21 Best Grief and Loss Podcasts to Help with Healing

Loss can be a devastating part of life.  We often think of grief as the mourning of loved ones, but loss exists in other aspects of life as well.  You may experience the loss of a relationship, a job, your health or even your home. 

While loss can be experienced in many forms the common thread, no matter the type of loss, is grief.  The grieving process looks and feels different from person to person and there is no one size fits all approach to healing.  But the emotional suffering of grief is universally felt when something, or someone, you love is taken away. 

The loss of a loved one can signal unbearable anguish.  It brings a type of grief that lacks a set schedule and visits you in unexpected ways – sometimes when you are prepared for it but more often when you least expect it.  The stages of grief don’t always flow smoothly, and emotions can feel like the most unfair, endless game of ping pong.

Coping with grief and loss

Exploring different, healthy coping mechanisms can be helpful during your grief journey.  Visiting with a grief counselor, or finding opportunities to honor a loved one, such as supporting or establishing a cause, are just a few of the ways to help process your feelings of grief.

Other times it may be more helpful or comforting to hear from someone who has sat in your seat and felt all your feels.  Connection is a powerful thing.  Hearing the stories of others who have been through similar situations brings a unique perspective – one with a sense of hope and peace from a place of understanding.

Bereavement podcasts can be a great resource as they bring a mix of personal stories as well as valuable information, such as book reviews, for your grief journey.  Here are some of the best bereavement podcasts on grief and loss to help you navigate through the difficult emotions and experience.

21 Best Grief and Loss Podcasts

1. Where’s the Grief?  

In this weekly podcast, comedian Jordan Ferber interviews fellow comedians, actors, writers, and others who have experienced tragic loss – not just of loved ones but of careers, homes, security and more.  Ferber himself is all too familiar with grief, having lost his 21-year-old brother in a tragic car accident. In Where’s the Grief?, Ferber and his guests bring light humor and hope as they explore the complicated grieving process and how it affects everyday life. 

(1 episode/week, average length 70 minutes)

2. What’s Your Grief Podcast

Eleanor Haley, MS and Litsa Williams, MA, LCSW-C, mental health professionals who also authored the book “What’s Your Grief,” explore a different digestible topic each week.  From grief theory and coping skills to grief support, Haley and Williams bring an engaging approach that is both informative and relatable in the What’s Your Grief Podcast.

(1 episode/week, average length 34 minutes)

3. The Grief Gang

Host Amber Jeffrey was 19 years old when she suddenly lost her mother.  Following a few self-proclaimed turbulent years, Jeffrey turned her pain into purpose and launched The Grief Gang podcast, breaking down the taboo topics of grief and loss, one conversation at a time. 

(1 episode/week, average length 45 minutes)

4. Terrible, Thanks for Asking

In one of the most authentically named podcast’s, author Laura McInerny sits down with real people to get the genuine answer to the question, “How are you doing?” Aside from its relatable name, the Terrible, Thanks for Asking podcast series brings authentic conversations while offering new ways to learn how to communicate the effects of your grief.

(1 episode/week, average length 50 minutes)

5. Losing a Child: Always Andy’s Mom

Marcy Lawson, MD, host, pediatrician and mom of three has experienced the excruciating pain of the death of a child. In 2018, Larson tragically lost her 14-year-old son, Andy, in a car accident.  Her ongoing grief journey is chronicled in this podcast series along with over 100+ interviews and personal stories of parents who have also lost children.  Losing a Child: Always Andy’s Mom is an impactful listen for grieving parents as well as those who support them.

(185 episodes and counting, average length 60 minutes)

6. Grief Works

Hosted by Julia Samuel, a psychotherapist with over twenty-five years’ experience working with bereaved individuals, Grief Works seeks to make the topic of death a more open discussion.  Although only 5 episodes, Samuel includes powerful stories from those who have experienced great loss yet learned to live on.

(5 episodes, average length 41 minutes)

7. The Art of Dying Well

Presented by James Abbott and based out of The Centre for the Art of Dying Well at St. Mary’s University, this podcast series aims to explore the end-of-life process as well as the associated feelings of grief.

(33 episodes, average length 49 minutes)

8. The Mindfulness and Grief Podcast

Author Heather Stang, MA, C-IAYT, is the founder of the Mindfulness and Grief Institute and host of a grief podcast series .  Stang focuses on honoring the relationship that remains by learning how to deal with difficult emotions and cope with loss by cultivating self-care practices.  The Mindfulness and Grief Podcast is a great resource for the bereaved as well as bereavement professionals as it offers many valuable insights and teachings.

(53 episodes, average length 55 minutes)

9. Grief Out Loud

Hosted by Jana DeCristofaro and produced by Portland, Oregon’s Dougy Center for Grieving Children and Families, this podcast series brings a mix of personal stories and tips for supporting young adults and grieving children as well as yourself.  Grief Out Loud leaves no stone unturned in opening up the often-avoided subject of death among family members and young children.

(1 episode/week, average length 41 minutes)

10. Griefcast (Funny People Talking About Death)

Host Cariad Lloyd aims to uncover the human experience of grief and death, while interviewing comedians, writers, actors and more about their own journey of grief in her weekly series.  This podcast has a bit of everything – from balancing the weirdest parts of grief to finding a way to laugh again, Griefcast brings different ways to make you feel comfortable and even smile.   

(1 episode/week, average length 56 minutes)

11. Speaking of Grief

Presented by Arkansas Hospice Director of Bereavement Services Barbara Ross and bereavement specialists Jamie Boshears & Simone Brock, Speaking of Grief is a monthly podcast of frank conversations around death that tackles questions and topics from a place of compassion and even humor.  Special guests include everyday people sharing their own unique stories of their grief journey and how they have learned to live with loss.

(1 episode/week, average length 54 minutes)

12. Good Grief with Cheryl Jones

In the weekly series Good Grief with Cheryl Jones, Jones sets out to seek different perspectives on how to process feelings of grief.  Throughout this inspirational podcast, guests share the transformative effect of turning pain into purpose and what they have gained as a result.  

(1 episode/week, average length 57 minutes)

13. Death is Hilarious

Everyone has a personal grief journey that is unique and different.  Host and comedian Tawny Platis reminds us that, for some, dark humor can be an important coping mechanism of the grieving process. Having tragically lost her own husband in 2019, Platis offers her own story and background throughout Death is Hilarious to help normalize using humor as a coping strategy.  Other invited guests include fellow comedians who have experienced similar loss as well as grief professionals.

(122 episodes, average length 50 minutes)

14. Grief Matters

Hosted by Robert Rosalanko at the Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center, Grief Matters brief podcasts are a mix of both personal stories as well as expert advice from grief professionals, some of whom also share their personal experiences with death and the grieving process.

(monthly episodes, average length 16 minutes)

15. Grief Book Roundup

Hosted by author and Intuitive Grief Guide Shelby Forsythia, Grief Book Roundup is a short-lived podcast of just 15 episodes that provides valuable insight into some of the best books on grief.  Tune in for brief, 10-minute, book reviews and discussion.

(15 episodes, average length 10 minutes)

16. Grief Dreams Podcast

A series that introduces conversations about life, loss, grief, and grief dreams. Hosted by grief dreams expert Dr. Joshua Black and co-hosted by Jade Karling Black, this podcast explores the experience of dreaming about the deceased and the healing that can be found within those occurrences. 

(228 episodes, average length 55 minutes)

17. Help 2 Make Sense

Although just 5 short episodes in length, the Help 2 Make Sense podcast focuses on grief support for young people and the profoundly different ways in which their lives are affected.  Informative discussions around topics such as going back to school, the importance of keeping the conversation about grief going, how it feels when a sibling passes and how to support bereaved children in the classroom environment are all included in this brief, yet impactful series.

(5 episodes, average length 36 minutes)

18. Sisters in Loss Podcast: Miscarriage, Loss, and Infertility Podcast

There is tremendous loss and grief associated with miscarriage, infertility and child loss.  Sisters in Loss is a Maternal Child Health Education company that is dedicated to replacing silence with storytelling.  Sisters in Loss Podcast shares the personal stories of Black women who have experienced the losses of pregnancy, infertility and beyond.

(1 episode/week, average length 42 minutes)

19. Healing Pet Loss Podcast

A more non-traditional type of grief podcast, host Marianne Soucy seeks to share comforting messages of peace and love from lost pets in their afterlife. Additionally, Soucy also shares practical tips and advice for how to cope with pet loss throughout the Healing Pet Loss podcast as well as in her books.

(2 episodes/month, average length 7 minutes)

20. Faith & Grief Podcast

Hosted by Shelley Craig, program director for Faith & Grief, a non-profit that provides grief support programs across the country in-person and online.  Craig explores the intersection between faith and grief with guests sharing stories of loss along with a renewed sense of hope.

(68 episodes, average length 53 minutes)

21. A Good Cry

Hosted by Michael Cruz Kayne, this sometimes sad, sometimes humorous series highlights a different guest each week throughout the season.  Comedians, friends and other notable types join Kayne to discuss their personal grief journeys while sharing tears as well as laughs.  A Good Cry is a good listen for those who are grieving or supporting someone going through the grief process.  

(36 episodes and counting, average length 34 minutes)

Support for the difficult times

Grieving is a personal experience that is unique from one individual to the next.  The above list of podcasts is a wonderful reminder that while loss can open the darkest parts of our existence, it can also lead to beautiful opportunities to turn pain in to purpose.  No matter your stage of grief, find support and know you are not alone.