Healing Through Journaling: Grief & Joy After Addiction Loss with Shawn Dinneen

If you’ve ever wondered how to keep living, and even loving, after losing someone you can’t imagine life without, this episode is for you. I sit down with Shawn Dinneen, creator of HeartStrings Journals, to hear her deeply personal story of grief, resilience, and rediscovering life and new love after the devastating loss of her fiancé to an overdose in 2022.***Video version available here***Shawn shares how journaling became a lifeline during her healing journey, inspiring her business and mission to support others navigating loss. We explore the messy middle of grief, how community, self-reflection, and courage help us carry sorrow while making room for hope and love again. This is an honest, tender conversation about loss, resilience, and the ways grief and joy can coexist.Key Takeaways:Healing after loss is personal, nonlinear, and requires compassion toward yourself.Journaling and reflection can provide a powerful outlet for processing grief.Stigma around addiction obscures the humanity of those affected.Systemic barriers make seeking help for addiction challenging.Unresolved pain and trauma frequently underlie addiction.Community and shared experiences help break the isolation of loss.Opening your heart to love again is possible, even after profound heartbreak.Grief and joy can coexist, and healing doesn’t mean forgetting.Guest: Shawn Dinneenheartstringsjournals.comSubmit your story to Paths of PurposeShop HeartStrings Journals@heart_stringsjournalsHosted by: Nina RodriguezCreator of Grief and Light, Grief Guidegriefandlight.com@griefandlightResting Grief Face on SubstackSubscribe for more conversations that explore grief, healing, and what it means to be human.Send us Fan MailSupport the showGrief and Light is an award-winning, independent podcast exploring the honest, messy, and deeply human experience of loss. We're on a mission to foster a more grief-informed, hopeful world, one conversation at a time. 🏆 Ear Worthy Best Life Lessons 2026 · TalkDeath Readers' Choice Best Podcast 2025 · Women Who Podcast Awards 2025 Winner · Podground Editor's PickNew episodes wherever you watch or listen.Connect with Nina Rodriguez:griefandlight.com@griefandlightResting Grief Face on SubstackThank you for listening! If this conversation resonated with you:✅ Share this episode with someone who needs it✅ Follow Grief and Light so you never miss a conversation✅ Leave a review! It helps this podcast reach more heartsDisclaimer: griefandlight.com/safetyanddisclaimers