Grief, I Didn't Sign Up for This
Grief is tough—but so are we. "Grief, I Didn't Sign Up for This," is a space for real, raw, and sometimes even humorous conversations about navigating loss, healing, and faith. Hosted by Shaleka Smith, this podcast explores the many faces of grief—not just losing loved ones but also the loss of relationships, identity, dreams, and expectations.
We’ll laugh, we’ll cry, and we’ll keep it real as we unpack the messy emotions that come with grief. Through personal stories, faith-based encouragement, and maybe even a few awkward moments (because grief can be weird), "Grief, I Didn't Sign Up for This" reminds you that you're not alone. With scripture, expert insights, and a little lightheartedness, we’ll walk this journey together—one step, one story, and one deep breath at a time.
Subscribe now for honest conversations, hope-filled encouragement, and the occasional grief-related chuckle. Because even in the hardest moments, joy still finds a way in.
Episodes
30 episodes
What Is an End-of-Life Doula? Understanding the Support You Didn’t Know Existed
In this deeply informative and compassionate episode of Grief, I Didn’t Sign Up for This, host Shaleka Smith explores the often-misunderstood roles of End-of-Life Doulas and Grief Doulas, support professionals who help individuals and ...
Mother’s Day and the Many Faces of Grief
Mother’s Day can hold both celebration and sorrow.In this heartfelt episode of “Grief, I Didn’t Sign Up for This,” Shaleka Smith creates space for the many emotions that can surface on Mother’s Day. Whether you are grieving the ...
Loving Them Through It: Supporting Your Spouse Through Grief
What does it really look like to love someone through grief?In this deeply honest and compassionate episode, Shaleka Smith explores the complexities of supporting your spouse through loss. Whether your partner is grieving the death of a ...
When He Shows Up: Identity, Impact and the Power of Brotherhood
This episode features a powerful conversation with Rob Shep, a dynamic leader known for his impact in creative strategy, community engagement, and building meaningful connections. Wherever Rob shows up, things move forward with purpose and exce...
Putting Your Best Foot Forward: 7-minute Meditation
This gentle 7-minute meditation is designed to support you as you begin a new week—especially when grief feels heavy. Whether you’re carrying personal loss, witnessing the pain in your community, or feeling the collective weight of the world, t...
I'm Grieving Me
What happens when the loss you’re carrying isn’t the death of a person—but the quiet disappearance of who you used to be?In this deeply reflective episode, I’m Grieving Me, we explore a form of grief that often goes unnamed: the...
Making Yourself a Priority: Protecting the You You’re Becoming
So many of us are experts at caring for everyone else—meeting physical, emotional, and financial needs—while quietly neglecting our own. Over time, this pattern leaves us depleted, disconnected, and unfamiliar with ourselves.In this epis...
Carrying What Matters, Releasing What We Can: A 7-Minute Meditation
The start of a new year can bring pressure to move on, start fresh, or leave the past behind—but grief doesn’t follow the calendar.In this meditation episode of Grief, I Didn’t Sign Up for This, we create space to gently acknowl...
A Christmas Meditation for the Heavy-Hearted
Christmas can be beautiful—and heavy.For many, this season carries joy and grief side by side.This Christmas meditation is a quiet, sacred pause for anyone navigating loss, loneliness, or complicated emotions during the holidays. Whe...
What Do the Lonely Do at Christmas?
Christmas is supposed to be joyful—but what happens when the lights feel too bright, the rooms feel too quiet, and the ache of absence is louder than the music? In this episode, What Do the Lonely Do at Christmas?, we sit with the real...
Ending the Year Strong
As the year comes to a close, the pressure to “finish strong” can feel overwhelming—especially if this year included loss, grief, or unexpected challenges. In this episode of Grief, I Didn’t Sign Up for This, Shaleka Smith reframes wha...
A Soft Place to Land: A 7-Minute Grief Meditation
In this special bonus episode of Grief, I Didn’t Sign Up for This, Shaleka offers a gentle, grounding, 7-minute guided meditation created for anyone carrying the quiet weight of grief. Whether you’re navigating a fresh loss, an old wou...
When Grief Shows Up for the Holidays
The holidays can intensify grief in ways we don’t always expect. In this episode, “When Grief Shows Up for the Holidays,” host Shaleka Smith explores why sorrow feels heavier this season and how cultural traditions, faith practices, and intenti...
Is This Depression or Just Grief?
In this episode of Grief, I Didn’t Sign Up for This, host Shaleka Smith takes an honest, compassionate look at one of the most common—and confusing—questions after loss: Is this depression, or just grief?Grief and depre...
Funeral Etiquette: Then vs. Now - A Concersation Between Mother and Daughter
In this special mother–daughter episode, host Shaleka Smith sits down with her 19-year-old daughter for an honest, funny, and heartfelt conversation about funeral etiquette across generations.From traditional black attire...
I Thought I Was Over It
Have you ever thought you were finally past your grief—only for it to hit you out of nowhere years later? In this deeply personal episode, host Shaleka Smith explores the surprising ways grief can resurface during milestones, quiet momen...
The Little Hearts: Childhood Grief
In this episode of Grief, I Didn’t Sign Up for This, host Shaleka Smith explores how children experience grief and how adults can guide them through it with compassion and honesty. Grief doesn’t just affect adults—children process loss...
Trauma Bonding vs. Grief Community: What's the Difference?
Not every connection in grief is healthy.In this powerful episode, Shaleka Smith unpacks the difference between trauma bonding and building a grief community. Though both can begin with shared pain, only one leads to lasting heali...
What NOT to Say When Someone Is Grieving
In this powerful and honest episode of Grief, I Didn’t Sign Up for This, host Shaleka Smith breaks down the well-meaning but often hurtful things people say to those who are grieving—and what you should say instead. From “Everything ha...
Release Yourself from Guilt
In this episode of Grief, I Didn’t Sign Up for This, we dive into one of the most complex emotions that grief brings—guilt. Inspired by Milton Butler’s story from Grief, I Didn’t Sign Up for This, we explore the overwhelming feeling of wishing ...
Empty Seat - Teacher's Grief After Losing Students to Gun Violence
In this powerful episode of Grief, I Didn’t Sign Up for This, host Shaleka Smith sits down with Alea Allen, an educator who previously taught in Chicago and who has faced the unimaginable—losing multiple students to gun violence. Inspire...
Write Your Own Obituary
In this powerful and heartfelt episode of Grief, I Didn't Sign Up for This, Shaleka Smith invites listeners to explore the idea of writing their own obituary—both literally and metaphorically. Inspired by the New York Times<...
The Masks We Wear in Grief
In this episode of Grief, I Didn't Sign Up for This, we discuss the emotional masks we wear while grieving. So many of us say "I'm fine" when we're anything but. We feel the pressure to be strong, keep busy, and hold it all together—often at th...
Grieving the Death of an Abuser – A Complex Journey
What happens when the person who caused you deep pain dies, and the world expects you to grieve them? In this powerful episode, host Shaleka Smith sits down with a sexual assault survivor and advocacy worker, Saunté Harden-Tate, to explo...
