PODCAST · education
Good Grief
by O'Connell Funeral Homes
Helping plan funerals with honor. O'Connell funeral homes staff, along with guests, give guidance on topics like, how to write an obituary, preplanning for your funeral, funeral arrangements, as well as how to personalize funeral services. The podcasts also include advice on how to manage grief, what you can do for loved ones who are grieving, and what additional resources are available to you, including self care. Welcome to the Good Grief Podcast.
Episodes
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What Really Happens During Cremation
What actually happens when someone is cremated? It’s a question many people have wondered about but may feel uncomfortable asking. In this episode of The Good Grief Podcast, Mike O’Connell takes listeners behind the scenes and explains the cremation process step by step, beginning with the first...
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Pre‑planning: one less burden on your family.
What if one of the most meaningful things you could give your family is a plan? In this episode of The Good Grief Podcast, Mike and Emma O’Connell talk about why pre-planning a funeral is less about death and more about taking care of the people you love. They discuss the decisions families face...
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The Biggest Myths About Cremation
The Biggest Myths About Cremation Answering the Questions Every Family Has Is cremation really less expensive? Does choosing cremation mean you skip the funeral? Can you still have a visitation, memorial service, or celebration of life? These are some of the most common questions funeral…
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Signs, God Winks & the Unexplainable
What happens after someone dies? Are the signs people experience after loss simply coincidence, or something deeper? In this deeply emotional episode of The Good Grief Podcast, Mike O’Connell, Emma O’Connell, and Father Jerry Harris explore the mysterious moments that often follow grief…
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Treasures of the Heart: What Do You Do With Their Things?
After the service ends and the casseroles are gone, families are left with something no one really prepares them for. The quiet. And then… the stuff. In this episode of The Good Grief Podcast, the conversation turns to something deeply personal and often overwhelming—what to do with a loved one’s...
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Pre-Planning Isn’t About Death, It’s About Love
Most people think pre-planning a funeral means preparing for death. But in this episode of The Good Grief Podcast, Mike and Emma O’Connell challenge that idea completely. They explain that pre-planning isn’t about dying. It’s about living with peace of mind, knowing your family won’t be left with...
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Tattoos: Turning Cremated Remains into Living Memorials
In this powerful and unexpectedly uplifting episode of The Good Grief Podcast, Mike O’Connell and host Pete Waggoner sit down with Minneapolis tattoo artist Carlen Gil to explore one of the most personalized memorial options available today: incorporating cremated remains into tattoo ink. From…
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How Scammers Exploit Our Elders
In this episode of The Good Grief Podcast, hosts Pete Waggoner and Michael O’Connell sit down with St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knutson to talk about a growing threat facing older adults: scams that prey on kindness, trust, and fear. From grandparent scams and fake tech support calls to...
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Etched in Stone: The Art of Remembering
In this episode, Mike O’Connell joins Pete Waggoner for a deeply insightful conversation about monuments. They explore why headstones matter, how design choices tell a story, and what most families don’t know about the planning process. From costs to colors, Mike shares decades of wisdom to help...
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Small Towns and Big Family Hearts
This heartfelt episode features a candid conversation between Mike and Emma O’Connell, father-daughter members of O’Connell Family Funeral Homes, as they reflect on legacy, loss, and growing up in a family funeral home. From prom pranks to life-shaping grief experiences, they share the emotional...
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A single sentence can haunt a family for years.
A single sentence can haunt a family for years. “Just cremate me and throw me out back.” It’s said casually, often meant with humility, but can create lasting pain and confusion for those left behind. In this heartfelt episode, funeral director Mike O’Connell opens up about why these words are…
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What Home Health Really Looks Like
What You'll Hear in This Episode In this episode of The Good Grief Podcast, Christa Walz from Adoray joins us to talk about the power of home health care in helping families age with support, safety, and dignity. Here's a quick look at what we covered: [00:00] Christa reflects on 20 years with...
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Grief Isn’t a Straight Line with Therapist Jill
When Grief Doesn’t Go Away—and That’s Okay Grief isn’t something we get over—it’s something we learn to live with. In this episode of The Good Grief Podcast, therapist Jill Ann Anderson joins Mike O’Connell and Pete Waggoner for an honest, moving conversation about what it means to truly process...
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What Really Happens Before a Viewing
What happens behind the scenes before a loved one’s viewing? In this eye-opening episode of The Good Grief Podcast, Michael O’Connell breaks down the details of what goes into preparing someone for a final goodbye. From grooming and attire to the unexpected things most families never think about,...
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Grief in the Family System
In this powerful episode, Rev. Dr. Jules Erickson joins Michael O’Connell for a deep and relatable conversation about how grief moves through families—and how we often carry it without even knowing. From childhood loss and moral injury to the messy middle of healing, Pastor Jules shares stories…
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Memorial Day: More Than a Long Weekend
Episode Description: In this heartfelt Memorial Day episode, Michael O’Connell and podcast host, Pete Waggoner, reflect on what the holiday truly means. They explore the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, the importance of honoring fallen service members, and the meaningful...
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The Power of Pre-Planning
Episode Description: Pre-planning a funeral may not be the most comfortable conversation—but it just might be the most important. In this inaugural episode of The Good Grief Podcast, Michael O’Connell and Pete Waggoner unpack the reasons pre-planning makes a profound difference for grieving...
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Death and Dying in Media: Fact-Checking the Fiction
Who says it’s too late to be talking about horror? In this month’s episode, Pete and Amber explore how death, dying, and funerals are depicted in the media. Amber, with her penchant for horror movies, offers a unique perspective, revealing the dual aspects of death in cinematic and television...
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Debunking Myths and Misconceptions on Hospice Care
In this episode, Amber and Pete shed light on the topic of hospice care, sharing their insights and debunking common misconceptions. Amber starts by explaining how she chose this topic for the episode, drawing from her experiences with families who often express regret for not admitting their…
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Breaking Down Organ and Body Donation Misconceptions
In this episode, Amber and Pete dive into the topic of body and organ donation, debunking myths and addressing common concerns. They begin by highlighting the importance of discussing donation throughout the year. Pete raises the misconception about open caskets for organ donors, questioning...
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Debunking Myths on Embalming & Cremation
In this episode, Amber and Pete delve into the world of embalming and cremation myths. They discuss the fate of jewelry, metallic teeth fillings, and implants during these processes, debunking misconceptions along the way. From how embalming doesn't grant permanence or produce odors to debunking...
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The Price of Saying Goodbye: Insights from a Funeral Director
In this month's episode, Amber and Pete explore the often-misunderstood topic of funeral costs and the crucial role of funeral directors in managing the intricacies of the funeral process. They discuss the perception of families regarding the costs and how funeral directors handle this sensitive...
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Sacred Grounds: Unveiling the Significance of Cemeteries in the Grief Process
In this episode, Pete and Amber are joined by Mike Miller of the Willow River Cemetery in Hudson, WI. Mike shares his personal journey, recalling how his fascination with the cemetery began when he worked there as a 15-year-old summer job worker. As the discussion unfolds, Mike opens up about the...
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Carrying the Load: Roles of Pallbearers
In this episode, host Pete Waggoner and Amber Miller of O’Connell Family Funeral Homes discuss the role of pallbearers in funeral services. They explain the origin of the term “pallbearer” and its evolution to refer to individuals carrying the casket during a funeral procession. The hosts explore...
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Heartwarming Ways to Honor Your Mom This Mother's Day
In this episode, host Pete Waggoner and O’Connell Family Funeral Homes’ Amber Miller discuss the importance of remembering and honoring moms on Mother's Day. They highlight the various ways people can pay tribute to their mothers–from setting up an altar in their homes to participating in charity...
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Dealing With Stress, Burnout, and Compassion Fatigue
In this episode, host Pete Waggoner and O’Connell Family Funeral Homes’ Amber Miller welcome Stress Awareness Month by discussing the different aspects of stress. From its usual symptoms to how it relates to grief and burnout, the two share their personal insights and experiences on the topic.…
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Local Resources to Help With the Grief Journey
In this episode of Good Grief, Amber Miller and Pete Waggoner discuss local resources that can help those going through a difficult period of grief. Amber shares her knowledge and expertise on various types of resources such as counseling, support groups, and online platforms that can provide...
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Honoring a Loved One through Funeral Personalization
In this episode of the Good Grief podcast, Amber Miller sits with host Pete Waggoner to discuss the topic of funeral personalization and how it can help people grieve. They explore why personalizing a funeral—from the flowers and decorations to the food after church service—can help the bereaved…
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Funeral Preplanning Expectations With Amber Miller
O'Connell Funeral Homes' Amber Miller and host Pete Waggoner welcome the new year by discussing preplanning expectations in this episode of Good Grief. Amber shares her first-hand funeral experience with families whose deceased loved ones made it easier to prepare by taking the time to plan ahead...
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How We Can Help Those Who Grieve
In this episode, Mike O'Connell and Amber Miller sit down with Pete Waggoner to discuss how one can be of assistance to those who are grieving. They explore the different ways a grieving person may behave and how we as outsiders can help support them through their journey. They also talk about…
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My Health, My Decisions: A Discussion on Advance Directives with Mike O'Connell & Dr. Kirsten Severson
In this episode, Dr. Kirsten Severson along with Mike O'Connell and host Pete Waggoner explores the concept of advance directives and how they work. Dr. Severson provides a thorough explanation of the whole process and how these documents allow a person to make the tough decisions about their...
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How Preplanning Your Funeral Can Benefit You and Your Family
In this episode hosted by Pete Waggoner, Mike O'Connell and Amber Miller discuss the process of preplanning one's funeral and its multiple benefits. They go in-depth about the different aspects of funeral preplanning, from the finances to how the actual meetings are done with family members. They...
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Coping with Secondary Loss & Caregiver Grief with Kathleen Helgeson & Amber Miller
In this episode, host Pete Waggoner goes in-depth with Kathleen Helgeson and Amber Miller about the topic of secondary loss and caregiver grief. They discuss the smaller subsequent losses that happen after the death of a loved one, and how a loss can impact one's roles and routines. They also…
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Funeral Do's and Don'ts: Funeral Etiquette 101
In this ‘scintillating’ episode of the Good Grief podcast, Mike O'Connell and Amber Miller of O'Connell Funeral Homes join Pete Waggoner to discuss funeral etiquette. They get into the nitty-gritty of the do's and don'ts of attending a funeral--from the proper attire, to the conversation topics...
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How Cemeteries Make Resting in Peace Possible
In this episode of The Good Grief podcast, Mike O'Connell and Amber Miller get into cemeteries' important role in providing a final resting place for people's loved ones. They discuss the process of creating these final resting places, from deciding on the type of burial to personalizing the…
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Memorializing Your Loved Ones with Tattoos
In this episode of The Good Grief podcast, host Pete Waggoner sits with Mike O'Connell and guest, Lori Christopherson to discuss how tattoos can be used as a form of memorializing and honoring a loved one. Mike shares how he discovered Everence, a company that creates personalized tattoo ink...
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A day in the life of a funeral director
There is no other job like a funeral director. In celebration of National Funeral Director and Morticians Recognition Day on March 11th, we would like to honor what funeral directors do for us. You don’t want just anyone to care for your loved one when they have passed on, you want someone...
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Merging locations to better serve local communities
To better accommodate Western Wisconsin communities, specifically Pierce County, as well as to offer a complete range of grief services, the locally owned and operated O’Connell Family Funeral Homes are merging their St. Croix and Pierce County locations in Hudson, Baldwin, Ellsworth, Prescott…
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Obituaries - a guide to a purposefully lived life
Obituaries are not only used in death – they can also be a guide to a purposefully lived life. In this podcast, Mike O’Connell reflects on the inspiration he draws from the poem, “Success,” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and how writing your own obituary can provide you with life-changing...
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How to care for your grief during the holiday season.
The most wonderful time of the year, might not be the most wonderful time of the year for some people. Everyday stuff is overwhelming us and the holidays can be dreaded sometimes. Mike O'Connell presents 20 self care tips to help you through the holidays and to care for your grief.
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The importance of celebrating a life
Celebration of life vs. funeral and memorial service. How these terms have evolved as well as some ideas on how to blend these types of service, as a way to confront our emotions and start the healing process.
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How to Help a Grieving Friend & What is NOT Helpful.
How to help a grieving friend. In today's episode, Kathy Helgeson, a certified funeral celebrant at O’Connell Family Funeral Homes, joins us to discuss how to help a grieving friend. What’s helpful. What’s not. How shifting your view could help you, as well as someone grieving the loss of a loved...
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Benefits of pre-arranging your funeral
Mike O'Connell talks about pre-arranging for your funeral. Why should you pre-arrange? What are the benefits? In this episode, we also answer some nagging questions like, Can I make changes to my funeral policy after it is completed? Do I need to prepay? What sort of things will I be asked?
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Funeral Personalization
Getting what you want, even after death. Mike O'Connell & Pete talk about how to make a funeral personalized to not only pay tribute to your loved one, but help the family. Hear some personal stories about how Mike and his amazing team helped families personalize their loved ones gatherings,...
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Questions a funeral director asks
In today's episode, we discuss what questions and information funeral directors will ask you when planning a funeral. Many people have told us, "We thought this was going to be emotionally drawn out, and it was way better than I thought." We want this podcast to elevate your anxiety surrounding...
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Choosing the right funeral home
A Difficult Decision Picking a funeral home is one of the greatest decisions that you'll make in your life, one which will significantly impact your last memories of your loved ones, so you want to be sure you're making the right choice. There are many things that many of us don't consider when...
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Funerals for Veterans
Memorial Day is right around the corner so we created a podcast episode dedicated to the brave men and women that give so much to our country. On this episode, we share an event we have coming up on May 27th - "Haircuts for Heroes". From 11AM - 3PM, we'll be offering haircuts to veterans and…
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Funeral etiquette...What to wear, what to say...
Funeral etiquette isn't something that most people spend a lot of time thinking about, but the truth is that it can help grieving families have the best possible experience throughout the deep pain surrounding the death of a loved one. In today's episode we share many of the unspoken rules...
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Should I donate my body to science?
Body donation is a mysterious topic for many of us, despite its essential role in saving lives, and in today's episode we'd like to change that. Today we'll be discussing what body donation is, the different types of body donation, what health conditions prevent us from donating our bodies, if we...
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Flowers for funerals
Funerals without flowers... sounds weird, doesn't it? Most of us haven't been to that many funerals where flowers weren't a part of the decoration... and for good reason. In today's episode, Shelli Erck, from Hudson Flower Shop, joins us in a interesting discussion regarding this topic. We delve...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Helping plan funerals with honor. O'Connell funeral homes staff, along with guests, give guidance on topics like, how to write an obituary, preplanning for your funeral, funeral arrangements, as well as how to personalize funeral services. The podcasts also include advice on how to manage grief, what you can do for loved ones who are grieving, and what additional resources are available to you, including self care. Welcome to the Good Grief Podcast.
HOSTED BY
O'Connell Funeral Homes
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Good Grief have?
Good Grief currently has 55 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Good Grief about?
Helping plan funerals with honor. O'Connell funeral homes staff, along with guests, give guidance on topics like, how to write an obituary, preplanning for your funeral, funeral arrangements, as well as how to personalize funeral services. The podcasts also include advice on how to manage grief,...
How often does Good Grief release new episodes?
Good Grief has 55 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Good Grief?
You can listen to Good Grief on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Good Grief?
Good Grief is created and hosted by O'Connell Funeral Homes.
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