Shows / The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Welcome to The NEXT Podcast with Jay Cookingham—a heartfelt journey through grief, loss, and healing. After the devastating loss of his wife, Christine, Jay shares raw, honest reflections on navigating life without her. Each episode explores how grief can become a teacher of resilience, inviting lament and revealing moments of grace in the deepest sorrow. With vulnerability and compassion, Jay offers encouragement to anyone walking the path of loss, reminding you that you are never alone on the…
Episodes
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 66: Behind the Tough Face
We’ve all heard the phrase "be strong," but what happens when strength becomes a mask we use to hide our weariness, pain, and grief? In this episode of The…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 65: Learning to Receive Again
After deep loss, grief doesn't just teach us how to let go—it often teaches us to hold back.We become cautious with joy. We hesitate to dream. We struggle to…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 64: The Loss of Being Known
Grief doesn't just take the person you love—it can also take the one person who knew you most deeply.In this deeply personal episode, Jay reflects on one of…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 63: The Loneliness Nobody Talks About
Loneliness is one of the deepest secondary losses of grief—but it's often misunderstood.When most people hear the word loneliness, they think the answer is…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 62: Unplanned Pages
Six years ago, when Christine passed away, I never imagined I would write a grief devotional. I wasn't looking to become a grief coach, start a grief podcast…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 61: Walking Through Grief with Adult Children
One of the quieter challenges of grief is learning how to walk through it as a family — especially when everyone is grieving the same loss differently.In this…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 60: Facing the Future
What does it look like to face the future after loss—especially when that future feels smaller, uncertain, or even lonely?In this episode, Jay shares honestly…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 59: The Changing Family Dance
Grief doesn’t just change your life—it reshapes your family.In this episode of The NEXT Podcast, Jay Cookingham reflects on how loss impacts the rhythms…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 58: A Lot to Mourn
“There is a lot to mourn.”In this deeply personal episode of The NEXT Podcast, Jay Cookingham shares from a recent journal entry—an honest look at what grief…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 57: More Than My Grief
What if grief is shaping you… but not defining you?In this episode of The NEXT Podcast, Jay Cookingham reflects on a tension he’s been wrestling with even…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 56 – Where I Am Now
In this episode of The NEXT Podcast, I share honestly about where I am now — not as a pastor or teacher, but as a man still walking forward after loss.Grief…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 55 The Person You Used to Be
Grief doesn’t just take what you love. It changes who you are.In this episode of The NEXT Podcast, Jay Cookingham continues the conversation about grief as a…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 54 What Grief Strips Away
If grief is a rite of passage, then stripping is part of the journey.In this episode of The NEXT Podcast, Jay Cookingham continues the conversation from…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 53 - Grief as a Rite of Passage
Grief is not a problem to fix, a disease to cure, or a sentence to serve. It is a passage to walk through.In this episode of The NEXT Podcast, Jay Cookingham…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 52: Goals for the Widower
In this episode of The NEXT Podcast, Jay Cookingham gently reframes the idea of “goals” through the lens of grief, loss, and faith. These are not resolutions…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 51: Telling the Whole Story
A new year always invites reflection—but when grief is part of your story, reflection becomes sacred work.In this episode, Jay Cookingham talks honestly about…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 50: New Year, Same Grief
Episode 50 marks an important milestone on The NEXT Podcast, and Jay reflects with gratitude on the journey so far—fifty honest conversations shaped by loss…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast Episode 49: Not So Wonderful
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year” … or is it?For many walking through grief, Christmas doesn’t feel wonderful at all. In this deeply honest episode…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The Next Podcast Episode 48: “Holly Jolly… really?”
Christmas comes wrapped in lights, music, and cheer, but for those walking through grief, the season can feel completely out of sync with the heart. In this…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast – Episode 47: Stewarding Singleness During the Holidays
In this vulnerable and hope-filled episode, Jay shares what it means to steward singleness during the holiday season, a season that carries both beauty and…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast – Episode 46: Thankfulness in Brokenness
In this heartfelt Thanksgiving episode, Jay shares why gratitude becomes even more meaningful — and more challenging — in seasons of grief. Drawing from Psalm…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast – Episode 45: Here We Go Again
In this episode, Jay dives into a phrase almost every grieving heart knows too well: “Here we go again.”That moment when a fresh wave of grief hits, when old…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast – Episode 44: After the Anchor is Gone
What happens when the foundation you’ve built your life on suddenly shifts? In this heartfelt episode, Jay Cookingham opens up about life after loss—about…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast Episode 43: Learning to Love Life Again
This episode explores what it really means to rediscover joy while still honoring loss. Jay shares about a recent men’s conference that reminded him of how…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast – Episode 42: Looking Back, Moving Forward
After 41 episodes of walking through the valleys of grief and glimpses of grace, Jay takes a pause to look back.In this reflective episode, he unpacks the five…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast Episode 41: What’s Next?
In Episode 41 of The NEXT Podcast, Jay Cookingham explores the question every grieving heart eventually faces: What’s next? Nearly six years after the loss of…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast Episode 40: What Grief Gives Back
In Episode 40 of The NEXT Podcast, Jay Cookinghamreflects on a surprising truth—grief doesn’t just take, it can also give back. While loss strips us down and…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast Episode 39 The Holy Work of Not Giving Up
In this episode of The NEXT Podcast, Jay wraps up the Four R’s of grief with the last rhythm: Rigorous – The Holy Work of Not Giving Up.Grief is relentless and…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast Episode 38 – Repeatable, Part 2
In this episode of The NEXT Podcast, Jay shares openly about navigating a difficult day of grief while leaning into the spiritual practice of repetition. He…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast – Episode 37: Repeatable Rhythms
Grief can feel like an endless, exhausting dance you never signed up for. In this episode, Jay shares how “repeatable rhythms” have been his lifeline—small…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast – Episode 36: RESILIENT
In this second part of our Four R’s series, Jay Cookingham explores the often-misunderstood nature of resilience. This episode dives deep into what it really…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Episode 35 – RELENTLESS
Grief doesn’t take days off—and neither can we when it comes to healing. In this raw and honest episode, Jay Cookingham begins a four-part series on the “Four…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The Next Podcast Episode 34: It’s Complicated
In this deeply personal episode of the NEXT Podcast, Jay reflects on the complex emotions that surround his five-and-a-half-year mark of grief. With raw…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Episode 33: Five and a Half Years Later: I Still Hurt, I Still Believe
In Episode 33 of the NEXT Podcast, Jay reflects on the 5.5-year mark since the passing of his beloved wife, Christine. What does grief feel like when the…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast Episode 32: Calendar Grief
Calendar Grief: When the Numbers Don’t Add UpIn Episode 32 of the NEXT Podcast, host Jay Cookingham opens up about “calendar grief”—those dates on the calendar…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast Episode 31 – Who Am I Now?
In this honest and deeply reflective episode, Jay explores how grief doesn’t just take—it reshapes. After the loss of his wife Christine, Jay found himself…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The Next Podcast Episode 30 – The Loneliness of Grief: Being Seen, Known, and Accepted
In this honest and deeply personal episode, Jay shares about one of the least-discussed aspects of grief: sexual bereavement and Widower’s Fire—the…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast Episode 29: Things Not to Say
Giving Space to Grieve HonestlyIn this heartfelt episode, Jay shares a vulnerable and honest conversation around the well-meaning but often painful things…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The Next Podcast Episode 28: Shepherding Emotion
In this deeply personal episode, Jay explores the often-overlooked emotional terrain of grief—especially for men. Through raw honesty and spiritual reflection…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast Episode 27 - Choosing Life
In this special post-Easter edition of the NEXT Podcast, Jay shares raw, honest reflections recorded the day after Resurrection Sunday. After taking time away…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Episode 26 – The Myths of Grief, Part 2
In this episode of the NEXT Podcast, we continue exploring the myths surrounding grief—especially the pressure to “move on,” or “find closure,” and the belief…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
NEXT Podcast Episode 25: The Myths of Grief – Part 1
Grief doesn’t follow the rulebook. In this episode of the NEXT podcast, host Jay Cookingham unpacks one of the biggest myths about grief—the idea that it moves…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
NEXT Podcast Episode 24 – Mourning My Sister in Christ
Grief isn’t just about losing a spouse—it’s about losing all the roles they filled in your life. One of the deepest losses I’ve faced is losing Christine not…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The Next Podcast Episode 23 – Mourning Intimacy
Grief is layered. It’s not just about losing a spouse—it’s about losing all the roles they filled in your life. And one of the deepest losses for a widower is…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The Next Podcast: Episode 22 – Mourning Friendship
Grief is layered. When we lose someone we love, especially a spouse, we’re not just mourning one loss, but many. There are different levels of grief that…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast Episode 21 – Growth Through Pain
Pain changes us. Grief marks us. But it doesn’t have to destroy us.In this episode of the NEXT Podcast, I share more of the story of my wife Christine’s battle…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast Episode 20 – TRUST: The Destination of Grief
Grief has a way of making us question everything—our purpose, our future, even God Himself. But trust is the destination of grief. It’s not about having all…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast Episode 19 – EXPLORE: Asking Tough Questions
Grief doesn’t just sit quietly, it demands to be felt, wrestled with, and understood. But what happens when grief makes you question everything?In this episode…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
NEXT Podcast Episode 18: Embrace – Finding Purpose in Pain
Grief is real. It’s raw. It changes us. But it doesn’t have to define us. In this episode of the NEXT Podcast, we continue our journey through the NEXT acronym…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast Episode 17: Navigate – Finding the Next Step Forward
Grief often leaves us feeling stuck or adrift, unsure of how to move forward. In this episode of the NEXT podcast, Jay Cookingham explores what it means to…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
The NEXT Podcast Episode 16: The Gifts of Grief
Grief doesn’t just take—it gives. In this episode of the NEXT podcast, Jay Cookingham shares how the pain of loss can shape and refine us, offering gifts we…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
NEXT Episode 15: The Fallout of Grief
Loneliness, grief, and faith often collide in ways that feel overwhelming. In this episode of the NEXT podcast, Jay Cookingham reflects on five years of…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
NEXT Podcast Episode 14- Leading Through Grief
In this episode of The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss podcast, Jay Cookingham dives into the complexities of navigating grief as a leader…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
NEXT Podcast Episode 13 – New Year, Same Grief
In this episode of the NEXT podcast, host Jay Cookingham explores the complexities of starting a new year while navigating grief and loss. The world often…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 12: Christmas Hangover
What happens when the festivities are over, and you’re left with the emotional and mental exhaustion of navigating Christmas during grief? I’ll share personal…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 11: Resilient or Resentful? (Part 2)
Continuing the conversation on resilience and grief, Jay reflects on the unique challenges widowers face, particularly during the holidays. Through personal…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Episode 10: Resilient or Resentful? (Part 1)
In this episode of the NEXT podcast, we dive into one of life’s pivotal crossroads: will grief make us resilient or resentful? Jay shares his journey of…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Honoring Memories and Finding Hope in the Holidays Part 4
In Episode 9 of the NEXT Podcast, host Jay Cookingham presents the fourth installment in the series Honoring Memories and Finding Hope in the Holidays. Jay…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Honoring Memories and Finding Hope in the Holidays: Part 3
For the eighth episode and part three of the Honoring Memories and Finding Hope in the Holidays podcast, My oldest daughter, Sarah Cookingham returns…
- The Next Podcast: Moving Forward with Grief and Loss
Honoring Memories and Finding Hope in the Holidays: Part 2
For the seventh episode and part two of the Honoring Memories and Finding Hope in the Holidays podcast, I have a very special guest! My oldest daughter, Sarah…