From Tears to Triumph: A Conversation with Marianne Williamson

From Tears to Triumph: A Conversation with Marianne Williamson

What happens when grief doesn’t just take someone you love but the version of you that existed before the loss? Who are you then, and what do you do with questions you never needed before? Where is God in this? Is there meaning in suffering? Will you ever feel whole again? For more than four decades, Marianne Williamson has sat with people in that exact space, helping them navigate what those questions awaken. Marianne Williamson needs no introduction. But I'm going to give her one anyway, because she deserves it. She's a spiritual teacher, a political force, and the author of seventeen books, including four number-one New York Times bestsellers. Her book A Return to Love has been a lifeline for millions, including me. I read it when I was searching for something I couldn't name, and it cracked me open in all the right ways. So when I sat down with her for this episode, I knew we were going to go deep. What I didn't know was how deeply she would meet me and all of you right where we are. This conversation is about grief, faith, and the delicate, impossible, sacred work of transforming pain into purpose. Marianne shares her own nights, the mystical experiences that reshaped her relationship with God, and why she believes suffering gives us "X-ray vision" into the suffering of others. We talk about why we're so quick to bypass our pain, how men and women grieve differently, and what forgiveness really means when forgiveness feels like the last thing we want to offer. And then, at the end, she leads us in a guided meditation so beautiful and so tender that I'm still feeling it as I write this. If you've ever wondered how to feel your loved ones on the other side, or if you've ever doubted they're still with you, this is for you. This episode isn't about getting over grief. It's about letting grief transform us. It's about learning to hold devastation and grace in the same hand. And it's about discovering that even in our most shattered moments, we are never truly alone. In This Episode, We Explore: * Why grief isn't something to "get over" and how trying to rush it may be keeping you stuck. * The distinction Marianne makes between tragedy and deep sadness * The unexpected gift hidden inside suffering, and why Marianne believes pain gives us "x-ray vision" into the hearts of others. * What faith really looks like in the middle of heartbreak, when nothing makes sense and hope feels out of reach. * The surprising ways grief affects your mind, body, and spirit, including what Marianne calls the "full tilt catastrophe" of the dark night of the soul. * The unexpected truth most don’t know about forgiveness. * How to carry unbearable grief and profound joy at the same time, without betraying either one. * A guided meditation that may forever change the way you experience the presence of loved ones who have passed. To learn more about Marianne Williamson and her upcoming offerings, visit https://marianne.com?utm_source=chatgpt.comher website [https://marianne.com/]. You can also explore her book Tears to Triumph.  [https://www.amazon.com/Tears-Triumph-Spiritual-Suffering-Enlightenment/dp/0062205447] And if you're moving through grief, heartbreak, or a season of profound change, you don't have to carry it alone. The Grief Healing Collective [https://drlauraberman.com/griefhealing/]offers support, connection, and a community that understands what it means to rebuild a life after loss. If this conversation moved you, reach out at cryingoutloudpod@gmail.com [cryingoutloudpod@gmail.com]. Because healing doesn't happen in isolation,  it happens in moments like this one.

She Told the World to Marry Her Husband with Jason Rosenthal

Millions of people read Amy Krouse Rosenthal's final Modern Love essay, You May Want to Marry My Husband. It was a breathtaking love letter, a farewell, and an extraordinary act of generosity. Written from hospice just days before her death, Amy introduced the world to the man she loved and gave him something few people ever receive: permission to love again someday. The essay touched millions. Then Amy died. And Jason was left to figure out how to build a life he never imagined. In this deeply moving conversation, Jason shares the part of the story the world never got to see. He mistook the panic attacks for a heart attack. The doctor's forms ask for an emergency contact. The checkboxes that ask whether you're married or single but have no place for "widower." The quiet, disorienting work of rebuilding a life after losing the person who knew you best. He also introduces us to the Amy behind the essay: endlessly creative, deeply joyful, and someone who found wonder in ordinary days. Jason reflects on watching her write that now-famous piece from across the room in hospice, never realizing he was witnessing the final gift she would leave him. This conversation is about far more than grief. It's about identity, resilience, and what happens when love continues after loss. Jason speaks candidly about dating again, introducing a new partner to his children, navigating the guilt and hope that can coexist after profound loss, and discovering that moving forward doesn't require leaving the person you love behind. Whether you're grieving a spouse, a child, a parent, a friend, or the future you thought you would have, this episode is a reminder that love doesn't end when someone dies. It changes form. And sometimes, if we're willing to let it, it becomes the very thing that helps us begin again. In this episode, we explore: * The story behind Amy Krouse Rosenthal's unforgettable Modern Love essay and what happened after the world stopped watching. * The physical toll of grief, including panic attacks, exhaustion, and the ways loss lives in the body. * Why ordinary moments, paperwork, and everyday questions can become some of grief's deepest triggers. * How new losses awaken old grief and why healing is anything but linear. * Dating and falling in love after losing the love of your life, including the guilt, grace, and hope that come with opening your heart again. * The difference between creating a life after loss and learning to live a meaningful life with loss. To learn more about Jason Rosenthal, visit http://jasonbrosenthal.comhis website [http://jasonbrosenthal.com] or explore the Barr Harris Children and Family Grief and Loss Center [http://barrharriscenter.org] and  memoir, My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me [https://www.amazon.com/Wife-Said-You-Want-Marry/dp/0062940619] And if you're moving through grief, heartbreak, or a season of profound change, you don't have to carry it alone. The Grief Healing Collective [http://drlauraberman.com/griefhealing] offers support, connection, and a community that understands what it means to rebuild a life after loss. If this conversation moved you, reach out at cryingoutloudpod@gmail.com [cryingoutloudpod@gmail.com]. Because healing doesn't happen in isolation,  it happens in moments like this one.

When Grief and Menopause Collide with Zanne Hollingshead

There are seasons in life when everything seems to shift at once. You lose someone you love. Your body begins changing in ways you don't fully understand. Your emotions feel bigger, your energy disappears, your patience thins, and the strategies that used to carry you through life suddenly stop working. Many women blame themselves. They wonder why they can't keep up. Why they feel anxious, overwhelmed, forgetful, exhausted, or unlike themselves. What they often don't realize is that they may be navigating two profound transitions simultaneously: grief and menopause. In this episode of Crying Out Loud, I sit down with Zanne Hollingshead, trauma-informed wellbeing advocate, certified life coach, and founder of Midlife Magic, for a conversation about an intersection that affects countless women yet is rarely discussed. For Zanne, this topic is deeply personal. After losing her mother at age ten and later losing her sister, who had become a second mother to her, she found herself searching for answers about grief, hormones, and the profound ways both shape our emotional and physical well-being. What began as a personal journey became a mission to help other women understand what is happening in their minds, bodies, and hearts during midlife. Together, we explore what happens when grief and hormonal change arrive at the same time. We talk about the sudden waves of rage, the exhaustion that rest doesn't seem to touch, the brain fog, anxiety, overwhelm, and the feeling that you've somehow lost access to the person you used to be. We also discuss why so many women have been left uninformed about perimenopause, how outdated medical messaging has contributed to unnecessary suffering, and what women can do to advocate for themselves and get the support they deserve. Most importantly, this conversation offers a different way of understanding what you're experiencing. Rather than viewing these symptoms as evidence that something is wrong with you, what if they are signals that your body is asking for care, attention, and a new way of living? This is a conversation about loss, hormones, identity, resilience, and self-compassion. It is a reminder that you are not failing. You may simply be carrying more than anyone can see. In This Episode, We Explore: • Why grief and menopause can intensify one another in surprising ways • The symptoms of perimenopause many women overlook or dismiss • How hormonal changes can affect mood, memory, sleep, and emotional regulation • The hidden burden of being "the strong one" • How grief impacts the nervous system and why that matters in midlife • Why so many women feel like they've lost themselves during this season of life • What women need to know about hormone therapy and other forms of support • How to stop fighting your body and start listening to what it may be trying to tell you To learn more about Zanne Hollingshead and her work, visit her website [https://www.growingthroughit.life/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGnkegrXQDTLWENRNa3fg1B_2dBdOzWwPXMBiR4e2VLzHxTIxLzzfV2ocYBxVU_aem_as4TxGeLpfK_G3v1s2NP6Q] and/or her menopause community, Midlife Magic [http://www.midlifemagic.community], where she offers education, resources, and community to women navigating midlife.  And if you're moving through grief, heartbreak, or a season of profound change, know that you don't have to do it alone. The Grief Healing Collective [http://drlauraberman.com/griefhealing]offers support, connection, and a community that understands the unique challenges of rebuilding life after loss. If this conversation resonated with you, we'd love to hear from you. Share your thoughts, questions, or story at cryingoutloudpod@gmail.com. Because healing happens in connection. And no one should have to carry life's hardest seasons alone.

The Myth of Normal: What Gabor Maté Wants Us to Understand About Suffering

There are ways we learn to disappear long before we realize we're doing it. Some of us become caretakers. Some become achievers. Some become peacemakers. We learn how to earn love, avoid conflict, meet expectations, and survive the environments that shaped us. Over time, those adaptations can become so familiar that we mistake them for our personalities. But what happens when the cost of staying disconnected from ourselves becomes too high to ignore? In this episode of Crying Out Loud, I sit down with renowned physician, bestselling author, and trauma expert Dr. Gabor Maté for a powerful conversation about trauma, grief, illness, addiction, and the lifelong journey back to ourselves. For more than five decades, Dr. Mate has explored the ways our emotional lives shape our physical health. Through his work in family medicine, palliative care, and addiction treatment, he has witnessed a truth that challenges much of what our culture believes about suffering: many of the struggles we experience as adults are not signs that something is wrong with us. They are adaptations to experiences that once helped us survive. Together, we explore the hidden costs of self-abandonment and the ways unresolved trauma can quietly shape our relationships, our health, our parenting, and our sense of identity. We discuss why so many people carry guilt that does not belong to them, why sensitive children are often misunderstood, and how the pressure to be strong, agreeable, or selfless can disconnect us from our own needs. This conversation also became unexpectedly personal. Just over a year after the death of my son Sammy, I found myself sharing parts of my own story with Gabor. We talked about grief, parenting, guilt, and the questions that haunt so many bereaved parents. What emerged was not a conversation about blame. It was a conversation about understanding. About seeing ourselves through a lens of compassion rather than judgment. What I appreciate most about Gabor's work is that he never asks us to fix ourselves. Instead, he invites us to become curious about the stories we've been living, the wounds we've been carrying, and the parts of ourselves we've learned to leave behind. This episode is an invitation to do exactly that. In This Episode, We Explore: • How childhood adaptations become adult patterns • Why self-abandonment is often mistaken for being "good" • The connection between trauma, stress, and physical illness • Why women disproportionately carry emotional burdens in their bodies • A new way of understanding addiction that moves beyond blame and willpower • The hidden roots of guilt and shame • What highly sensitive children actually need from the adults who love them • How grief can reactivate old wounds and unresolved pain • The difference between healing and simply coping • What it means to reconnect with your authentic self To learn more about Dr. Gabor Maté and his work, visit his website and explore his books, including The Myth of Normal [https://drgabormate.com/book/the-myth-of-normal/], When the Body Says No [https://drgabormate.com/book/when-the-body-says-no/], and In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts [https://drgabormate.com/book/in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts/]. His groundbreaking work has helped millions better understand the connections between trauma, health, relationships, and healing.  And if you're navigating grief, loss, or a season of profound change, know that you don't have to do it alone. The Grief Healing Collective [http://drlauraberman.com/griefhealing] offers support, connection, and a community that understands the challenges of rebuilding life after loss. If this conversation resonated with you, we'd love to hear from you. Share your thoughts, questions, or story at cryingoutloudpod@gmail.com. Because healing begins when we stop running from our pain and start listening to what it has been trying to tell us all along.

Past Lives, Soul Contracts & the Afterlife: What Grievers Need to Know with Ainslie MacLeod

What if the people we love don't disappear when they die? What if the bond continues, even after death? And what if some of the people who have shaped our lives most deeply, including our children, were connected to us long before this lifetime began? In this episode of Crying Out Loud, I sit down with psychic, spiritual teacher, and bestselling author Ainslie MacLeod for a conversation that challenged the way I think about grief, loss, and the soul's journey. For more than 25 years, Ainslie has helped people understand the deeper purpose behind their struggles, relationships, fears, and life experiences through the lens of past lives and soul evolution. But this conversation is not just theoretical. Two years ago, Ainslie and his wife Christine experienced every parent's worst nightmare when their daughter India died by suicide. Together, we talk about what helped them survive the unimaginable, why grief affects each of us so differently, and what Ainslie's work has taught him about what happens after we die. We explore the possibility that our souls travel together across lifetimes, that our deepest fears may have roots beyond this life, and that the people we miss most may still be far closer than we realize. Ainslie also shares why he believes the universe holds no judgment for those who die by suicide, how he and Christine stayed connected through their grief, and what he has learned from thousands of readings about the enduring nature of love. Along the way, I share a story about Sammy that still takes my breath away and reminds me why I believe our loved ones continue to find ways to reach us. Whether you are curious about past lives or simply longing for reassurance that your connection to your loved one has not ended, this conversation offers hope, perspective, and a different way of understanding loss. In this episode, you'll discover: • Why two people can experience the same loss and grieve in completely different ways • What Ainslie believes happens to us after death • Why the universe holds no judgment for those who die by suicide • How he and his wife survived the loss of their daughter without losing each other • The surprising stories children sometimes tell about choosing their parents before birth • How soul agreements may shape our closest relationships • Why certain fears, phobias, and emotional wounds may not begin in this lifetime • What karma really is and why it has nothing to do with punishment • Why talking to your loved one after they die may be more healing than you realize • What thousands of readings have taught Ainslie about the connection between souls • How meaning can emerge from devastating loss without minimizing the pain • Why love may be the one thing death cannot touch If you've ever found yourself wondering where your loved one is, whether they can still hear you, or whether you'll see them again, this episode is for you.