Heroes in Grief

About Heroes in Grief

I am a bereaved father, a bereaved son, a bereaved brother & a bereaved friend. Listening to other people's stories of how they cope with their death losses has almost always given me useful tools to use in my journey. The purpose of Heroes in Grief is the same. It is my sincere hope that hearing the remarkable things that grieving people have done to honor their loved ones, or maybe just to cope will encourage you as well. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Publisher

Tom Bender

Category

education · health & fitness · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

25 Apr 2024

Latest episode

18 Jan 2026

Latest episodes

80 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   18 Jan 2026

   E79 - Patricia Mazza Vlamis - Artist & Photographer - Bereaved Child Supporter

   Patricia Mazza Vlamis is an artist and photographer who aspires to use her talents to help others As an adult bereaved as a child, others who have experienced loss at a young age are near and dear to her heart. Her hope is that this book will help them process their feelings and remember their loved ones who have died. She is on a mission to create more resources for grieving children. Pat's Book - My Memory Journal: A Coloring Book for Children Who Have Experienced Loss and Grief: https://amzn.to/4sI4FIB (https://amzn.to/4sI4FIB) Pat's Portfolio: https://pmazzavlamis.myportfolio.com/ (https://pmazzavlamis.myportfolio.com/) ======================================== Please consider supporting the podcast here: https://buymeacoffee.com/heroesingrief (https://buymeacoffee.com/heroesingrief) NEW!!! Purchase the book Tom is in 'Stories of Friends and Family Lost': https://amzn.to/3SXtG1v (https://amzn.to/3SXtG1v) Heroes in Grief: www.heroesingrief.com (https://www.heroesingrief.com/) Contact Tom: tom@heroesingrief.com (mailto:tom@heroesingrief.com) Tom's GriefTalks page (Book Tom as your Guest Speaker): https://www.facebook.com/tombendergrieftalks (https://www.facebook.com/tombendergrieftalks) Our partner 'Get Griefy Magazine': www.getgriefymagazine.com (https://www.getgriefymagazine.com/) Get Griefy Collective (Business Collective for anyone helping those in grief): https://get-griefy-small-business-collective.mn.co/share/d6W3Hzr6rS1NIhee?utm_source=manual (https://get-griefy-small-business-collective.mn.co/share/d6W3Hzr6rS1NIhee?utm_source=manual) You also can help support Heroes in Grief by using our affiliate links to wherever you do your online shopping or ordering. Message Tom at tom@heroesingrief.com to inquire or get a link. No extra charges or any cost to you! Visit the Heroes in Grief shop for products discussed on the podcast & Tom's suggestions: https://linktr.ee/heroesingrief/shop (https://linktr.ee/heroesingrief/shop) Thank you!!!

2. 

   11 Jan 2026

   E78 - Amy Shaw - Keynote Speaker, Author, Coach, & Contemporary Artist

   Amy Shaw never set out to become an expert in navigating life’s hardest seasons, but through profound personal loss she gained deep insight into resilience, rebuilding, and purposeful living. She learned how to move forward with clarity, strength, and hope when circumstances offered no easy answers. Today, Amy is a keynote speaker, author, coach, and contemporary artist who brings both compassion and perspective to her work. Her expertise is shaped by years of navigating caregiving, loss, leadership, and rebuilding—both personally and professionally—and by walking alongside others through seasons of grief, transition, strained relationships, financial pressure, and overwhelming family challenges. She helps people gain clarity, regain footing, and move forward with purpose. Known for her warmth, creativity, and grounded presence, Amy brings depth, joy, and an unmistakable sense of life to everything she does. Her work is shaped by faith, lived experience, and a deep belief that even in the most difficult seasons, meaningful growth and lasting impact are possible. Amy's Links: Website - Walk the Red: https://walkthered.com/ (https://walkthered.com/) Book - Navigating Goodbye - A Guide for those Blindsided by Terminal Illness: https://amzn.to/3Z7LOZG (https://amzn.to/3Z7LOZG) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/walktheredcoaching (https://www.instagram.com/walktheredcoaching) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-shaw-295270347/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-shaw-295270347/) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@grainofwheat (https://www.youtube.com/@grainofwheat) ======================================== Please consider supporting the podcast here: https://buymeacoffee.com/heroesingrief (https://buymeacoffee.com/heroesingrief) NEW!!! Purchase the book Tom is in 'Stories of Friends and Family Lost': https://amzn.to/3SXtG1v (https://amzn.to/3SXtG1v) Heroes in Grief: www.heroesingrief.com (https://www.heroesingrief.com/) Contact Tom: tom@heroesingrief.com (mailto:tom@heroesingrief.com) Tom's GriefTalks page (Book Tom as your Guest Speaker): https://www.facebook.com/tombendergrieftalks (https://www.facebook.com/tombendergrieftalks) Our partner 'Get Griefy Magazine': www.getgriefymagazine.com (https://www.getgriefymagazine.com/) Get Griefy Collective (Business Collective for anyone helping those in grief): https://get-griefy-small-business-collective.mn.co/share/d6W3Hzr6rS1NIhee?utm_source=manual (https://get-griefy-small-business-collective.mn.co/share/d6W3Hzr6rS1NIhee?utm_source=manual) You also can help support Heroes in Grief by using our affiliate links to wherever you do your online shopping or ordering. Message Tom at tom@heroesingrief.com to inquire or get a link. No extra charges or any cost to you! Visit the Heroes in Grief shop for products discussed on the podcast &amp; Tom's suggestions: <a href="https://linktr.ee/heroesingrief/shop" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

3. 

   4 Jan 2026

   E77 - Karen Bulinski Mathison - Grief Coach, Death Doula, Content Creator & Founder of The Naked Grief

   Karen Bulinski Mathison was born in Buffalo, New York, and has spent her life learning that grief doesn't follow a timeline—it shatters one. She lost her husband to a brain aneurysm. She lost her father to cancer on Christmas, her 50th birthday. She lost the last man she loved, suddenly and without warning. She's navigated pet loss, miscarriage, secondary grief, and the isolation that comes when the world moves on but you're still standing in the wreckage. But loss also taught her something else: that raw, authentic grief work transforms everything. Karen holds a Master's Degree in Mental Health &amp; Wellness with an emphasis in Grief &amp; Bereavement from Grand Canyon University. She's a Certified Death Doula through IAP Career College, a Certified Life Coach, and holds certifications in Art Therapy Coaching and Emotional Trauma First Aid. She combines clinical expertise with lived experience—she's studied grief academically and survived it personally. That combination is rare. That combination is powerful. In 2024, Karen founded The Naked Grief, a comprehensive grief support platform built on a simple truth: grief support should be raw, authentic, accessible, and unapologetic. The Naked Grief's dark, heavy logo isn't accidental. It represents that initial impact—the moment loss rocks hard and cuts like glass. But the communities within are brighter and lighter because support changes the shape of your grief backpack, making it less heavy to carry. It doesn't erase the weight. It makes it bearable. Karen is most proud of three things: The RAW Experience Podcast — Co-hosted with spiritual healer Melissa Bishop, this podcast dissects Friends episodes to identify disenfranchised grief and demonstrate how unaddressed life challenges create a spiral effect. It's grief education disguised as entertainment, reaching people who wouldn't otherwise seek help. The Grief Garden Series — A collection of short stories and creative tools that help people identify the array of emotions experienced during grief as companions walking with us on our healing journey. Characters like Hope, Love, Faith, Resilience, and Pain become guides through loss. Global Grief Awareness — Her mission to make discussing grief a common dialogue that occurs before loss, not just after. Prevention through conversation. Preparation through community. Karen is passionate about one thing: disenfranchised grief—all the losses that come with or separate from the death of a person. The lost promotion due to grief brain. The warning at work because productivity suffered. The trauma and isolation that happens when employers and society don't recognize grief as legitimate. She believes that mental health support in the workplace isn't a luxury—it's a retention strategy, a productivity multiplier, and a basic act of humanity. When people feel seen and supported through life's hardest moments, they don't just survive. They transform. Karen was born in Buffalo, New York, and plans to eventually join her family in Holy Trinity Cemetery in Lewiston, Niagara County—a full-circle return to her roots and a reminder that grief, legacy, and connection are all intertwined. She's honored to be here with Tom Bender and the Heroes in Grief community, talking about the losses nobody talks about and the support everyone deserves. Karen's links: Website: thenakedgrief.com (thenakedgrief.com) Support Assessment: <a...

Who has been a guest on Heroes in Grief

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Liz Quinn
• Kimberly Koland
• Kristina Amelong
• Tessa Marshall
• Dr Heather Taylor

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

6,570

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

10 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 58 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

66

Social presence

0

YouTube

74

Engagement

51

Contact Heroes in Grief

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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