The Mourning Crew

Kelsey and Kathy sit down with journalist and storyteller Erika Mahoney to talk about grief and what happens when the unthinkable happens to you. In 2021, Erika’s life changed in an instant when her dad was killed in the King Soopers shooting in Boulder, Colorado. She shares her raw and deeply human journey — giving birth while grieving, navigating trauma, and ultimately using her skills as a reporter to make sense of the senseless through her podcast, Senseless with Erika Mahoney.Erika opens up about what those early days were really like, how her family and husband supported her, and what she’s learned about grief, resilience, and showing up for others. Whether you’ve lost someone unexpectedly, felt stuck in disbelief, or simply want to understand how people carry on after tragedy, this episode offers honesty, compassion, and hope.Trigger Warning: Gun violence LINKS: Erika IG Erika Mahoney Website & Podcast Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com

Time has flown by, and the crew is finally back together for a long-overdue catch-up! Kathy opens up about stepping into a new relationship and how she’s weaving her history with grief into this next chapter. Kelsey reflects on entering her 30s and how her birthday resurfaced memories of her mom, especially at her same age. Mads shares updates on welcoming the latest addition to her family and supporting a childhood friend through the loss of her mother. A heartfelt conversation about love, loss, and growthInstagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com

This week it’s Kelsey and Mads holding down the fort! They share life updates and how grief continues to sneak into everyday moments. From engagements and family trips, to birthdays and anniversaries, to the small comforts of leaning on the people closest to you—grief finds its way into all of it. Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com

TW: Accident DeathKelsey, Kathy, & Mads finally catch up in 2025 and talk about all of the craziness this year has brought. Kathy details her very exciting new chapter, moving to NYC and all the feelings that came with it. Kelsey discusses her experience starting a workplace grief support group and becoming more public with her story. Lastly, Mads offers a heartfelt and vulnerable update, reflecting on the loss of her friend in the January DC Potomac River plane crash. Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com

Carla Fernandez joins The Crew to explore the themes of her powerful new book, Renegade Grief! She shares her personal grief story, losing her dad at 21, and how it led to building a thriving peer support community called The Dinner Party. In this raw, open conversation, we discuss challenging societal norms around grief, science-backed coping strategies, care practices, grave sites, dating, weddings, guilt, and navigating loss on holidays. Carla’s refreshing perspectives and tangible tools make this a must-listen for anyone grieving. We can’t recommend her book enough! Renegade Grief available everywhere on March 11, available now for pre-order. Follow Carla on Instagram. @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com.

TGIF—Thank God It’s February! Before diving into the whirlwind of January 2025, The Crew recorded a reflective recap of 2024. Mads shares the large lessons grief taught her over the past year, Kelsey discusses how she’s been integrating and promoting the podcast into her daily life, and Kathy opens up about the strong support she experienced throughout the year. We also bid farewell to the iconic Eras Tour while eagerly anticipating the release of the upcoming Reputation (Taylor's Version) album. Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com

The Crew is thrilled to welcome Kelsey's longtime friend, Mallory Meeks! Mallory, a cherished Teacher and Director of Product at The Class—a movement practice that connects body and mind—joins us to share her deeply personal journey. For the first time, Mallory opens up about losing her father in 2017, recounting her story with heartfelt honesty and reflection. Through her experience, we discover how she found her way to The Class, where she now helps others navigate and process their emotions. Mallory also shares how her grief has shaped her relationships and influenced her perspective, especially in supporting Kelsey through the loss of her mom. Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com / Mallory Meeks / The Class

After a much needed summer hiatus, the crew is finally back recording again! We share some heavy life updates in each of our lives and how we found support during these times, including leaning on each other when we needed it most. We also discuss a viral TikTok that features a mom giving dating advice & why it's so important to try to find someone who can support you through grief. Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com / The Dinner Party / TikTok

Kathy, Kelsey, and Mads finally met in person after 2.5 years! With only 24 hours together in LA, they made the most of it—enjoying meals out, a hilarious photo shoot (shoutout to Mads' boyfriend Will), and just soaking up time together without focusing on grief. While this episode doesn’t tackle grief directly, it’s a reminder that although something heavy brought them together, it also led to this genuine friendship and magical day. Our summer hiatus is over, we will be back with regular episodes after this special episode. Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com / The Mourning Crew Facebook Page / Mental Health Resources

The Crew has a long overdue catchup after multiple guest episodes. Mads updates us about her new job and how the podcast & grief have even played a role. Kelsey & Kathy share some unexpected lessons from the dating scene. And finally, we talk about the future LA meetup and our predictions and expectations for the upcoming Taylor Swift album. Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com / The Mourning Crew Facebook Page / Mental Health Resources

New author Kristel Crews joins the Mourning Crew to tackle how to authentically talk about grief and death with young children. When her mom died, her two young boys had many questions about where Gran went, what a casket was, how a funeral works, and how they were supposed to feel. Kristel candidly explains how she handled these questions and helped guide her kids through their grief. She hopes that her new children's book, Sundays With Gran, can help other families start a difficult conversation that begins to heal the heart of the child in all of us. Buy her book here or sundayswithgran.com / IG: @sundayswithgran / Facebook: kristelcrews // Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com / The Mourning Crew Facebook Page / Mental Health Resources

Please join us in welcoming special guest and new author - Emily P. Bingham! Emily joins the crew to talk about the loss of her husband to uveal melanoma in 2019, when she was 35 years old. Since becoming a widow, she leaned into her pain and turned it into purpose, by becoming a certified grief coach & content creator. Her most recent success includes her new book, Love & Grief, which beautifully blends her personal anecdotes with practical tools for fellow grievers. Check out her book now!Instagram @emilypbingham/ TikTok @emilypbingham/ Love and Grief Book / Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com / The Mourning Crew Facebook Page / Mental Health Resources

We are so excited to have our first Mourning Crew guest of the year-- Kelsey's dad, Ken! Ken discusses his background and his full relationship with his wife Keri, including how they approached parenting before and after Keri's cancer diagnosis and then the grief of losing her and becoming a widow. He fully opens up about his experience with therapy, sharing a range of stories and advice. Plus - even Ken shares his favorite Taylor Swift album and songs, and they may surprise you. Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com / The Mourning Crew Facebook Page / Mental Health Resources / Link to Kylie's Episode

It's a new year and new season of The Mourning Crew! The crew starts the episode by recounting the holidays and sharing how grief managed to creep in. Mads has a heavy update - she shares the loss of her beautiful grandmother, Carol. Shes opens up about the immediate emotions & grief that she's experienced so far and how she's been able to manage. While it's been a tough season, all three gals share their upcoming hopes & wishes for 2024, including their word of the year. Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com / The Mourning Crew Facebook Page / Mental Health Resources / Comfort Food with John Mayer

Following up from Part 1, the crew dives into the other two stages of grief - depression and acceptance. They discuss the differences between longer term depression and depression as a grief stage and what "acceptance" means to each of them. The crew also talks about how they can use their grief for good and use it as a gift. Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com / The Mourning Crew Facebook Page / Mental Health Resources

In this 2-part series, the crew walks through all the different stages of grief, comparing different experiences, thoughts, and feelings related to each stage. Part 1 focuses on denial, anger, and bargaining. Kathy & Mads talk about numbness and coping mechanisms related to denial, while Kelsey opens up about suppressing feelings of anger. Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com / The Mourning Crew Facebook Page / Mental Health Resources

Kath and Kels hold down the fort while Mads is out and discuss Kathy's unexpected grief moment at her friend's wedding. She breaks down that even when you think you've experienced all of the possible triggers, grief has a way of being very unpredictable. They discuss how important it is to be in tune with your body, not just your mind and thoughts when dealing with a grief trigger moment. They also cover the Golden Bachelor and how powerful it is seeing stories of loss and second chances featured on national TV.

In this episode, the Crew discusses what it's like to catch up with former friends and classmates, especially when it comes to major life updates. We hear how Kathy chose to share her grief story with friends she met later on in life, while Kelsey seeks out advice heading into her 10 year high school reunion! Also, Mads gives a big personal update and shares stories from her latest family visit in Chicago. Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com / The Mourning Crew Facebook Page / Mental Health Resources

The Crew is back together! Kelsey returns after a couple months away from the podcast and fills Kath and Mads in on everything that happened, predominantly with the loss of her Nana (her mom's mom.) She shares it all, from the impact of compounding loss, what was most triggering, what were the most useful coping mechanisms, and what this podcast had prepared her for. She even shares a confidence tip for attending or speaking at funerals. Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com / The Mourning Crew Facebook Page / Mental Health Resources

Kathy and Mads are holding down the fort for another episode, where they discuss all the similarities between breakups/relationships and loss of a loved one. Kathy opens up about a past relationship and how her grief journey impacted her feelings surrounding the breakup. Mads talks about all the collateral grief involved with a breakup like losing your partner's family and friends. They also tap into attachment styles and how grief has impacted their style. Instagram @themourningcrew / Email: themourningcrew@gmail.com / The Mourning Crew Facebook Page / Mental Health Resources / Maui Support