Navigating Motherhood after Loss with Liz Quinn

GRIEF AND LIGHT

GRIEF AND LIGHT
Navigating Motherhood after Loss with Liz Quinn
Apr 29, 2025 Season 4 Episode 72
Nina Rodriguez

In this deeply moving episode Nina is joined by Liz Quinn — grief advocate, and host of the Healing Hearts Podcast. Liz opens up about her personal journey through layered loss, including the death of her daughter Alivia, and both of her parents. With tenderness and clarity, she shares what it means to grieve as a mother, how guilt and love can coexist, and how the relationship with a child in spirit continues to evolve.

// Click here to watch on YouTube //

The conversation also explores the experience of pregnancy after loss, the secondary grief felt by surviving children, and the often unseen labor of tending to grief while parenting. Liz also shares her journey through anticipatory and ambiguous grief as she lost her mother to Alzheimer’s and dementia, followed by the death of her father to esophageal cancer.

Nina and Liz offer insights into how one's healing journey can evolve into a purpose-driven mission, and emphasize the importance of storytelling and community in the grief process. This episode is a poignant reminder that grief is not something to fix — it’s something to honor, carry, and live with love.


Free Download: GRIEF TENDING TOOLKIT 


// ACCESS OUR ONLINE COMMUNITY //


Takeaways:

  • You don't necessarily feel like a mother when you don't have a child physically.
  • The love for a child begins the moment you know they are yours.
  • Grief is a journey that shapes who you are.
  • Honoring lost children is a vital part of healing.
  • It's okay to not want to hold a baby after loss.
  • You either know or you just do it when it comes to having more children.
  • Building a relationship with a child in spirit takes time.
  • There is no right or wrong way to navigate grief.
  • Sometimes, mothers know best when it comes to healing traditions.
  • Support groups can be both helpful and challenging.
  • Siblings can experience grief for a sibling they never met.
  • The loss of a child reshapes family dynamics and identities.
  • Transforming grief into purpose can lead to personal growth.
  • Shared stories can initiate healing for both the storyteller and the listener.
  • Grief is a lifelong journey that evolves over time.
  • Life after loss can still be beautiful despite its challenges.


Connect with Liz Quinn:


Connect with Nina Rodriguez:


Disclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers

Support the show

Thank you for listening! Please share with someone who may need to hear this.

Interested in Sponsoring our Podcast?
Please message us at info@griefandlight.com.

Episode Artwork Navigating Motherhood after Loss with Liz Quinn 50:46 Episode Artwork Grief vs. Grieving: Why the Difference Matters 15:12 Episode Artwork Brothers, Grief, and Identity: Nico Slate on navigating sibling loss, love, and race dynamics 54:52 Episode Artwork Befriending the Unknown: Paula Sager on losing her father, Authentic Movement, and writing The Watch 55:30 Episode Artwork Uncensoring Grief, Centering Aliveness, and Navigating Loss with Lisa Keefauver, MSW 59:53 Episode Artwork Love and Widowhood: Grief, Community, and Healing after Loss with Tina Fornwald 1:10:04 Episode Artwork Lifebooks.io: Matt Jacobson on losing his father, and the future of preserving memories and legacies 53:56 Episode Artwork The Liminality of Grief: Embracing who you are becoming 29:59 Episode Artwork The Grief Girlie: Shea Wingate on Compounded Grief, Myth Busting, and Making Room for Joy 49:44 Episode Artwork Showing Up Meaningfully in 2025: Evolving from "Me" to "We" 34:05 Episode Artwork Embracing the "New You" After Loss: Reflections of 2024 and Hope for 2025 15:30 Episode Artwork "Griefmas" & Griefy Holidays: Your Survival Guide for When Life Doesn't Feel Merry or Bright 33:30 Episode Artwork 'Grief 2 Growth': Brian D. Smith on Signs, Synchronicities, and Making Meaning after Child Loss 57:30 Episode Artwork Finding Pockets of Sunshine: Dr. Monica Krishnan on Grief, Mental Health and Healing 41:14 Episode Artwork Impacted Survivors: Navigating Grief and Stigma After Murder-Suicide Loss 48:20 Episode Artwork Embracing what is with Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer 1:02:47 Episode Artwork Beyond Platitudes: Erin Blechman Talks Candidly About Suicide Loss and Supporting Grievers 1:01:23 Episode Artwork LIFE SHIFT: Matt Gilhooly on grieving loved ones, pet loss, and healing through storytelling 1:03:33 Episode Artwork Rebecca Feinglos on Loss, Grieve Leave, and Creating Grief-Informed Spaces 56:18 Episode Artwork Grief Support 101: One-on-One, Peer-Led, and Specialist-Led Groups 25:44 Episode Artwork Finding Light After the Sudden Loss of a Partner | Charniah Wilson 1:09:47 Episode Artwork The Five Facets of Healing after loss with Annah Elizabeth 56:44 Episode Artwork 5 Years without You: The Ripple Effect 21:07 Episode Artwork THE GRIEF COCOON: Transforming Grief through Creative Expression | Gaby Georges 41:48 Episode Artwork Bridging the GriefSpan after Losing Her Brother & Parents in Five Years | Moira Khan 1:00:27