Grief is a Foundation for Empathy With Rebecca Thompson

Grief is a Foundation for Empathy With Rebecca Thompson

Rebecca N. Thompson, MD, is a family medicine and public health physician from Portland, Oregon, who specializes in women’s and children’s health—and the author of HELD TOGETHER: A SHARED MEMOIR OF MOTHERHOOD, MEDICINE, AND IMPERFECT LOVE.  In this innovative new book, Dr. Thompson weaves her personal story of life-threatening pregnancy complications and losses into the intricate family narratives of twenty-one of her patients, friends, and medical colleagues. Through profoundly honest and emotionally raw accounts, Held Together creates a shared space for connection, delivering comfort and awareness to anyone touched by their own or others’ challenges in building and sustaining families—and celebrates the resilience of women as they navigate the complexities of motherhood, family dynamics, health challenges, and healing across generations.    Rebecca shares how collaborative storytelling was a road to connection, how grief is a foundation for empathy. She tells us that watching people grow and change gives us hope.  You can find Rebecca and her book at: www.rebeccanthompson.com [http://www.rebeccanthompson.com/]   Thank you for letting us be in your ears.   Coffee, Grief and Gratitude is created by Anne Gudger and Maria Gibson, a mom/daughter duo who talk about grief.    You can find them on Facebook at Coffee and Grief. Please join their private Facebook page: Coffee and Grief Community.   You can also email Anne and Maria at: coffeeandgrief@gmail.com [coffeeandgrief@gmail.com]   Anne’s memoir, THE FIFTH CHAMBER, a memoir of loss and love, is available wherever you get your books.   Once you’ve read THE FIFTH CHAMBER, Anne would be so grateful if you’d share your honest thoughts on Amazon and Goodreads. Thank you for taking a few minutes to review!   We’d love you to like and share the podcast!

Season Two Episode 39 Coffee Talk #79, April 2026

We’re thrilled to bring you our recent Coffee Talk #79 from April 2026. We hope these five phenomenal writers/readers/humans and their stories are just what your heart needs today:Hilary Plattner, Kristina Amelong, Michael Horvich, Nancy Townsley, and Oona Metz.Enjoy! Thank you for letting us be in your ears.   Coffee, Grief and Gratitude is created by Anne Gudger and Maria Gibson, a mom/daughter duo who talk about grief.    You can find them on Facebook at Coffee and Grief. Please join their private Facebook page: Coffee and Grief Community.   You can also email Anne and Maria at: coffeeandgrief@gmail.com [coffeeandgrief@gmail.com]   Anne’s memoir, THE FIFTH CHAMBER, a memoir of loss and love, is available wherever you get your books.   Once you’ve read THE FIFTH CHAMBER, Anne would be so grateful if you’d share your honest thoughts on Amazon and Goodreads. Thank you for taking a few minutes to review!   We’d love you to like and share the podcast!

Self-discovery With Laura Cathcart Robbins

Laura Cathcart Robbins got divorced and sober at the same time. You’ll hear her laugh and say she doesn’t recommend doing these two huge life changes simultaneously. But she was unhappy and didn’t know why so she quit her marriage and addiction.   In this tender conversation Laura talks about how her grief post divorced and in recovery felt like bungee jumping: the freefall before the bounce. She shares how her therapist helped her with self-discovery. Who is she is she’s not a mom, a wife, a hostess? She gave herself permission to take her time uncovering her identity even though her nature is to do things quickly. She let herself feel the spectrum of emotions. Now she says, “I love who I am. I love my life.” Laura Cathcart Robbins is the best-selling author of the Atria/Simon & Schuster memoir Stash, My Life In Hiding, and host of the popular podcast Only One In The Room. Laura has been featured on MSNBC, The Tameron Hall Show, C-SPAN, and Dr. Phil, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Oprah Daily, Good Housekeeping, Today.com, Huffpo, and more.  In 2024, Laura’s New York Times Modern Love essay was turned into an episode of the Modern Love Podcast, and she was named the SDWF Memoirist Of The Year. A TEDx speaker, Laura currently sits on the advisory boards of the San Diego Writers’ Festival and The Buckley School’s nationally recognized DEI Board Committee.   Thank you for letting us be in your ears.   Coffee, Grief and Gratitude is created by Anne Gudger and Maria Gibson, a mom/daughter duo who talk about grief.    You can find them on Facebook at Coffee and Grief. Please join their private Facebook page: Coffee and Grief Community.   You can also email Anne and Maria at: coffeeandgrief@gmail.com [coffeeandgrief@gmail.com]   Anne’s memoir, THE FIFTH CHAMBER, a memoir of loss and love, is available wherever you get your books.   Once you’ve read THE FIFTH CHAMBER, Anne would be so grateful if you’d take a few minutes to review on Amazon and Goodreads.     We’d love you to like and share the podcast!

Coffee Talk #78, March 2026

We’re thrilled to bring you our recent Coffee Talk #78 from March 2026. We hope these five phenomenal writers/readers/humans and their stories are just what your heart needs today: Dede Montgomery, Kim Owens, Krista Lee Hanson, Mallory McDuff, and Pallas Hupe´ Cotter. Thank you for letting us be in your ears.   Coffee, Grief and Gratitude is created by Anne Gudger and Maria Gibson, a mom/daughter duo who talk about grief.    You can find them on Facebook at Coffee and Grief. Please join their private Facebook page: Coffee and Grief Community.   You can also email Anne and Maria at: coffeeandgrief@gmail.com [coffeeandgrief@gmail.com]   Anne’s memoir, THE FIFTH CHAMBER, a memoir of loss and love, is available wherever you get your books.   Once you’ve read THE FIFTH CHAMBER, Anne would be so grateful if you’d share your honest thoughts on Amazon and Goodreads. Thank you for taking a few minutes to review! Enjoy!

Special Reading with the Queer Love Project - Coffee Talk #77, February 2026

We’re thrilled to bring you our recent Coffee Talk #77 from February 2026. We hope this special reading emceed by Jerry Portwood with writers from The Queer Love Project is just what your heart needs today. Please enjoy these five phenomenal writers/readers/humans and their stories: Anthony DiPietro, Jardana Peacock, Jerry Portwood, Michael Horvich, Nikkya Hargrove, and Timothy Hedden.Enjoy! Thank you for letting us be in your ears.   Coffee, Grief and Gratitude is created by Anne Gudger and Maria Gibson, a mom/daughter duo who talk about grief.    You can find them on Facebook at Coffee and Grief. Please join their private Facebook page: Coffee and Grief Community.   You can also email Anne and Maria at: coffeeandgrief@gmail.com [coffeeandgrief@gmail.com]   Anne’s memoir, THE FIFTH CHAMBER, a memoir of loss and love, is available wherever you get your books.   Once you’ve read THE FIFTH CHAMBER, Anne would be so grateful if you’d share your honest thoughts on Amazon and Goodreads. Thank you for taking a few minutes to review!   We’d love you to like and share the podcast!