PODCAST · health
The Mourning Crew
by Kathy, Kelsey & Mads
Three millennial gals normalize talking about grief. Having each experienced a big loss, we know life isn’t always a tragic place with the sad movie music playing in the background. We can cry, but we can laugh too! Whether it’s work, friendships, dating, or other everyday encounters, grief somehow finds a way to sneak in, but we hope this podcast lets you feel less alone and less uncertain speaking about it. So grab a cup of coffee (or a drink), go on a walk, throw it on in the car–we think grief conversations can actually be that casual–so let’s talk about it and go through it all together.
Episodes
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When It's Our 50th(ish) Episode
Kathy, Kelsey, and Mads are back together for the first time this year — and they're marking a big one: their 50th(ish) episode! The girls take a moment to reflect on their greatest learning moments from the podcast, diving into how their understanding of everyday grief has evolved since day one....
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When Your World Becomes Senseless with Erika Mahoney
Kelsey and Kathy sit down with journalist and storyteller Erika Mahoney to talk about grief and what happens when the unthinkable happens to you. In 2021, Erika’s life changed in an instant when her dad was killed in the King Soopers shooting in Boulder, Colorado. She shares her raw and deeply...
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When Time Flies By
Time has flown by, and the crew is finally back together for a long-overdue catch-up! Kathy opens up about stepping into a new relationship and how she’s weaving her history with grief into this next chapter. Kelsey reflects on entering her 30s and how her birthday resurfaced memories of her mom,...
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When Grief Lives in the Everyday
This week it’s Kelsey and Mads holding down the fort! They share life updates and how grief continues to sneak into everyday moments. From engagements and family trips, to birthdays and anniversaries, to the small comforts of leaning on the people closest to you—grief finds its way into all of…
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When Grief, Death, and Courage Collide
TW: Accident Death Kelsey, Kathy, & Mads finally catch up in 2025 and talk about all of the craziness this year has brought. Kathy details her very exciting new chapter, moving to NYC and all the feelings that came with it. Kelsey discusses her experience starting a workplace grief support group...
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When Carla Fernandez Teaches Us About Renegade Grief & The Dinner Party
Carla Fernandez joins The Crew to explore the themes of her powerful new book, Renegade Grief! She shares her personal grief story, losing her dad at 21, and how it led to building a thriving peer support community called The Dinner Party. In this raw, open conversation, we discuss challenging...
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When You Wrap Up The Year
TGIF—Thank God It’s February! Before diving into the whirlwind of January 2025, The Crew recorded a reflective recap of 2024. Mads shares the large lessons grief taught her over the past year, Kelsey discusses how she’s been integrating and promoting the podcast into her daily life, and Kathy…
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When Grief Shapes Your Career (and Everything Else) with Mallory Meeks
The Crew is thrilled to welcome Kelsey's longtime friend, Mallory Meeks! Mallory, a cherished Teacher and Director of Product at The Class—a movement practice that connects body and mind—joins us to share her deeply personal journey. For the first time, Mallory opens up about losing her father in...
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When Grief Visits During Summer Break
After a much needed summer hiatus, the crew is finally back recording again! We share some heavy life updates in each of our lives and how we found support during these times, including leaning on each other when we needed it most. We also discuss a viral TikTok that features a mom giving dating...
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When The Crew Finally Meets In Person
Kathy, Kelsey, and Mads finally met in person after 2.5 years! With only 24 hours together in LA, they made the most of it—enjoying meals out, a hilarious photo shoot (shoutout to Mads' boyfriend Will), and just soaking up time together without focusing on grief. While this episode doesn’t tackle...
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When You Just Need a Catch Up
The Crew has a long overdue catchup after multiple guest episodes. Mads updates us about her new job and how the podcast & grief have even played a role. Kelsey & Kathy share some unexpected lessons from the dating scene. And finally, we talk about the future LA meetup and our predictions and...
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When You Need to Explain Grief to Young Kids
New author Kristel Crews joins the Mourning Crew to tackle how to authentically talk about grief and death with young children. When her mom died, her two young boys had many questions about where Gran went, what a casket was, how a funeral works, and how they were supposed to feel. Kristel...
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When You Turn Pain Into Purpose
Please join us in welcoming special guest and new author - Emily P. Bingham! Emily joins the crew to talk about the loss of her husband to uveal melanoma in 2019, when she was 35 years old. Since becoming a widow, she leaned into her pain and turned it into purpose, by becoming a certified grief...
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When Kelsey's Dad Joins the Crew
We are so excited to have our first Mourning Crew guest of the year-- Kelsey's dad, Ken! Ken discusses his background and his full relationship with his wife Keri, including how they approached parenting before and after Keri's cancer diagnosis and then the grief of losing her and becoming a…
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When Grief Rings In the New Year
It's a new year and new season of The Mourning Crew! The crew starts the episode by recounting the holidays and sharing how grief managed to creep in. Mads has a heavy update - she shares the loss of her beautiful grandmother, Carol. Shes opens up about the immediate emotions & grief that she's...
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When You Go Through the Stages of Grief (Part 2)
Following up from Part 1, the crew dives into the other two stages of grief - depression and acceptance. They discuss the differences between longer term depression and depression as a grief stage and what "acceptance" means to each of them. The crew also talks about how they can use their grief...
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When You Go Through the Stages of Grief (Part 1)
In this 2-part series, the crew walks through all the different stages of grief, comparing different experiences, thoughts, and feelings related to each stage. Part 1 focuses on denial, anger, and bargaining. Kathy & Mads talk about numbness and coping mechanisms related to denial, while Kelsey...
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When Grief Hits You Unexpectedly
Kath and Kels hold down the fort while Mads is out and discuss Kathy's unexpected grief moment at her friend's wedding. She breaks down that even when you think you've experienced all of the possible triggers, grief has a way of being very unpredictable. They discuss how important it is to be in...
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When You Share Your Story Years Later
In this episode, the Crew discusses what it's like to catch up with former friends and classmates, especially when it comes to major life updates. We hear how Kathy chose to share her grief story with friends she met later on in life, while Kelsey seeks out advice heading into her 10 year high...
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When Kelsey Returns
The Crew is back together! Kelsey returns after a couple months away from the podcast and fills Kath and Mads in on everything that happened, predominantly with the loss of her Nana (her mom's mom.) She shares it all, from the impact of compounding loss, what was most triggering, what were the…
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When You Go Through A Breakup
Kathy and Mads are holding down the fort for another episode, where they discuss all the similarities between breakups/relationships and loss of a loved one. Kathy opens up about a past relationship and how her grief journey impacted her feelings surrounding the breakup. Mads talks about all the...
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When You Feel Seen on the Screen (Continued)
Kathy and Mads host a bonus episode, diving into grief on the screen, part two. Beware: spoiler Alerts ahead! These two discuss how grief is portrayed in Succession, and specifically in Connor's Wedding episode. They also talk Summer I Turned Pretty, with a special fun fact from Mads, and...
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When You Lose A Sibling
Another special guest joins the Crew, Mads' longtime friend Blake! Blake lost his older sister very suddenly to a brain aneurysm a couple years ago and he opens up about how he's handled grieving. He talks about how crucial therapy has been for him, what made him decide to speak at her funeral…
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When Kathy's Second Favorite Dad Joins The Crew
This week we have a special Father's Day episode featuring Kathy's "bonus dad", Gary. Gary is Kathy's childhood friend's dad who served as a male role model, especially during her most formative years. Gary opens up about the loss of his own father, identifying grief similarities within Kathy…
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When You Redefine Peace After Loss
Inspired by one of the Crew's favorite Taylor Swift songs, "Peace," Kathy, Kelsey, and Mads discuss what it means to find peace in your everyday life after enduring a loss. They talk about the different era markers in their life, the impact of varying grief processing milestones, and how they…
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When Dying is Expensive
After a Spring Break of their own, the Crew is back with an episode devoted to finances. Kathy, Kelsey, and Mads talk about the different costs associated with loss, including immediate expenses like funerals, burials, memorials as well as long-lasting impact. Kathy opens up about how her…
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When the Anticipatory Grief Comes Knocking
Building on last week's topic, the Crew discusses anticipatory grief - how common it is even though it's hard to talk about, the anxiety that comes with it, and how it can be heightened after already going through a big loss. They share their best tips for how to reframe and cope with it, how...
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When You're Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop
Pop, Fizz, Clink! The Mourning Crew celebrates one year! Kathy, Kelsey, and Mads take a moment to thank both the listeners & each other for an incredible year. In this episode, the Crew talks about what it's like when life feels "too good". They explain how the "waiting for the other shoe to…
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When Kelsey's Sister Joins The Crew
In this week's episode, Kelsey's younger sister Kylie joins the Mourning Crew! Kathy and Mads take the reins asking questions and we hear about the differences between the sisters, how their parents helped "mastermind" them being close growing up and how their relationship changed after losing...
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When It Makes You Rethink Health
Kathy and Kelsey tackle the topic of health and how watching a parent battle a terminal illness (both physically & mentally) changed how they both think about health. In this ep, they talk about the importance of their own health, how they view the health of others, and things they do or don't do...
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When The Milestones Hit Different
In this episode, Kathy, Kelsey, and Mads discuss milestones and how those days especially shine a light on loss. Kathy shares the special gift her dad left her for various life milestones. She shares the complexity of having such a beautiful gift but also how it leaves her wanting more. They also...
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When It's A New Year
Kathy, Kelsey, and Mads are back for Season 2! They all share a post-holiday recap. Mads visited her dad over the break and shares a sweet moment with him. Kathy talks about going on offense with grief and “sharing a drink” with her dad. And Kelsey discusses how her family chose to honor her mom…
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When It's The Holidays
In the last episode of 2022, Kathy, Mads, and Kelsey tackle the holidays--the many ways grief comes in stronger than usual and how they've each coped with it. They cover how they approach traditions, interacting with other family, social media and the added layer that grief brings to a very...
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When You Play Offense Against Grief
Kathy, Mads, and Kelsey are back after a Thanksgiving break! Kathy explains how grief managed to creep into her week of stressful events, even when it was the last thing on her mind. We also discuss the viral Podcrushed clip featuring Andy Grammer's theory about going on "offense" with grief....
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When You Get To Know Mads
In the third and final part of our series about getting to know the hosts as people beyond grief, Mads steps into the hot seat. Learn what advice she would have given herself in high school, what makes her the happiest (other than Mamma Mia 2), and why she almost ghosted Kathy during the tryout...
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When You Get to Know Kelsey
We are back with part two of our three part special series, where Kelsey takes the hot seat. We learn about her love languages, who her biggest confidant is, career moves, and how she's navigated her year of firsts with grief. She also shares her favorite qualities of Kathy and Mads! Instagram...
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When You Get to Know Kathy
Kathy is in the hot seat in part one of our new three part special series all about getting to know each co-host as people, not just surrounding grief. Learn about Kathy's personality type, dating life, career background, RBF, life goals, and the qualities she feels like she inherited from her…
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When Grief Always Runs In The Background
Kathy & Kelsey share a casual chat this week. They talk about what grief is like in those "in between moments," the times where there is no holiday, anniversary, or big milestone, just regular "everyday grief." After talking about their meetup in LA, they start to discuss the headspace that comes...
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When Your Best Friend Is Also Grieving
The Mourning Crew welcomes Shannon, Mads’ best friend for nearly 15 years! Shannon’s dad passed away years before they became friends, so it wasn’t until Mads experienced grief herself that she was able to really connect to and understand what Shannon had been through. We reflect on things…
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When You Hear from the Male Perspective
The Mourning Crew welcomes their first male guest... Shane! Kathy and Shane have known each other for years, but only recently started sharing stories about their grief journey with each other. Shane lost his dad about 7 years ago and assumed the role "male of the house." Kathy, Mads and Kelsey…
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When You're on Social Media
Kathy, Mads and Kelsey breakdown the many dynamics between grief and social media (and we all know social media is complicated enough as it is.) There's the harder stuff like seeing triggering posts and posting about your loved one, but there's also incredibly positive outcomes like community…
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When It's Wedding Season
Kathy, Mads and Kelsey welcome their first ever guest of the Mourning Crew, Claire! Claire and Kathy met as counselors for Camp Kesem and she lost her dad when she was 12 too. Claire is recently engaged, so we cover how losing a parent impacts wedding planning--both what she wants to do to honor...
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When It's Father's Day or Graduation Day
Kathy shares her approach to Father's Day and what has made her feel guilty in the past. Mads, Kelsey and Kathy also talk about graduation days and why those can sneakily be loaded with grief too. Plus, they talk anticipatory grief on bigger milestone days and how sometimes that can feel heavier...
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When You Feel Seen on the Screen
Mads, Kathy and Kelsey dive into how TV shows and movies tackle grief and loss and the difference between a thoughtful and lazy approach. There’s a wide range of examples that they breakdown (spoiler alert!) between This Is Us, the new Top Gun: Maverick, One Tree Hill and Summer House, but each...
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When You Want To Support Someone Grieving
Most people don't know what to do or say when someone close to them is grieving. They want to be there for them, but they don't want to do the "wrong" thing. Kathy, Mads, and Kelsey share a wide range of examples they've each experienced to help give ideas and tips for supporting your loved ones...
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When It's Mother's Day
Kelsey talks about it being her first Mother's Day without her mom. Kathy and Mads share their support and advice from other big firsts that they've experienced. They discuss the impact of companies sending Mother's and Father's Day "opt out" emails. Kathy and Kelsey also talk about meeting for…
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When The Guilt and Jealousy Set In
Kathy, Kelsey, and Mads share how guilt and jealousy have been intertwined in grief for each of them. And layered with that, there’s comparison, regret and so many other emotions that we don't love talking about but are important to tackle. (Trigger Warning- throat cancer treatment)
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When It Affects Your Other Relationships
Kathy, Kelsey, and Mads dive into how grief impacts all of the non-romantic relationships in their lives--from siblings, parents, friends, grandparents, and coworkers. Each of their experiences are unique, and this conversation is a reminder of all the layers of grief and how it shifts your...
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When You're Dating
Kathy, Kelsey, and Mads talk about what complications grief can add to an already rough dating landscape (as if dating apps didn't make it hard enough!) Hear about what it's like dating someone when you lose a loved one, handling an ex reaching out, grappling with the idea that a future partner...
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When You Think Of Them
Kathy, Kelsey, and Mads discuss what you do when you’re prompted or triggered to think about the person you lost. Sometimes it’s fleeting, sometimes it makes you smile, and sometimes it’s a gut punch. The moments can be big or small, subtle or obvious, but they're happening all the time. Listen…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Three millennial gals normalize talking about grief. Having each experienced a big loss, we know life isn’t always a tragic place with the sad movie music playing in the background. We can cry, but we can laugh too! Whether it’s work, friendships, dating, or other everyday encounters, grief somehow finds a way to sneak in, but we hope this podcast lets you feel less alone and less uncertain speaking about it. So grab a cup of coffee (or a drink), go on a walk, throw it on in the car–we think grief conversations can actually be that casual–so let’s talk about it and go through it all together.
HOSTED BY
Kathy, Kelsey & Mads
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Mourning Crew have?
The Mourning Crew currently has 51 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Mourning Crew about?
Three millennial gals normalize talking about grief. Having each experienced a big loss, we know life isn’t always a tragic place with the sad movie music playing in the background. We can cry, but we can laugh too! Whether it’s work, friendships, dating, or other everyday encounters, grief somehow...
How often does The Mourning Crew release new episodes?
The Mourning Crew has 51 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Mourning Crew?
You can listen to The Mourning Crew 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 The Mourning Crew?
The Mourning Crew is created and hosted by Kathy, Kelsey & Mads.
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