Grief is the New Normal Podcast S3E8: The Somatic Experience of Grief with Wendy Stern
Dr. Heather Taylor hosts Wendy Stern, founder of the Center for Somatic Grieving, to discuss how grief lives in the body and why somatic approaches can help people metabolize what can’t be fully processed in the moment of loss. Wendy shares how losing her son Noah at nine months old led her and her husband to seek grief-supportive cultures abroad, and how yoga, breath, and mindfulness became a container for feeling and healing. They explore capacity, numbness as protection, and practices like timed “containers” to safely feel grief followed by a planned reorientation activity. Wendy explains how yoga supports regulation, embodiment, resilience, and connection to inner wisdom, and why being witnessed—especially in groups with clear guidelines like no crosstalk—reduces “shoulds,” validates grief, and keeps loved ones remembered. Wendy offers a gentle starting point: grounded posture and intentional breathing.
00:00 Show Intro
00:25 Meet Wendy Stern
01:24 Loss And Pilgrimage
04:06 Yoga As Healing
06:55 Somatic Grief Explained
10:15 Metabolizing Grief Safely
14:17 Timer Container Practice
17:43 Yoga Therapy Benefits
23:51 EMDR And Beliefs
24:48 Grief Illuminates Self Love
26:42 Loss as Growth Catalyst
28:36 What You Do With Time
29:15 Healing Through Witnessing
34:02 Remembering Their Names
37:16 Training Grief Facilitators
41:03 Breath to Reconnect
43:33 Key Takeaways and Closing
46:05 Episode Outro Resources
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Wendy Black Stern is a pioneer in the field of somatic grief work and the founder of the Center for Somatic Grieving. She came to this work after the heartbreaking loss of her son, Noah, and has spent over 25 years as a yoga therapist, grief guide, group facilitator and educator supporting individuals and professionals to meet loss with compassion, presence, and embodied wisdom. Through her Mindful Grieving Yoga Teacher Training, she has helped cultivate a growing community of nearly 100 Mindful Grieving Facilitators across 9 countries who now share this work in their own communities. Wendy offers Mindful Grieving Programs, individual Somatic Grieving Sessions, and somatic grief retreats — including upcoming retreats on Maui (April 2026) and Bali (May 2026). Her next Mindful Grieving Yoga Teacher Training begins February 2026, and The Art of Sacred Listening Professional Training launches November 2025.
Learn more at www.somaticgrieving.org
Follow @somaticgrieving on Instagram and Facebook
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Grief is the New Normal is the podcast that refuses to sugarcoat loss, because grief isn’t a problem to fix, it’s a reality to live with. Hosted by Dr. Heather Taylor, a licensed psychologist with over a decade of experience in grief, trauma, and reproductive psychology, this show dives deep into the messy, nonlinear, and very real ways grief impacts our lives.
Whether you're navigating the death of your person, wrestling with the weight of an invisible loss, or trying to figure out who you even are after everything changed, this podcast is here for you. With a mix of solo deep dives, expert interviews, and candid conversations, Dr. Taylor unpacks the emotions no one warns you about, challenges outdated grief narratives, and offers both practical tools and hard-earned wisdom to help you feel less alone.
No toxic positivity. No “fixing” your grief. Just honest talk, validation, and the reminder that you don’t have to do this alone. Because in a world that wants you to move on, Grief is the New Normal is here to help you move through.
https://www.griefisthenewnormal.com
www.linkedin.com/in/heather-taylor-psyd-licensed-psychologist
Follow @grief_is_the_new_normal on Instagram for grief podcast, mental health, self-care, sass, and dark humor content whether you’re grieving or you’re a mental health professional needing more modern grief language.
Wanting more grief specific support? Check out my grief journal, Authentically Unapologetic: A Grief Journal available for purchase thru this link: https://a.co/d/4hbLtbX
Opening & Closing Music by The Dadicorns
Copyright 2026 Grief is the New Normal: A podcast with Dr. Heather Taylor
All Rights Reserved.
This podcast is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only. The information discussed in this podcast is not a replacement or substitute for therapy.
