Love, Loss & And Coming Home with Laurel Braitman, Ph.D.

Few experiences shape us more profoundly than love and loss. In this encore episode of Ojai: Talk of the Town, acclaimed author Laurel Braitman reflects on the deeply personal journey behind her memoir, What Looks Like Bravery: A Journey Through Love & Loss.A graduate of Thacher School who grew up just over the hill in Santa Paula, Braitman returns to the landscapes that shaped her life as she recounts her father's battle with cancer, the complexities of family, and the unexpected ways grief can transform us. Today she serves as Writer-in-Residence at Stanford School of Medicine, where she explores the intersection of storytelling, medicine and the human experience.The conversation ranges well beyond the memoir. We discuss her remarkable parents, growing up in Ventura County, the many changes Ojai has experienced over the decades, the craft of writing, and the rapidly evolving world of publishing. We also revisit the fascinating story of Monarch, the California grizzly whose image inspired the state flag — and debate whether the famous bear came from the Sespe Wilderness or the nearby Tehachapi Mountains.Braitman is also the author of the bestselling "Animal Madness: How Anxious Dogs, Compulsive Parrots, and Elephants in Recovery Help Us Understand Ourselves," a groundbreaking exploration of animal behavior and what it reveals about ourselves.It's an intimate, thoughtful conversation about resilience, memory, place, and the stories we tell to make sense of our lives.Originally released as Episode 138.