The Empowered Grief Journey

Healing Grief Through the Body: Breathwork & Love with Colleen Quinn

Grief doesn’t just affect your mind—it lives in your body.
In this episode, Chris sits down with psychologist, mystic, and breathwork practitioner Colleen Quinn to explore how trauma and grief are stored in the body—and how true healing happens when we begin to work with it, not avoid it.
Drawing from decades of experience in somatic experiencing, internal family systems (IFS), and breathwork, Colleen shares how unresolved grief can shape our identity, emotions, and nervous system—and how we can begin to release it in a safe, embodied way.
Together, they dive into:
How grief and trauma are stored in the body
Why healing isn’t just mental—it’s physical and emotional
The role of breathwork in processing grief
How identity shifts after loss
Learning to “get comfortable with the uncomfortable”
Turning pain into personal growth and transformation
If you’ve experienced loss and feel stuck, disconnected, or overwhelmed, this conversation will help you understand why healing takes time—and how to begin reconnecting with yourself in the process.
Grief isn’t the end of your story—it’s the beginning of a new chapter.

Who Am I Really? Navigating Identity and Belonging After a DNA Discovery

In this episode of the Empowered Grief Journey Podcast, Chris speaks with Lezlee Liljenberg—entrepreneur, author, and speaker—about her life-changing DNA discovery.
What started as a fun family experiment quickly turned into a deeply emotional journey that challenged everything she believed about her identity and biological roots.
Lezlee shares the realities of navigating unexpected family truths, the grief that can come with identity shifts, and how she found acceptance, connection, and meaning through her journey.

Leaving the Hospital Without Your Baby: A Story of Loss, Grief, and Resilience

In this episode of the Empowered Grief Journey Podcast, Chris speaks with Lori Layne—author, speaker, and founder of The Lane Less Traveled—about her experience with a high-risk pregnancy, a long NICU journey, and the loss of her daughter.
Lori shares the emotional realities of child loss, including navigating grief while raising a surviving child, how partners grieve differently, and the importance of community and support. She also discusses how she turned her pain into purpose through writing, ministry, and legacy work to help other grieving parents feel less alone.

Losing Both Parents: Navigating Double Grief and Rebuilding Your Life with Penelope Alonso

In this episode of the Empowered Grief Journey Podcast, Chris sits down with writer and storyteller Penelope Alonso to discuss her experience of losing both parents within a short period of time.
Through her journey of caregiving and profound loss, Penelope opens up about the emotional and identity shifts that follow when the foundational figures in your life are gone. She also shares how writing became a meaningful way to process grief, honor her parents, and move forward with intention.

Turning Grief Into Art: Healing Trauma Through Creativity with Devorah Brinckerhoff

In this episode, Chris sits down with Devorah Brinckerhoff, a mixed media artist and creator of the Soul Portrait Process, to explore how creativity can help transform grief, trauma, and life challenges into empowerment.
Together, they discuss healing through art, reconnecting with your authentic self, and how expression can become a powerful tool for growth after loss.

Caregiving, Hospice & Grief: Diane Carbo on Family Preparedness, Medical Advocacy, and Life After Loss

In this episode of The Empowered Grief Journey Podcast, host Chris Mamone sits down with Diane Carbo, a registered nurse with 54 years of experience and the founder of Caregiver Relief, to talk about the realities of grief, caregiving, and why families need a clear plan before a crisis hits.
Diane shares her personal story of losing her mother after her oncologist told her she had “beaten cancer”—only for her mom to suffer a pulmonary embolism and pass away the same day. That experience shaped Diane’s lifelong approach to death, dying, and medical advocacy, including how grief can rewire the brain, create trauma responses, and change relationships within families.
Chris and Diane also explore how end-of-life conversations are often avoided until it’s too late, and why practical preparation matters. Diane explains the purpose behind her system, My Vital Vault, designed to help families organize critical health and life information so they can stay prepared for everyday caregiving and unexpected emergencies.

Healing After Suicide Loss | Samuel Thomas Holland on Grief, Mediumship, Energy & Spiritual Growth

In this deeply personal and spiritual episode of The Empowered Grief Journey Podcast, host Chris Mamone sits down with Samuel Thomas Holland—a clairvoyant medium and intuitive—to explore grief through the lens of suicide loss, spiritual awakening, and energetic healing.
Samuel shares the story of his friend Jordan, a 24-year-old aspiring opera singer who moved from Sydney to Melbourne to pursue her career. During the intense COVID lockdowns in Melbourne, canceled international opportunities and isolation contributed to what Samuel describes as a heavy, “black tar” depression—and Jordan ultimately died by suicide (2019). Samuel speaks candidly about how that loss affected his nervous system, emotions, and spiritual sensitivity, and how grief can sometimes “attach” itself when we’re deeply empathetic.
 

How to Heal Rejection Sensitivity & Fear of Abandonment | Therapist Kyira Wackett on Radical Acceptance and Self-Trust

In this returning-guest episode of The Empowered Grief Journey Podcast, host Chris Mamone welcomes therapist, speaker, artist, and Adversity Rising founder Kyira Wackett back to the show for a deep conversation about radical acceptance, the hidden grief of not being able to control outcomes, and what it takes to rebuild self-trust after trauma.
Kyira—known for leading the “anti Band-Aid” movement in mental health—breaks down how fear, shame, and quick-fix thinking keep people stuck, and how healing often requires facing hard truths with compassion. Together, Chris and Kyira explore how thoughts vs. beliefs shape our self-worth, why many of us use other people’s reactions as “data” to decide our value, and how trauma can show up in relationships through rejection sensitivity and fear of abandonment.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What radical acceptance really means (and what it doesn’t)
How to release the need to control other people, outcomes, and relationships
The difference between thoughts vs. beliefs—and why it matters for healing
How childhood trauma and caregiver loss can create fear of leaving/being left
How to stop outsourcing your worth and start living by your values
Why grief can include mourning what you can’t control—and moving forward anyway
If you’re navigating grief, trauma, anxiety, fear of rejection, or relationship triggers, this conversation will help you feel seen—and give you a grounded path toward authenticity, resilience, and values-driven living.