The Parenting Series: Will Hunter Howell on Becoming Dad Without a Dad
Welcome to the parenting without a parent series of the podcast! This topic has been one that has been widely requested throughout the years of GG and I'm finally getting round to it and can't be happier to have started this conversation with today's guest.For the first ep in this series, we're meeting Will Hunter Howell. Will is a bestselling author and the creator of The Pretty Painful Grief Book, a journal full of carefully crafted prompts to help you navigate your own grief journey. Having lost his Dad in a plane crash on his 3rd day at university, when he was just 19, this journal is the result of Will's own experiences with life after loss. An unapologetic space for you to stop pretending you're okay and start feeling it all—every raw, messy, f*cked-up emotion that comes with losing someone you love.Will shares with us in this episode what it was like for him to lose his dad at an incredibly young age and in incredibly tragic circumstances. Will walks us through his experience of becoming a Dad and the nuances it presented for him and still does. The question's we might ask ourself when it comes to our parenting styles - the styles we might pull on from our parents and the ones we leave behind. How we memorialise and tell our children about their ancestors and who they come from. Lastly, how we tend to our own grief whilst navigating becoming another human beings protector, provider and safe space. Will is so candid in this episode and I loved every minute of our chat, I hope you do too! Find and purchase Will's book via the links below:Book: Available on Amazon or linktr.ee/prettypainfulgriefbook Instagram @prettypainfulgriefbookTikTok @prettypainfulgriefbook***Please forgive the slight clicky noises throughout this ep. I tried my best to fix it but alas. It's the conversation that matters!***Big love,Amber xxxConnect with The Grief Gang community:Enquire about Grief Gang 1:1 and group circle mentoring hereBook onto a Grief Gang group circle hereInstagramTwitterFacebookYoutubeTikTokSubstackWebsiteIf this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review. Share this episode with someone who might need to hear it today!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thegriefgang. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
--------
51:51
Grief Anonymous: Dating after the death of a partner, ever changing relationships and being knackered by grief
Grief Anon has made it's way to the pod! After some consideration, I've decided to bring Grief Anon from the Substack to the pod.This is the episode where you write in your griefy questions, queries or overall sharings and I do my best to give my two pence. In this weeks grief anon, here are the submission's we heard:"When does the totally being knackered by grief end?""I lost my partner a month ago and am so lonely. All I want is a partner for connection but feel so guilty. I don't know if dating now is too soon/selfish""How do you deal with changing relationships, i.e friends, family etc, with the loss of your person?"Some really nuanced and important submissions here and I really hope I did my best! As always, please give your support and additional opinion over on The Grief Gang socials. Big love,Amber xxxConnect with The Grief Gang community:Enquire about Grief Gang 1:1 and group circle mentoring hereBook onto a Grief Gang group circle hereInstagramTwitterFacebookYoutubeTikTokSubstackWebsiteIf this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review. Share this episode with someone who might need to hear it today!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thegriefgang. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
--------
35:44
Little Years, Big Loss: Reclaiming Childhood Bereavement Through Film with Alvin Carpio
What happens when the loss of a parent in childhood leaves more questions than answers? In this episode, I'm chatting with Alvin Carpio, film maker and campaigner as we explore his journey to the Philippines in 2022 to retrace the life of his late father who died when Alvin was 9 years old.Through the lens of childhood bereavement, we follow Alvin in his film 'Rites' on his emotional pilgrimage to the country his father called home. Piecing together memory, his father's and his own identity and what continuing a bond with him now looks like. Alvin shares with us in this episode the layers, complexities and journey of what it is like to be a bereaved child and how that experience has shaped him throughout his life.About Alvin: Alvin Carpio is a campaigner and filmmaker. He is the founder of the School of Social Justice and director of rites, a short documentary film about childhood bereavement, grief, and healing. Born and raised in Newham, East London, Alvin’s work is currently focused on how people can face their demons in order to achieve liberation — drawing from his own journey of confronting grief to find freedom and purpose.Watch Rites:I really hope you enjoyed this episode and through Alvin's story have perhaps felt inspired to explore what storytelling is to you. To watch Rites for free on Youtube on Father's Day, follow the link below to register: https://schoolofsocialjustice.com/register-for-rites/As mentioned in the episode, it is now confirmed that the World Premiere of Rites will take place on Friday 13 June 2025 at a beautiful, state-of-the-art cinema at UCL East, One Pool Street Cinema, in Newham, East London. If you would like to attend, please email alvin@schoolofsocialjustice.com with the subject like: “World Premiere”.Big love,Amber xxxConnect with The Grief Gang community:Enquire about Grief Gang 1:1 and group circle mentoring hereBook onto a Grief Gang group circle hereInstagramTwitterFacebookYoutubeTikTokSubstackWebsiteIf this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review. Share this episode with someone who might need to hear it today!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thegriefgang. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
--------
50:43
Grief walks: Reflections on my 20's and identity in grief
Welcome to season 8 of The Grief Gang podcast! It feels really great to be back (even though I waffle on in the beginning saying how anxious I've been to return!)I wanted the first episode to be a Griefy Walks. You guys apparently love them and they feel like a voicenote from a friend, which I also love too. It's a bit of a catch up episode since last season with some sprinklings of chat around grief and spirituality, identity and speculation about who I could have been if grief hadn't punctuated my 20's. A very reflective episode as I approach my 28th birthday in the coming days.Big love,Amber xxxConnect with The Grief Gang community:Enquire about Grief Gang 1:1 and group circle mentoring hereBook onto a Grief Gang group circle hereInstagramTwitterFacebookYoutubeTikTokSubstackWebsiteIf this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review. Share this episode with someone who might need to hear it today!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thegriefgang. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
--------
40:52
The Christmas episode 2024
Welcome to the Christmas episode 2024! The episode where we hear from you, the listener. Thank you to everyone who wrote in or sent a voicenote for this special yearly episode. You make this episode magical!I am sending every one huge love and light as navigate this Christmas. Whether it's your first or tenth Christmas without your loved one, know that you are not alone. I hope this episode can really highlight that for you.Whatever you do today, I hope you can find a moment to stop, reflect and remember. Do what you need to get through, we've got this.Thank you all for a wonderful season 7 and 2024. This community means everything to me, thank you for letting me into your lives in so many ways. I'll see you in 2025 for season 8!Big love,Amber xxxConnect with The Grief Gang community:Enquire about Grief Gang 1:1 and group circle mentoring hereBook onto a Grief Gang group circle hereInstagramTwitterFacebookYoutubeTikTokSubstackWebsiteIf this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review. Share this episode with someone who might need to hear it today!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thegriefgang. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to the gang, the one you never asked to be part of.The Grief Gang podcast was born from heartbreak but thrives on connection. Created by host Amber Jeffrey after the unexpected loss of her mother at just 19, this show dives headfirst into the messy, confusing, and sometimes even humorous world of grief. Amber started this journey to find people who “just get it” and to share the ever-changing experience of living with loss.Through raw and relatable storytelling, Amber shares her highs, lows, and everything in between—the funny, the frustrating, and the downright overwhelming. Alongside her own journey, the podcast features guests from all walks of life, opening up about their grief—be it the loss of a parent, child, sibling, partner, or others close to their hearts. This isn’t just a podcast; it’s a reminder that you’re never alone in your feelings and never have to face grief alone.Expect to cry, laugh (a lot), and walk away with hope—hope that life after loss isn’t just possible but can be extraordinary.Celebrated by the likes of BBC, Channel 5, Vogue, and Women’s Health UK & Australia, The Grief Gang has become a global voice in breaking the silence around grief. Amber’s dedication to this mission has seen her deliver talks, panel discussions, and workshops at institutions like Cambridge and Oxford University, Westminster, and corporations such as Apple and Starbucks.Follow The Grief Gang to join a community where no feeling is too big, and no grief story is too small.📱 Find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Substack. 🌐 Visit our website for more and find ways to work with Amber through 1:1 and group grief mentoring today“Open and honest… Amber navigates the conversation around grief so truthfully. There’s always something I can relate to, and this podcast has been such a comfort. Thank you!”Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thegriefgang. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
South Africa