Grief Magic: Rituals, Stories & Gentle Conversations about Loss

My previous episodes about friendships were well loved, so I wanted to talk about another aspect - the grief of loosing folks we used to be close to, for whatever reason. For the end of romantic relationships we have, if all goes well, rituals that support closure and clarity, but we don't always make the same effort for friendships that end. I've been looking at my life decade by decade, thinking about who I lost touch with and who I still love to talk to, tracing the reasons why we sometimes grow apart and what that can open up. I hope you can relate!
Love,
Yarrow

This is a gentle, slightly waffly episode on the last two years - the early stages of grief and shock, how I marked the anniversary this week, how I am shaping new family traditions and how I see the future.
I hope it gives you a space to reflect on your own grief <3
You are welcome to sign up for my newsletter here: https://griefmagic.com/free/
Thanks for listening!
Love,
Yarrow

In this episode I'm joined by Bron Watson, a nurse, marketer, and entrepreneur living in New South Wales, Australia. After building a busy mentoring business, a breast cancer diagnosis in her late thirties forced her to stop and reassess everything. A second diagnosis, this time with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer, led her to create the Serenity Project, a space where science and soul sit together rather than being treated as opposites.
We talk about what it means to be the CEO of your own care, choosing who belongs on your team of doctors, healers, and specialists, and why she's moved away from the word "cure" in favour of "healing." Bron shares how grief and gratitude can coexist, what it felt like to catch sight of herself mid chemo, and how naming an emotion can create just enough space to respond instead of react. We also touch on supporting carers and her idea of "the next play," focusing on one true step forward instead of trying to solve everything at once.
Bron's book, Be Where Your Feet Are, is out in October. Her podcast is Serenity Rising.
Bron Watson is a nurse, educator, entrepreneur, and founder of The SocialCoach and The Serenity Project. With decades of experience as a registered nurse and educator, Bron has long been drawn to spaces where care, communication, and connection matter. 
In 2012, she founded her first business empowering business owners to share their voice online with authenticity and purpose. Over the past decade, her work has supported thousands of people to show up in life and business with intention and impact. Bron’s journey took a profound shift in 2017 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Five years later, she received a second diagnosis—anincurable blood cancer. These experiences deepened her belief that healing isn’t just physical—it’s emotional, spiritual, and deeply personal. 
Rather than be defined by diagnosis, Bron created The Serenity Project to offer others what she wished she’d had: the space where science meets soul, with evidence and perspective, what she call the ‘third space’ a place to reconnect with yourself, navigate uncertainty with compassion,and find serenity in the midst of it all. 
Website https://serenityproject.com.au/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bronwatsonme
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bron_watson/

Thank you for listening!
Love,
Yarrow

This episode is a follow-up to one of the most popular episodes I've ever made, on queer friendship and romance. So many of you got in touch after that one, so I wanted to go deeper and talk more practically about how we can bring more intimacy and romance into all our relationships.
I start by thinking about where our expectations of relationships come from, because I think that's where it all begins. For me that means looking at growing up in Germany, the legacy of wartime survival in my family, and the very specific ideas about marriage and commitment that got passed down to me. When we can see where those expectations originated, we get more space to figure out what we actually want.
From there I talk about tracing your current relational landscape: who is in it, what different friendships offer, and how to get honest about where you want more. I share some of the questions I love asking friends across seasons, like what do you want from this season, and what relational landscape do you want to grow old in.
There's also a thread about the different dimensions of intimacy I've come to value: talking honestly about our bodies, being transparent about hard times, building a shared imagination for the world we want to live in, swapping skills, and normalizing the hard conversations that make the warm ones feel safe.
This one is for anyone who wants their friendships to feel a little more intentional, a little more tender, and a lot more real.

You can send me a question here: https://speakpipe.com/yarrowm
and you can sign up for our free July sessions here: https://wonderful-term-81242.myflodesk.com/tp3w2m72dc

Love,
Yarrow

Content note: this episode discusses pet loss, including the death of my dog Orlando and some details about how he died. There are also brief mentions of losing my mum and a friend. Please take care of yourself and choose another episode if today isn't the right day for this one.
This week I'm answering a listener question about grief and pet loss, and I'm sharing the full story of Orlando, my dog of 15 years who passed away this winter.
I talk about how I adopted him at 25 and what those years together really taught me about love, responsibility, presence and care. I'm honest about the things I got right and the things I regret, because I think we need more truthful conversations about the relationships we have with animals and what we owe them.
I also share what the last months of his life looked like, how he came to my 40th birthday and seemed to hold on just for that, and how he died peacefully at home with me beside him.
In the second half I reflect on what grieving him has felt like, especially sitting alongside the loss of my mum in 2024. I think about the difference between anticipatory grief and sudden loss, why pet loss often goes unrecognised as a real grief, and some of the small rituals that have helped me carry him with me.
If you've lost an animal companion, I hope this gives you a little space to feel it.
You can send me a speakpipe question over here: https://speakpipe.com/yarrowm
and you can join the free soft grief space here: https://griefmagic.com/free/
Love,
Yarrow