Where's the Grief is a weekly podcast about loss and grief in everyday life that somehow manages to be consistently funny, surprisingly insightful and easily absorbed. It's a show that isn't afraid to face some of the most difficult questions of what it ultimately means to be human, while finding the ever-present comedy in our day-to-day truths, and some of the things we all fear. In each episode, host Jordon Ferber interviews comedians, actors, writers, and others who have experienced tragic…
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In this episode I talk with comedian Bryan McKenna! A fellow native NYer, Bryan started doing stand up comedy not long after the death of his father. After getting some laughs while giving the eulogy, Bryan decided to jump in and has never looked back, performing across the country as well as opening for touring acts such as Jim Bruer. In addition to having lost his father, Bryan has endured a…
In this episode I got to talk with author and death doula Jule Wright Halbert. Formerly a lawyer and national education attorney, after the death of her husband Jim she found that she needed to shift her focus and began a new chapter with a different meaning and purpose. We talk about her book, "Divine Ashes Descending," a memoir about her own experiences as a newly bereaved widow and her journey…
In this episode I talk with fellow grief expert Kyle Kittleson. After the death of his mother, Kyle found that talking about his loss to be among the few things that was truly helpful, and began a new career path that put him directly in touch with other people dealing with trauma. His work with MedCircle has proven that hope and help are always available, and that finding ways to work on our own…
In this episode I talk with actor and author Jody Gelb about her book, "She may be lying down but she may be very happy," a memoir about the loss of her daughter Lueza. Born with cerebral palsey, Lueza had many struggles in her too short life, but despite all that they faced, Jody managed to find ways to give her as normal and as happy a life as a child can have. Her story speaks to what is…
In this episode, I sat down to talk with Bobbi Schlager Milne! I met Bobbi 20 years ago at my first Compassionatte Friends grief conference, and she has continued to be a constant source of love and support in the grief community, and among the few bereaved parents who made a real point in finding support for her surviving daughter Tracy (who later became the sibling representative on the nation…
In this episode I got to talk with Author and certified coach Ingrid Hu Dahl. Her new book, "Sun Shining on Morning Snow" is a testatment to the importance of preserving family history and finding ways to talk about the things that we tend to avoid talking about. After the death of her mother, Ingrid reflected on their relationship and how thier respective journeys of identity and self discovery…
In this episode, I talk with Author Louise Ells about her book, "Lies I Told My Sister." Her novel began as a response to a a question a friend asked: "What scares you the most? And are you going to write about it?" Having already dealt with the loss of one of her sisters at a young age, Louise managed to find ways to express her feelings of grief and loss in a novel that explores the relationship…
In this episode I talk with comedian Keith Chase about the tumultuous year that saw him nearly lose his own life alongside dealing with the death of his grandmother as well as his father, all in a short span of time. Now 6 months later (This episode was recorded in Nov. 2024) Keith has started reflecting on all the issues that come out of loss, and how we think about our own mortality while still…
In this episode I talk with my good friend and fellow bereaved sibling, Earla Dawn Legault about her book, "Living With Sibliing Grief - Imagining a Way Forward." After the death of her sister Leigh-Ann, Earla struggled to find support for her grief, finding very little in for those who had lost a sibling. Even her local grief support groups in Canada seemed too general to understand what she was…
In this episode I talk with author Jonathan Foster about his book After the death of his daughter Quincy at the age of 20, Jonathan spent close to a decade processing how to grieve and continue to keep hope in his life. Poetry allows for a dynamic and interesting way to weave a narrative, and the ways we experience grief can often be so difficult to express in a linear way. "Indigo" manages to…
In this episode I talk with comedian Benny Blue about his recent one-man show, "Live From My Mother's Funeral." After his mother Virginia passed away in 2021, Benny found talking about his experience of grief on stage to be one of the few things that allowed him to be honest while still looking for humor in an otherwise traumatising moment. Comedy allows us to talk about such a wide variety of…
In this episode, I talk with Author Chris Cochran about his book, "What's Good About Today? A Purpose Driven Life." After getting a terminal cancer diagnosis at the age of 21, Chris' son Christian managed to keep his own optimism and uplifting spirit about him, inspiring those around him to be mindful and grateful for the life they have, and to earnestly exclaim all that which is good about today.…
In this episode, I talk to author Annie Sklaver Orenstein about her new book, "Always A Sibling: The Forgotten Mourners Guide To Grief." After years of struggling with her own grief after the death of her brother Ben to a suicide bomber in Afghanistan, Annie began writing what ultimately became the book that she wished had existed when her loss was fresh. As a skilled reasearcher, Annie surveyed…
In this episode I talk with comedian Brian Rabadeau life before and after the death of his father, Joe. After several bouts with serious health issues, Brian's father started the pandemic fighting against the isolation and struggling with all the mandates, which ultimately led to him dying of Covid in 2022. Since then Brian has worked on finding ways to move forward and let go of his anger towards…
In this episode, I talk with Author and Sound Healer Jeralyn Glass about her book, "Sacred Vibrations - The Transformative Power of Crystalline Sound and Music," as well as her practice of creating unique sets of crystal singing bowls. Already a musician and leader in the sound healing movement when her son Dylan died, Jeralyn focused her efforts on helping others tap into the various frequencies…
Hooray! In this very special episode, I got to talk with Chef Dan Budd, owner of Taste Budd's Cafe, and former teacher at the Culinary Institute of America. As many listeners of the podcast know, my brother Russell was about to graduate from the CIA when he passed away in 2002. Dan Budd was more than one of Russell's professors, he was a mentor to him, and an early employer to take Russell under…
In this episode, I talk with Dr. Sara Glass about her new memoir, "Kissing Girls on Shabbat." Growing up in an extremely sheltered Orthodox Hassidic Jewish community, Sara decided to become a therapist and mental health professional partially because seeing how her sister Shani's mental health issues impacted her family. When Shani ultimately took her own life, Sara came out of the closet after…
In this episode, I talk with Tawnya Musser about her role and experiences in the world of Home Funerals. Already in school to become a funeral director when her brother Robert died, Tawnya found conventional funeral and death rituals to be lacking when it came to the way that her family wanted to celebrate Robert's life and give family and friends an opportunity to grieve together in a safe and…
In this episode, I talk with comedian Liz Glazer about her album, "A Very Particular Experience," recorded on the one year anniversary of Liz and her wife's first daughter's Leo Pearl stillbirth. We talk about the difficulty of even making jokes about such a heavy topic, let alone putting together an entire album. However, we also highlight how important it is to laugh, and how much hope it can…
In this episode, I talk with Author Joseph Alvaro about his book, " I'm One Of The Lucky Ones: Remembering A Soulmate." After Joseph's wife Francés died in 2009, followed by a brother in law, an uncle, his daughter and his father, as well as a handful of friends. "It seemed like all I did was go to funerals for 14 months." In the wake of such traumatic events, Joseph began finding ways to talk…
In this episode I got to talk to Author Courtney Deane about her new book, "When Happily Ever After Fails." Courtney's father died when she was just 14, and her mother when she was just 28. In order to process her grief and make sense of her feelings about her own identity as a now parentless person, Courtney wrote a romantic comedy novel about a young woman going through similar difficult…
In this episode I talk with Author and fellow grief podcaster, Brooke Carlock! After a two year span in which she lost both her parents, her stepmother AND her 10 year old daugher Libby, Brooke has found a miriad of ways to process her grief, as well as help others through thier own. Her podcast, " Mourning Coffee " is an open and honest discussion about the ups and downs of grief and loss that is…
In this episode I talk to my good friend comedian John Moses! John's father Ken managed to live for 18 months after being given a terminal diagnosis that was much shorter. Now a year after his passing, John is starting to process his relationship with his dad, and finding ways to let his new perspective make him a better man and father. We also talk about how letting go of resentments and being…
In this episode, I talk with Author Deborah Kasdan about her book, "Roll Back The World - a sister's memoir." After being diagnosed with schizophrenia as a young adult, Deborah's sister Rachel lived most of her life in and out of hospitals and institutions. Now 20 years since her death, Deborah felt the need to tell Rachel's story, to honer her memory and her life, and to help erase the stigma and…
In this episode I talk with comedian and fellow grief podcaster Micah Walsh! After his father Kevin died, Micah found an outlet for his feelings in starting his own podcast with comedians talking about grief and loss, "I'll Greive You With This." We talk about how helpful it can be to talk about the hard topics with other people who understand, and who are not afraid to make jokes about an…
Happy New Year! In this episode, I had an incredible conversation with my good friend and comedian Ray Gootz! Ray was one of my very early guests on the show ( Episode 11), just one month after both his mother and Aunt died. He was among the first people I knew who was doing comedy material about his losses right away, and I was in awe of how open and raw the jokes were. It's been 8 years since…
In this episode I got to talk with Writer and Performer Colin Campbell about his Book, " Finding the Words, " as well as his solo show, " Grief: A One Man Sh*tshow. " After both of his kids, Ruby and Hart were killed by a drunk driver, Colin had a deep need to express his grief, first by writing jokes about his grief and his loss, eventually turning it into a one man off-broadway production. A…
In this episode I talk to Author James G. Robinson about his book, " More Than We Expected - Five Years With A Remarkable Child. " When his son Nadav was born with a congenital heart defect, James and his wife understood that thier lives would be more difficult than most. When Nadav died at 5 years old after complications from heart surgery, James managed to focus on the stories of strength and…
In this episode, I talk with comedian and sex worker rights advocate Kaytlin Bailey about life after the death of her father just over a year ago. Already a performer and activist before her Father Joe developed dementia, and ultimately cancer, Kaytlin helped her father write his memiors about his life and career in the US Army, and spending as much time as she could before it was too late. We…
In this episode, I got to talk with Author Alexandra Wyman about her book, "The Suicide Club: What To Do When Someone You Love Chooses Death." We talk about the importance of community and the various ways we can find support and create connection outside our immediate families. Alexandra has become an advocate for suicide prevention, helping to change the ways we talk aboout it, and how we can…
In this episode, I talk with clinical psychologist and author Dawn DiRaimondo about her book, " Surviving Sibling Loss: The Invisible Thread That Connects Us Through Life And Death ." Dawn was already a therapist when her brother Michael was killed while deployed in Iraq. Finding few resources and liturature about sibling loss, Dawn decided to write the book that she had wished existed when she…
In this episode, I got to talk to Comedian Christy Miller about how she's been faring after the death of her mother Shirley. Christy has always been a comedian who pulls no punches in her act, and she came by her sense of humor from her mother, always pushing the bounderies of what was deemed appropriate. Having opened for Andrew "Dice" Clay as well as Paul Mooney, Christy has always been the type…
In this episode, I talk with Comedian Christopher Wagner about the different ways he dealt with the death of his parents. We reflect on how much more difficult of a time he had after his mother died than his dad. Chris was somewhat estranged from his father for a period before trying to mend the relationship as time ran out, and we talk about how hard it can be to lose someone just as you feel…
In this episode I talk with author Kelly S. Thompson about her book, " Still, I Cannot Save You. " Already an award winning non-fiction writer when her sister Meghan died, Kelly turned her story into a memoir about the difficult parts of sisterhood and family bonds that is both heartbreaking and uplifting. After battling childhood cancer, Meghan's adult life was fraught with drug addiction before…
After the death of his mother Phyllis, comedian Jason Roeder turned to what he knew best to help cope with the loss, along with the amount of free time he suddenly had due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. A comedy writer by trade who has been published by The New Yorker and The Onion (among others), Jason managed to write a parody grief book that turns many of the tropes and cliche's of grief and…
In this episode I got to sit down with Comedian Adam Mitrani to talk about how he's been coping after the death of his brother Rueben. We talk about how isolating grief and loss is, particularly for those who have lost siblings, as well as how difficult it can be to write comedy material about such a devastating and far reaching experience. We also talk about the importance of community,…
In this episode, I talk with Author Donna Kendrick, about her book "A Guide to Widowhood – Navigating the First Three Years." After her husband Greg died by suicide, Donna shifted her financial planning skills to help newly bereaved widows and widowers. We talk about how important it is to integrate our loss so we can move forward, especially when we are literally integrating people in our lives.…
In this episode, I talk with Michele Benyo, Founder of Good Grief Parenting. When Michele's son David died of cancer at just 6 years old, his sister Deanna, then 3 said, "Mommy, half of me is gone." Already a teacher of early childhood development, Michele shifted her focus. Realizing how much support her daughter was going to need after this loss, Michele began teaching and coaching other…
In this episode, I talk with author Mark Chesnut. Already a travel writer, after the death of his mother Eunice, Mark channeled his grief into a touching end-of-life memoir called "Prepare for Departure," emcompassing his relationship with his mother as well having to confront his own feelings about love and death. We talk about how impactful it is to be able to be of service, but also how…
In this episode I talk with author and mental health advocate Sherry Walling! 6 months after the death of her father, Sherry's brother died by suicide. Already a mental health professional, Sherry found that her own need to express herself was through movement and connection. Her poetic book, " Touching Two Worlds " was also turned into a aerialst show focused on how we grieve with movement and…
I got to talk with Chelsey McHale, a fellow member of The Compassionate Friends (TCF) support group that I attend. After her brother Clint died while out mountain hiking, Chelsey actually started a TCF sibling support group in her town, AND managed to get new safety signage put up where Clint died in order to help make sure future accidents can be avoided, while also having a spot to visit and…
In this episode, I talk with interdisciplinary artist, documentary filmmaker, teacher, and arts therapist Adriana Marchione. Already a therapist and dancer when her husband died, she ultimately found ways of expressing her path towards healing by incorporating that which she was already involved in. Her film, When the Fall Comes , is about her process of grief using art and dance after the death…
I got to talk with comedian Erin Lok about how comedy helped her cope with all the anxiety and stress that the pandemic brought, as well as the larger difficulty of life after the death of her father. We talk about the importance of letting ourselves express our emotions, as well as the catharsis that a little bit of levity can bring. Follow Erin online at https://linktr.ee/Erinlokcomedy or…
In this episode, I talk with grief specialist and hypnotherapist Silke Herwald. Silke was already a therapist dealing with the ways our unconsious copes with grief and trauma when her sister died of cancer, giving her work new meaning. Silke created the Grief To Love program that helps women find hope after loss. We talk about how important it is to find ways to speak out about how we're doing, to…
Oh Boy! Once again I got to attend The Compassionate Friends National Conference, this year in Houston Texas! The Compassionate Friends is a self help support group that provides resoources to bereaved parents, grandparents and siblings. In this episode, recorded in August 2022 at the TCF Conference in Houston, I sat down with Barbara Hopkinson to talk aboout her book "Faces of Resilience." Find…
Russell Ferber died in a car accident on July 6th, 2002, at the age of 21. This podcast was borne out of my need to continue talking about my brother and how I have managed to keep going without him. In this episode, I (along with my parents) interview a number of people who actually KNEW Russell to share stories of his indominable spirit. We talk with Denise Fraser, who taught both Russell AND…
In this episode I talk with author Edy Nathan about her book, "It's Grief - The Dance of Self Discovery Through Trauma and Loss." We talk about how she has found comfort and purpose in confronting her grief. After the death of her partner and then her mother, Edy has learned how to help others navigate the difficult new roles we find ourselves in our new normal. We talk about the importance of…
In this episode I talk with Author Jane Enright about her new book " Butter Side Up, How I Survived My Most Terrible Year & Created My Super Awesome Life." We talk about how important it is to recognise when things go our way, and how to maintain a positive outlook in the face of traumatic events. After a year in which both she and her partner suffered traumatic brain injuries, Jane lost her best…
In this episode I talk with Comedian Glen Tickle (his real name!) about his comedy special, " Good Grief; A Comedy About Loss And Being Bad At It. " After the death of his brother Mark, Glen started writing jokes about his grief as a way of processing his own emotions, and ultimately turned it into a full hour of comedy. We talk about the importance of leaning into our grief, and how cathartic is…
In this episode, I talk with comedian and yarn artist Angela Eh who runs the Comedy Crafting Cart, as well as a weekly streaming series called "Crafts and Laughs" on her IG and YouTube channels. After the death of her partner, who was also a comedian, Angela has relied heavily on her ability to connect and create. We talk about the importance of having places and people to vent to, and the power…
