Danny's family through the unimaginable(29:32) How total loss of control became an unexpected giftDanny Lesslie is an author, speaker, and significance coach whose life was transformed by his wife Raffaella's five-year battle with Stage 4 vulvar cancer. Committed to bringing light from the darkness, they shared their journey publicly — a mission Danny continues today. After losing Raffaella at the end of 2024, he completed the book they always dreamed of writing together: Thank You, Cancer, a two-voice memoir weaving Raffaella's raw, unedited journals alongside his own reflections. Now a widowed father of two young daughters, Danny speaks and coaches on grief and resilience at dannylesslie.co.In this episode, Danny shares how writing became an unexpected bridge — for his own healing and for discovering his wife more deeply through her unedited words after her death. He reflects on losing someone "over and over again" as grief resurfaces through everyday objects and memories, and how those moments have slowly shifted toward gratitude. He also speaks candidly about the "Jesus moments" that sustained his family through financial and medical impossibilities, and how total loss of control became a gift that redirected him toward trusting God's provision. Throughout, Danny offers a compassionate take on the difference between moving on and moving forward — and the quiet internal shift that signals it's time.Connect with Danny Lesslie:WebsiteLinkedInInstagramBook: Danny Lesslie - Thank You, CancerGet your personalized copy here! Let's Connect: WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Outside In
3w ago00:04:08Tap to summarizeWhat is the difference for you between mourning and grief?Let's Connect:You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking hereYou can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking hereRequest your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide hereSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →We Throw Baby Showers. So Why Aren't We Celebrating the People We're About to Lose? This Death Doula Has the Answer.
3w ago00:39:27Tap to summarizeIf you've ever avoided thinking about death — your own or someone else's — episode 426 of Grief and Happiness is exactly what you need to hear. Death doula and soul coach Julie Wright Halbert joins Emily to challenge everything we've been taught about the end of life, and why dying people deserve the same celebration as newborns. Raw, surprising, and deeply comforting, this conversation will change the way you think about living.In This Episode, You Will Learn:(00:57) From national education attorney to death doula and soul coach (01:52) How death doulas are transforming end-of-life care (04:16) The hidden toll caregiving takes — and why supporters need support too (06:17) Why walking toward death is a gift, not a burden (07:19) How dying people can reclaim their agency (14:16) Why we celebrate births but not the people we're about to lose (18:23) How grief and happiness mirror each other through presence (22:27) Why there is no timeline for grief (23:08) The signs, numbers, and moments that prove love doesn't die (31:46) Why people go silent after a death — and what makes all the difference (35:35) The death doula movement is growing — how you can be part of itJulie Wright Halbert, Esq. is a death doula, transformational soul coach, and national advocate for grief literacy whose work bridges nearly three decades of legal rigor with soul-centered presence. A former Legislative Counsel for the Council of the Great City Schools, she shaped national education policy up to the U.S. Supreme Court level before the sudden loss of her husband to cancer in just three weeks transformed her path entirely. Today she is the founder of Rising Phoenix Life, guiding individuals and families through grief and life transitions, and volunteers as a certified death doula with Tidewell Empath Hospice in Florida. She is also the author of the forthcoming book Divine Ashes Ascending.In this episode, Julie brings lived loss and professional wisdom to a conversation about dying with agency, presence, and love. She and Emily explore the importance of patients using their voice — choosing their environment, their people, and the terms of their final days — and the often-overlooked toll caregiving takes on loved ones. Julie introduces her philosophy of "living and dying awake": being so fully present in life that death can ultimately be met with legacy and celebration rather than fear. She also speaks openly about her continuing spiritual connection to her late husband Jim, and encourages listeners to explore the growing death doula movement as an accessible, compassionate source of support.Connect with Julie Wright Halbert:WebsiteLinkedInInstagramBook: Julie Wright Halbert - Divine Ashes AscendingFree guided meditation by Julie Let's Connect: WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Playing
4w ago00:04:05Tap to summarizeYou are as young and you act and feel.Let's Connect:You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking hereYou can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking hereRequest your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide hereSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →How Two Cancer Diagnoses Made This Late-in-Life Couple Closer Than Ever
Apr 2800:24:05Tap to summarizeIf you've ever wondered how love could deepen in the face of the unthinkable, episode 424 of Grief and Happiness is for you. David Marsden shares the remarkable story of his late-in-life relationship with journalist Alicia Shepard — a partnership that survived two stage 4 cancer diagnoses and a role reversal between patient and caregiver that brought them closer than ever. Through loss, David reveals how asking for help and finding gratitude in the smallest moments can transform even the hardest chapters into something profoundly beautiful.In This Episode, You Will Learn:(01:00) David's stage 4 melanoma survival and late-in-life love story(02:25) A first date on April Fool's Day that began and ended eleven years later(03:49) Why the publisher dropped the book the day Lisa died — and David's refusal to let it go(08:53) Why Lisa packed up and followed David to war-torn Afghanistan(10:11) Cycling Iowa, visiting Alaska, and hiking the Grand Canyon with stage 4 lung cancer(11:35) Back-to-back diagnoses and swapping roles between patient and caregiver(13:30) In Lisa's own words: when a cancer diagnosis turns your world upside down(15:35) Why asking for help changes everything during serious illness(17:16) Finding gratitude in shrinking walks as the end drew near(19:31) How the book carries Lisa's voice forward for cancer patients and familiesDavid Marsden is a stage 4 melanoma survivor and the widower of award-winning journalist Alicia C. Shepard, former NPR ombudsman and contributor to the New York Times and Washington Post. The two met on Match.com in 2012, embarking on a late-in-life love story that took them from cycling across Iowa to working side by side in Afghanistan and hiking the Grand Canyon — all while navigating back-to-back stage 4 cancer diagnoses. After Alicia passed away on April 1, 2023 — eleven years to the day of their first date — David honored her dying wish by shepherding her memoir to publication with Bloomsbury. He contributed the epilogue, with a foreword by Alicia's son, filmmaker Cutter Hodierne. The Luckiest Unlucky Couple: A Medical Love Story is available now, with proceeds supporting cancer research and a foundation funding fellowships for women in journalism.In this episode, David opens up about the emotional terrain of loving someone through illness — and being loved through it yourself. He reflects on the shock of their sequential diagnoses, the profound role reversal of moving between patient and caregiver, and the unexpected gifts that came with both: learning to ask for help, leaning into community, and finding deep gratitude in the smallest moments. He also shares the story of getting Alicia's book across the finish line after her passing — a labor of love that became, as he describes it, a way to continue the relationship and honor everything she wanted to say.Connect with David Marsden:Book: Alicia C. Shepard - The Luckiest Unlucky Couple: A Medical Love StoryLet's Connect: WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Signs
Apr 2400:05:19Tap to summarizeWhat signs that you experience remind you of your loved ones.Let's Connect:You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking hereYou can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking hereRequest your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide hereSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Walk It, Talk It, Write It: Author Laing F. Rikkers' Three-Step Formula for Getting Through Loss
Apr 2100:31:51Tap to summarizeIf you've ever turned to creativity to make sense of loss, episode 422 of the Grief and Happiness podcast is for you. Author and grief specialist Laing F. Rikkers shares how losing her sister during the pandemic led her to a simple but powerful healing framework: walk it, talk it, write it. Through morning pages and botanical poetry, she transformed her grief into an award-winning book — and shows how even the most personal pain can carry something universal.In This Episode, You Will Learn:(00:53) Introducing Laing Rikkers and her book Morning Leaves(03:17) How losing her sister and the pandemic sparked a creative awakening(06:08) Poem reading: "Cactus" — on loneliness and self-protection(07:16) Why loneliness is the grief emotion nobody warns you about(07:58) Poem reading: "Lemon Tree" — on generosity and resilience(09:00) How nature became the language of her healing(13:42) Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way and the power of morning pages(16:27) Walk it, talk it, write it: a three-step framework for healing(17:41) How creativity switches off the inner critic and restores rest(25:19) Why natural sunlight is the most powerful antidepressant(26:17) How stargazing can restore your sense of meaning and purposeLaing F. Rikkers is a business advisor, executive coach, award-winning author, and certified Grief Support Specialist based in Southern California. After 30 years in corporate leadership — spanning human resources at Hess and Walt Disney, and two decades in private equity at HealthpointCapital — she channeled personal loss into a profound creative journey. Her book Morning Leaves: Cultivating a Life of Beauty, Meaning, and Joy, a collection of botanical poetry and original paintings born from grief, won multiple awards in its first edition and is now out in an expanded second edition featuring nearly 100 original paintings.In this episode, Laing shares how the sudden loss of her younger sister in 2019, compounded by pandemic isolation, became the catalyst for that awakening. Drawing on Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, she began practicing morning pages, allowing grief, loneliness, and reflection to surface through writing — eventually shaping into botanical poems that use nature as metaphor for loss. She reads two of those poems and offers a simple framework for navigating grief: walk it, talk it, write it. She and Emily also explore how deeply personal writing can carry unexpected universality, with readers often finding their own stories reflected in Laing's words.Connect with Laing F. Rikkers:WebsiteInstagramSubstackLinkedInGet Laing F. Rikkers books!Let's Connect: WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestThe Grief and Happiness AllianceBook: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Plans
Apr 1700:05:08Tap to summarizeWhat do you have planned for the rest of your life?Let's Connect:You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking hereYou can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Guide by clicking here.You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon:You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking hereRequest your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide hereSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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