Episode 005: Somebody Somewhere and Grief
Today’s episode explores grief and mourning with guests Rachelle Bensoussan and Michelle Williams of being here, human. This conversation will challenge and deconstruct some of the common myths and misconceptions about grief and also give some new language around recognizing and honoring your own grief, and the grief of those around you.
Listen on Spotify | Amazon | iHeart | Any player
Takeaways include:
Embracing the Journey of Grief: Understanding and Coping.
Challenging Societal Norms: Redefining Grief for Healing.
Cultivating Empathy and Understanding in Grief Situations.
Building a Supportive Community for Grief Recovery.
Shifting Perspectives: Thinking Differently to Heal from Grief.
CW: This episode includes discussions about death and dying.
Music: Deppisch
Design: Perpetualnotion.ca
Mixing/ Mastering: Tony Bao
Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast
MORE ON OUR GUESTS
Rachelle Bensoussan, M.A., CT. (She/Her/They)
Rachelle Bensoussan is the co-founder and managing director of being here, human. She holds a master’s degree in Thanatology, is a certified Thanatologist with the Association of Death Education and Counselling, and has spent the last ten years building community-based bereavement programs for hospices across Southern Ontario. Rachelle holds a faculty appointment at McMaster University in the department of family medicine, division of palliative care. She is a longitudinal facilitator at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and a guest lecturer in many of McMaster’s undergraduate programs. Rachelle is also a faculty member at Western University in the department of Thanatology. Rachelle is a queer-identified woman of North African & Middle Eastern descent and is a fierce believer that grief is our birthright.
Michelle Williams, MSW (She/Her)
Michelle Williams is the co-founder and managing director of being here, human. She holds a master’s degree in social work and has many years of experience, both personally and professionally, supporting bereaved individuals and those at the end of life. She has been involved with grassroots organizations supporting communities who are living with housing instability, food insecurity, addictions, and inadequate access to mental health resources. She has professional experience in the child welfare system witnessing firsthand, the harm of systemic racism and oppressive practices on marginalized families. Michelle is a woman of mixed ethnicity who identifies as Black. She believes that one’s grief and loss experiences are greatly impacted by marginalization and the intersections of identity.
FURTHER RESOURCES
Megan Devine's It's Okay That You're Not Okay — A beautifully written and accurate representation of grief from someone who’s a therapist in a space where they supported folks who were grieving.
Here After with Megan Devine (podcast)
Grief is a Sneaky Bitch with Lisa Keefauver (podcast)
Dying for Sex - A podcast about two best friends, one of whom is terminally ill with breast cancer.
Esther Pearl's podcast series Where Should We Begin? There are a lot of episodes you can pick out about couples who have come together following a loss.
If you want to help someone take the Being Here Human workshops, you can DONATE HERE.
This episode’s AWESOME things:
Heather loves space and found out that the researchers Amir Siraj and Abraham Loeb have discovered the first known interstellar meteor to ever hit Earth. It’s called CNEOS 2014-01-08, and it crash-landed along the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea on January 8, 2014.
Sarah’s awesome thing is that her friend just received a kidney transplant after a long wait — and this is going to impact her friend’s life in a huge way. If you want to make sure your organs go to someone in need after you die, please consider becoming an organ donor. You can also become a living donor for those looking for a kidney!
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