“There’s a moment in grief when you realize the story didn’t end… it just changed shape.”

In this episode of Restorative Grief, Mandy is joined by filmmaker and Emmy-winning producer Jon Hill, whose feature film Above the Clouds was born from the loss of his father and shaped over thirteen years of quiet persistence. What began as heartbreak slowly became a creative path toward meaning, connection, and unexpectedly laughter.

Together, we explore what it looks like to honor someone we love through art, why humor can coexist with deep sorrow, and how creative expression can help us move through grief without trying to rush past it. Jon shares the personal roots of his film, the long road to bringing it into the world, and the gentle hope he carries for anyone walking their own healing journey.

This conversation is an invitation to hold grief with honesty, to stay open to moments of lightness, and to remember that restoration often arrives in ways we don’t expect.

In this episode, we discuss:

Turning personal loss into meaningful creative work
The surprising role of humor in the healing process
What thirteen years of persistence can teach us about grief
Balancing tenderness and levity when telling hard stories
Helping grieving people feel less alone in their experience

Links + Resources from this episode:

Learn more about Above the Clouds: https://www.abovethecloudsfilm.com/
Learn about Jon's work: https://www.jonhilldirects.com/
Learn more about Restorative Grief: https://www.mandycapehart.com/
Become a Patron of the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/mandycapehart