This is a podcast created by therapist and grief educator Laura Walton. Laura has lived through the kind of losses that blow your life apart. And when no one was saying the things she needed to hear — the raw, real, and unfiltered truth of living with grief — she started saying them herself.
This is a space for the reality we’re not usually taught how to hold: the ache of missing someone, the beauty that still insists on showing up, and the strange magic of staying alive inside a broken-open heart. These conversations don’t try to fix grief. They invite it in.
Here, we explore what it means to live with grief instead of around it. We learn how to carry grief with care, reverence, and maybe even a little curiosity.
Join us, as we do this grief thing on purpose.
Grief On Purpose - The Podcast
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Episode #013 Embracing Grief with Fred Armisen
In this evocative episode, host Laura Walton dives into the terrain of death and grief with legendary comedian Fred Armisen. From a chance connection to a deep conversation, Laura and Fred navigate the profound, often taboo subject of mortality, exploring how grief can be a sacred invitation to feel more deeply and connect in unimaginable ways.
Episode #012 The Gender of Grief with Jacob Tobia
In this insightful episode of Grief on Purpose, Laura welcomes author Jacob Tobia to delve into the intricate layers of grief, masculinity, and society. Jacob, a non-binary author of 'Sissy' and their new release 'Before They Were Men', breaks down their journey of self-discovery and the profound impact of their father's death on their view of grief.
Episode #011 Growing With Grief with Beth Freese
In this deeply personal episode, Laura sits down with therapist Beth Freese to talk about what happens when death settles in early and reshapes everything. When Beth was just 15, her close friend died by suicide. That moment didn’t just break her heart, it cracked something open inside her. One day she was a teenager navigating high school, and the next day she was navigating life and death.
Episode #010 Intentional Grief with Jenny Robbins
In this piercingly tender episode, Laura sits down with grief therapist and bereaved mother Jenny Robbins to explore the lifelong terrain of traumatic loss… not from a distance, but from inside of it. Thirteen years ago, Jenny’s 19-year-old son Kade died under tragic, uncertain circumstances, alone, on a walk home from a party. Since then, Jenny has walked a path carved out by pain, devotion, and deep intentionality, turning toward grief with both hands open, rather than running from it.
Episode #009 Grief as Love with Terri Straut
In this compelling episode, Laura sits down with Terri Straut-- a mother from Littleton, Colorado, whose world was shattered in 2011 when her son, Patrick, died by suicide at just 18 years old. There are no soft landings after a loss like that. And Terri doesn’t pretend otherwise. What she brings is raw truth, hard-won wisdom, and a story soaked in love, devastation, and the brutal, everyday work of survival.
Episode #008 Living With Grief with Justine Monahan
In this soul-baring episode, Laura sits down with Justine Monahan — an Australian expat, mother, and widow — to unravel the brutal and beautiful aftermath of death. Justine’s story is shaped by love, loss, and choice. Her dad died when she was a teenager, and later her mom also died, giving Justine early experiences with grief that marked her path.
Episode #007 The Alchemy of Grief with Joya Sosnowski
In this episode, sound healer Joya Sosnowski shares her grief story, including the death of her 18-year-old son Weston. In this honest and inspiring conversation with Laura, Joya shares how grief has become a pathway to deeper awareness and spiritual connection. Joya discusses the intuitive sense she had before Weston's accident, the layered emotions surrounding his upcoming birthday, and the significant moments that have shaped her journey with grief.
Episode #006 Meditating on Grief with Sam Zeitlin
In this episode, Laura is joined by longtime yogi and meditation practitioner Sam Zeitlin for a powerful conversation about loss, embodiment, and the quiet rituals that hold us together. After losing both of her parents and several close friends, Sam turned instinctively inward—leaning on her meditation practice not as an escape, but as a place to land.
Episode #005 Grief Returns to the Mat with Rebecca Rau
After losing her mother, moving states, and facing job loss within months, Rebecca Rau found herself unraveling under the weight of grief. What brought her back was yoga, a practice that helped her reconnect with her body, spirit, and life after devastating loss. Together with Laura, Rebecca reflects on the physical impact of grief, the language we use around death, and finding compassion for ourselves in the messiness of healing.
Let’s Talk
Grief rewrites us. If your story is ready to be heard, reach out below.