Everyone has the capacity for finding purpose after a profound life change, even when the path forward seems obscured by Grief. In this episode, Irene Weinberg welcomes Karen Olson, founder and CEO emeritus of Family Promise, to explore the beauty of resilience and the power of service. Karen shares her deeply personal journey of transforming the heartbreak of losing her mother at age twelve into a life dedicated to uplifting homeless families. She also discusses her inspiring new book, Meant for More: Following Your Heart and Finding Your Purpose, and how her recent spinal cord injury has deepened her spiritual perspective on compassion. Join us for a heartfelt conversation about how rupture can lead to rebirth, and how each of us can act as a North Star for someone else.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL HEAR ABOUT THINGS LIKE:

• How childhood loss, specifically the suicide of her mother, created a “hole in the heart” that simultaneously heightened Karen’s sensitivity to the suffering of others.
• The transformative power of a chance encounter with a homeless woman named Millie in Grand Central Station, which sparked the creation of Family Promise.
• How Family Promise’s innovative “rotation model” mobilizes local congregations to provide housing and community support to families experiencing homelessness.
• The profound shift in Karen’s healing journey that occurred when her father finally embraced her during a hospitalization, highlighting the power of connection over talk Therapy.
• How Karen’s recent spinal cord injury served as a second “rupture,” forcing her to reinvent her life again and deepening her spiritual perspective on resilience and vulnerability.

WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-aqXGzd-sA&list=PL7judgDzhkAWmfyB5r5WgFD6ahombBvoh

📚Meant for More: Following Your Heart and Finding Your Purpose – https://amzn.to/4uJb3zG

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✨ Grief & Rebirth: Healing Resources & Tools ✨

🎧 Irene’s Books (Including a Free Audiobook!)

They Serve Bagels in Heaven—Irene’s heartfelt story of Love and life beyond.

Listen Free on Audible as a First Time User: https://amzn.to/4dG4l4w

Get the Paperback or Hard copy: https://amzn.to/3XrE995

📚 Embrace Life’s Third Chapter

Good to the Last Drop—A powerful anthology on Aging with purpose: https://amzn.to/3VJgEa5

🛍️ Healing & Self-Care Picks

Curated books and essentials from Irene: https://www.amazon.com/shop/irenesweinberg

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Books by podcast guests for healing & Wisdom: https://bookshop.org/shop/griefandrebirth

🎙️ Podcast & Community

Inspiring stories of transformation on the Grief and Rebirth website: https://griefandrebirth.com

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Watch how the podcast began: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0mJWKfg5PM

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Irene Weinberg Author, Speaker and Host of Grief and Rebirth Podcast

Irene Weinberg is a public speaker, author, and host of the popular podcast Grief and Rebirth: Finding the Joy in Life. Two months before, during and just after her husband died next to her in a tragic car accident, Irene received profound messages that led to a spiritual awakening and her book They Serve Bagels in Heaven. Having learned to pay attention when seemingly “out of the blue” messages dropped into her head, one day Irene suddenly heard the word “podcast” and so began the next part of her soul purpose.  The mission of Grief and Rebirth: Finding the Joy in Life Podcast, which is touching and helping people all over the world, is to educate, enlighten, and provide healing choices through interviews with grief and trauma specialists, healers, mediums, and people who have inspiring stories of healing, transformation, and rebirth to share. 

You can find the Grief and Rebirth Podcast with its inspiring and uplifting interviews on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, my podcast page, Spotify, and Apple Podcas