about
ABOUT THE PODCAST
In April 2019 at the age of 30, Brooke James lost her father to cancer. Brooke immediately searched for resources that respected the gravity and spectrum of emotions in her grieving process that also offered concrete support for the real-life implications and logistics around end-of-life. She was stunned to discover a mostly unapproachable or “woo woo” effort that left her feeling isolated and alone. As an avid believer in research and resources, Brooke launched “The Grief Coach” podcast geared toward millennials to fill the emotional and practical voids in the grief space.
The Grief Coach provides a leading new voice on grief covering everything from the practical (ex. how to talk to your parents about their wills; what to say to someone who is grieving; the cost of dying) to the emotional (ex. how to deal with grief on social media; how to bring up a loss while dating, how the grief process differs between a sudden and expected death; grief after losing mobility; how practitioners in the medical field felt grief during the pandemic). Interviewing guests such as innovators in funeral arrangements, spiritual leaders, therapists, authors and grievers themselves, Brooke has created a space she needed but could not find—one that respects profound loss and the practicality of needing to make decisions in heartbreak.
Most of Brooke’s friends were at a loss as to how to support her through this difficult life transition, due to the taboo nature of grief in our society. Brooke hopes that through modeling tough conversations and exposing the complicated world of grief and end-of-life logistics, both the grievers and the grief adjacent will be better equipped to talk about loss.
The Grief Coach Podcast’s 175+ episodes feature a diversity of the grief experience and enjoys an ever-growing audience in 100+ countries with more than 100K downloads. The podcast has been featured in The New York Times, Amazon Care’s newsletter, the GW Alumni blog, and more. The Wave named Brooke a podcaster to watch in 2020. Press and media can be found here.
meet brooke
Brooke James is a highly respected podcaster in the field of grief and loss based in New York City. She is a sought-out grief educator who consults with companies and organizations seeking to create empathetic and supportive work environments, particularly during this time of unprecedented loss. She works in financial services. Brooke holds a B.A. in Economics from The George Washington University.
Brooke is passionate about arts and public programming in New York. She previously served on the Steering Committee of the Lincoln Center Young Patrons as co-chair of the Development Committee and is currently an active member of the MoMA Junior Associates, New York Public Library’s Young Lions and the Jewish Museum Young Patron Leadership Circle. As one of the many people that have been affected by cancer, Brooke is highly involved in fundraising for the advancement of cancer research and treatment. Brooke participates in Memorial Sloan Kettering’s fundraiser for rare cancer research and has personally raised over $30,000 since 2018. Currently, she is fundraising for cancer research, if you are interested in making a donation, click here.
In her spare time, she likes to spend time with friends and family, try new restaurants and recipes, go to museums, and is an avid reader.