How do we decide what to keep after a loved one dies?

In this insightful episode, Nina Rodriguez is joined by grief coach, curator of The Grief Gallery™, and author, Charlene Lam, for a deeply human conversation about curating grief: the tender, often overwhelming process of choosing what to keep after loss.

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Video version available here.

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After the sudden death of her mother in 2013, Charlene found herself alone with the responsibility of sorting through her mom’s belongings. That experience became the foundation for her work, including the 10 Object Method, a reflective practice that invites grievers to select a small number of meaningful items as a way of honoring relationships, reclaiming narrative, and maintaining continuing bonds.

Together, Nina and Charlene explore the emotional weight of everyday objects, the cultural and personal lenses that shape grief, and the evolving nature of our connection to those who have died. This conversation reminds us that grief is not something to complete or solve, it is something we live with, curate, and carry forward in ways that are deeply personal and uniquely our own.

Whether you’re facing a house full of belongings, grieving a loss beyond death, or simply wondering how memory and meaning intertwine, this episode offers language, permission, and companionship.

Key Takeaways

• Curating grief is about choosing what holds meaning, not following rules.
• The 10 Object Method offers a gentle framework for honoring relationships after loss.
• Belongings can feel emotionally overwhelming, especially when time and resources are limited.
• Objects often serve as anchors for memory, identity, and continuing bonds.
• Grief is not static; our relationship with those we’ve lost evolves over time.
• Everyday items can carry deep symbolic and emotional weight.
• Grief extends beyond death and includes many forms of loss.
• Curating memories helps us reclaim our personal narratives.
• Cultural perspectives shape how grief is experienced and expressed.
• Sharing stories keeps connection alive and helps reduce isolation.

Guest: Charlene Lam

• Author, Speaker, Grief Coach & Curator
• @curating_grief
• curatinggrief.com
• [BOOK] Curating Grief: A Creative Guide to Choosing What to Keep After a Loved One Dies

Hosted by: Nina Rodriguez

• griefandlight.com
• @griefandlight
• Resting Grief Face on Substack
• Grief Tending Toolkit

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Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

Episode 100 of Grief and Light marks a meaningful milestone shaped not only by consistency and care, but by the relationships formed along the way. Nina Rodriguez chose to honor this moment with a feed swap: a deeply personal episode originally recorded for The Life Shift Podcast, hosted by fellow podcaster and friend Matt Gilhooly.

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Read:

Grief and Light Podcast: Exploring Grief & Lighting the Way to Hope by Frank Racioppi, EAR WORTHY

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This episode reflects one of the most unexpected and beautiful ripple effects of saying yes to grief work: the genuine connections that emerge when we choose to stay in honest conversation over time. In this role-reversed dialogue, Matt interviews Nina about the sudden loss of her brother and the life-altering moment that reshaped everything that followed.

Nina reflects on the spontaneous decision to visit her brother on his birthday, followed by the shock, surrealism, and disorientation of receiving the news of his unexpected death. She speaks openly about his long-term sobriety, the hope and plans they held for his future, and the complexity of grieving someone whose life carried both struggle and profound love.

Nina and Matt explore the unpredictable nature of life, the emotional disconnection that often accompanies sudden loss, and the quiet ways grief changes how we move through the world. What emerges is a story of learning how to live with grief.

Nina shares how creating Grief and Light became a way to stay in relationship with her grief, transforming pain into presence, isolation into connection, and making meaning.

This episode is a meditation on human connection, the power of curiosity in times of loss, and the possibility of honoring grief without needing to resolve it.

Key Takeaways:

• One of the beautiful ripple effects of this journey is the meaningful connections it has forged.
• About 5% of podcasts make it past the 100th episode.
• You don’t need answers or clarity to be present with grief.
• Meaning-making after loss is not linear or prescriptive; it unfolds in its own time.
• Grief can change how we relate to ourselves, our relationships, and our sense of the future.
• Curiosity can be a gentler companion than certainty when navigating loss.
• Honoring someone’s full story (including struggle, hope, and love) matters in grief.
• Human connection is one of the most sustaining forces during times of loss.
• Joy and sorrow are not opposites; they can coexist.
• Staying in relationship with grief can transform isolation into connection.

Connect with Matt Gilhooly:

• thelifeshiftpodcast.com
• @thelifeshiftpodcast

Connect with Nina Rodriguez:

• griefandlight.com
• @griefandlight
• Resting Grief Face on Substack

Tools:

• Grief Tending Toolkit
• Pause, Pivot, Podcast Workbook

Send us a text

Support the show

Thank you for listening! Please share with someone who may need to hear this.

Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

An honest exploration of grief, creativity, and community with the visionary behind Women Who Podcast magazine—covering storytelling, anticipatory grief, and the movement to amplify women’s voices in podcasting.

In this conversation, Nina Rodriguez sits down with Kathy Barron, founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women Who Podcast Magazine, to explore the power of women’s voices, the complexity of grief, and the courage it takes to tell honest stories.

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Video available here

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Kathy shares the origin story behind the magazine: a space born from her desire to see women not just represented in podcasting, but truly celebrated. As the conversation unfolds, Kathy opens up about her own relationship to loss, including the quiet, complicated ache of anticipatory grief as she navigates her mother’s aging, as well as moments of soul-level connection she feels with farming communities and Mexican culture.

Nina and Kathy explore how grief shapes identity, creativity, and the way we move through the world. They talk about the tension between what we hold privately and what we offer publicly, the healing potential of artistic expression, and the moments of clarity that come from living inside “the dash”—the space between birth and death.

Kathy also reflects on the evolving landscape of podcasting, from the pressures of imposter syndrome to the new possibilities—and challenges—posed by AI. She offers grounded, generous advice for aspiring women podcasters seeking connection, mentorship, and confidence in a space that hasn’t always made room for them.

This episode is a reminder that storytelling is community-building, grief is deeply personal but never solitary, and women’s voices deserve to take up space—loudly, boldly, and without apology.

Key Takeaways

• Women Who Podcast magazine amplifies and uplifts women’s voices across the industry.
• Community is essential for creative collaboration, support, and sustainability.
• Grief manifests differently for everyone, shaped by personal and generational experiences.
• Artistic expression—writing, podcasting, humor—can deepen connection and understanding.
• Anticipatory grief involves mourning who someone once was while caring for who they are now.
• Hard conversations about mortality, aging, and loss are uncomfortable—but necessary.
• Sarcasm can be a tool for truth-telling and authenticity in storytelling.
• Aspiring podcasters benefit from mentorship, collaboration, and supportive networks.
• Critical thinking is more important than ever in a rapidly shifting tech landscape.
• Reclaiming creativity in the age of AI matters for podcasters, writers, and artists alike.

Guest: Kathy Barron

• Founder & Editor-in-Chief
• @womenwhopodcastmagazine
• womenwhopodcastmag.com

Hosted by: Nina Rodriguez

• griefandlight.com
• @griefandlight
• Resting Grief Face on Substack
• Grief Tending Toolkit

Send us a text

Support the show

Thank you for listening! Please share with someone who may need to hear this.

Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers