Preserving Connection After Loss with Birthdays from Beyond
When Molly Pearson asked her father to fill out 75 birthday cards before he died, she didn’t know it would become a project that would touch so many lives. In this conversation, Molly shares the story behind Birthdays from Beyond—a service born from anticipatory grief and a deep desire to keep meaningful connection alive. What began as a personal ritual between a daughter and her dad has grown into something much bigger: a way for people to reflect, remember, and stay present through love, storytelling, and intention.We talk about how different people have used these cards to process miscarriage, preserve family history, and reconnect with memories once thought lost. Molly also opens up about her evolving relationship with mortality, what it means to track your own path through life, and why we all deserve rituals that help grief feel a little less lonely.Resources & Ways to Connect Visit Birthdays from Beyond: https://www.birthdaysfrombeyond.com APOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/ Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpfromheaven Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast
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Olivia Allen’s Legacy: A Father’s Perspective on Grief and Healing
Grief doesn’t always look the same—especially for fathers. In this powerful episode, Heather sits down with Chuck Allen, father of Olivia Allen, for a heartfelt conversation about what it means to grieve as a dad. Chuck opens up about the small rituals that still connect him to Liv, how he copes with the weight of loss, and why he's more comfortable with his own mortality since her passing. They talk about father-daughter bonds, the moments that still bring Liv’s presence into his everyday life, and the founding of the Live Like Liv Foundation—an organization devoted to supporting the entire family through pediatric illness, especially siblings who are often left out of the conversation. Resources & Ways to Connect Live Like Liv Foundation: https://www.livelikeliv.org Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/ APOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpfromheaven Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast
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What Happens When You Lose a Parent as a Kid? An Artist’s Story
Grief changes, but it never disappears. For illustrator and author Jordan Sondler, losing her dad at 14 shaped both her art and her understanding of what it means to carry loss through life. In this conversation, she shares how creativity became a language for grief, how memory shifts over time, and why she co-founded Dead Parent Club, an audio-only community where people can show up just as they are. Jordan’s story is honest, thoughtful, and full of the kind of connection that reminds us we don’t have to grieve in isolation.Resources & Ways to ConnectDead Parent Club (via Clubhouse): https://www.clubhouse.com (search “Dead Parent Club”)Jordan Sondler (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/jordansondlerAPOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcastHeather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughterJake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelpJake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpfromheavenOur YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast
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Brotherhood, Loss, and Giving Back in the Grief Community
Austin Wolfe lost his younger brother, Devin, in a car accident — a moment that changed everything. In this conversation, he reflects on that day, the strange quiet that followed, and how saying yes to volunteering at Experience Camps helped him begin to live with his grief instead of around it. Austin shares what it’s like to hold space for kids navigating the same kind of loss, the mix of heartbreak and joy that unfolds in a week of camp, and how that experience is shaping the way he wants to move through the world. His story is open, vulnerable, and filled with the kind of hope that comes only from living it.Resources & Ways to ConnectExperience Camps: https://experiencecamps.org Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/ APOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpfromheaven Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast
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Grieving Through Song: A Musician’s Journey After Losing His Son
Grief is never simple, and for musician Jeff Brisbin, the loss of his son Josh continues to shape his life, his art, and his purpose. In this powerful conversation, Jeff shares what it means to carry his son’s memory forward—the hard days, the unexpected signs, and the music that keeps him connected. From navigating family milestones to finding healing on stage, Jeff’s story is both heartbreaking and hopeful.Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/APOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcastHeather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughterJake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelpJake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelpfromheavenResources & Ways to ConnectOur YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast
Grief is messy, complicated, and deeply personal — but you don’t have to go through it alone. On A Place of Yes, host Heather Straughter creates a safe, unfiltered space to talk about the realities of loss. Each episode dives into the tears, the laughter, the WTF moments, and the hope — all of it. Through candid personal stories and expert insights, Heather explores the pain, resilience, and unexpected moments of light that come with grieving.
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