Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nina Rodriguez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Nina, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
Grief and Light was created as a response to the lack of support available following the sudden and unexpected death of my only sibling in September 2019.
This unexpected and life-altering loss catapulted me into the world of grief, which I quickly learned was a deeply isolating experience. The resources were slim and felt incomplete, the information seemed contradictory, and the support for adult sibling loss in particular was lacking at best. The ripple effect of this loss reverberated through every aspect of my life — family, marriage, career, mind, body, and spirit. Then the global pandemic happened. Any fragile peace I had managed to establish between September 2019 and March 2020 vanished.
I desperately sought help and support, but could not find what I needed.
The phrase ‘be the change you want to see’ echoed in my mind for weeks. I wasn’t sure what I could offer to anyone in my current state, but it felt important to consider. I tucked the thought away on a mental ‘shelf,’ guided by an intuition that it would become meaningful later.
Grief and Light (@griefandlight) started as a personal ‘grief account’ on Instagram, a space where I could share my new, raw emotions with anyone willing to listen. My grief needed a voice, and this account became its outlet.
I wasn’t ‘talking to’ anyone specifically, but my posts resonated with strangers who also had anonymous grief accounts. Over time, the account grew, and I began to feel truly seen in my grief by complete strangers on the internet.
This tiny corner of the virtual world felt genuine and gave me a breath of fresh air. As the months passed, it captured more of my attention, and I connected with fellow grievers who seemed to understand me better than my own family. I found it amusing that I didn’t even know their names or faces, yet they felt like home.
As time passed, the life I was living felt increasingly out of sync with the person I was becoming.
In January 2023, I began working with a career coach to help me find a more aligned career path. My brother’s death and the ensuing grief left me feeling disconnected from my work in the real estate industry. What I initially thought would be a 3-6 month career change process ended up taking 11 months. This transformative journey helped me shed what no longer served me and uncover my authentic voice in this new paradigm.
I realized my heart had much to express, and the Grief and Light account continued to grow with followers who shared their names and faces, and who even wrote books and worked in the ‘grief space.’ I hadn’t even realized such a space existed, but it increasingly felt like my true home. The irony of the ‘grief space’ is that it allowed me to genuinely feel joy and hope again.
With time, it became abundantly clear that I was meant to work in this space. I began with the podcast, which launched in March 2023, as it felt like the most natural progression and the answer to ‘being the change I wished to see’ from years prior. I deeply felt the need for open dialogue about this experience. The Grief and Light Podcast also yielded speaking opportunities, priceless connections, and began to shape up into something that could support me both financially and emotionally, allowing me to serve this community from a heart-centered perspective.
I completed Megan Devine’s Grief Care certification program this past February 2024, because I value learning as much as possible in this capacity. This certification ensures that I’m grief-informed when I speak, preventing me from unintentionally hurting those I work with due to personal blind spots. It’s crucial for me to understand how to support people on different grief journeys, honoring their unique experiences.
The evolution of my personal and now professional journey into the grief care space has taught me that there is a tremendous need for spaces where people can share their full truth. The response was immediate, revealing a demand for outlets that give this universal, life-altering experience the voice it deserves, and the room to take up space in public discourse. There is also a significant need for grief-informed support and education.
Nina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My current service offerings include:
One-on-One Grief Support:
This service provides grievers with a dedicated space to explore and understand the nuances of their grief and loss(es). It helps them reclaim their sense of agency, understand how their lives have shifted after loss, learn what they need for support, and address the parts that need the most attention as they arise. My approach is based on the premise that we are whole human beings having a human experience, and therefore, we don’t need to be “fixed” because we are not “broken.” Grief needs witnessing and expression, and we provide a space for this to take place. Each person defines their path forward, but this process often helps them find the next step, integrate the experience, and even feel hopeful about the future. Learn more here: www.griefandlight.com/heart-to-heart
Grief & Light Podcast:
The podcast offers free information and authentic conversations with grievers, subject matter experts, therapists, medical professionals, coaches, authors, non-profits, community organizers, and others making an impact in the grief space. The mission is to foster a more grief-informed, hopeful world, explore grief in its fullness, and offer hope to others on their respective journeys. We are always looking for interesting guests and encourage anyone interested in sharing their story to apply. Apply here: https://forms.gle/YvuU63z3jriD5ymL8
Speaking Opportunities:
I am available to speak in-person or virtually at corporate events, retreats, vigils, non-profits, and more. This includes participation as a grief educator to create awareness about the need to be grief-informed, and how to support a grieving person, delivering speeches on navigating grief in personal lives or the workplace, facilitating conversations as a moderator, and more. Learn more here: www.griefandlight.com/guestspeaker
Monthly Grief Circle:
Each month, a fellow certified grief coach and I host a virtual grief circle on Zoom from 4-5:30 PM PT / 7-8:30 PM ET. Each circle focuses on a specific topic, such as support for those experiencing grief related to Mother’s Day in May or Father’s Day in June. Participants join from the comfort of their home, share their stories, photos, and struggles, and we close with guided rituals and tools to empower them in the coming weeks. Participants vary by month, with each session serving as a consistent point of support. Learn more here: www.griefandlight.com/events
Social Media Collaborations:
Co-creating social media content is a powerful way to amplify messaging, reach new audiences, and create useful, shareable content. I am open to collaborations on aligned opportunities, such as: IG Lives, Facebook Lives, YouTube Lives, LinkedIn Lives, co-created posts, videos, reels, articles, and more. Learn more here: www.griefandlight.com/services
Retreats and In-Person Events:
My next project involves hosting in-person events, specifically retreats, starting in Miami.
Stay tuned for more details!
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
Embodied Presence.
One of the biggest challenges is resisting the urge to “fix” a person expressing pain related to grief.
We are naturally hardwired to ease people’s pain. However, in the context of loss and grief, what is needed is witnessing without fixing. It may seem counterintuitive, but attempting to ‘fix’ the un-fixable actually negates the griever’s lived experience. This only adds to their suffering.
In grief, it is much more powerful to see someone in their pain, acknowledge it, and help them witness it, rather than telling them to look on the bright side of death, and the scattered pieces of life as they knew it.
Part of holding sacred space for grievers is becoming the space where they can relax into their pain and experience it fully as it is. This requires training, which I’ve acquired through Megan Devine’s Grief Care Certification program, and will continue to acquire in other forms. It has also required me to become a ‘clear vessel’ with defined boundaries.
At the same time, I am aware that caretakers also need caretaking. I have my rituals, journaling practices, support groups, podcasts, community, and puppy to hold me through. I am open and honest about where I am and draw boundaries—energetically, personally, and professionally. I dedicate time to grounding myself in non-grief-related activities, because I am worthy of a lighthearted, joyful life after all.
Grief is messy and cannot be fully contained, so I also ask others to hold grace for me along the way.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Authenticity, self-awareness, and honesty are my guiding principles.
Understanding how my own biases shape my presence in this space is crucial.
Grief manifests in myriad forms, and each person experiences it uniquely. Its essence lies in its complexity and nuance. Therefore, gaining a deep understanding of a) who you are, and b) how your personal experiences and biases influence your perceptions of grief is essential to effectively supporting others.
Creating a sacred space for grievers requires consistent inner work. It means setting aside personal beliefs and biases to empower individuals to embrace their truth as it is, free from imposed expectations or ‘shoulds’. These notions only heighten their suffering.
Through authenticity, self-awareness, and honest communication with my audience and community, I’ve built a reputation for trustworthiness in this field.
Continuing to study, evolve, and deepen my understanding of grief allows me to better serve this community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://griefandlight.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/griefandlight
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/griefandlight
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@griefandlight
- Other: APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grief-and-light-podcast/id1680003901
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/2FI3TSz9wPBYu8Eymdegaj?si=1a5cfd57290d4066
OTHER PLATFORMS: https://griefandlight.buzzsprout.com/share
Image Credits
Headshots image credit: keamproductions.com