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About the show:If you enjoy deep, authentic, and thought-provoking conversations, get ready to love this podcast. Welcome to Grief is a Sneaky Bitch, a space where Lisa Keefauver, founder of Reimagining Grief, explores her deep curiosity, love of conversation and knowledge on a mission to change the narrative around grief. From CEOs and social workers to authors, educators, filmmakers and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating their very own grief journeys.About the episode:In today’s episode, I was joined by two incredible women, Rachel Carnahan-Metzger and Sierra Herbort. Rachel and Sierra are really special humans, who have both dedicated their careers to supporting children and families going through the most difficult times in their lives. Working at Dell Children’s Medical Center, Rachel serves as a pediatric palliative care social worker and Sierra as a Certified Child Life Specialist. They have made a career out of bearing witness, educating, and supporting families to be able to navigate the unimaginable, the death of a child. They do this every day with such compassion, such heart, and such wisdom. They bring that and more to today’s conversation. I can’t wait for you to meet themJump straight into:(04:05) - Where did you learn about grief? - “I remember coming home and asking my mom about it really early on. I remember her sitting at the table and crying and inviting me to share that space with her.”(09:56) - Educating families through hard times: How to have conversations about death with children - “I think it's really this balance of providing that education and acknowledging how hard it is and how scary it is to think about these things.”(17:58) - Death play: Expressive ways in which kids understand death - “I can think of a mom who told me that they were talking about the terminal illness of their kid and the sibling at home was doing a lot of bath play with putting the Barbies underwater and saying, ‘Oh, he's underwater, he's gone away.’”(25:11) - How do you do it right?: Why the perfect conversation doesn't exist - “You have to think about, what does my child need to know? What does my child want to know? And then what are they able to understand based on if they're an infant, a toddler, or a teen.”(34:13) - Talking about a bad diagnosis and why it is okay not to disclose all the information - “One of our biggest recommendations is to answer the questions that are being asked and ask for permission before you're giving kids information, checking in with them about how much they do want to know.”(42:42) - Dealing with questions: Best ways to guide and help children after a loss - “As your kid moves through those developmental stages, those conversations are going to happen again. If your kid is seven when their dad dies, that means something different when they're seven than when they're 17.”(53:32) - On the roots of guilt and shame - “There's just so much guilt that lives in holding responsibility for decisions that ultimately allow your child to die.”Episode Resources:Mustard by Charlotte GraeberHealing Your Grieving Heart by Alan D Wolfelt, PhD for Children and teensFred & Red Say Goodbye by Alan SchlichtmanEnd of Life Conversations with guest Michael HebbThe River in her Heart with guest Amber SmithSponsor:Today’s episode is sponsored by Jae Kim, Founder and CEO of Chi’lantro BBQ (who was a guest on this show last season, Life Lessons From A Little Sister. Instead of telling you about their amazing food, he invited me to share one of my favorite non-profits with you. Visit the Phoenix Stone Foundation to learn how Ben and Heather are honoring the memory of their son Phoenix by supporting families facing childhood cancer treatment and the medical team who care for them.Our host:Lisa Keefauver, MSW offers a variety of services and products from individual grief sessions, to guided meditations, workshops, company culture consulting and even a line of beautiful and authentic Empathy Cards. To know more visit www.reimagininggrief.comThanks for listening! If you’re feeling social, don’t forget to follow Lisa on Instagram. Make sure to leave a rating and write a review today on Apple Podcasts so that more people can find us. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.