A Podcast Announcement

 

SHOW NOTES SUMMARY:

What is to come in 2023 for Grieving Voices? Tune in to this episode to find out all of the details.

Before you listen, I want to share that this episode came to be after months and months of stewing and contemplation, trying to logically come to a resolution of what to do about Grieving Voices. Should I stop podcasting? Take a sabbatical? I wasn’t sure, and the answer certainly was not coming to me quickly, at least one that felt entirely right. And I realize that’s because I was solely relying more on logic and less on my heart.

So, with focused attention and intention, I went on a silent retreat for 15 minutes (i.e., meditating without any background sound). I set an intention going into it, and the answers to the questions came to me quickly and effortlessly. If you’ve never tried this, I highly recommend it. I’ve meditated many times; however, setting an intention first adds an intangible, powerful energy to the process.

Moving forward, I will be working on a project to bring how grievers turned their pain into purpose in a way that serves humanity and society as a whole. They have created a non-profit, not-for-profit, foundation, organization, or form of technology. These episodes will be “Pain to Purpose” episodes. The intention is to share these resources I find with you while bringing hope in what’s possible when we embrace the pain and mold it into something new. Doing so can be so healing, not only for yourself but also for others on a bigger scale. These are stories of creating positive ripples despite the grief.

GUEST REQUEST: If you have turned your pain into purpose by creating a non-profit, not-for-profit organization, foundation, or technology and are willing to share your personal story of the journey to doing so, please apply to be a guest

Another aspect of the podcast moving forward will be to follow up with previous guests from the past two and a half years in “Where Are They Now” episodes.

And finally, shorts on answering listeners’ questions in “My A to Your Q” episodes. I’m not committing to an episode every Tuesday, but if there is a new episode, it will still go live on Tuesdays.

Also, listen to this week’s episode, where I share some behind-the-scenes life stuff with a few lessons thrown in for good measure. I ask a question, too, that is perfect for a New Year episode!

I hope you stick with me if you’ve been around a while or are a new listener. I’m excited to shake things up for the podcast in 2023! Let’s create some 2023 magic! ✨

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A Busy Week For Me & Attending My Aunt’s Funeral

Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening. whatever time it is when you were listening to this episode, thank you for being here and for listening and tuning in to grieving voices. I am your host, Victoria V. And today’s episode is late being posted. So if you were eager to hear today’s episode at 3am, when he usually get posted, and you are disappointed, I am so sorry to have caused any disappointment. Because it has been a crazy week, I had a funeral to attend, have a very dear person in my heart. It was my aunt. She lived a full 97 years. But you know, 97 years she was more like a grandmother to me. And I have very fond memories of growing up with my aunt in my life. And she made the best slosh ever, she had given me the recipe I had tried it and just never could perfect it the way that she had. So that was happening. Also, there were some basketball games that were thrown in the mix that weren’t previously scheduled. And all that in the midst of also paperwork and things in my day job. And I had to prep for my family coming, because it was my turn to host Christmas, which we usually do over New Year’s just happens to work better for all of us with families and you know, even larger extended families now that we’re getting older, and our kids, you know, are having their own lives and things like that. So anyway, I do apologize for this episode being published late, two and a half years, it’s the first time ever, and it pains me that that happened. But nonetheless, I am here. And you’re here listening. And so let’s get on with it.

The Passion Planner

What I want to talk about today is, firstly, I do want to say Happy New Year, and Happy 2023. We’ve made it through 2022. Hopefully unscathed, I know there’s probably been bumps and challenges along the road in 2022. I am excited to be done with 2022. It was kind of this rollercoaster ride for me personally, and maybe for you too. And so I hope that you have taken some time to reflect on 2022. Because it can be easy to think about only the bad stuff or the negative things that have happened. If you are in a better place, though today, maybe a little emotionally more resilient because of it. Or can think about what you’ve learned from that experience to move you forward to maybe choose differently in the future. I think we’re better for it. We’re better for those challenges in times, even if they suck at the moment, right. But I had a social post about this actually, I use the Passion Planner, which I absolutely love. I love adding stickers to it brings out the kid in me, it helps to keep me organized, you know, with all the stuff going on in my life the past week or and to actually the past two weeks, it’s been a huge benefit to me to have the Passion Planner. Because it helps to keep me focused, gives me space to check in with myself each week. What are the good things happening?

This week might have sucked a little bit, but whatever the what were the sun shiny spots that I can really hang on to and appreciate. And so I did that. I took some time. And I did that last week to really look at where this post I made really look at what were the good things that happened in 2022. And there were a lot. And it was such a great exercise for me to really appreciate the highs and the lows. Because there will be both. It’s inevitable. But to really look at all of the good things. They’re not even big. They’re not even big things, accomplishments, or things I learned about myself. It was so satisfying, and it was empowering. And it was a really great reflective tool for me to appreciate what I learned, what I went through what I experienced, and how I can carry that with me into 2023 and maybe even expand on some of those things and those experiences. How do I want to push that even further? How do I want to expand on that? Especially thinking about that with this podcast, which is also kind of part of the reason why this is late because I have been really torn, quite honestly, as to what to do with this podcast in 2023.

Sitting in Silence and I Did Meditation

I actually had on my mind, should I start podcasting? I wasn’t sure. I just felt this tug this inner conflict, emotional conflict, about the podcast, and I could not put my finger on it, I could not come to a solution that sat right with me that felt like it. Like, oh, yeah, that’s it. Until I sat in complete stillness. This is no joke, how I came to what to do with my podcast was me sitting in silence, complete silence, I didn’t even have music background, sounds nothing for this meditation, I just sat in silence with the intention of I want to know what I need to know today. And I want to know, particularly what to do with my podcast, grieving voices. And I went into this, just this little inner silent retreat into myself, and ask myself those questions. And let come to me what would come. And this is what came to me. I need to spark some excitement into this podcast, not that I’m bored with it or anything like that, which, okay, truth be told, I have become a little bored. I love the guests. I love recording with people. But I also love variety, and just as I’m wired to it, I need to like mix things up. I need to like challenge myself, I need to like, and I need to keep evolving and growing. And two and a half years into this podcast having the same typical kind of format and how I was doing things I felt it was time to, I didn’t know, is it time to quit? Or is it time to reinvent? And so that’s really what the intention of this meditation was. And I’ll tell you what, what came out of it has gotten me so excited. And that’s what the podcast today is about.

My Announcement For You About Grieving Voices Podcast

I want to share with you what’s to come for 2023. Now, it does come with me taking a sabbatical. But it’s not a sabbatical. Like, yeah, I’m just taken some time off. I’m just gonna think about all these things that I’ve now come to light in this meditation. I’m going to take some time to really dive into the fun of of having this podcast. And that sounds weird because it’s a podcast about grief. But hang with me. During the sabbatical, I will be posting or sharing probably shorter episodes, there’ll be I’m going to call them shorts, things that maybe pop up in my personal life, grief things or things that I see on TV, or just little small reflections, or takeaways about just grief in life in general.

I’m not going to say it’s going to be structured every week. I hope you hang with me. If you’ve been following this podcast for a long time I do hope you stick with me to share in my excitement of what’s to come and to be a part of this podcast moving forward and insane that if there is something that you want to share with me about the podcast, please do I am. This is for you, is not for me. I want this to be a community experience where we learn from each other. And so I am not above anybody else in the terms of grief. Like I have my own grief to write I just attended a funeral this week. And it was sad for me and I was sad. And because she meant a lot to me. And you know what? I’ll share this little tidbit. If you feel a nudge, to call, email, or visit. Listen to that nudge. I did not. And my aunt was in the nursing home. And I said to my husband to my kids, so many times I would drive through her town where she was, in on my way home from work and thinking, oh my gosh, I really need to go see her. And I said that to myself so many times. In so many times. I did not listen to that nudge and I got a Christmas card from her. And within days she passed away. And so I just want to share that today to that. If there are any nudges the feeling about somebody, maybe I should check in on them. Listen to that nudge, please listen to the nudges. They’re there to guide you on what you need to do your inner wisdom will tell you and show you the way. And is that especially true in relationships and those we love. So, follow the nudges.

Guest Background in this year’s Grieving Voices Episodes

Back to the podcast in 2023. So what I will be doing is I’ll be sharing these shorts, I’m also going to be working on a project. And what I have really loved learning about through the interviews I’ve done, and conversations I’ve had with guests over the past couple of years is I love hearing about how they have turned their pain into a passion that serves humanity, all of humanity. They’ve maybe started organizations or foundations, maybe passed laws or had laws passed. They’re nonprofits, they’re not-for-profit organizations think like Wounded Warrior Project, or the Make-a-Wish Foundation, which are huge organizations. But it doesn’t have to be, you know, a huge organization. I’ve had some guests who have done such a thing. And I will be highlighting those guests and their organizations or their service, not necessarily a service, which in which some of them might be but more so something that serves a greater purpose that’s like beyond themselves that came from what they learned. And from their own grief. They took their pain, and they made it turned it into purpose. And so that’s really kind of what this series I want to create.

So if you are somebody who has created positive ripples in the lives of grievers are those supporting grievers through an organization, you’ve developed a foundation, a non for profit, non-profit, nonprofit, or developed something that is serving humanity, not a book because I’m not looking for authors at this time. But you know, if there is an app, like empathy, or after cloud. I had the guests that created and developed after cloud on my podcast. So I’m going to be highlighting those that have previously been on my podcast again, in the upcoming weeks, but also recording with those who have done this very thing. And that will be the focus of the podcast moving forward, I don’t know how long, I don’t know how many episodes there will be, but I’m just gonna roll with it. I’m going to have fun with it, and see what happens. I’m not constraining myself putting myself in a box what it has to be, how many it needs to be how long it has to be. Nothing like that. I’m going to bring some fun back into creating for this podcast, as it was for me when I first started and as it had been, but the time is now to evolve and grow. And maybe shake things up a little bit. And so maybe think about what in your own life, do you need to shake up. Is there something that is feeling like it’s about time to evolve or grow? Maybe it’s you, maybe you’re ready to set an intention, which I like a lot better than a resolution? Maybe set an intention for 2023? What do you want for your life? What do you want it to look like? What do you want to address so that you can put it to rest? I’m gonna have to write that down.

What do you want to address, so you can put it to rest? Maybe that is your grief. And I’ve got a program for that. So if you are curious, and it’s your first time listening, and you’re like, what I am talking about. What is this podcast all about? Head to www.theunleashedheart.com. There’s a link for grieving voices on there. And you can read all about the different programs I offer and check out what I’m talking about. But if you’ve been around a while you already know.

Quick Check-in Podcast Episode in Grieving Voices this Year

Also too I will be sharing I think some shorts also, I’m going to check in with previous guests that you may not have heard from in a long time. I know there’s one guest and Jacobs who I’ve had on the podcast a couple of times it’s we’re now I think for ketchup. And so I’m not sure if I’m going to record with these guests. Maybe I’ll leave it up to them for a quick check-in podcast episode or I’ll just reach out via email and share what they share with me but I’m curious about where some of them are today. And if I’m curious, you might be too and so if there is somebody that you want to hear from again, who was been a previous guest or you want to learn more from please reach out to me and share that. But like I said, I can’t guarantee and I will not guarantee that there will be an episode every Tuesday. But I will guarantee that what I put out moving forward will be something that excites me, that I feel is highly beneficial. And I really want to show how grief can create positive ripples in people’s lives. And that really I think what I want to focus on in this coming year is the positive ripples of grief. Even just saying that feels really good to me. That’s my focus for 2023 for grieving voices, the positive ripples of grief because it is so easy to focus on the negative and the bad things and all of that crap that happens in our lives. But I am a firm believer that there is an opportunity, even in the suck, there is opportunity in the suck. And it might take some time for you to be open to that. And that’s entirely normal and natural. And okay, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you. If that takes you six months or six years, but we can accelerate that timeframe too because there is no timeline to grief. But you can extend that to 20 years, or shorten that time to maybe two years, or even two months. It’s never too soon. And it’s never too late to work toward creating positive ripples in your life, despite the pain, and despite the suck.

This Year’s Episodes are About Bringing Hope

Those two messages actually follow the nudges, embrace the suck, and give yourself time to do so not judging, criticizing, or analyzing yourself. I want to highlight what’s possible. And that gives people hope. And I think that’s what, in 2023, the message I want to share is where the hope is. We don’t have to do monumental things like creating organizations or foundations or nonprofits or not-for-profits or anything. I’m not saying we have to do that in order to recover from our grief, that is a huge expression of how people have done so it can also become a sterb it can become a way for people to avoid how they truly feel about their loss themselves. But it can be fuel, we can use that pain as fuel in our lives. And I think that’s what people tend to do who go above and beyond and create foundations and experience camps for kids and soaring spirits for widows, a camp for widows. We don’t all have to do that. But what can you take from that person who has done that? What can you learn from a person who has done that and apply it to your own life on a smaller scale? It doesn’t have to be a big expression of real love. Those are expressions of love that people are expanding on. Like, “I love this person so much.” “I want their legacy to live on.” I want to make something of this that serves humanity or a greater purpose. Essentially, it’s really what I’ve done with my podcast and the work that I’m doing. I wanted to find a purpose and meaning to what I experienced. And so it doesn’t have to be a huge thing. It can be small, but I really want to highlight a lot of organizations or foundations that you may have never heard of. I’m excited to learn about what’s out there myself. So I’m excited to bring those stories to you. I plan for this to be a really short episode.

much love, victoria

P.S. Thank you so much for tuning in every week if you have over the past two and a half years. I’m excited for 2023. I’m excited for grieving voices and 2023. And I hope that you have some excitement in your life about something important to you too. I hope you’ll stick with me and enjoy this podcasting journey into the new year. And please let me know again, if you want to hear from a previous guest, you want to learn more from them. If you have a question that I can answer on the podcast, it can be “ask me anything” or about grief or about your story. If you have a question and send it to me. I can read it anonymously and answer it. Let’s make this fun. Let’s make this a fun learning environment and experience for both of us and learn from each other.

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