The "With That In Mind" Podcast · Red Bird Mental Health Services

Episode 56: With That in Mind | Navigating Grief During the Holidays: Insights and Strategies

·59 min·3 clips

Dr. Megan says people should not say 'everything happens for a reason' or 'God has a plan.'

Dr. Megan opens by naming the topic plainly. She and Caitlin frame the holidays as a season that can hold good memories and real pain at the same time, which gives the rest of the conversation a careful tone. The focus stays on grief. They talk about how early loss can make even getting through the day feel difficult, and how saying the person's name can help sometimes while silence is the only workable choice at other times. That flexibility matters. The conversation keeps circling back to permission: permission to do what is survivable, permission to keep a ritual private, and permission to let the season look different than it did before. One example is simple. Caitlin describes watching a cheesy Hallmark movie as a private holiday ritual that helps her feel connected when she is missing someone. Dr. Megan treats that not as a joke but as a real way to stay connected. The point is not performance. It is about finding a small action that lets a loved one stay present in the mind and heart without forcing a public explanation. They also turn toward the people around the grieving person. Dr. Megan talks about trying to assume that others mean well even when they say hurtful things, and then she names the clichés that can land badly, especially "everything happens for a reason" and "God has a plan." The pushback is direct. The conversation refuses to explain a child's death or dress that kind of loss up as meaningful in the wrong way, and it gives listeners a clear model for answering harmful comfort with honesty instead of politeness. The tone stays conversational. There are small affirmations, little corrections, and repeated agreements, which makes the episode feel like two people slowing the room down so a painful subject can be held without rushing it. The hosts keep returning to survival. They repeat that during the hardest stretches, the goal may simply be to get through the day and do whatever is needed to keep going. The episode closes with practical encouragement. It asks listeners to bring presence and purpose to the holidays, to support grieving people with more care, and to remember that grief can be shared or kept quiet depending on what the moment asks for.

As heard by us

A steady, useful conversation about grief, the holidays, and how to show up for people who are hurting.

This episode keeps its focus on grief during the holidays and does it with a calm, unsentimental tone. Dr. Megan and Caitlin leave room for public grief, private coping habits, and the odd comfort of a cheesy Hallmark movie.

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Why you'd press play

For when the holidays make grief feel louder than the room.

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