The Empowered Grief Journey

Grief, Food, and Feeling: Healing Emotional Eating with Jillian Scott

In this enlightening episode of The Empowered Grief Journey, Jillian Scott — life coach and emotional eating specialist — shares how our relationship with food often reflects our emotional world, especially unprocessed grief.
Jillian opens up about her own journey through divorce and how loss revealed the deeper emotions beneath her eating habits. She explains how food can become a way to numb or avoid pain, and how awareness, compassion, and curiosity can turn those patterns into opportunities for healing.
Through honest reflection and practical insight, Jillian invites us to look beyond the craving — to see food not as the problem, but as a messenger guiding us back to our emotions.

Healing the Invisible Wounds: Adoption, Identity, and Belonging with Julie Matye

In this introspective episode of The Empowered Grief Journey, Julie Matye opens up about the quiet, complex grief that comes with being adopted. Though deeply grateful for the loving family who raised her, Julie shares the subtle ache that remained — a longing to understand where she came from and who her biological parents were.
She reflects on how this “identity grief” shaped her early life and later guided her path as a social worker, supporting children in the state system. Julie’s story sheds light on the often-overlooked side of adoption — the coexistence of love and loss, gratitude and longing, belonging and wondering.

After Losing Dad: A Journey of Grief, Family, and Finding My Way Forward

In this touching episode of The Empowered Grief Journey, Jasmine Bootle shares her heartfelt story of losing her father — the man who was her anchor, guide, and greatest supporter. His passing left a deep void that reshaped her family and her sense of self.
Jasmine opens up about navigating grief while facing unexpected family tension and how she found her own way to keep her father close — carrying his ashes to places he would have loved and honoring his presence in everyday moments.
Through courage and love, Jasmine reminds us that grief doesn’t truly end — it transforms. By choosing to remember, we continue the bond with those we’ve lost in new and meaningful ways.

Honoring Cory: A Sister’s Journey Through Love, Loss, and Advocacy

In this heartfelt episode of The Empowered Grief Journey, I sit down with Tara Kadlec as she shares the story of her beloved brother, Cory — a vibrant soul who lived with Down syndrome and dementia. Tara opens up about their deep bond, the challenges of caregiving, and the heartbreak of watching her brother face inadequate healthcare support in Canada.
Through raw honesty and deep love, Tara reflects on the emotional toll of caregiving, the grief of loss, and her fight to bring awareness to the need for compassionate, dignified care. Despite the pain, she continues to celebrate Cory’s life daily — through advocacy, storytelling, and living with purpose.
This conversation is a powerful tribute to sibling love, resilience, and the call for change in how we care for those who need it most.

Welcoming My Daughter, Losing My Mother: A Story of Birth, Loss, and Love

In this deeply moving episode of The Empowered Grief Journey, I’m joined by Carla Berbary, who shares the profound experience of welcoming her daughter into the world just five days before losing her beloved mother.
From her home in Australia, Carla navigated the heartbreak of grieving her mother from afar in Lebanon — holding both the joy of new life and the sorrow of loss at once. She opens up about the tension, guilt, and beauty of living within those two extremes, and how she now carries her mother’s memory forward through motherhood itself.
This conversation is a tender reminder that healing isn’t about choosing between emotions, but allowing joy and grief to coexist — honoring the fullness of the human heart.

Unchained: A Journey to Rise, Heal, and Reclaim Life After Narcissistic Abuse

In this powerful episode of The Empowered Grief Journey, I’m joined by Anni Neill — survivor, author, and advocate for women healing from narcissistic abuse. Anni courageously shares her story of breaking free from a toxic marriage rooted in control, manipulation, and financial abuse.
Together, we explore how narcissists use gaslighting, shame, and power to keep their partners trapped — and what it truly takes to rebuild trust in yourself after emotional trauma. Anni shares the grief of not only losing the relationship, but also the version of herself that endured it.
Now an author and educator, she’s turned her pain into purpose, helping women recognize red flags, reclaim their voice, and rise into lives of freedom and fulfillment.

From Heartbreak to Hope: A Mother’s Journey Through Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Healing

In this heartfelt episode of The Empowered Grief Journey, I’m joined by Kaitlin Parsons — a mother, coach, and advocate — who courageously shares her experiences with miscarriage and stillbirth. Together, we explore the deep and often unspoken grief that comes with losing a child and the emotional ripple effects it can have on individuals, marriages, and families.
Kaitlin opens up about the differences in how men and women process grief, the challenges couples face in the aftermath of loss, and how giving herself permission to feel became the start of her healing. She also shares how finding safe, supportive spaces allowed her to honor her babies’ lives while rediscovering hope and purpose.

The Healing Power of Presence: A Chaplain’s Perspective on Grief

In this deeply grounding episode of The Empowered Grief Journey, Rev. Christine Vaughan Davies — ordained Presbyterian minister, spiritual director, seminary professor, and head of hospital chaplaincy at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital — shares profound insights from her years of walking alongside the grieving.
Christine offers a compassionate perspective on what it truly means to be present with others in pain. Together, we explore the healing power of presence, the art of holding space, and why listening not fixing is one of the most sacred gifts we can offer. She also shares guidance on what to say (and what not to say) when supporting someone through loss.