Strength Redefined: Grief, Advocacy, and Finding Your Voice

The Invisible Backpack: Living With Disenfranchised Grief With Guest Nayera

In this deeply moving episode of The Grieving Sisters, we sit down with Nayera, a multi-state licensed psychotherapist (NJ, NY, CT) specializing in women’s issues, cultural and generational trauma, and grief. Nayera bravely shares her personal story of loss—not through death, but through profound change. After her mother suffered a massive stroke that left her nonverbal and partially immobile, Nayera experienced a form of grief that often goes unnamed: disenfranchised grief. The grief of losing someone who is still physically here, while the person you knew is gone. As a sibling, daughter, caregiver, and clinician, Nayera unpacks the emotional complexity of mourning without permission, navigating caregiver burnout, and carrying grief that the world often minimizes or misunderstands. Together, we explore how grief lives in the body, why gratitude language can be harmful, and how grief doesn’t end—it evolves. This conversation is for anyone who has lost a sibling, parent, or loved one in ways that don’t fit the traditional narrative of grief, and for those who have ever felt invisible in their pain.

Strength Redefined: Grief, Advocacy, and Finding Your Voice

Follow us https://www.tiktok.com/@the.grieving.sisters https://www.instagram.com/the_grieving_sisters/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This description will be used on YouTube and all podcast platforms this episode is uploaded to. In this episode, we sit down with Yanel, founder and advocate behind Women Speak Up, to explore grief through the lens of leadership, empowerment, and self-advocacy. Yanel shares her journey after pregnancy loss not as a space to vent, but as an educational and healing conversation about rewiring the mind, giving yourself grace, and continuing to lead while still healing. She opens up about reclaiming her power after navigating a lack of emotional support from others during pregnancy and loss, and how that experience became a turning point in redefining strength, justice, and self-worth. Together, we discuss the non-linear nature of grief, the role of community, and how pain can be transformed into purpose through advocacy, creativity, and service. Yanel also highlights the mission behind Women Speak Up and the Shield Her Program, which provide women especially those from underserved communities with resources for safety, healing, and empowerment before, during, and after pregnancy. This episode is a reminder that healing and empowerment can coexist and that finding your voice after loss is a form of leadership in itself. Elizabeth, Jessica, Guest: Yanel Rivera Email: connectwithus@womenspeakupus.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulmeetsrivera?igsh=bDFhZWZ0OGJveWN3 https://www.instagram.com/womenspeakupus?igsh=MWx4ZHhwMzJwNzJreA== Website: https://www.womenspeakupus.org __________________________________________________________________ #SiblingLoss #GriefJourney #HealingAfterLoss #GrievingTogether #SiblingGrief #LossAndLove #HealingThroughGrief #SiblingLove #CopingWithLoss #GriefSupport #GriefPodcast #Healing #FindingPeaceAfterLoss #RememberingSiblings #TheGrievingSisters

Grief, Light & Resilience: Honoring Loss While Building Hope w Nina Rodriguez

Follow us https://www.tiktok.com/@the.grieving.sisters https://www.instagram.com/the_grieving_sisters/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In this heartfelt episode, we sit down with Nina Rodriguez — grief-informed guide, award-winning podcast host, and creator of Grief and Light, a platform dedicated to honest conversations about loss, resilience, and what it means to live alongside grief. After the sudden passing of her only sibling in 2019, Nina transformed her personal grief into purpose. Through storytelling, education, and community-building, she works to cultivate a more grief-literate and compassionate world, reminding us that grief isn’t something to fix, but something to tend, honor, and integrate. From speaking at the University of Miami to collaborating with Reimagine, and serving as a regular contributor to Get Griefy Magazine, Nina brings empathy, cultural awareness, and emotional intelligence to every conversation. She is a graduate of Megan Devine’s Grief Care Professional Certification program and the host of Grief and Light, where she bridges depth with accessibility and personal loss with collective healing. In this conversation, we explore grief literacy, resilience, legacy, and how creating space for honest dialogue can transform pain into connection and hope." __________________________________________________________________ #SiblingLoss #GriefJourney #HealingAfterLoss #GrievingTogether #SiblingGrief #LossAndLove #HealingThroughGrief #SiblingLove #CopingWithLoss #GriefSupport #GriefPodcast #Healing #FindingPeaceAfterLoss #RememberingSiblings #TheGrievingSisters

Finding Connection in Grief Building Community, Resources & Hope After Loss With Nalda

Follow us https://www.tiktok.com/@the.grieving.sisters https://www.instagram.com/the_grieving_sisters/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In this heartfelt conversation, we speak with Nalda Seidman, founder of The Grief Hub, a compassionate space dedicated to supporting people navigating grief and loss. After the devastating loss of her son in 2023, Nalda transformed her personal pain into purpose, creating a community so others wouldn’t feel alone in their grief journey. As a Certified Grief Educator trained by renowned expert David Kessler, Nalda combines professional expertise with lived experience to connect grievers with resources, education, and understanding. With a rich background that includes she earned a Masters in teaching English at The University of North Carolina, studying at Manhattanville College, international marketing, and global living experiences from Ecuador and New York to Costa Rica, Spain, and Croatia, she brings a global perspective on grief, healing, and connection. We also highlight how communities like The Grieving Sisters serve as vital resources — reminding grieving individuals they are never alone and that shared stories can foster healing. This episode offers honesty, compassion, and meaningful conversation for anyone walking through grief or supporting someone who is. __________________________________________________________________ #SiblingLoss #GriefJourney #HealingAfterLoss #GrievingTogether #SiblingGrief #LossAndLove #HealingThroughGrief #SiblingLove #CopingWithLoss #GriefSupport #GriefPodcast #Healing #FindingPeaceAfterLoss #RememberingSiblings #TheGrievingSisters

Book Recommendation - Nobody wants your sh*t

Follow us https://www.tiktok.com/@the.grieving.sisters https://www.instagram.com/the_grieving_sisters/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In this episode, we dive into Nobody Wants Your Sh*t: The Art of Decluttering Before You Die by Messie Condo — a no-nonsense, hilariously blunt guide to clearing the clutter in your life now so your loved ones don’t have to later. Inspired by the Scandinavian concept of Swedish Death Cleaning (döstädning) — the practice of decluttering before death to spare your family the chaos of sorting your stuff — this book flips the script: it isn’t morbid, it’s liberating. Together we’ll unpack why you should care about what you leave behind, how to tackle the mess (material and emotional), and some gut-honest quotes from the book that hit hard. Whether you’re mid-life, prepping for a move, or just done lugging around sht*, this is your call-to-action. #NobodyWantsYourSht #DeclutterBeforeYouDie #SwedishDeathCleaning #Dostadning #MessieCondo #LifeWithoutClutter #LegacyNotLuggage #SimplifyNow #OrganizeYourLife #MinimalismWithAttitude #thegrievingsisters #thegrievingsisterspodcast __________________________________________________________________ #SiblingLoss #GriefJourney #HealingAfterLoss #GrievingTogether #SiblingGrief #LossAndLove #HealingThroughGrief #SiblingLove #CopingWithLoss #GriefSupport #GriefPodcast #Healing #FindingPeaceAfterLoss #RememberingSiblings #TheGrievingSisters