Halva for the Heart: Dying and Grieving in Diasporahttp://www.hafezdeathcare.comenSociety & CultureCopyright Mishahttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/6097dac62315fcc313cc0795ceb5ee94.jpgHalva for the Heart: Dying and Grieving in Diasporahttp://www.hafezdeathcare.comSat, 27 Jun 2026 22:14:30 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareMisha | Hafez Death Caremisha@hafezdeathcare.comHalva for the Heart is for both the collective in general, and for those of us living in diaspora specifically. Here we will explore topics of grief tending and death care as a way to build the liberated future we envision for our world, as well as...falseepisodicWhen Grief Becomes Song with Elaheh Roya: The Healing Power of Sound for Iranian Griefhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-grief-becomes-song-with-elaheh-roya-the-healing-power-of-sound-for-iranian-grief--72720861Halva for the Heart: Dying & Grieving in Diaspora, I'm joined by Iranian vocalist, sound practitioner, and grief alchemist Elaheh Roya for a deeply moving conversation about inherited grief, migration, family history, and the ways sound can carry us through what words cannot.

Elaheh shares the story of growing up in Iran, discovering her family's hidden history of political imprisonment and execution, immigrating to the United States as a child, and living with the quiet ache of separation, exile, and ancestral grief. Together we explore what it means to inherit grief before we have language for it, how the body remembers what families cannot always speak aloud, and how creative practice can become a pathway toward healing.

After the death of her father in 2024, Elaheh found herself returning to her voice, not to perform, but to grieve. Through chanting, Persian song, and the simple drone of the Shruti box, she discovered a form of sound practice that transformed both her relationship to grief and her understanding of spirituality.

We also talk about:
  • growing up with inherited political trauma
  • immigration, belonging, and diaspora grief
  • caring for a parent with dementia
  • surrender as a grief practice
  • dreams, death, and spiritual awakening
  • why sound can reach places that language cannot

At the end of the episode, you'll hear Elaheh's beautiful rendition of the beloved Persian classic "Gol-e Sangam" that she released as a single earlier this year. Her latest album Grief Alchemy comes out June 30th.


Connect with Elaheh


🎁 Gift for Halva for the Heart listeners
The first three listeners to reach out through Elaheh's Linktree can receive a free 20-minute one-on-one Grief Alchemy session via Zoom


🎶 Album Listening Ceremony
Join Elaheh's virtual listening ceremony on June 30 at 4:00 PM PT, where the full album will be played together online. Details are available on her Bandcamp.


Resources shared by Elaheh:
  • Tree Carr:  Dream teacher and death doula whose work has deeply influenced Elaheh's path
  • Christine: Coach who supported Elaheh in building the foundation of her offerings
  • Dance of the Blossoms: Elaheh's essay reflecting on her mother's experiences as a political prisoner
  • Missing Mum: A memoir by Elaheh's brother, translated into English by Elaheh, sharing his experience as a child while their mother was imprisoned


If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/72720861Sat, 27 Jun 2026 22:14:27 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this episode of Halva for the Heart: Dying & Grieving in Diaspora, I'm joined by Iranian vocalist, sound practitioner, and grief alchemist Elaheh Roya for a deeply moving conversation about inherited grief, migration, family history, and the...Halva for the Heart: Dying & Grieving in Diaspora, I'm joined by Iranian vocalist, sound practitioner, and grief alchemist Elaheh Roya for a deeply moving conversation about inherited grief, migration, family history, and the ways sound can carry us through what words cannot.

Elaheh shares the story of growing up in Iran, discovering her family's hidden history of political imprisonment and execution, immigrating to the United States as a child, and living with the quiet ache of separation, exile, and ancestral grief. Together we explore what it means to inherit grief before we have language for it, how the body remembers what families cannot always speak aloud, and how creative practice can become a pathway toward healing.

After the death of her father in 2024, Elaheh found herself returning to her voice, not to perform, but to grieve. Through chanting, Persian song, and the simple drone of the Shruti box, she discovered a form of sound practice that transformed both her relationship to grief and her understanding of spirituality.

We also talk about:
  • growing up with inherited political trauma
  • immigration, belonging, and diaspora grief
  • caring for a parent with dementia
  • surrender as a grief practice
  • dreams, death, and spiritual awakening
  • why sound can reach places that language cannot

At the end of the episode, you'll hear Elaheh's beautiful rendition of the beloved Persian classic "Gol-e Sangam" that she released as a single earlier this year. Her latest album Grief Alchemy comes out June 30th.


Connect with Elaheh


🎁 Gift for Halva for the Heart listeners
The first three listeners to reach out through Elaheh's Linktree can receive a free 20-minute one-on-one Grief Alchemy session via Zoom


🎶 Album Listening Ceremony
Join Elaheh's virtual listening ceremony on June 30 at 4:00 PM PT, where the full album will be played together online. Details are available on her Bandcamp.


Resources shared by Elaheh:
  • Tree Carr:  Dream teacher and death doula whose work has deeply influenced Elaheh's path
  • Christine: Coach who supported Elaheh in building the foundation of her offerings
  • Dance of the Blossoms: Elaheh's essay reflecting on her mother's experiences as a political prisoner
  • Missing Mum: A memoir by Elaheh's brother, translated into English by Elaheh, sharing his experience as a child while their mother was imprisoned


If you'd like to share what...]]>4722alchemy,ancestors,beloning,exile,grief,healing,immigrant,iran,iranian,memory,migration,mourning,music,persian,ritual,song,sound,spirituality,trauma,voicefalse127fullThe Grief of Displacement with Uma Girish: Mourning Home, Family, and Belonginghttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-grief-of-displacement-with-uma-girish-mourning-home-family-and-belonging--72507675Halva for the Heart: Dying and Grieving in Diaspora, I sit down with grief companion, author, and Human Design guide Uma Girish to explore the intertwined losses of death, migration, home, and belonging.

Born and raised in India and now living in the United States, Uma shares the story of her mother's death shortly after her immigration to the U.S., and the profound loneliness of grieving far from home, family, and the cultural rituals that once held her. Together, we explore how South Asian traditions make space for grief through community and ritual, what those in diaspora lose when they are unable to return home for a loved one's death, and how maintaining relationships with the dead can help us navigate loss.

Uma reflects on the unexpected lessons she learned while working in a retirement community, where she discovered that grief is not limited to death. Through stories of displacement, aging, and leaving behind beloved homes, she came to understand grief as a universal human experience.

In this episode, we also discuss:
  • South Asian grief rituals and the first year after a death
  • The grief of immigration and losing connection to home
  • Building altars for loved ones and ancestors
  • How grief can become a path toward purpose and service
  • The importance of skilled facilitation in grief circles and community spaces
Throughout the conversation, Uma offers gentle wisdom for anyone navigating loss, reminding us that we do not need to grieve perfectly—we only need to give ourselves what we need most.

Connect with Uma GirishAlso mentioned in this episode:A Gift for Listeners
The first two listeners to email Uma after listening to this episode will receive a free gift. Listen to the end of the episode to learn what what she's generously offering, then contact Uma through email

If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/72507675Sat, 13 Jun 2026 16:05:02 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this episode of Halva for the Heart: Dying and Grieving in Diaspora, I sit down with grief companion, author, and Human Design guide Uma Girish to explore the intertwined losses of death, migration, home, and belonging. Born and raised in India...Halva for the Heart: Dying and Grieving in Diaspora, I sit down with grief companion, author, and Human Design guide Uma Girish to explore the intertwined losses of death, migration, home, and belonging.

Born and raised in India and now living in the United States, Uma shares the story of her mother's death shortly after her immigration to the U.S., and the profound loneliness of grieving far from home, family, and the cultural rituals that once held her. Together, we explore how South Asian traditions make space for grief through community and ritual, what those in diaspora lose when they are unable to return home for a loved one's death, and how maintaining relationships with the dead can help us navigate loss.

Uma reflects on the unexpected lessons she learned while working in a retirement community, where she discovered that grief is not limited to death. Through stories of displacement, aging, and leaving behind beloved homes, she came to understand grief as a universal human experience.

In this episode, we also discuss:
  • South Asian grief rituals and the first year after a death
  • The grief of immigration and losing connection to home
  • Building altars for loved ones and ancestors
  • How grief can become a path toward purpose and service
  • The importance of skilled facilitation in grief circles and community spaces
Throughout the conversation, Uma offers gentle wisdom for anyone navigating loss, reminding us that we do not need to grieve perfectly—we only need to give ourselves what we need most.

Connect with Uma GirishAlso mentioned in this episode:A Gift for Listeners
The first two listeners to email Uma after listening to this episode will receive a free gift. Listen to the end of the episode to learn what what she's generously offering, then contact Uma through email

If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>3765false126fullReturning to Iran: Mixed Identity, Belonging, and Diaspora Experience with artist Roxanne Cassehgarihttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/returning-to-iran-mixed-identity-belonging-and-diaspora-experience-with-artist-roxanne-cassehgari--71685834Roxanne Cassehgari, a writer, photographer, and artist documenting the Iranian diaspora.

We talk about growing up Iranian outside of Iran, navigating mixed identity, and the complicated relationship to a homeland you may not fully know but deeply long for. Roxanne shares about returning to Iran and how it reshaped her understanding of belonging, language, and self.

We explore language loss, cultural disconnection, and the feeling of not being “enough,” alongside her work documenting diaspora stories through interviews and photography. From everyday objects to food and ritual, we reflect on how Iran continues to live within people across distance and generations.

We also touch on the tensions between diaspora and homeland perspectives, and how migration, assimilation, and politics shape these experiences.

This is a conversation about exile, memory, and the many ways people try to return.


About Roxanne

Roxane Cassehgari is an artist and photographer born in France to an Iranian father and Colombian mother. Alongside her artistic practice, she is a human rights lawyer and researcher. While law and research allow her to articulate questions about our world, photography is a space of freedom, a more intuitive terrain where she can explore what words cannot capture.  

Her work explores diasporic memory, emotions linked to exile, and the transmission—or loss—of culture. Through a sensitive and personal approach, she also seeks to reflect on our relationship with the land: as our origin, our heritage, but also as a place where we root ourselves within the living world.


In this episode, we explore...
  • Growing up Iranian in the diaspora
  • Returning to Iran after living abroad
  • Mixed identity and cultural belonging
  • Language loss and reclaiming Farsi
  • The emotional impact of exile and disconnection
  • Iranian diaspora identity across different countries
  • The tension between diaspora and homeland perspectives
  • How art and storytelling preserve cultural memory
  • Everyday ways people stay connected to Iran (food, objects, ritual)

Mentioned in this episode:
📕 Roxanne's project Le Retour (The Return)
🏝️ Roxanne's project Exile is an Island
🎧 Halva for the Heart episode with Afghan author and activist Mina Sharif
📚 Your War Our Lives by Mina Sharif
📚 The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali


Connect with Roxanne

📸 Follow Roxanne on Instagram
📥 Submit your story to Roxanne’s project Exile is an Island


If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/71685834Mon, 27 Apr 2026 22:57:41 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this episode, I sit down with https://www.roxanecassehgari.com/, a writer, photographer, and artist documenting the Iranian diaspora. We talk about growing up Iranian outside of Iran, navigating mixed identity, and the complicated relationship to...Roxanne Cassehgari, a writer, photographer, and artist documenting the Iranian diaspora.

We talk about growing up Iranian outside of Iran, navigating mixed identity, and the complicated relationship to a homeland you may not fully know but deeply long for. Roxanne shares about returning to Iran and how it reshaped her understanding of belonging, language, and self.

We explore language loss, cultural disconnection, and the feeling of not being “enough,” alongside her work documenting diaspora stories through interviews and photography. From everyday objects to food and ritual, we reflect on how Iran continues to live within people across distance and generations.

We also touch on the tensions between diaspora and homeland perspectives, and how migration, assimilation, and politics shape these experiences.

This is a conversation about exile, memory, and the many ways people try to return.


About Roxanne

Roxane Cassehgari is an artist and photographer born in France to an Iranian father and Colombian mother. Alongside her artistic practice, she is a human rights lawyer and researcher. While law and research allow her to articulate questions about our world, photography is a space of freedom, a more intuitive terrain where she can explore what words cannot capture.  

Her work explores diasporic memory, emotions linked to exile, and the transmission—or loss—of culture. Through a sensitive and personal approach, she also seeks to reflect on our relationship with the land: as our origin, our heritage, but also as a place where we root ourselves within the living world.


In this episode, we explore...
  • Growing up Iranian in the diaspora
  • Returning to Iran after living abroad
  • Mixed identity and cultural belonging
  • Language loss and reclaiming Farsi
  • The emotional impact of exile and disconnection
  • Iranian diaspora identity across different countries
  • The tension between diaspora and homeland perspectives
  • How art and storytelling preserve cultural memory
  • Everyday ways people stay connected to Iran (food, objects, ritual)

Mentioned in this episode:
📕 Roxanne's project Le Retour (The Return)
🏝️ Roxanne's project Exile is an Island
🎧 Halva for the Heart episode with Afghan author and activist Mina Sharif
📚 Your War Our Lives by Mina Sharif
📚 The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali


Connect with Roxanne

📸 Follow Roxanne on Instagram
📥 Submit your story to Roxanne’s project Exile is an Island


If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
  • Leave me a 90 second voice...]]>4825belonging,diaspora,displacement,exile,farsi,grief,healing,home,identity,iran,iranian,memory,migration,mixed,nostalgia,persia,persian,photography,returnfalse125fullFarvardingan: The Iranian Holiday of Honoring the Dead and Connecting with Ancestorshttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/farvardingan-the-iranian-holiday-of-honoring-the-dead-and-connecting-with-ancestors--71163044Halva for the Heart, I explore Farvardingan, the ancient Iranian holiday when the fravashis (spirits of the departed) return to visit the living. This year, Farvardingan takes on profound significance as we grapple with unprecedented levels of loss: from war on Iran and regime violence to the ongoing genocide in Palestine and personal grief. I discuss how Farvardingan becomes an act of resistance in a world that gives us almost no space to grieve, and expand our understanding of ancestry beyond blood to include the many lineages that shape and sustain us.

    In this episode, I reflect on:
    - Memory as active care, not something to "move on" from
    - Continuity between the living and the dead
    - Farvardingan as a support for us during this time of war
    - Ways to stay connected ancestors
    - Different types of ancestry beyond blood lineage (as taught to me by my teacher Holly Truhlar)

    Resources Mentioned
    🔗 Holly Truhlar's Idea of Soul Lineage - Explore ancestral connections and soul lineage work
    🎵 Dard-e Del Playlist - Curated music for grief and ancestral connection
    📖 Farvardingan Guidebook - Deep dive into practices, rituals, and reflections for honoring the dead


    If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
    Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
    Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

    🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/71163044Tue, 07 Apr 2026 18:23:38 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this episode of https://hafezdeathcare.com/podcast, I explore http://farvardinganguidebook.hafezdeathcare.com/, the ancient Iranian holiday when the fravashis (spirits of the departed) return to visit the living. This year, Farvardingan takes on...Halva for the Heart, I explore Farvardingan, the ancient Iranian holiday when the fravashis (spirits of the departed) return to visit the living. This year, Farvardingan takes on profound significance as we grapple with unprecedented levels of loss: from war on Iran and regime violence to the ongoing genocide in Palestine and personal grief. I discuss how Farvardingan becomes an act of resistance in a world that gives us almost no space to grieve, and expand our understanding of ancestry beyond blood to include the many lineages that shape and sustain us.

    In this episode, I reflect on:
    - Memory as active care, not something to "move on" from
    - Continuity between the living and the dead
    - Farvardingan as a support for us during this time of war
    - Ways to stay connected ancestors
    - Different types of ancestry beyond blood lineage (as taught to me by my teacher Holly Truhlar)

    Resources Mentioned
    🔗 Holly Truhlar's Idea of Soul Lineage - Explore ancestral connections and soul lineage work
    🎵 Dard-e Del Playlist - Curated music for grief and ancestral connection
    📖 Farvardingan Guidebook - Deep dive into practices, rituals, and reflections for honoring the dead


    If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
    Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
    Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

    🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>    1990ancestors,ancestral,ancient,diaspora,faravahar,fravashi,grief,holiday,iran,iranian,persia,persian,sorrow,war,zoroastrianfalse124fullA Meditation for Nowruz in Times of War: For Iranians in Diaspora Whose Hearts Ache for Iranhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-meditation-for-nowruz-in-times-of-war-for-iranians-in-diaspora-whose-hearts-ache-for-iran--70669918
    This meditation doesn't offer an easy answer. Instead, it invites us into the deeper purpose of our ancestral rituals, not as performances of joy, but as living technologies of transformation, continuity, and survival.

    This meditation moves through two ancient practices: Chaharshanbe Soori, the pre-New Year fire ritual, where we offer our exhaustion (zardi) to the flame and receive its red aliveness (sorkhi) in return, not just for ourselves, but on behalf of all those inside Iran carrying fear and uncertainty.

    And the haftseen sofreh, reimagined as a place to both ask for what we need, and a place to send love, strength, protection, and hope toward Iran.

    This meditation was created for Iranians in diaspora who are grieving, exhausted, and unsure how to mark a new year that arrives whether we are ready or not. If you are not Iranian, you are welcome to sit with us in solidarity.

    There is no single right way to do Nowruz this year. Maybe this meditation is all that you do to honor the holiday. And that's okay. That is enough.


    *This meditation was first offered during a live Dard-e Del session. If you're a fellow Iranian in diaspora and are looking for community spaces to hold your grief with others like you, please join us in Dard-e Del. We meet on zoom 3 times a month to support one another.

    If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
    Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
    Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

    🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>    https://api.spreaker.com/episode/70669918Mon, 16 Mar 2026 22:49:03 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this special episode of Halva for the Heart, I share a recorded Nowruz meditation for those of us in the Iranian diaspora who are holding the question so many of us are sitting with this year as we watch our homeland be harmed by bombs: Do we...
    This meditation doesn't offer an easy answer. Instead, it invites us into the deeper purpose of our ancestral rituals, not as performances of joy, but as living technologies of transformation, continuity, and survival.

    This meditation moves through two ancient practices: Chaharshanbe Soori, the pre-New Year fire ritual, where we offer our exhaustion (zardi) to the flame and receive its red aliveness (sorkhi) in return, not just for ourselves, but on behalf of all those inside Iran carrying fear and uncertainty.

    And the haftseen sofreh, reimagined as a place to both ask for what we need, and a place to send love, strength, protection, and hope toward Iran.

    This meditation was created for Iranians in diaspora who are grieving, exhausted, and unsure how to mark a new year that arrives whether we are ready or not. If you are not Iranian, you are welcome to sit with us in solidarity.

    There is no single right way to do Nowruz this year. Maybe this meditation is all that you do to honor the holiday. And that's okay. That is enough.


    *This meditation was first offered during a live Dard-e Del session. If you're a fellow Iranian in diaspora and are looking for community spaces to hold your grief with others like you, please join us in Dard-e Del. We meet on zoom 3 times a month to support one another.

    If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
    Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
    Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

    🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>    2024altar,ancestors,diaspora,grief,haftseen,haftsin,iran,iranian,meditation,newyear,norooz,nowruz,persian,ritual,sofreh,tehran,warfalse123full    Traditional Persian Medicine as Grief Care with Sahar Kaurhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/traditional-persian-medicine-as-grief-care-with-sahar-kaur--70094390Sahar Kaur, a decolonial womb educator whose work lives at the intersection of menstrual health, ancestral memory, and identity.

    We talk about how her path into womb education grew from a desire to return to grounded, lived wisdom, not spiritual trends or aesthetics, but knowledge rooted in lineage, culture, and survival. Sahar shares how Traditional Persian Medicine informs her work, and what it actually means to decolonize menstrual care: making it accessible, culturally relevant, and responsive to real lived conditions.

    We explore herbal support for menstrual cycles and grief, including gol-e gāv-zabān (borage), traditionally used to calm the nervous system and tend heartbreak. Sahar reflects on her work with displaced and refugee women, and how womb education shifts when survival, migration, and instability are part of someone’s reality.

    We close with a powerful conversation about the Kurdish serpent goddess Shahmaran (the protector, healer, and symbol of feminine wisdom) and how her mythology connects to womb space, surrender, and ancestral remembering.

    About Sahar
    Sahar is a decolonized womb health educator working at the intersection of cyclicity, identity, and ancestral memory. A daughter of ancient Elam and Bactria (early cradle civilizations of what is now Iran and Afghanistan) her work honors the womb as a site where memory, lineage, and truth are held.Through independent research in traditional Persian medicine, she is reviving ancestral menstrual wisdom and womb rituals erased by colonial history. Her work invites women — especially those from the SWANA region — to reconnect with womb health as cultural inheritance rather than aesthetic spirituality.

    In this episode, we explore...
    • Decolonizing menstrual education
    • Womb memory and ancestral identity
    • Herbal support for grief and menstrual cycles
    • Cultural reclamation in healing spaces
    • Working with displaced and refugee women
    • Kurdish Shahmaran mythology and serpent wisdom
    • Feminine surrender and embodied knowledge
    Mentioned in this episode:A note on language & inclusivity
    In this episode, we sometimes use the word “women” when talking about womb health and menstrual cycles. However, the wisdom we discuss is expansive: it applies to anyone who identifies as a womxn or femme, as well as anyone who has or has had a menstrual cycle.

    Even if that’s not your experience, traditional Persian teachings about cycles, rest, and grief offer healing insights that can support anyone. This conversation is meant to be inclusive, honoring the many ways people relate to their bodies and to this knowledge.

    Connect with Sahar
    You can find Sahar on Instagram and join her Diasp'AURA Telegram community

    Holiday Guidebooks & Community Access
    I create seasonal Iranian holiday guidebooks that explore ritual, remembrance, and ancestral practice. The Esfandegan guidebook focuses on devotion to the earth and to womxn & femmes, and honoring the Mother Earth goddess Spenta Armaiti through Iranian tradition.

    If you are a member of Dard-e Del, an online Iranian grief circle and community space I facilitate 3x a month, you receive access to all of these guidebooks free as part of your membership. The intention is to make cultural and ritual knowledge communal, as something we return to together, not practice alone.

    If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
    Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
    Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

    🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>    https://api.spreaker.com/episode/70094390Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:28:11 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this episode, I sit down with https://www.instagram.com/by.sahar.kaur/, a decolonial womb educator whose work lives at the intersection of menstrual health, ancestral memory, and identity. We talk about how her path into womb education grew from a...Sahar Kaur, a decolonial womb educator whose work lives at the intersection of menstrual health, ancestral memory, and identity.

    We talk about how her path into womb education grew from a desire to return to grounded, lived wisdom, not spiritual trends or aesthetics, but knowledge rooted in lineage, culture, and survival. Sahar shares how Traditional Persian Medicine informs her work, and what it actually means to decolonize menstrual care: making it accessible, culturally relevant, and responsive to real lived conditions.

    We explore herbal support for menstrual cycles and grief, including gol-e gāv-zabān (borage), traditionally used to calm the nervous system and tend heartbreak. Sahar reflects on her work with displaced and refugee women, and how womb education shifts when survival, migration, and instability are part of someone’s reality.

    We close with a powerful conversation about the Kurdish serpent goddess Shahmaran (the protector, healer, and symbol of feminine wisdom) and how her mythology connects to womb space, surrender, and ancestral remembering.

    About Sahar
    Sahar is a decolonized womb health educator working at the intersection of cyclicity, identity, and ancestral memory. A daughter of ancient Elam and Bactria (early cradle civilizations of what is now Iran and Afghanistan) her work honors the womb as a site where memory, lineage, and truth are held.Through independent research in traditional Persian medicine, she is reviving ancestral menstrual wisdom and womb rituals erased by colonial history. Her work invites women — especially those from the SWANA region — to reconnect with womb health as cultural inheritance rather than aesthetic spirituality.

    In this episode, we explore...
    • Decolonizing menstrual education
    • Womb memory and ancestral identity
    • Herbal support for grief and menstrual cycles
    • Cultural reclamation in healing spaces
    • Working with displaced and refugee women
    • Kurdish Shahmaran mythology and serpent wisdom
    • Feminine surrender and embodied knowledge
    Mentioned in this episode:A note on language & inclusivity
    In this episode, we sometimes use the word “women” when talking about womb health and menstrual cycles. However, the wisdom we discuss is expansive: it applies to anyone who identifies as a womxn or femme, as well as anyone who has or has had a menstrual cycle.

    Even if that’s not your experience, traditional Persian teachings about cycles, rest, and grief offer healing insights that can support anyone. This conversation is...]]>    4416ancestors,ancestral,bereavement,death,dying,grief,grieving,herbs,iran,iranian,menstrual,mourning,persian,plants,rose,saffron,shahmaran,traditionalfalse122full    Sadeh Meditation for the Martyrs: Holding Grief for Iran in the Darkest Days of Winterhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/sadeh-meditation-for-the-martyrs-holding-grief-for-iran-in-the-darkest-days-of-winter--69636535Halva for the Heart, I share a recorded grief ritual meditation offered during our recent Dard-e Del gathering for the Iranian diaspora.

    This meditation is rooted in Sadeh, the ancient midwinter fire festival that takes place on January 30, at the end of the darkest stretch of winter known as Chelleh-ye Bozorg. Traditionally, Sadeh is a night when our ancestors gathered around a great bonfire for warmth, protection, and hope during the coldest, hardest days of the year.

    This year, that darkness has felt especially heavy.

    During this meditation, we will gently and somatically honor the thousands of martyrs recently killed in Iran. We will work with flame as ancestor, witness, and companion, offering our grief to the fire and receiving strength, resilience, and warmth in return.

    This practice is created specifically for Iranians living in diaspora, who are carrying not only grief for lives lost, but also the pain of distance, disconnection, and witnessing from afar. If you are not Iranian, you are still welcome to sit with us in solidarity and remembrance.

    Please find a quiet place to rest. If you can, bring a candle. This meditation is meant to be experienced with flame 🔥


    Links:
    📘 Download the Sadeh Guidebook (sliding scale $3-33)
    ❤️‍🩹 Join us in Dard-e Del, our Iranian diaspora grief space

    If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
    Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
    Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

    🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>    https://api.spreaker.com/episode/69636535Wed, 28 Jan 2026 05:19:23 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this special episode of Halva for the Heart, I share a recorded grief ritual meditation offered during our recent https://hafezdeathcare.com/dardedel gathering for the Iranian diaspora. This meditation is rooted in...Halva for the Heart, I share a recorded grief ritual meditation offered during our recent Dard-e Del gathering for the Iranian diaspora.

    This meditation is rooted in Sadeh, the ancient midwinter fire festival that takes place on January 30, at the end of the darkest stretch of winter known as Chelleh-ye Bozorg. Traditionally, Sadeh is a night when our ancestors gathered around a great bonfire for warmth, protection, and hope during the coldest, hardest days of the year.

    This year, that darkness has felt especially heavy.

    During this meditation, we will gently and somatically honor the thousands of martyrs recently killed in Iran. We will work with flame as ancestor, witness, and companion, offering our grief to the fire and receiving strength, resilience, and warmth in return.

    This practice is created specifically for Iranians living in diaspora, who are carrying not only grief for lives lost, but also the pain of distance, disconnection, and witnessing from afar. If you are not Iranian, you are still welcome to sit with us in solidarity and remembrance.

    Please find a quiet place to rest. If you can, bring a candle. This meditation is meant to be experienced with flame 🔥


    Links:
    📘 Download the Sadeh Guidebook (sliding scale $3-33)
    ❤️‍🩹 Join us in Dard-e Del, our Iranian diaspora grief space

    If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
    Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
    Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

    🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>    1565ancestors,candle,chelleh,community,death,diaspora,dying,fire,grief,healing,iran,iranian,liberation,martyr,meditation,mourning,mythology,ritual,sadehfalse121full    Carrying Iranian Grief with Pauline Yeghnazar: Ancestral Sorrow, Diaspora Grief, and Intergenerational Healinghttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/carrying-iranian-grief-with-pauline-yeghnazar-ancestral-sorrow-diaspora-grief-and-intergenerational-healing--69488116Pauline Yeghnazar, whose work centers the emotional lives of daughters and children of immigrants. Together, we explore what happens when grief has no homeland to land in. When sorrow is inherited, rituals feel fractured, and loss lives in the body across generations.

    Pauline brings both clinical depth and lived experience to a dialogue about diaspora grief that stretches beyond individual death into land, exile, identity, culture, and the losses our parents never had the privilege to mourn.

    In this episode, we explore:
    • Watching Iran from afar and how grief lives somatically in the body
    • The terror of disconnection during the current internet shutdown in Iran
    • Ancestral longing for a homeland never fully known
    • How immigrant elders often didn’t have space or permission to grieve
    • Western grief timelines and the pathologizing of sorrow
    • How cooking and cultural practices metabolize grief through the body
    • Inviting ancestors into everyday acts of remembrance
    • Grief as something that includes laughter, presence, and connection

    Previous Halva for the Heart episodes mentioned:
    Episode 19: Knitting as Ancestral Memory
    Episode 3: Healing with My Sister


    Pauline shares powerful frameworks for daughters of immigrants navigating identity, guilt, family obligation, and inherited emotional survival patterns.

    Pauline’s offerings and resources:

    All these offerings and more can be found on Pauline's website
    And follow Pauline on Instagram


    If you're Iranian and looking for a culturally specific community space (since Pauline’s offerings serve all diasporas), you’re warmly invited to join us in Dard-e Del, our Iranian grief gathering that meets three times a month on Zoom, to be in community, witness each other, and hold what can’t be held alone.


    If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
    Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
    Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

    🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>    https://api.spreaker.com/episode/69488116Sat, 17 Jan 2026 17:19:20 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this intimate conversation, I sit down with Iranian-Armenian psychologist and therapist Pauline Yeghnazar, whose work centers the emotional lives of daughters and children of immigrants. Together, we explore what happens when grief has no homeland...Pauline Yeghnazar, whose work centers the emotional lives of daughters and children of immigrants. Together, we explore what happens when grief has no homeland to land in. When sorrow is inherited, rituals feel fractured, and loss lives in the body across generations.

    Pauline brings both clinical depth and lived experience to a dialogue about diaspora grief that stretches beyond individual death into land, exile, identity, culture, and the losses our parents never had the privilege to mourn.

    In this episode, we explore:
    • Watching Iran from afar and how grief lives somatically in the body
    • The terror of disconnection during the current internet shutdown in Iran
    • Ancestral longing for a homeland never fully known
    • How immigrant elders often didn’t have space or permission to grieve
    • Western grief timelines and the pathologizing of sorrow
    • How cooking and cultural practices metabolize grief through the body
    • Inviting ancestors into everyday acts of remembrance
    • Grief as something that includes laughter, presence, and connection

    Previous Halva for the Heart episodes mentioned:
    Episode 19: Knitting as Ancestral Memory
    Episode 3: Healing with My Sister


    Pauline shares powerful frameworks for daughters of immigrants navigating identity, guilt, family obligation, and inherited emotional survival patterns.

    Pauline’s offerings and resources:

    All these offerings and more can be found on Pauline's website
    And follow Pauline on Instagram


    If you're Iranian and looking for a culturally specific community space (since Pauline’s offerings serve all diasporas), you’re warmly invited to join us in Dard-e Del, our Iranian grief gathering that meets three times a month on Zoom, to be in community, witness each other, and hold what can’t be held alone.


    If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
    • Leave me a 90 second voice note
    • Message me on 4190ancestral,bereavement,culture,diaspora,displacement,grief,healing,homeland,immigrant,immigration,inheritance,intergenerational,iran,iranian,mourning,persian,ritual,sorrowfalse120fullKnitting as Ancestral Memory: Grief, Yarn, and Hands That Rememberhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/knitting-as-ancestral-memory-grief-yarn-and-hands-that-remember--69130605
      It happened when I had sat down to start a knitting project, but I couldn't remember how to cast on. After struggling for awhile and almost getting frustrated, something unexpected happened: my hands just knew what to do. It felt like my grandmother was moving through me, guiding me through a cast-on method I didn't remember learning. It got me thinking about yarn as memory, knitting as something our ancestors pass down, and how grief can actually live in your hands.

      This episode is about communing with your ancestors through fiber work, how your body remembers things your mind doesn't, and why knitting and stitching got written off as "just hobbies" when they're actually powerful spiritual practices.

      This episode is an invitation tp grieve through fiber, to let your ancestors teach you through your hands, and to trust that the wisdom is already there.

      In this episode, I explore:
      • Knitting as ancestral memory and embodied wisdom
      • Fiber, yarn, and cloth as grief companions
      • Why slow crafts are sites of resistance and care
      • Handwork as a way to grieve what was never taught
      • Passing down love through making, not perfection
      Invitation
      If this episode speaks to you, you’re invited to join our       Fibers of Grief circle, a monthly online gathering exploring grief through slow stitching, yarn work, and visible mending as care practices.

      🧶 January’s circle focuses on working with yarn
      🪡 February’s circle will explore visible mending

      Sign up ➡️ here

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/69130605Fri, 02 Jan 2026 16:07:15 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this intimate episode of Halva for the Heart, I share a raw voice memo I recorded two years ago, just moments after I had the experience of my hands had been taken over by my ancestors ✨ It happened when I had sat down to start a knitting project,...
      It happened when I had sat down to start a knitting project, but I couldn't remember how to cast on. After struggling for awhile and almost getting frustrated, something unexpected happened: my hands just knew what to do. It felt like my grandmother was moving through me, guiding me through a cast-on method I didn't remember learning. It got me thinking about yarn as memory, knitting as something our ancestors pass down, and how grief can actually live in your hands.

      This episode is about communing with your ancestors through fiber work, how your body remembers things your mind doesn't, and why knitting and stitching got written off as "just hobbies" when they're actually powerful spiritual practices.

      This episode is an invitation tp grieve through fiber, to let your ancestors teach you through your hands, and to trust that the wisdom is already there.

      In this episode, I explore:
      • Knitting as ancestral memory and embodied wisdom
      • Fiber, yarn, and cloth as grief companions
      • Why slow crafts are sites of resistance and care
      • Handwork as a way to grieve what was never taught
      • Passing down love through making, not perfection
      Invitation
      If this episode speaks to you, you’re invited to join our Fibers of Grief circle, a monthly online gathering exploring grief through slow stitching, yarn work, and visible mending as care practices.

      🧶 January’s circle focuses on working with yarn
      🪡 February’s circle will explore visible mending

      Sign up ➡️ here

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      1909ancestors,ancestral,ancestralgrief,ancestralwisdom,bereavement,craft,fiberarts,grief,griefritual,grieving,knit,knitting,mourning,mourningritual,needlecraft,yarnfalse119fullCelebrating Yalda with Shahmaran: Winter Solstice, Grief, and Liberation in the Iranian Diasporahttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/celebrating-yalda-with-shahmaran-winter-solstice-grief-and-liberation-in-the-iranian-diaspora--69110793Halva for the Heart, I turn toward Shab-e Yalda, the ancient Iranian winter solstice holiday, and reflect on what it offers us as people living, grieving, and resisting in diaspora. I explore Yalda as a collective vigil through the longest night of the year, and how it initiates Chelleh-ye Bozorg: the 40 coldest, darkest days that mirror grief cycles, mourning traditions, and the necessity of communal care. Through the mythology of Shahmaran, the Kurdish queen of serpents, I reflect on winter as a sacred time for collapse, inner death work, and transformation personally, collectively, and politically.

      In this episode, you’ll hear:
      • what Shab-e Yalda and Chelleh-ye Bozorg teach us about grief and survival
      • how Yalda functions as a vigil and a form of ancestral death work
      • why Shahmaran’s underground cavern mirrors the womb/tomb space of grief
      • how Iranian mourning traditions align with seasonal cycles
      • why rest, collapse, and community care are essential for sustainable liberation
      • how Yalda invites solidarity, hope, and resistance in dark times


      🌑 This episode is an invitation to soften into the darkness, gather in community, and trust that the sun—and liberation—will return.

      Links:
      📘 Shab-e Yalda Guidebook
      🐍 The Omi Collective’s Shahmaran Azadi Zine & Talisman
      ❤️‍🩹 Join us in Dard-e Del
      🗝️ Narinder Bazen's concept of Inner-Facing Death Work

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      https://api.spreaker.com/episode/69110793Thu, 18 Dec 2025 04:32:09 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this episode of Halva for the Heart, I turn toward Shab-e Yalda, the ancient Iranian winter solstice holiday, and reflect on what it offers us as people living, grieving, and resisting in diaspora. I explore Yalda as a collective vigil through the...Halva for the Heart, I turn toward Shab-e Yalda, the ancient Iranian winter solstice holiday, and reflect on what it offers us as people living, grieving, and resisting in diaspora. I explore Yalda as a collective vigil through the longest night of the year, and how it initiates Chelleh-ye Bozorg: the 40 coldest, darkest days that mirror grief cycles, mourning traditions, and the necessity of communal care. Through the mythology of Shahmaran, the Kurdish queen of serpents, I reflect on winter as a sacred time for collapse, inner death work, and transformation personally, collectively, and politically.

      In this episode, you’ll hear:
      • what Shab-e Yalda and Chelleh-ye Bozorg teach us about grief and survival
      • how Yalda functions as a vigil and a form of ancestral death work
      • why Shahmaran’s underground cavern mirrors the womb/tomb space of grief
      • how Iranian mourning traditions align with seasonal cycles
      • why rest, collapse, and community care are essential for sustainable liberation
      • how Yalda invites solidarity, hope, and resistance in dark times


      🌑 This episode is an invitation to soften into the darkness, gather in community, and trust that the sun—and liberation—will return.

      Links:
      📘 Shab-e Yalda Guidebook
      🐍 The Omi Collective’s Shahmaran Azadi Zine & Talisman
      ❤️‍🩹 Join us in Dard-e Del
      🗝️ Narinder Bazen's concept of Inner-Facing Death Work

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      2127collectivegrief,collectiveliberation,death,deathwork,diaspora,dying,grief,iran,iranian,iraniandiaspora,mourning,persian,restasresistance,shabeyalda,shahmaran,swana,wintering,wintersolstice,yaldafalse118full      What is a Death Doula & Why might you work with one?https://www.spreaker.com/episode/what-is-a-death-doula-why-might-you-work-with-one--68829308Halva for the Heart, I talk through a question I’m asked all the time: What exactly does a death doula do?

      I share how death work isn’t only for people at the very end of life, it’s for anyone navigating mortality, grief, fear, or the desire to meet death with more intention and clarity. I walk through the many roles a death doula can hold: educator, advocate, companion, household support, vigil-sitter, home funeral guide, advance directive facilitator, and someone who brings ancestral, community-rooted care back to the bedside. I also speak about the long history of this work, how it existed for millennia before the medical system claimed the dying process, and why reclaiming these roles matters.

      Throughout the conversation, I keep returning to one truth: death doulas are an ancient role with a modern title.

      In this episode, I cover:
      • What a death doula is and the many roles we hold
      • Why death care is for everyone, not just the actively dying
      • The ancient history of community death care
      • How death doulas can advocate for your wishes at the end of life
      • Options like home funerals, body care, and spending time with loved ones after death


      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      https://api.spreaker.com/episode/68829308Wed, 03 Dec 2025 05:24:29 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this episode of Halva for the Heart, I talk through a question I’m asked all the time: What exactly does a death doula do? I share how death work isn’t only for people at the very end of life, it’s for anyone navigating mortality, grief, fear, or...Halva for the Heart, I talk through a question I’m asked all the time: What exactly does a death doula do?

      I share how death work isn’t only for people at the very end of life, it’s for anyone navigating mortality, grief, fear, or the desire to meet death with more intention and clarity. I walk through the many roles a death doula can hold: educator, advocate, companion, household support, vigil-sitter, home funeral guide, advance directive facilitator, and someone who brings ancestral, community-rooted care back to the bedside. I also speak about the long history of this work, how it existed for millennia before the medical system claimed the dying process, and why reclaiming these roles matters.

      Throughout the conversation, I keep returning to one truth: death doulas are an ancient role with a modern title.

      In this episode, I cover:
      • What a death doula is and the many roles we hold
      • Why death care is for everyone, not just the actively dying
      • The ancient history of community death care
      • How death doulas can advocate for your wishes at the end of life
      • Options like home funerals, body care, and spending time with loved ones after death


      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      2023bereavement,burial,cremation,death,deathdoula,doula,dying,endoflife,funeral,greenburial,grief,grieving,healing,homefuneral,hospice,midwife,mourningfalse117full      The Loneliness of Diaspora Grief: Remembering Bloody Abanhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-loneliness-of-diaspora-grief-remembering-bloody-aban--68649876Halva for the Heart, I reflect on Bloody Aban - the brutal massacre that killed over 1500 Iranian protestors in November of 2019 - and what it means to grieve this atrocity from diaspora six years later. I revisit the fear and confusion of those five days in 2019 when Iran’s internet was shut down, hundreds were killed, and many of us outside the country were feeling utterly alone in our grief. I also share the stories of five martyrs in particular, honoring their lives and the unbearable cost of state violence. 

      In this episode, you’ll hear:
      • what made Bloody Aban feel so isolating for Iranians in diaspora
      • how Western media silence and orientalism shaped whose suffering was acknowledged and whose wasn’t
      • why the grief of Bloody Aban hardened in our bodies differently than other collective traumas
      • the privilege (and responsibility) of diaspora safety, and what it makes possible in our healing
      • why some grief (like that of Bloody Aban) may take years before we feel ready to face it
      🌹 This episode is an invitation to turn toward this grief gently with spaciousness, honesty, and compassion for where we each are in our process.

      Links:
      📘 Abangan Guidebook for Ancestral Reclamation
      🗺️ Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran’s Map of Protestor Suppression
      ❤️‍🩹 Join us in Dard-e Del

      The five martyrs honored in this episode:
      🥀 Mohammad Dastankhah: Born in 2004, in Shiraz
      🥀 Mina Sheikhi: Born in Kurdistan, lived in Tehran
      🥀 Mohsen Mohammadpur: Born in 2002, in Khuzestan
      🥀 Puya Bakhtiari: Born in 1992, in Karaj
      🥀 Farzad Ansarifar: Born in 1992, in Khuzestan 

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      https://api.spreaker.com/episode/68649876Thu, 20 Nov 2025 04:41:09 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this episode of Halva for the Heart, I reflect on Bloody Aban - the brutal massacre that killed over 1500 Iranian protestors in November of 2019 - and what it means to grieve this atrocity from diaspora six years later. I revisit the fear and...Halva for the Heart, I reflect on Bloody Aban - the brutal massacre that killed over 1500 Iranian protestors in November of 2019 - and what it means to grieve this atrocity from diaspora six years later. I revisit the fear and confusion of those five days in 2019 when Iran’s internet was shut down, hundreds were killed, and many of us outside the country were feeling utterly alone in our grief. I also share the stories of five martyrs in particular, honoring their lives and the unbearable cost of state violence. 

      In this episode, you’ll hear:
      • what made Bloody Aban feel so isolating for Iranians in diaspora
      • how Western media silence and orientalism shaped whose suffering was acknowledged and whose wasn’t
      • why the grief of Bloody Aban hardened in our bodies differently than other collective traumas
      • the privilege (and responsibility) of diaspora safety, and what it makes possible in our healing
      • why some grief (like that of Bloody Aban) may take years before we feel ready to face it
      🌹 This episode is an invitation to turn toward this grief gently with spaciousness, honesty, and compassion for where we each are in our process.

      Links:
      📘 Abangan Guidebook for Ancestral Reclamation
      🗺️ Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran’s Map of Protestor Suppression
      ❤️‍🩹 Join us in Dard-e Del

      The five martyrs honored in this episode:
      🥀 Mohammad Dastankhah: Born in 2004, in Shiraz
      🥀 Mina Sheikhi: Born in Kurdistan, lived in Tehran
      🥀 Mohsen Mohammadpur: Born in 2002, in Khuzestan
      🥀 Puya Bakhtiari: Born in 1992, in Karaj
      🥀 Farzad Ansarifar: Born in 1992, in Khuzestan 

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      2696aban,diaspora,diasporic,executions,grief,grieving,iran,iranian,mourning,persian,protestors,stateviolence,tehranfalse116full      Fibers of Grief: Knitting & Sewing as Grief Carehttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/fibers-of-grief-knitting-sewing-as-grief-care--68408876Halva for the Heart, I reflect on the ancient connection between fiber arts and grief care. From slow stitching and mending to knitting and quilting, I explore how our hands hold ancestral wisdom, how the rhythmic, tactile act of making with thread can help us process what our minds cannot.

      This episode weaves together:
      • reflections on fiber arts as embodied grief care, from quilting to visible mending
      • the story of Elizabeth Roseberry Mitchell’s Graveyard Quilt and other memorial textiles
      • how knitting, crochet, and yarn wrapping can become rituals of remembrance and release
      • my personal story about returning to knitting in grief, and the healing power of communal making
      ✨ Join the next Fibers of Grief gathering or download the free Slow Stitching with Grief guidebook


      Links:

      🧶 Fibers of Grief: online gathering every first Thursday of the month
      📘 Free Guidebook: Slow Stitching with Grief
      🧵 Melissa Word's Grief Threads
      🪦 Elizabeth Roseberry Mitchell’s Graveyard Quilt
      🏳️‍🌈 AIDS Memorial Quilt
      🕊️ Stitch Their Names Together: honoring Palestinians killed in Gaza
      🪡 Craftivist Collective

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      https://api.spreaker.com/episode/68408876Tue, 04 Nov 2025 05:29:57 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this solo episode of Halva for the Heart, I reflect on the ancient connection between fiber arts and grief care. From slow stitching and mending to knitting and quilting, I explore how our hands hold ancestral wisdom, how the rhythmic, tactile act...Halva for the Heart, I reflect on the ancient connection between fiber arts and grief care. From slow stitching and mending to knitting and quilting, I explore how our hands hold ancestral wisdom, how the rhythmic, tactile act of making with thread can help us process what our minds cannot.

      This episode weaves together:
      • reflections on fiber arts as embodied grief care, from quilting to visible mending
      • the story of Elizabeth Roseberry Mitchell’s Graveyard Quilt and other memorial textiles
      • how knitting, crochet, and yarn wrapping can become rituals of remembrance and release
      • my personal story about returning to knitting in grief, and the healing power of communal making
      ✨ Join the next Fibers of Grief gathering or download the free Slow Stitching with Grief guidebook


      Links:

      🧶 Fibers of Grief: online gathering every first Thursday of the month
      📘 Free Guidebook: Slow Stitching with Grief
      🧵 Melissa Word's Grief Threads
      🪦 Elizabeth Roseberry Mitchell’s Graveyard Quilt
      🏳️‍🌈 AIDS Memorial Quilt
      🕊️ Stitch Their Names Together: honoring Palestinians killed in Gaza
      🪡 Craftivist Collective

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      1761bereavement,crochet,fabric,grief,grieving,knit,knitting,loss,mourning,needle,quilt,quilting,sew,sewing,textile,thread,yarnfalse115full      Creative Grief and Ritual Care with Yarrow Magdalenahttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/creative-grief-and-ritual-care-with-yarrow-magdalena--68247707
      Together, we share what it means to tend to grief through handmade practices using thread, cloth, and ritual, and how creativity can become a sacred space for healing.

      In this episode, we explore:
      • How Yarrow came to death work before experiencing major personal loss, and how their practice has deepened since their mother’s passing
      • The similarities and differences between various types of shock and grief — from a life-changing accident to sudden loss
      • The powerful practice of creating memorial quilts using loved ones’ textiles and clothing
      • Why hand-stitching and textile work can be such healing practices during grief
      • The importance of naming our identities, and how different aspects of who we are carry their own grief
      • Practical ways to be an activist for folks who are disabled, living remotely, or have limited capacity
      • Simple rituals that help, like creating a physical grief space in your home or working with tarot
      Yarrow also shares touching memories of their mother Marina, the gift of their last goodbye, and how they balance running two podcasts (Grief Glimmers and The Kind Business Podcast) while honoring their own grief journey.

      Be sure to head over to Grief Glimmers to listen to my episode on Yarrow's podcast.

      Find Yarrow’s work at glimmerportal.com and pinkwellstudio.com.

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      https://api.spreaker.com/episode/68247707Thu, 23 Oct 2025 02:30:04 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this heartfelt conversation, I sit down with Yarrow Magdalena, a maker, writer, and grief companion living on the east coast of Scotland. Yarrow shares their journey into death work, from training as a death doula in 2019 to navigating profound...
      Together, we share what it means to tend to grief through handmade practices using thread, cloth, and ritual, and how creativity can become a sacred space for healing.

      In this episode, we explore:
      • How Yarrow came to death work before experiencing major personal loss, and how their practice has deepened since their mother’s passing
      • The similarities and differences between various types of shock and grief — from a life-changing accident to sudden loss
      • The powerful practice of creating memorial quilts using loved ones’ textiles and clothing
      • Why hand-stitching and textile work can be such healing practices during grief
      • The importance of naming our identities, and how different aspects of who we are carry their own grief
      • Practical ways to be an activist for folks who are disabled, living remotely, or have limited capacity
      • Simple rituals that help, like creating a physical grief space in your home or working with tarot
      Yarrow also shares touching memories of their mother Marina, the gift of their last goodbye, and how they balance running two podcasts (Grief Glimmers and The Kind Business Podcast) while honoring their own grief journey.

      Be sure to head over to Grief Glimmers to listen to my episode on Yarrow's podcast.

      Find Yarrow’s work at glimmerportal.com and pinkwellstudio.com.

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      3157creative,death,deathdoula,doula,grief,grieving,handcraft,healing,memorialquilt,mourning,neurodivergence,quilting,remembrance,ritual,rituals,slow,textilefalse114full      Mehregan: The Iranian Holiday of Harvest and Justicehttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/mehregan-the-iranian-holiday-of-harvest-and-justice--68040856Halva for the Heart, I invite you into the ancient Iranian holiday of Mehregan - a celebration of light, justice, truth, and friendship.

      I share the mythic story of Kaveh the Blacksmith and Fereydoon’s uprising against the tyrant Zahhak as told in the Shahnameh, and reflect on what these ancestral teachings offer us today: how we resist tyranny, anchor ourselves in community, and transform our grief into courage.

      I also speak about the upcoming Palestine Grief Circle on October 10th, a virtual space I’m co-facilitating with my friend Shivani (listen to my interview with them in episode 8). This donation-based offering is a way to honor our shared grief and fight for collective liberation, and to remember Mithra as the honored god of Mehregan and the guardian of truth and justice, and allow him to guide us in standing for what is sacred.
      👉 Join the Palestine Grief Circle

      Throughout the episode, I share ways you can celebrate Mehregan from wherever you are: creating a sofreh or altar, honoring the changing light, and tending the threads that bind justice, grief, and love.

      In this episode, I reflect on:
      • The mythology of Mithra, Kaveh, Fereydoon, and Zahhak
      • How Mehregan invites us to act for justice and truth
      • The connection between grief work and liberation
      • Simple seasonal and altar practices for Mehregan
      If you'd like to go deeper with the themes of Mehregan, I invite you to download the Mehregan Guidebook or join us in Dard-e Del.
      👉 Note: The Mehregan Guidebook is free for Dard-e Del members

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      https://api.spreaker.com/episode/68040856Tue, 07 Oct 2025 04:40:21 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this episode of Halva for the Heart, I invite you into the ancient Iranian holiday of https://payhip.com/b/4jpMQ - a celebration of light, justice, truth, and friendship. I share the mythic story of Kaveh the Blacksmith and Fereydoon’s uprising...Halva for the Heart, I invite you into the ancient Iranian holiday of Mehregan - a celebration of light, justice, truth, and friendship.

      I share the mythic story of Kaveh the Blacksmith and Fereydoon’s uprising against the tyrant Zahhak as told in the Shahnameh, and reflect on what these ancestral teachings offer us today: how we resist tyranny, anchor ourselves in community, and transform our grief into courage.

      I also speak about the upcoming Palestine Grief Circle on October 10th, a virtual space I’m co-facilitating with my friend Shivani (listen to my interview with them in episode 8). This donation-based offering is a way to honor our shared grief and fight for collective liberation, and to remember Mithra as the honored god of Mehregan and the guardian of truth and justice, and allow him to guide us in standing for what is sacred.
      👉 Join the Palestine Grief Circle

      Throughout the episode, I share ways you can celebrate Mehregan from wherever you are: creating a sofreh or altar, honoring the changing light, and tending the threads that bind justice, grief, and love.

      In this episode, I reflect on:
      • The mythology of Mithra, Kaveh, Fereydoon, and Zahhak
      • How Mehregan invites us to act for justice and truth
      • The connection between grief work and liberation
      • Simple seasonal and altar practices for Mehregan
      If you'd like to go deeper with the themes of Mehregan, I invite you to download the Mehregan Guidebook or join us in Dard-e Del.
      👉 Note: The Mehregan Guidebook is free for Dard-e Del members

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      2229activism,diaspora,grief,harvest,holiday,iran,iranian,justice,mehregan,persian,zoroastrianfalse113full      An Interview with Woman Life Freedomhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/an-interview-with-woman-life-freedom--67806439
      In my work as a death doula, I guide people at the end of their lives through a process called a Life Review: reflecting on unfinished business, regrets, accomplishments, and hopes for what comes next. In this episode, I bring that same practice to a cultural scale, sitting with the Woman Life Freedom movement as if she were a dying person—asking  her the questions I would ask someone nearing the end of their life and imagining how she might respond.

      This episode is both reflection and an invitation to honor the grief and legacy of Woman Life Freedom, and to consider how we carry her memory forward in Iran, in diaspora, and in ongoing movements for liberation around the world.

      If you're Iranian in diaspora and looking for community, joi us in Dard-e Del ❤️‍🩹

       📸 Cover image by Laura Acquaviva

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      https://api.spreaker.com/episode/67806439Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:03:37 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareThree years have passed since the Woman Life Freedom uprising erupted in Iran with the death of Jina (Mahsa) Amini. As an Iranian in diaspora, this movement changed me—it filled me with so much hope, and it also left me with heavy grief that I still...
      In my work as a death doula, I guide people at the end of their lives through a process called a Life Review: reflecting on unfinished business, regrets, accomplishments, and hopes for what comes next. In this episode, I bring that same practice to a cultural scale, sitting with the Woman Life Freedom movement as if she were a dying person—asking  her the questions I would ask someone nearing the end of their life and imagining how she might respond.

      This episode is both reflection and an invitation to honor the grief and legacy of Woman Life Freedom, and to consider how we carry her memory forward in Iran, in diaspora, and in ongoing movements for liberation around the world.

      If you're Iranian in diaspora and looking for community, joi us in Dard-e Del ❤️‍🩹

       📸 Cover image by Laura Acquaviva

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      1580azadi,diaspora,freedom,grief,iran,iranian,jinjiyanazadi,liberation,life,persian,womanlifefreedom,zanzendegiazadifalse112full      Longing for Homelandhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/longing-for-homeland--67641413Halva for the Heart, I share some tender reflections about home, homeland, and the grief of not quite belonging anywhere. After nearly ten years in Korea, I’ve realized I will always be a guest here—and that realization has stirred up so many questions for me: If not here, then where? What does it mean to feel at home in my body? What does it mean to be a settler on Turtle Island? And can I still call Iran my homeland if I’ve never truly known its land?

      Throught the episode, I read from Stephen Jenkinson’s Die Wise and talk about how his words opened up new ways of thinking about home, land, and obligation. I also share stories from grief circles and community conversations, where we explore how food, seeds, and even longing itself can be ways of being in relationship with the land we come from.

      If you’ve ever wrestled with homesickness, with the ache of displacement, or with the question of how to pass something on to the next generation—you’re not alone. This episode is me sitting with all of that, out loud.

      Mentioned in this episode:

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      https://api.spreaker.com/episode/67641413Fri, 05 Sep 2025 07:07:56 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this episode of Halva for the Heart, I share some tender reflections about home, homeland, and the grief of not quite belonging anywhere. After nearly ten years in Korea, I’ve realized I will always be a guest here—and that realization has stirred...Halva for the Heart, I share some tender reflections about home, homeland, and the grief of not quite belonging anywhere. After nearly ten years in Korea, I’ve realized I will always be a guest here—and that realization has stirred up so many questions for me: If not here, then where? What does it mean to feel at home in my body? What does it mean to be a settler on Turtle Island? And can I still call Iran my homeland if I’ve never truly known its land?

      Throught the episode, I read from Stephen Jenkinson’s Die Wise and talk about how his words opened up new ways of thinking about home, land, and obligation. I also share stories from grief circles and community conversations, where we explore how food, seeds, and even longing itself can be ways of being in relationship with the land we come from.

      If you’ve ever wrestled with homesickness, with the ache of displacement, or with the question of how to pass something on to the next generation—you’re not alone. This episode is me sitting with all of that, out loud.

      Mentioned in this episode:

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      2584belonging,diaspora,displacement,grief,home,homeland,homesickness,indigenous,iran,iranian,longingfalse111full      Playfulness of Grief: Letting your inner child leadhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/playfulness-of-grief-letting-your-inner-child-lead--67525790Halva for the Heart, we explore a radically different approach to grief—one that invites your inner child to lead the way. I share how my own grief has shown up in playful ways—like dancing with the memory of my mother—and offer an invitation for you to imagine your grief as a childhood friend asking you out on a “play date.”

      If you’ve ever longed for a lighter, more curious way to be in relationship with loss, this episode offers a gentle doorway into play, wonder, and childlike connection with your grief.

      Upcoming events
      In Seoul: Poetic Play Grief Ritual with Mallory Dowd on September 7
      Register at https://ritual.hafezdeathcare.com

      Online: Fibers of Grief every first Thursday of the month
      Register at https://fibers.hafezdeathcare.com 

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      https://api.spreaker.com/episode/67525790Wed, 27 Aug 2025 04:58:43 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this episode of Halva for the Heart, we explore a radically different approach to grief—one that invites your inner child to lead the way. I share how my own grief has shown up in playful ways—like dancing with the memory of my mother—and offer an...Halva for the Heart, we explore a radically different approach to grief—one that invites your inner child to lead the way. I share how my own grief has shown up in playful ways—like dancing with the memory of my mother—and offer an invitation for you to imagine your grief as a childhood friend asking you out on a “play date.”

      If you’ve ever longed for a lighter, more curious way to be in relationship with loss, this episode offers a gentle doorway into play, wonder, and childlike connection with your grief.

      Upcoming events
      In Seoul: Poetic Play Grief Ritual with Mallory Dowd on September 7
      Register at https://ritual.hafezdeathcare.com

      Online: Fibers of Grief every first Thursday of the month
      Register at https://fibers.hafezdeathcare.com 

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      1345childhood,grief,ifs,innerchild,partswork,playfalse110full      Navigating Afghan Diaspora Identity with Mina Sharifhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/navigating-afghan-diaspora-identity-with-mina-sharif--67186193Halva for the Heart, I am thrilled to be interviewing Afghan-Canadian author Mina Sharif.

      Mina spent 15 years living and working in Kabul, Afghanistan. She’s the author of Your War, Our Lives, a short story collection that brings heart, humor, and nuance to everyday life in Afghanistan during the international occupation. Through her work, she shares the quieter, more human sides of conflict, and what it means to belong to more than one place at once. 

      In this conversation, Mina and I speak about her new book (comes out August 1, 2025!), the diasporic experience, and how fully embody your heritage identity, even if others say you "don't count".

      You can purchase Your War, Our Lives ar Mina's website: www.minasharif.com
      And follow Mina on Instagram

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      https://api.spreaker.com/episode/67186193Wed, 30 Jul 2025 08:20:08 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareOn this episode of Halva for the Heart, I am thrilled to be interviewing Afghan-Canadian author Mina Sharif. Mina spent 15 years living and working in Kabul, Afghanistan. She’s the author of Your War, Our Lives, a short story collection that brings...Halva for the Heart, I am thrilled to be interviewing Afghan-Canadian author Mina Sharif.

      Mina spent 15 years living and working in Kabul, Afghanistan. She’s the author of Your War, Our Lives, a short story collection that brings heart, humor, and nuance to everyday life in Afghanistan during the international occupation. Through her work, she shares the quieter, more human sides of conflict, and what it means to belong to more than one place at once. 

      In this conversation, Mina and I speak about her new book (comes out August 1, 2025!), the diasporic experience, and how fully embody your heritage identity, even if others say you "don't count".

      You can purchase Your War, Our Lives ar Mina's website: www.minasharif.com
      And follow Mina on Instagram

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      4316afghan,afghanistan,diaspora,grief,heritage,homeland,identity,occupation,warfalse19full      Ancestral Wisdom with Shivanihttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ancestral-wisdom-with-shivani--67083005
      In this conversation, Shivani and I speak about surrendering to the wisdom of our ancestors and allowing them to guide our death work. We also discuss magic of grandmthers and great-grandmothers, and how we stay connected to our ancestral homelands while having grown up in the US.

      You can connect with Shivani Narang on their website and on Instagram @deathworkwithshiv
      Also follow their new podcast series @of.sweetness.and.spirit

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      https://api.spreaker.com/episode/67083005Wed, 23 Jul 2025 07:56:56 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareOn this episode of Halva for the Heart, I am joined by my friend and fellow death doula Shivani Narang. Shivani is a death worker, a grief worker, and a postpartum, abortion, and post-abortion doula who is deeply connected to their ancestors. Their...
      In this conversation, Shivani and I speak about surrendering to the wisdom of our ancestors and allowing them to guide our death work. We also discuss magic of grandmthers and great-grandmothers, and how we stay connected to our ancestral homelands while having grown up in the US.

      You can connect with Shivani Narang on their website and on Instagram @deathworkwithshiv
      Also follow their new podcast series @of.sweetness.and.spirit

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      3283ancestors,ancestral,death,deathdoua,diaspora,grief,homeland,lossfalse18full      Meditation for the Iranian Diasporahttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/meditation-for-the-iranian-diaspora--66737139
      Since Israel's attack on.Iran, many Iranians—myself included—have been struggling with emotional overwhelm, fear, grief, and dissociation. In response, I’ve been hosting grief support spaces for Iranians, and this meditation emerged from those gatherings.

      Rooted in the teachings of Valerie Kaur, Holly Truhlar, and my death midwifery mentor Narinder Bazen, this episode is a somatic, ancestral, and heart-centered meditation practice. Please find a quiet, comfortable place to rest. Bring your grief, your tenderness, your longing. It's all welcome here. 

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      3236a366-5114-4df6-9762-b41e43ffb9c2Wed, 25 Jun 2025 09:21:55 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this special episode of Halva for the Heart, I offer a guided meditation created specifically for the Iranian diaspora. Since Israel's attack on.Iran, many Iranians—myself included—have been struggling with emotional overwhelm, fear, grief, and...
      Since Israel's attack on.Iran, many Iranians—myself included—have been struggling with emotional overwhelm, fear, grief, and dissociation. In response, I’ve been hosting grief support spaces for Iranians, and this meditation emerged from those gatherings.

      Rooted in the teachings of Valerie Kaur, Holly Truhlar, and my death midwifery mentor Narinder Bazen, this episode is a somatic, ancestral, and heart-centered meditation practice. Please find a quiet, comfortable place to rest. Bring your grief, your tenderness, your longing. It's all welcome here. 

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      1311false17full      Being a Death Doula in a Time of Warhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/being-a-death-doula-in-a-time-of-war--66621237
      If you're Iranian, join us for Dard-e Del three times a month. Learn more and signup here. Let us support each other 🫂

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      b114992b-ca01-418e-b4c2-c8e45c9c419eThu, 19 Jun 2025 06:21:28 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this episode, I discuss the recent Israeli bombings happening throughout Iran and how my work as an Iranian-American death doula can help me support my community in this moment. If you're Iranian, join us for Dard-e Del three times a month. Learn...
      If you're Iranian, join us for Dard-e Del three times a month. Learn more and signup here. Let us support each other 🫂

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      1882false16full      The Politics of Death & Griefhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-politics-of-death-grief--66505188

      ❤️‍🩹 Cover image is Palestinian docter Dr. Alaa Al Najjar whose nine children were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      9005ccd8-a514-4c2c-b3bd-52e8535cfc4fWed, 11 Jun 2025 09:03:27 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareDeath and grief are deeply political, especially during this moment in history. Listen as I discuss how turning towards our grief and deepening our death work can help us as we live through this time of collapse. ❤️‍🩹 Cover image is Palestinian...

      ❤️‍🩹 Cover image is Palestinian docter Dr. Alaa Al Najjar whose nine children were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      1788false15full      Poetry and Grief with Mallory Dowdhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/poetry-and-grief-with-mallory-dowd--66288806
      Content Warning for discussions about grief from a loss by suicide.

      Get in touch with Mallory on Instagram @mallorydowd or through her website www.mallorydowd.com

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      0566cfb2-b86c-4c1f-acb7-5597c7c9da1dTue, 27 May 2025 02:13:03 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this episode, I'm joined by my friend Mallory Dowd. She is a clinical therapist, intuitive tarot reader, and art witch based in Seoul. Together, we will be hosting a community grief circle soon and I wanted to bring her on the podcast to talk about...
      Content Warning for discussions about grief from a loss by suicide.

      Get in touch with Mallory on Instagram @mallorydowd or through her website www.mallorydowd.com

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      5218false14full      Healing with my Sisterhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/healing-with-my-sister--66127486
      We sat down to record this episode while she was visiting me in Korea with the simple topic of "Let's talk about our grief". I didn't know what to expect because we had never really spoken about our grief together before, but recording this episode brought us so much closer to one another.

      If you have any strained relationships in your life, I hope this brings you some hope and healing 🌹

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      ee43db59-3e31-4b48-8567-97642753af59Sat, 17 May 2025 05:09:10 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareThis episode is all about my sister and our relationship. How we've finally found reconciliation after so many years of guilt and resentment from how we each handled our mom's death. We sat down to record this episode while she was visiting me in...
      We sat down to record this episode while she was visiting me in Korea with the simple topic of "Let's talk about our grief". I didn't know what to expect because we had never really spoken about our grief together before, but recording this episode brought us so much closer to one another.

      If you have any strained relationships in your life, I hope this brings you some hope and healing 🌹

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      4568false13full      The Origins of my Deathworkhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-origins-of-my-deathwork--65777532● what drew me to deathwork
      ● when I first encountered the term 'death doula'
      ● why I named my podcast 'Halva for the Heart'

      Have some tissues ready for this one! I was in tears recording it 💙

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      420fefda-03d4-45ce-8393-ddac81067152Mon, 28 Apr 2025 07:57:29 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareIn this episode, you'll hear about: ● what drew me to deathwork ● when I first encountered the term 'death doula' ● why I named my podcast 'Halva for the Heart' Have some tissues ready for this one! I was in tears recording it 💙● what drew me to deathwork
      ● when I first encountered the term 'death doula'
      ● why I named my podcast 'Halva for the Heart'

      Have some tissues ready for this one! I was in tears recording it 💙

      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      2275false12full      Walking with Grief to Build a Liberated Futurehttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/walking-with-grief-to-build-a-liberated-future--65587857Halva for the Heart! We're kicking things off with an episode about a Grief Walk event I'll be hosting for Annual Grief-in-Public Day, and why the act of walking is so valuable for grief care.

      Plus, I discuss a bit about why community grief care is so important to me and the world I'm trying to help build.



      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      2f5d1c10-7b8d-47ca-a20c-8ab6729cc936Tue, 15 Apr 2025 11:25:03 +0000Misha | Hafez Death CareWelcome to the very first episode of Halva for the Heart! We're kicking things off with an episode about a Grief Walk event I'll be hosting for Annual Grief-in-Public Day, and why the act of walking is so valuable for grief care. Plus, I discuss a...Halva for the Heart! We're kicking things off with an episode about a Grief Walk event I'll be hosting for Annual Grief-in-Public Day, and why the act of walking is so valuable for grief care.

      Plus, I discuss a bit about why community grief care is so important to me and the world I'm trying to help build.



      If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
      Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
      Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

      🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân ]]>      1294false11full