Regular listeners will remember back in season 2 when Mary-Frances O’Connor joined us to discuss her groundbreaking book The Grieving Brain. For those who haven’t had the chance to hear this episode (S2E9) it is worth the time.

In this episode, we are very pleased to have Mary-Frances return to discuss her follow-up book, The Grieving Body. In this conversation, we explore how grief is experienced in our bodies—specifically the heart and cardiovascular system, the immune and endocrine systems, and cognitively. We answer questions such as: 'Can we die of a broken heart?' and 'Why might we be more prone to illness when grieving?' Our discussion draws on science and research, presented through a compassionate, open-hearted, and accessible lens.

Mary-Frances normalizes and helps us understand how intricately involved our bodily systems are in the grieving process and offers insights on how to care for ourselves and each other.

Have feedback about the podcast? Have an idea for a future episode? Get in touch with us: whatnow@hospicepeterborough.org

In this episode we have the great privilege to speak with Christopher Rhoden. We recorded our conversation on April 4th 2025. Twenty-one days later, on April 25th, Chris died of glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer of the brain. We are so honoured to have met Chris and share this time with him and we offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends.

At this point in Chris' journey his cancer was quite advanced and can be evident as our conversation floats and meanders in and out of a clear direction. We ask you to stay with the discussion because if you do, like Hansel and Gretel, you will be gifted with the little crumbs, or gems of wisdom, that Chris drops to guide you to deeper understanding and connection to yourself, others, and the greater world.

Chris is and was thoughtful, philosophical, courageous, grounded, soulful and deeply human. This is a wonderful and enlightening conversation with a man who leaned into the reality of his life, his joy, his suffering, and his dying, and had the courage to share it all with us and the world.

If you would like to read more about Chris' journey and glean the insights and wisdom he so freely shared, you can visit his blog, With and Wonder.

Peace and gratitude, Chris.

Have feedback about the podcast? Have an idea for a future episode? Get in touch with us: whatnow@hospicepeterborough.org

We're thrilled to welcome grief expert, trauma psychotherapist, and author Meghan Riordan Jarvis to the podcast. In 2024, Meghan released her book Can Anyone Tell Me? Essential Questions about Grief and Loss. Developed from both personal and professional experience—especially after the heartbreaking loss of her mother—Meghan set out to find a book that could answer the many questions grief brings. When she couldn’t find one that fit, she wrote it herself!

In this episode, we dive into the many ways grief shows up in our lives—including ones that might surprise you. Meghan shares her insight with both passion and expertise, offering wisdom that resonates.

Because loss touches all of us at some point, this conversation is for everyone.

Have feedback about the podcast? Have an idea for a future episode? Get in touch with us: whatnow@hospicepeterborough.org