by Lindsey Fenton | Jul 25, 2025 | Speaking Grief, What's New
I had the incredible honor of guest-hosting this very special episode of Dougy Center’s Grief Out Loud podcast so Jana DeCristofaro, LCSW, longtime host of Grief Out Loud and Advocacy & Education Manager at Dougy Center, could shift to the guest role and share about her love and grief for her beloved dog, Captain.
I first connected with Jana in 2018 and since then, we’ve become colleague friends, finding common ground in our commitment to grief work as well as in our dedication to our fur babies. I’m, unfortunately, intimately acquainted with the pain of pet loss, having said goodbye to my own dog, Birch, in 2022. Jana’s openness in navigating her own grief has been both moving and validating and I was grateful she agreed to this podcast “takeover.”
Together, we delve into how Captain came into Jana’s life, the complexities of caregiving for an aging pet, the difficult decisions surrounding their end-of-life, and the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways pet grief can be minimized or dismissed…and how we can internalize those messages in surprising ways.
Click here to listen.
*Content Note: we discuss tender topics like end-of-life caregiving for a pet, including the decision-making process around euthanasia, so please take care as you listen.
by Lindsey Fenton | Jul 24, 2025 | Speaking Grief, What's New
In 2018, I began developing an initiative with the working title “The Grief Project.” It would eventually become WPSU’s Speaking Grief, and it would change my life.
In the early days, we were told no one would want to fund a project about grief. Thankfully, those voices were wrong. We connected with the New York Life Foundation, a leader in childhood bereavement, who immediately understood the power of storytelling and educational media in advancing grief literacy.
As fate would have it, the project we had been building for years launched in May 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic thrust grief into the global spotlight.
Five years later, I still get emails, sometimes weekly, from organizations hosting screenings and discussions inspired by Speaking Grief. In nearly two decades in public media, I’ve worked on many projects I’m proud of, but none have generated this level of sustained engagement.
This flagship initiative became the foundation for related projects like Learning Grief and Follow the Nudge, all built on the same hope: to help people feel less alone in their losses and to give families, communities, and professionals the tools to better support one another.
To mark this five-year milestone, Penn State Outreach recently featured the project in an article that includes a Q&A with me about the journey and its impact, which you can read here.
WPSU also created a short video capturing the project’s on-going impact:
https://player.vimeo.com/video/1106149926?badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479
As WPSU continues to celebrate the five-year anniversary and ongoing impact of Speaking Grief, I’m reflecting on what an extraordinary journey this project has been, why we do what we do, and how powerful it is when media connects hearts as well as minds. I am endlessly grateful to the teams, partners, and grieving people who make this work possible.
Every message we receive from someone who feels less alone reminds me why this work matters.
by Lindsey Fenton | Jun 4, 2025 | Speaking, What's New
I had the honor of presenting at the 2025 National Alliance for Children’s Grief Symposium in Kansas City, MO. My session, Internet Killed the Video Star: Effective Strategies for Facilitating Learning and Engagement in a Changing Media Landscape, explored how grief professionals can expand the reach and relevance of their work through strategic media choices.
We covered everything from choosing the right modality to framing content for real-world application, all with the goal of creating more inclusive, engaging educational experiences.
Huge thanks to everyone who showed up, asked thoughtful questions, and made it such an energizing session.
by Lindsey Fenton | Jun 4, 2025 | What's New
When the Penn State Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing approached WPSU with the idea of creating a wellness podcast, we were excited to collaborate on something meaningful and accessible. The result is 12 Degrees, a new podcast produced by WPSU in partnership with the College of Nursing.
Hosted by me, Dr. Christina Lightner, PhD, CRNP, WHNP-BC, CNE, and Deshna Nagar, 12 Degrees explores real-life strategies for nurturing full-spectrum wellness. Each episode blends personal stories, practical tips, and research-backed insights to dig into the dimensions of wellness that shape how we feel and function—from hydration and sleep to career satisfaction and community connection.
The first five episodes are now available, with new ones dropping every Wednesday through November. You can listen at wellness.psu.edu, on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Many thanks to the team at WPSU and the College of Nursing for their collaboration—and to our listeners, we hope this series sparks meaningful moments of reflection and connection in your daily life.
by Lindsey Fenton | May 22, 2025 | Medium, Press, What's New, Writing
What if grief education started before the crisis?
What if we grew up learning that grief is part of life—and not a detour from it?
What if our schools, sports fields, and community centers were places where grief wasn’t something to fix or fear—but something we knew how to recognize, support, and move through together?
I wrote this op-ed as an invitation to imagine that world.
Grief literacy isn’t about having the “right” words. It’s about creating space. About learning to show up with care, curiosity, and courage. And the ripple effects? They’re powerful.
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, neighbor, clinician, or just someone who’s ever cared deeply, you have a role to play in making your community more grief-informed.
Give it a read by clicking here.
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