Meghan Riordan Jarvis

Meghan Riordan Jarvis, MA, LCSW, is a podcast host, TEDx speaker, and trauma-trained psychotherapist specializing in grief and loss. With 20 years of experience, she speaks on the importance of understanding grief and supporting grievers. Meghan hosts the popular blog and podcast Grief Is My Side Hustle and offers a free writing workshop, Grief Mates. She is also the author of End of the Hour, a memoir on trauma, loss, and healing. For more, visit meghanriordanjarvis.com.

Author photo © Aryeh Schwartz

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Meghan Riordan Jarvis, LCSW: Essential Grief Education

Meghan Riordan Jarvis had been a practicing trauma therapist for almost 20 years. Then, in the course of two years, she lost both of her parents. “I came to understand what my clients had been telling me about for decades really, really differently,” she reflects. In this podcast, join Tami Simon in conversation with Meghan about Can Anyone Tell Me?, her new book that explores the most common and perplexing questions on how to navigate grief. 

Whether you yourself are facing loss or you’re looking for ways to support someone who is, give a listen to this compassionate conversation on: how to use stopping techniques to break the cycle of ruminating thoughts; the vagus nerve and the mind-body connection; nervous system co-regulation and creating a “triangle of support”; how grief affects the brain; the feeling of isolation that often accompanies grief; rewriting the narratives we tell ourselves; three simple universal strategies for moving through grief; becoming an effective supporter for someone in need; educating a grief-illiterate culture; working with the parasympathetic nervous system to expand your “window of tolerance”; the Box Breathing practice; why it’s important to validate our fears, even if we think they’re irrational; staying curious about what you can learn about yourself through the grief process; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

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Eileen Santos Rosete: Tending to Womb Loss

Millions of women experience the loss of a pregnancy every year. Yet too often these individuals are not afforded the same dignity, support, and reverence we extend to other people facing grief after the death of a loved one. “We, too, are postpartum after pregnancy and infant loss,” says grief educator and doula Eileen Santos Rosete. “And we deserve the same care all who give birth need.” 

In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Eileen about her new book, To Tend and To Hold. Tune in to hear how this groundbreaking educator is helping initiate a cultural shift in our understanding and attitude toward this sensitive and largely misunderstood topic, as Tami and Eileen discuss: the term “womb loss” as a respectful alternative to “miscarriage”; releasing the guilt that is so prevalent during pregnancy loss; choosing more respectful language to describe women’s reproductive health; integrating grief- and trauma-sensitive care into our medical system; affording reverence to someone who is grieving; self-tending practices to support relaxation and healing; feeling at home in your body; connecting with the womb space; self-trust and honoring what is most meaningful to you; approaches to soften the acute pain of grief; the candle-lighting ritual; and more.

Jessica Long: Don’t You Dare Give Up

Every competitive sport has its icons. To reach the top of their game, each of the champions we celebrate and adore must travel a difficult, often grueling path. And then there is Jessica Long—one of the most decorated American athletes of all time, a six-time Paralympic Games swimmer who in September 2024 won her 31st Paralympic medal (at the time of this writing, 18 of them gold!). In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Jessica about her life in and out of the pool—including her work as an inspirational speaker and her book Beyond the Surface.

Listen now to this powerful conversation on how we can transform our greatest struggles into the best possible outcomes, as Tami and Jessica discuss: claiming your intrinsic worth; the importance of goal-setting and challenging yourself to grow; turning pain into purpose; staying open to anger, shame, anxiety, and the full range of our emotions; reframing the situations we didn’t choose for ourselves; the winner’s mindset according to Jessica Long—“don’t you dare give up”; visualization and the superpower that is your mind; faith and forgiveness; boosting the popularity of the Paralympics and hearing the stories of its many remarkable athletes; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

Meghan Riordan Jarvis, LCSW: Essential Grief Education

Meghan Riordan Jarvis had been a practicing trauma therapist for almost 20 years. Then, in the course of two years, she lost both of her parents. “I came to understand what my clients had been telling me about for decades really, really differently,” she reflects. In this podcast, join Tami Simon in conversation with Meghan about Can Anyone Tell Me?, her new book that explores the most common and perplexing questions on how to navigate grief. 

Whether you yourself are facing loss or you’re looking for ways to support someone who is, give a listen to this compassionate conversation on: how to use stopping techniques to break the cycle of ruminating thoughts; the vagus nerve and the mind-body connection; nervous system co-regulation and creating a “triangle of support”; how grief affects the brain; the feeling of isolation that often accompanies grief; rewriting the narratives we tell ourselves; three simple universal strategies for moving through grief; becoming an effective supporter for someone in need; educating a grief-illiterate culture; working with the parasympathetic nervous system to expand your “window of tolerance”; the Box Breathing practice; why it’s important to validate our fears, even if we think they’re irrational; staying curious about what you can learn about yourself through the grief process; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

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