"We have to remember our loved one is gone, and that's horrible. But we're still here, and we still have work to do. We still have purpose, we still have value, and that's to love our lives and help others love their lives as well." —Dianne Brazell

Creativity became Dianne Brazell's lifeline after losing her husband, Paul, just five months after their wedding. In this episode of Live, Love, Survive, Thrive, Dr. Kimberly Hubenette sits down with author and educator Dianne Brazell, who went from bride to widow in the span of a terminal cancer diagnosis — and found her way through grief by writing letters to a man she wasn't ready to let go.
Dianne shares three things that shaped her healing: writing as emotional release (including a chapter on anger she almost cut from her memoir), the unexpected gift of Paul's sisters becoming her closest travel companions, and learning — after a lifetime of fearing it — that she is her own best friend.
Seven years out, Dianne describes her grief as a pain that's dropped from a nine or ten to a one or two most days. It spikes. It surfaces on birthdays and anniversaries. But it no longer defines her.
Her new book, Weaving Peace: Creating Your Next Act, gives grievers practical tools to use photography, movement, music, and writing to rebuild. If you're in the early fog or years deep and still finding your footing, this conversation meets you there.

Connect with Dr. Kimberly:
Website
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
Pinterest

Episode Highlights:
02:42 Meet Dianne: From Bride to Widow in 5 Months
07:44 Losing Paul
13:47 Early Stages of Grief and Coping Mechanisms
19:52 Coping by Serving Others
26:18 Learning to Love Alone and Balancing Life
32:12 Recipe: Creative Chili

Resources:
Get Kim's Books
📖Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over
📖Live, Love, Survive, Thrive!
Get Dianne's Book:
📖Weaving Peace: A Memoir of My Time with Paul
📖Weaving Peace: Creating Your Next Act
Thank you for listening.
To keep my podcast alive,
Wanna buy my dog Dakota a bone?
☕️https://buymeacoffee.com/livelovesurvivethrive

(Special Episode)
Category: Coping From Grief and Loss

"Life was full of choices. You pick a road, you try not to look back, and you keep going down that road, and that's how life goes." —William Quan, DDS
Eighteen years after losing his wife, Dr. William Quan found love again — and he says there were only three roads anyone walking through grief can take.
In this special episode, Dr. Kimberly Hubenette sits down with her father, Dr. Quan, who lost his first wife nearly two decades ago and has been remarried to a fellow widow for 16 years. He breaks grief down into three concrete paths: live alone and cope solo, remarry and rebuild, or move in with family. He chose remarriage — and credits a chance encounter at a Chinese restaurant, where a fellow widow slipped him her phone number, changing his life.
The conversation also covers something rarely discussed out loud: the signs many widows and widowers report from a departed spouse, from a light bulb that should've been ice-cold but wasn't, to a toddler grandson who swore his late grandmother read him bedtime stories. Father and daughter land on the same truth — you can love more than one person, just in different ways, and grief doesn't mean you stop living.
If you're navigating loss, this episode offers a roadmap, not platitudes.

Connect with Dr. Kimberly:
Website
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
Pinterest

Episode Highlights:
02:30 A Mindfulness Lesson
06:05 Backstory: Dr. Quan's Widowhood — Losing His First Wife
10:54 Patients Sharing Grief: Conversations Beyond Dentistry
12:41 Dating After Loss )
15:20 The Choice to Keep Living:
17:48 Three Ways to Cope with Spousal Loss
21:18 Memories Persist: Pride in Shared Life
23:00 Pick a Road & Move Forward
27:00 Signs From Beyond
31:30 Feeling Loved Ones' Presence & Unexplained Signs
33:00 What's Your Choice

Resources:
Books
📖Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over by Dr. Kimberly Hubenette
📖Live, Love, Survive, Thrive! by Dr. Kimberly Hubenette
Podcast
Living Through Grief: How to Keep Going After Loss with Dr. William Quan Part 1
Thank you for listening.
To keep my podcast alive,
Wanna buy my dog Dakota a bone?
☕️https://buymeacoffee.com/livelovesurvivethrive

"In my memoir, I talk about planning my suicide, and I had it all planned out, and then things came up, and I did not do that. And so now people tell me, I'm very tenacious, and I try to do it in a joyful manner." —Nancy J. Martin

There are moments in life that test everything—your body, your spirit, your will to keep going. And in those moments, what carries you forward isn't perfection or certainty, but something steadier: a quiet, determined kind of joy.
In this powerful episode, Dr. Kimberly Hubenette sits down with author Nancy J. Martin, who shares her extraordinary journey through a life-altering diagnosis, facial paralysis, abandonment, and the long road of rebuilding a life rooted in resilience, creativity, and connection. Her story doesn't shy away from the hard parts, but it shines a light on what it means to keep choosing life, even when it feels unbearable.
From her darkest thoughts to embracing what she calls "joyful tenacity," Nancy opens up about living with visible difference, finding strength through expression, and creating a life filled with meaning, art, and human connection.
If this story resonates, support the podcast and help keep these conversations going.
Key Topics:
• Choosing joyful tenacity in the face of adversity
• Living with visible difference in a judgmental world
• Finding strength through creativity and self-expression
• Moving from despair toward purpose and connection
• The role of community in building a meaningful life

Connect with Dr. Kimberly:
Website
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
Pinterest

Episode Highlights:
02:05 Meet Nancy: Widow, Author, Jeweler, Thriver
04:14 The Diagnosis That Changed Everything: Acoustic Neuroma
07:12 A Career in Fashion
09:50 Joyful Tenacity: Surviving Facial Paralysis, Abandonment, and Grief
17:35 How Community Heals
21:32 Facing the World Different: Grief, Public Stares, and Choosing Visibility
29:28 Foodie At Heart

Resources:
Books
📖Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over by Dr. Kimberly Hubenette
📖Live, Love, Survive, Thrive! by Dr. Kimberly Hubenette
📖https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07ZHQ2F12/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=ed0bc148-5c71-4a84-bc01-a37218bef331
Thank you for listening.
To keep my podcast alive,
Wanna buy my dog Dakota a bone?
☕️https://buymeacoffee.com/livelovesurvivethrive

"What you do in the moment is what matters. It's not what we achieve, or what we accomplish, or the money we make, but it's really who we are at that moment." —Michelle Skaff

Loss narrows daily capacity and leaves routine fractured. Grief erodes attention, energy, and social reach, so small habits matter more than big plans. We outline three repeatable actions that rebuild focus, body resilience, and human connection.
With a long career shift and deep personal losses, Michelle Skaff explains how simple rituals rebuilt purpose and wellbeing. Her arc ties career upheaval, meditation, and plant-based cellular support into practical recovery.
Tune in to hear the full conversation.
• Three things a day habit for focus
• Rebuilding social bonds after loss
• Daily movement and cellular health practices
• Meditation and stillness as recovery tools
• Turning grief into mission and meaning
• Real-world anti-aging wellness approaches
• Small routines that scale emotional resilience

Connect with Dr. Kimberly:
Website
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
Pinterest

Episode Highlights:
02:48 Meet Michelle: Another Breath, Another Moment
09:17 Career Challenges and Personal Growth
11:42 Personal Losses and Building Resilience
18:04 At 71: Reversing Aging
22:37 Journey to Health Beats the Pain of Loss
27:40 Breakdown to Breakthrough
32:49 Leaving a Legacy: Be A Shooting Star

Resources:
Books
📖Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over by Dr. Kimberly Hubenette
📖Live, Love, Survive, Thrive! by Dr. Kimberly Hubenette
To keep my podcast alive,
Wanna buy my dog Dakota a bone?
☕️https://buymeacoffee.com/livelovesurvivethrive
Free Giveaway:
🎁Protandim® NRF2: https://beactivated.com/

"We have to know where the child is, and in order to do that, we have to first know where we are. We need to make sure that we're taken care of so that we can be there for our child. We need to validate ourselves, we need to give ourselves grace, we need to give ourselves slack." —Devora Segall

Grief sits in the same room as parenting, yet most conversations stay silent about how loss reshapes home life, discipline, and connection with kids. This conversation brings grief, guilt, and the daily chaos of parenting into the open and offers grounded ways to create more calm and safety at home. Practical emotional tools, not perfection, sit at the center of this discussion on healing.
Parenting coach and therapist Devora Segall shares how miscarriage, the loss of her father, and raising ten children led her to peaceful parenting and DBT-based skills. Her story shows how real families can move from constant yelling and shame to steadier, more mindful connections.
Press play to hear how our grief story can become a growth story, including:
Parenting after miscarriage and other losses
• Using DBT skills for calmer parenting moments
• Helping kids handle big feelings and triggers
• When to share emotions with kids and when to protect them
• What "peaceful parenting" looks like in real life
• The role of self-care and vulnerabilities for stressed parents
• How coaching and therapy support parents who feel stuck

Connect with Dr. Kimberly:
Website: https://drkimberlyhubenette.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-hubenette-dds-magd-2800a624/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authordr.kimberlyhubenette/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authordr.kimberlyhubenette
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9--bH78AxF-FCR2ygP-Fyg
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/khubenette/_created/

Episode Highlights:
01:56 Devorah's Journey: Miscarriage, Motherhood, and Discovering DBT
08:10 Parenting Through Loss: Validating Kids' Feelings and Vulnerabilities
09:23 Devorah's Books: Peaceful Parenting Solution and Trauma Aware Tools
14:15 Should Parents Hide Emotions From Kids
19:00 Hosting, Mentoring, and Devorah's Definition of Live Love Survive Thrive
23:01 Bridging Mind and Heart: Therapy, Coaching, and Post-Traumatic Growth
30:00 Give Yourself Grace

Resources:
Books
📖Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over by Dr. Kimberly Hubenette
📖Live, Love, Survive, Thrive! by Dr. Kimberly Hubenette
Thank you for listening.
To keep my podcast alive,
Wanna buy my dog Dakota a bone?
https://buymeacoffee.com/livelovesurvivethrive

"It's a choice too. You have to choose to be positive. You have to choose to allow yourself to move forward and understand that this is the only life that we get, and we need to help others." —Dr. Monica Parham

Some days it feels like life shatters overnight, and the world expects us back at work by Monday. In this raw conversation, we go inside life after loss when the person who felt like home is suddenly gone, and the only options are staying stuck in the closet or choosing a new way forward. This is grief, faith, and reinvention told from inside the storm, not from a distance.
Dr. Monica Parham shares how a small-town girl became a dentist, survived divorce, found the love of her life, and then lost him during the pandemic. Her journey through deep heartbreak, prayer, and radical self-reinvention now shapes how she works, parents, dates, and lives with a new sense of courage.
Press play to sit with a friend who understands loss and is proof that thriving again is possible, even when it feels impossible.
• Life after loss when a soulmate and best friend is gone
• The "closet" season and what finally sparked a turning point
• Why honoring a great love can mean building a bigger life
• Dating, Golden Bachelor, and finding joy after widowhood
• Faith, family, and community as anchors through intense grief
• Daily health habits that support emotional healing and resilience
• What it means to live, love, survive, and truly thrive

Connect with Dr. Kimberly:
Website: https://drkimberlyhubenette.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-hubenette-dds-magd-2800a624/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authordr.kimberlyhubenette/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authordr.kimberlyhubenette
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9--bH78AxF-FCR2ygP-Fyg
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/khubenette/_created/

Episode Highlights:
02:28 Meet Monica: Small Town To Big Dreams
07:13 Grief In The Closet: The Darkest Months After Loss
11:20 Saying Yes To Life Again And Helping Others Heal
13:40 Dating In Our 60s And Learning To Move Forward
15:24 Hitting Rock Bottom And The Moment Everything Shifted
17:42 Work, Patients, And Responsibility While Grieving
20:17 Why Community And Routine Matter In Early Grief
29:48 Monica's Life Motto: This Too Shall Pass And Let It Go
34:10 From Surviving To Thriving: Saying Yes To New Experiences
36:10 Choosing Positivity, Self Work, And Being A Light For Others
39:08 Lifelong Friendship, Dental School Memories, And Gratitude

Resources:
Books
📖Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over by Dr. Kimberly Hubenette
📖Live, Love, Survive, Thrive! by Dr. Kimberly Hubenette
📖Get Megan's Book: How I Lost Everything and Everyone but Found Myself in the End
Thank you for listening.
To keep my podcast alive,
Wanna buy my dog Dakota a bone?
https://buymeacoffee.com/livelovesurvivethrive

Grief can rearrange a life in minutes. Bills pile up, systems fail us, and some of us end up choosing between a roof and our pets. In that chaos, it is easy to believe we will never feel truly alive again.
In this conversation, ordained minister, spiritual healer, and author Megan Radke Madrid shares how she went from homelessness with three dogs and the loss of her husband to building a new life, career, and spiritual foundation. Her story shows how small daily choices, faith, and honesty about pain can slowly move us from surviving to thriving.
Press play to hear a real and practical take on rebuilding after loss, including:
Losing a spouse, navigating a medical crisis, and sudden homelessness
How Megan went from homeless to homeowner with three dogs by her side
The role of faith, spirituality, and signs from loved ones in grief
Moving from emotional hoarding to letting go of belongings with intention
Simple habits that helped her shift from numbness to genuine joy
Recovering from addiction and rewriting a personal identity after trauma
Redefining what it means to be rich, successful, and at peace after loss

Connect with Dr. Kimberly:
Website: https://drkimberlyhubenette.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-hubenette-dds-magd-2800a624/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authordr.kimberlyhubenette/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authordr.kimberlyhubenette
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9--bH78AxF-FCR2ygP-Fyg
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/khubenette/_created/

Episode Highlights:
02:38 Meet Megan: Minister, Healer, Author & Maverick
05:49 Husband's Medical Journey: Heart Failure, Diabetes, Dialysis & Blood Clot
09:11 Eviction, Default Judgment & the Slide into Homelessness
13:15 Emotional Support Dog Chica, Lost Luggage & Greyhound Nightmare
17:35 Dogs and Grief
23:25 Timeline: How Long It Took to Start Thriving Again
27:32 Recognizing If You're Stuck in Grief
33:41 From Addict to Sober Entrepreneur
39:22 From Homeless to Homeowner
42:50 Ending on Laughter and Lightness

Resources:
Freebies
Read Megan's Book: Adventures of Chica and Meg Grayhound Bus
Books:
📖 Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over by Dr. Kimberly Hubenette
📖 Live, Love, Survive, Thrive! by Dr. Kimberly Hubenette
📖 How I Lost Everything and Everyone but Found Myself in the End
Thank you for listening.
To keep my podcast alive,
Wanna buy my dog Dakota a bone?
https://buymeacoffee.com/livelovesurvivethrive

"Love never dies, it only changes form." —John Masiulionis (from Walking Each Other Home— Zachary's Mission: A Hospice for Children)

Grief can turn an ordinary life into survival mode, where every small task feels like a mountain. This conversation stays with the reality of loss while showing how faith, service, and everyday kindness can slowly rebuild a sense of meaning. It is about learning to keep going when a loved one is gone, and discovering that purpose can grow out of the deepest pain.
Manager of PR From The Heart LLC | Award-Winning Children's Author | Certified Animal Communicator, John Masiulionis, shares how the loss of his grandmother, a testicular cancer diagnosis, financial collapse, and a lifetime of self-doubt became the soil for his award-winning children's book Walking Each Other Home— Zachary's Mission: A Hospice for Children, his spiritual work, and his path as a certified animal communicator.
Press play to be part of a honest, hope-filled conversation about grief, purpose, and love that does not end with death, including:
How John's relationship with his grandmother shaped his spirituality and life work
The turning point when testicular cancer, debt, and near-eviction redefined success
The story behind Walking Each Other Home: Zachary's Mission, A Hospice for Children
Why children's hospice, chronic illness, and early mortality need gentler stories
How small "Earth Angels" moments can change the direction of a life
The role of faith, forgiveness, and self-love in moving through grief
How animal communication and our pets can support emotional healing

Connect with Dr. Kimberly:
Website: https://drkimberlyhubenette.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-hubenette-dds-magd-2800a624/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authordr.kimberlyhubenette/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authordr.kimberlyhubenette
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9--bH78AxF-FCR2ygP-Fyg
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/khubenette/_created/

Episode Highlights:
02:17 Meet John Babcia's Love and Spiritual Awakening
09:20 Career Change and Calling
12:44 Hitting Rock Bottom: Financial Crisis, Cancer Diagnosis, Learning Radical Trust
23:25 Self-Forgiveness, Self-Love, and Becoming a Better Man
27:43 Zachary's Mission
42:44 Keeping Loved Ones Alive by Name
46:45 Becoming an Animal Communicator
52:42 Follow Your Heart

Resources:
Books
📖Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over by Dr. Kimberly Hubenette
📖Live, Love, Survive, Thrive! by Dr. Kimberly Hubenette
📖Walking Each Other Home— Zachary's Mission: A Hospice for Children by John Masiulionis
🎨Walking Each Other Home—Zachary's Mission: A Hospice for Children-themed coloring sheet (to add link once John's website is updated)
Thank you for listening.
To keep my podcast alive,
Wanna buy my dog Dakota a bone?
https://buymeacoffee.com/livelovesurvivethrive