The 8 Most Popular Episodes of the Coming Back Grief Podcast
When I launched Coming Back: Conversations on Life After Loss in May 2017, I had no idea just how popular these interviews would be with grievers.
I was a first-time podcaster, fresh out of a broken engagement and just three years out from my mother’s unexpected death from cancer. In the loneliness and lost-ness of my grief, I’d found solace in others’ podcasts, and I felt called to create yet another corner of the world where conversations on grief were not just happening—but welcome.
Over three and a half years, I interviewed therapists, authors, researchers, documentary filmmakers, musicians, spiritual teachers, and support group leaders about what it means to “come back to life” after devastating loss. Together, we explored death, divorce, diagnosis, pet loss, and the early days of COVID-19.
With more than 150,000 downloads to date, Coming Back remains in the top 2% of podcasts globally. It’s also one of the top ways grieving people find me and my work. Even though the show ended in December 2020, its impact lives on in the powerful, raw, and deeply human conversations shared in each episode.
Today, I’m revisiting the eight most popular episodes of Coming Back—the ones that struck the deepest chords, sparked the most conversations, and, above all, helped grievers feel seen, understood, and a little less alone.
Whether you’re discovering these episodes for the first time or returning for another listen, I hope they bring you comfort, insight, connection and the gentle reminder that—as I say at the end of every episode—“even through grief, you are growing.”
E41: Refuge in Grief with Megan Devine
An everyday activity turned into a nightmare for Megan Devine who watched her partner, Matt, drown during one of their usual "quick dips" in the river. Her community, Refuge In Grief, and book, It’s OK That You’re Not OK: Meeting Grief & Loss in a Culture that Doesn’t Understand, are powerful beacons for grieving hearts. We're talking about the librarians that live in our brains, the importance of having a will, and the switch from "doing for" a loved one versus "doing in honor" of a loved one.
E114: Motherless Mother’s Day with Cheryl Strayed
When she was in her senior year of college, Cheryl Strayed’s mother, Bobbi, received a cancer diagnosis and died in just seven weeks. I speak with her as a part of Alica Forneret’s Motherless Mother’s Day 2020 about the death of her mom and how we can live full, beautiful lives after loss. This is a replay of a live conversation where we explored what to do with the feeling of longing that never goes away, the helpfulness of self-forgiveness, and why putting ourselves in the way of beauty can help us soften the ache of grief.
E115: Grieving When a Pet Dies with Kevin Ringstaff
The death of his cat prompted Kevin Ringstaff to study pet loss and find ways to open up conversation on the devastation that comes with the loss of a pet. Today, we’re discussing why the loss of a pet is so devastating, how to cope with the guilt of euthanizing a pet, and how to navigate coming home to an empty house after a pet dies.
E42: Grief Works with Julia Samuel
Julia Samuel was fed up with people mentally and emotionally attacking themselves in midst of their grief. So she wrote Grief Works, a book that not only normalizes grief, but reminds us that we all grieve differently. We talk about the uniqueness of English (UK) grief, the reality of feeling grief as an energy in our bodies, and Julia's Pillars of Strength that hold up grievers in the midst of the storm.
E135: Everything Is Spiritual (Including Grief!) with Rob Bell
What if death is not a thing we’re all waiting for, but instead is an integral part of every second of every day? In this episode, Rob Bell and I discuss grief through the lens of his new book Everything Is Spiritual. We talk about how two total opposites can be true at the same time, why some losses feel like graduations and others feel like divorces, and how to reframe the phrase, “Now what?” from a question of despair to a call for curiosity.
E93: Motherless Daughters with Hope Edelman
"Soldier on" was Hope Edelman's coping method for the sudden death of her mother until seven years later, a broken engagement brought her mother's death roaring to the surface. Hope started writing her New York Times Bestseller Motherless Daughters as a way to comprehend her loss and connect with other motherless daughters. We talk about how death makes us crave truth and clarity, why it's so important to "add the middle" to our stories, and what other cultures have to teach us about grief and loss.
E35: Confessions of a Funeral Director with Caleb Wilde
Caleb Wilde is not your average undertaker. In fact, he's a sixth-generation funeral director who uses his innate introversion, empathy, and fascination with theology to "be the heart when hearts are broken." He relays his observations in his new book, Confessions of a Funeral Director. We discuss how capitalism makes us "death amateurs," how grief is a form of worship, and how Caleb feels about bringing his son to work.
E116: My Husband Is Not a Rainbow with Kelley Lynn
On July 13, 2011 Kelley Lynn woke up to an entirely new life. Her husband, Don, collapsed from a massive heart attack at work just four years and nine months into their happy marriage. Kelley suddenly became a widow. We talk about how loss forces us to reinvent ourselves, why we need to grieve both personal and joint dreams, and how one laughable grief cliche turned into a global rainbow-spotting movement honoring Don’s life.
Love Coming Back? The Conversations Continue with Grief Grower
Revisiting these episodes reminds me why I started Coming Back: to create a space where grief is not only acknowledged but honored, explored, and welcomed. It’s been incredible to witness how these conversations continue to resonate, even years after they first aired.
If you love Coming Back, I have exciting news! I’m launching a brand new podcast this March called Grief Grower. It carries forward the spirit of Coming Back with fresh interviews—including some familiar guests from Coming Back—as well as episodes where I answer listener questions and share practical, actionable tools for navigating life after loss.
If you’re looking for more guidance and real talk about grief, I’d love for you to join me on this next chapter. Sign up for the waitlist for Grief Grower, and be the first to listen when it goes live.
Until then, wishing you ease, support, and care as you tend to your heart. Because even through grief, we are growing. 💚
