The Currency of Grief

EP17: Olivia Lane: A Bittersweet Inheritance: Living Life Minute by Minute

At 24 years old, Olivia Lane lost her mom and was immediately faced with grief and inheritance in equal measure. What set her experience apart was her mother’s detailed planning—an Excel spreadsheet for her memorial service, clearly titled accounts, even a deed transfer designed to make things easier. Those choices lifted some of the logistical burden, but they couldn’t lessen the weight of living minute by minute through the loss.
 
In this episode, Olivia joins Justin Weidenfeld to share how her mom’s foresight shaped the way she handled beneficiary IRAs, a surprise pension, and a family home—and how it changed her own relationship with money. She speaks candidly about the guilt, responsibility, and unexpected stability that come with inheriting at a young age, and why she now pushes her family to put plans in writing before it’s too late.
 
Her story raises questions for all of us: What does inheritance mean beyond money? How can careful, detailed planning protect loved ones in the hardest moments? And how do we keep living minute by minute while carrying someone else’s legacy forward?
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Losing a Parent at 24: Olivia’s Story
05:03 Hospice Care and Final Days with Her Mom
17:02 Coping Mechanisms and Processing Grief
31:00 Estate Planning and Memorial Service Details
34:40 Inheritance Planning: Beneficiary Accounts Explained
41:12 The Surprise Pension and What It Means for Young Adults
45:25 Renting the Family Home and Small-Town Agreements
50:04 How Grief Reshaped Olivia’s Relationship with Money
 
Connect with Justin Weidenfeld:
Connect with Justin on LinkedIn
Follow The Currency of Grief on LinkedIn 
Follow The Currency of Grief on Instagram 
Follow The Currency of Grief on TikTok 
Subscribe to The Currency of Grief on YouTube
Website
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP16: Margaret Gewirtzman: The Burden of Inheriting Property and a Decade of Probate

Margaret Gewirtzman opens up about what it was like to carry the weight of her father’s estate after his death, stepping into the role of executor with little preparation and even less support. 
 
Joining Justin Weidenfeld in this episode, she describes how legal battles, family conflict, and unanswered questions turned what should have been a legacy into a burden that stretched across a decade of her life. At the same time, she was raising her own children and navigating her grief, which pushed her to find resilience she didn’t know she had. Her story raises questions that many of us avoid: How do we prepare our families for the realities of death and money? What happens when silence and denial leave the next generation to untangle the mess? And how can we shift the idea of legacy from simply passing down assets to creating real clarity and care for those left behind? Justin and Margaret’s conversation offers an invitation to think differently about planning, grief, and the impact we leave on those we love.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Confronting Death and Money
02:44 Probate Reality Check: A Cautionary Tale
06:49 Named Executor Without a Playbook
20:44 Isolation in Grief: Holding Space vs Orders
31:57 First 72 Hours After a Parent’s Death: What To Do
52:34 The Hidden Costs of Death and Why You Need a Lawyer
01:00:10 Planning for Legacy: Trusts, Life Insurance, and Protecting Your Kids
 
Connect with Justin Weidenfeld:
Connect with Justin on LinkedIn
Follow The Currency of Grief on LinkedIn 
Follow The Currency of Grief on Instagram 
Follow The Currency of Grief on TikTok 
Subscribe to The Currency of Grief on YouTube
Website
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP15: Jake Weidenfeld: Grief, Guardianship, and Growing up Too Soon: A Candid Conversation With My Younger Brother

What does it feel like to lose a parent when you’re 12 years old? How does a grieving teen begin to understand guardianship, money, and the weight of adult responsibilities before high school even starts?
 
Justin Weidenfeld is joined by his younger brother Jake Weidenfeld to talk about growing up in the shadow of loss and what he’s learned since. Jake shares the reality of being a grieving teen, trying to fit in at school, shutting down emotions, and later discovering that coping can take many different shapes. He also opens up about volunteering at Experience Camps and creating Grief Lift, a nonprofit built to give students the peer-to-peer support he once needed but didn’t have.
 
Their conversation doesn’t stop at emotions. Jake explains what it was like to have his inheritance tied up in a court-ordered guardianship and what he’s learning now as he pays his own way through college. His story raises bigger questions too: How do we prepare young people for financial independence? What role should family, community, and open conversations play in that process?
 
This episode reflects on how grief can change the pace of growing up and the responsibilities that come with it. Jake’s perspective is a reminder that even in loss there can be growth, connection, and purpose. He shows how young people can take experiences that feel overwhelming and slowly shape them into something that strengthens not only themselves but also the people around them.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction to The Currency of Grief
03:59 Jake’s Perspective as a Grieving Teen
07:18 The Day Jake Learned His Dad Died
11:47 Coping With Grief in Middle School
20:01 Creating Grief Lift for Students
27:34 Finding Support Beyond Therapy
32:39 Coping Strategies and WWDD Golf Tournament
48:34 Navigating Guardianship After Loss
55:12 Learning About Money at 18
01:09:31 The College Application Process While Grieving
01:22:45 Taking Responsibility for College Tuition
01:28:45 Experience Camps and the Power of Community
01:34:15 Jake’s Words of Wisdom for Grieving Kids
 
Connect with Jake Weidenfeld:
Connect with Jake on LinkedIn
Follow Jake on Instagram
Follow WWDD on Instagram
Crafting the Perfect Pitch: The Art of Storytelling in Social Entrepreneurship
Grief Lift
 
Connect with Justin Weidenfeld:
Connect with Justin on LinkedIn
Follow The Currency of Grief on LinkedIn 
Follow The Currency of Grief on Instagram 
Follow The Currency of Grief on TikTok 
Subscribe to The Currency of Grief on YouTube
Website
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP14: CJ Infantino: Unvoiced, Unfiltered, Unbreakable

When CJ Infantino lost his wife, the experience reshaped every part of his life and set him on a path to create Unvoiced, a movement that makes space for grief and for the people who carry it. Joining Justin Weidenfeld in this episode, CJ looks back on his years at Facebook, when his wife’s cancer diagnosis revealed a major gap in medical leave policy. That moment pushed him to share his story directly with Sheryl Sandberg, which led to a new policy that still supports employees today.
 
Years later, as a widower navigating her death, he found himself facing vague bereavement rules, unpaid time away from work, and the physical fallout of grief – months of illness, sleepless nights, and the weight of wondering how to keep moving forward. What would it look like if more companies had clear, written policies, thoughtful return-to-work plans, and leaders who understood the human side of loss?
 
CJ has built Unvoiced to answer that question. Through Project Grief (his Substack), speaking engagements, his upcoming book “Torn Pages from a Broken Heart,” and even merchandise, he is turning personal pain into collective change. He opens up about the role medication played in his own recovery and why messages from the community often arrive in the moments he feels ready to quit. CJ and Justin’s conversation invites you to think about grief in a way that goes beyond the personal, into the culture we create at work and the way we choose to show up for one another.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction To The Currency Of Grief Podcast
02:20 CJ Infantino’s Journey Through Loss And Resilience
04:23 Facing A Terminal Cancer Diagnosis At Age 30
14:53 Life After Loss: Identity Crisis And Self-Discovery
20:25 Helping Children Navigate Grief And Healing
33:23 Changing Corporate Grief Policies At Facebook
42:45 Financial Challenges Of Cancer And Bereavement
59:12 Leaving A High-Paying Tech Career To Pursue A Calling
01:14:28 Building Unvoiced To Support Grievers And Workplaces
01:29:40 Post-Traumatic Growth And Life After Loss
 
Connect with CJ Infantino:
Website
CJ’s Book: “Torn Pages from a Broken Heart”
Substack
Merch
Instagram
 
Connect with Justin Weidenfeld:
Website
Justin’s LinkedIn
Follow The Currency of Grief on LinkedIn 
Follow The Currency of Grief on Instagram 
TikTok 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP13: Josh Aronoff: The Unknown Unknowns - What Grief Taught Me About Estate Planning

Josh Aronoff lost his father and found himself staring down a mountain of financial unknowns - outdated estate documents, scattered accounts, and the crushing pressure to make sense of it all while grieving.
 
Justin Weidenfeld sits down with Josh to talk about how stepping into fix-it mode became both a coping mechanism and a catalyst for change. As the oldest child and a naturally practical thinker, Josh took the lead in handling his father’s affairs, only to discover how little guidance exists when you’re dealing with loss, logistics, and legal complexities all at once. 
 
Despite his background in law and finance, Josh quickly realized that navigating death brings a particular kind of stress and anxiety, not from financial decision-making, but from the overwhelming number of unknowns and lack of clarity in the process. This lived experience became the foundation for Herbie, a platform Josh co-founded to simplify estate planning and remove the emotional and practical burden from grieving families. Named after his dad, Herbie helps people avoid the chaos Josh faced by making organization, communication, and planning as straightforward as possible. 
 
Josh and Justin’s conversation explores what it means to support others in their grief, how legacy lives in both memories and paperwork, and why having a plan in place is an act of love.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Why Death and Money Are Hard to Talk About
03:22 Josh’s Grief Story: Losing His Father and Facing the Unknown
09:38 Becoming the Emotional and Logistical Rock for the Family
23:20 When Finances Collide with Grief: The Wake-Up Moment
26:19 The Hidden Complexity of Organizing an Estate
30:01 Probate, Unknown Unknowns, and What No One Teaches You
47:26 Naming Beneficiaries vs. Relying on Legal Documents
57:20 Creating Herbie: A Platform Built From Personal Loss
1:07:23 Why Sharing Your Estate Plan Matters
1:14:02 Grief Mantra: One Bite at a Time
 
Links
Connect with Josh Aronoff:
Website: herbieplan.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-aronoff-3035a727/
 
Connect with Justin Weidenfeld:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-weidenfeld/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-currency-of-grief-podcast/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecurrencyofgrief_podcast 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecurrencyofgrief 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCurrencyofGrief 
Website: https://www.ironbridgewc.com/team/justin-weidenfeld
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP12: Chris Dale: Can There Be Life After Experiencing Traumatic Grief?

Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of childhood abuse, trauma, and loss. Please listen with care.
 
Grief isn’t always a single event. It can be a relentless series of losses that force you to rebuild your life from the ground up. That’s exactly what happened to Chris Dale. After losing both parents, a child, and the version of his childhood he believed was true, Chris found himself grappling with not just heartbreak, but the overwhelming logistics of caregiving, finances, and trauma recovery. 
 
In this episode, Chris joins Justin Weidenfeld to talk about the quiet chaos of being denied Medicaid three times, paying for care out of pocket, and navigating deeply personal revelations, all while trying to hold a family together. Chris shares how counseling and EMDR therapy helped him process long-buried pain, and why financial planning has to account for more than just numbers when clients are grieving or traumatized. Now a certified financial planner and founder of Life After Grief Financial Planning, Chris brings lived experience into every client interaction, bridging the gap between mental health and money in a way most advisors never touch.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introducing Chris Dale and the Mission of the Podcast  
04:10 Losing Both Parents and Becoming the Caregiver  
08:00 The Death of a Child and Putting Grief on Hold  
11:30 Repressed Childhood Abuse and the Impact of Trauma  
20:00 Healing Through EMDR and the Journey to Emotional Recovery  
30:00 Teaching Boys It's Okay to Be Emotional and to Self-Regulate  
34:50 Supporting Parents Financially and the Fallout of the 2008 Crash  
40:30 Good Financial Practices: Budgeting, Emergency Fund, Paying Yourself First  
46:00 Making Financial Decisions in Grief: The Importance of Space and Timing  
1:01:00 Legacy, Honoring His Parents, and Teaching His Kids About Money  
1:06:00 Final Reflection: “There Is Life After Grief”
 
Links
Connect with Chris Dale:
Website: https://lifeaftergrieffp.com/ 
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-talk-with-life-after-grief-chris/id1593025052,
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-dale-life-after-grief-fp/
 
Connect with Justin Weidenfeld:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-weidenfeld/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-currency-of-grief-podcast/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecurrencyofgrief_podcast 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecurrencyofgrief 
Website: https://www.ironbridgewc.com/team/justin-weidenfeld
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP11: Elliott Appel: The Money Isn’t My Dad - Inheritance, Elder Care, and Unspoken Grief

Most people aren’t prepared for how complicated elder care, power of attorney, and inheritance can get until they’re deep in it trying to make the right call with very little guidance.
 
Justin Weidenfeld talks with financial planner Elliott Appel, who shares what it was really like to care for his father through a long illness and all the decisions that came with it. What do you do when a parent refuses help? How do you handle bills that are piling up in a shoebox? And what happens when money shows up in your account and you’d rather it hadn’t? 
 
Elliott walks through the tough moments and the steps that made a difference, from choosing the right power of attorney to working with elder care consultants. He also opens up about the strange, often unspoken feelings that can surface around inheritance. This is a conversation for anyone facing the slow, emotional work of supporting aging parents or planning for the kind of future that no one wants to talk about but everyone eventually faces.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction: When Grief Meets Money
02:56 Elliott’s Personal Grief Journey
08:49 Financial Planning During and After Loss
14:50 How Elder Care Consultants Can Help
17:50 Autonomy, Caregiving, and Letting Go
23:40 Durable Power of Attorney: What You Need to Know
40:44 The Emotional Weight of Inheritance
54:01 Inheritance Guilt and How to Move Forward
 
Links
Connect with Elliott Appel:
Book: https://a.co/d/cPud2x1
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@elliottmappel
Blog: https://kindnessfp.com/blog/
Newsletter: https://kindnessfp.com/newsletter
 
Connect with Justin Weidenfeld:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-weidenfeld/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-currency-of-grief-podcast/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecurrencyofgrief_podcast 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecurrencyofgrief 
Website: https://www.ironbridgewc.com/team/justin-weidenfeld
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP10: Amy D’Amico: Living After Cancer - Attitude, Strength, and a Community of Support

Most people plan for retirement… Amy D’Amico had to plan for her husband’s death, her own cancer diagnosis, and what came next.
 
When Ron was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Amy became a full-time caregiver, a reluctant household CFO, and eventually, a widow. Then came her own breast cancer diagnosis. How do you hold it all together when everything feels like it’s falling apart? And how will you navigate when you’re suddenly responsible for every financial decision, every legal document, every next step?
 
In this episode, Amy joins Justin to share what it was like to sit beside her husband through treatments while quietly learning how to manage their finances, pay the bills, and prepare for what was coming. She opens up about the reality of widowhood, how scammers targeted her weeks after the funeral, how she handled a surprising shortfall in Ron’s life insurance, and why she made the decision to plan her own funeral in advance.
 
There’s grief here, of course, but also structure, self-reliance, and a quiet sense of strength. If you’d like to find out what real financial preparation looks like in the face of cancer, loss, and everything that follows, Amy’s story offers a powerful and honest glimpse.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Grief, Money, and the Story Behind the Podcast
02:59 Widowhood and Dual Cancer Diagnoses
21:25 How to Build a Support System During Illness
37:30 Financial Planning Before and After Loss
56:16 First Financial Steps After a Spouse’s Death
01:02:52 Medical Bills, Insurance, and the True Cost of Care
01:12:40 Scams That Target the Recently Widowed
01:17:49 Reclaiming Your Life and Reframing Retirement
 
Links
Canon-McMillan Horizon Foundation: http://www.cmhorizonfoundation.org/
 
Connect with Justin Weidenfeld:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-weidenfeld/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-currency-of-grief-podcast/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecurrencyofgrief_podcast 
Website: https://www.ironbridgewc.com/team/justin-weidenfeld
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP09: Mary McDirmid: Grief Is a Companion of Mine

Trigger warning: This episode includes discussion of suicide and may be difficult for some listeners.
 
Grief doesn’t follow a schedule, and when it crashes into family dynamics, legal paperwork, and financial loose ends, it can leave you reeling.
 
Justin Weidenfeld sits down with Mary McDirmid, who shares what it was like to lose her brother to suicide and suddenly become the one in charge of sorting it all out. From managing estate logistics to telling her young children the news, Mary speaks honestly about the weight of responsibility, the sting of unfinished conversations, and the moments when everyday tasks, like buying eggs, felt impossible.
 
How do you keep functioning when you’re barely holding it together? Who do you turn to when you’re expected to be the strong one? Mary offers a clear answer: you build a support system that actually works. For her, that meant leaning on her counselor, showing up for sessions with her trainer, and giving herself permission to take care of her own emotional health. She also shares the three questions she believes every adult child should ask their parents while there’s still time to plan.
 
Justin and Mary’s conversation is a reminder that self-care isn’t optional when you’re grieving, and that having honest conversations now can spare your loved ones a lot of heartache later.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction to Grief and Money
01:02 Mary’s Grief Journey
03:46 Coping with Suicide and Sudden Loss
07:10 Talking to Kids About Death
12:49 Everyday Life After Loss
24:10 The Burden of Responsibility
29:12 Managing an Estate Without a Plan
35:12 Legal Complications of Unmarried Partnerships
42:30 What Not to Say to Someone Grieving
45:18 Building a Support System
52:53 The Fragility of Life
56:58 Redefining Self-Care
01:00:58 Financial Planning Through Grief
01:04:58 Conversations About Legacy and Wishes
 
Links
Connect with Mary McDirmid:
Instagram: workingmommingitforward
All Needs Planning - https://allneedsplanning.com/
https://courageousparentsnetwork.org/
 
Connect with Justin Weidenfeld:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-weidenfeld/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecurrencyofgrief_podcast 
Website: https://www.ironbridgewc.com/team/justin-weidenfeld
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP08: Rachel Farrell: “In the Wake of Sudden Loss: Grief and the Gift of Genetic Clarity”

Grief doesn’t require firsthand experience to be met with compassion and clinical care, and Rachel Farrell proves it.
 
Rachel is a pediatric genetic counselor who works with families facing the sudden death of a child or parent due to inherited cardiovascular diseases. Her role sits at the intersection of healthcare and heartbreak, offering genetic testing that may explain what happened, while providing the kind of emotional support that grieving families often don’t know they need until they have it.
 
What does it look like to guide a family through genetic testing after tragedy? How do you deliver answers that bring both clarity and more questions? And what happens when there is no clear answer at all?
 
Rachel shares how her work goes far beyond lab results. She talks about the quiet moments with parents, the clinical decisions that carry emotional weight, and the importance of listening more than speaking. She also reflects on what she’s learned from families, about love, about legacy, and about the small moments that matter most.
 
This conversation is a moving reminder of what healthcare can be when emotional presence is treated as essential, and why family guidance matters just as much as medical expertise when everything else has fallen apart.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Rachel Farrell
04:04 Grief and Genetic Counseling
06:01 What Genetic Testing Can Reveal
12:57 Cost and Access in Genetic Healthcare
16:42 Rachel’s Personal Relationship with Grief
33:58 What Chaplaincy Taught Her About Dying
39:06 Why Small Moments Matter
42:14 How to Support the Bereaved
 
Links
SADS: https://sads.org/get-involved/awareness/sudden-death-response-plan/
 
Connect with Rachel Farrell:
https://www.ucsfhealth.org/providers/rachel-farrell
 
Connect with Justin Weidenfeld:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-weidenfeld/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecurrencyofgrief_podcast 
Website: https://www.ironbridgewc.com/team/justin-weidenfeld
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm