Giving Grief Grace, a Grief Podcast for the Sandwich Generation
Loss changes everything. But it doesn't have to have the last word. Giving Grief Grace is a podcast dedicated to those in the throes of caregiving and loss with honest, compassionate conversations about grief, healing, and what it means to keep living after loss. Hosted by Lisa Hartung, a speaker, HR professional, and fellow griever, each episode creates space for the stories we don't always know how to tell.
From disenfranchised and hidden grief, to grieving while parenting, to the ways men experience loss differently, to the unexpected power of creativity and legacy, this show covers grief in all its forms. Featuring expert guests, real stories, and practical tools you can use right now.
If you've lost someone you love or are in the throes of caregiving, you belong here.
New episodes drop every Sunday. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
Giving Grief Grace, a Grief Podcast for the Sandwich Generation
Episode 66 - Turning Grief Into Growth: Ksenia Merck on Creative Expression Through Art, Loss, & Ghost Flower
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What happens when the person you built your life with leaves behind an unfinished manuscript? In this episode, artist and architect Ksenia Merck joins us to talk about turning grief into growth. We learn how she picked up her late husband Bill's final book, Ghost Flower, and finished it through her illustrations, transforming an act of mourning into a lifelong creative collaboration that continues past death.
Ksenia walks us through her caregiving journey. She discusses the heartbreaking loss of her father who was her biggest cheerleader. Ksenia was the primary caregiver for her mother Eva, who lived with Ksenia and Bill for 14 years, and then for Bill himself through a prostate cancer diagnosis that led to a grueling hospital stay. She shares how creativity became her processing ground for grief: illustrating Ghost Flower, building its companion journal from her own sketches and reflections, and discovering that healing doesn't follow a timeline, it follows its own pace, one brushstroke or drawing at a time.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- How Ksenia turned illustrating Bill's unfinished novel into an act of healing and continued connection
- What caregiving for a parent and a spouse taught her about self-care
- Why she believes creative work can hold grief in ways words alone can't
- How the Ghost Flower Companion Journal became a way to help others process their own loss
- Why healing at your own pace matters more than following anyone else's timeline
Heal at your own pace, rather than following a timeline someone else set for you.
If this conversation resonated with you, subscribe to Giving Grief Grace and share it with someone who's grieving. Explore Ksenia's work at merckiipress.com, and follow @merck2press for more on her art and Ghost Flower journey.
Website: https://www.merckiipress.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ksenia-merck-44525514/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/merck2press
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merck2press/
Thanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you!
Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone.
Subscribe to the podcast and we'll see you next week!
Special thanks to:
Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star Music
Podcast Music Good_B_Music
