I had the honor of being interviewed by Paul Dolman on his show, "What Matters Most." October is #DepressionAwarenessMonth. I invite you to listen in, hear my story, my mission & through my latest book, "Beneath the Surface", learn the warning signs of depression and the tools to cope. THE SHOW: What a heartbreaking yet inspiring conversation with Kristi Hugstad (find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) on the loss of her husband Bill through suicide and her conscious choice to make...

It was an honor to have Scott Sargeant on my show today. I am so proud of him to have the courage to face and share his truth! He'll have a big impact on the fight to abolish the stigma of mental illness. His story is so compelling and has a powerful message of hope! He seemed to have everything going for him and most men would give anything to have been in his shoes before the suicide attempt.... But depression knows no face. It does not discriminate.  Here is what he had to say about...

Women's Wellness Day Talk - 2019  Key Takeaways from Todays Talk ...  Grief is about loss, not death Grief is a natural response to loss of any kind – not just death. You might mourn the loss of your career when you’re laid off or retire. A divorce may leave you reeling over lost companionship or an abrupt change of lifestyle. Addicts often grieve the drug or substance they give up through recovery. Where there is life, there will always be loss. Diminishing health, financial loss, family...

I was so honored to be a guest on the podcast, Kickin' it with Daree Allen last week. A show about lifestyle, culture, life coaching, personal development, faith and fun. Get practical resources and real advice that will inspire you to improve relationships, develop yourself, and handle everyday situations and stressors better than ever. I was able to share my story, give helping tips and offer hope to those struggling with any kind of loss. In This Episode… My story (2:21) Recognizing...

This episode of |THE GREIF GIRL| was recorded on International Overdose Awareness Day 2017 while organizations around the world came together to spread the message that the tragedy of overdose death is preventable.  On the show, I had the honor of intervoewing Dr. Lawrence Tucker, the Medical Director of Laguna Treatment Hospital. He is a psychotherapist, diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine. And CEO Gil...

  For this next episode, we are going to discuss the trending Netflix show, '13 Reasons Why'. I am not here to critque the show, but to continue the conversation the show has started. I am joined with Blake Barber, House Supervisior of the CSP (Community Services Program) Laguna Beach Youth Shelter and Juliet Ekinaka, a former youth counselor at the shelter to discuss signs of depression, suicde, risk factors in teens, triggering events and how to prepare parents, educators and friends to...

On our show, we explore all kinds of grief. Where there is love, there is and will be grief. And when you loose something or someone you love, grief comes in and takes over.  It's been almost 5 years since I lost my husband, Bill, to suicide. And even after, what so many would think is a long time, grief is still there. Popping up uninvited, at random times, sometimes, completley unexpected.  I wanted to talk about grief and loss, about what I wish I'd known then and even now as I...

Grief comes in all forms and is triggered by any event of loss; not just death, as we grieve all kinds of losses from relationships, health, career, trust, identity, and addiction. These podcasts are just one part of my mission. A that mission to help abolish the stigma of mental illness, depression, suicide, and addiction. I was put back behind the microphone to pull back the curtain and help start conversations about topics that no one wants to have. For the month of March, we...

In this episode, host Kristi Hugstad interviews two integral staff members of TIP (Trauma Intervention Program) Orange County: Community Relations Manager Erin Gardner and Crisis Team Manager Mindy Daffron. 2:00 – Erin explains the mission of TIP, which is to provide citizens help in times of trauma. TIP’s volunteers are citizens who provide "emotional first aid" while the first responders provide life-saving first-aid. 3:20 – How TIP receives a call in the first place: first...

Host Kristi Hugstad talks to reporter Greg Hardesty and learns just how much finesse and emotional intelligence are required to get to the heart of the most tragic stories. Listen to the stories of a trusted reporter who has witnessed first-hand the many facets of grief.

Host Kristi Hugstad talks to two members of TEEN LINE: Program Director Cheryl Eskin and Intern Ric Tennenbaum. Established in 1980 and based out of Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, TEEN LINE is a nonprofit, community-based organization that helps troubled teenagers address their problems. Their mission is to provide personal teen-to-teen education and support before problems become a crisis using a national hotline, current technologies and community outreach. Use the show notes below to guide...

In "Stop B4U Start," we meet the founder and members of a non-profit devoted to educating and empowering young individuals to stop using drugs and alcohol before they even start. A national study done by NCADD revealed that more teens are dying from drug overdoses than people are dying from motor vehicle accidents per year. There are 2.5 million alcohol-related deaths worldwide annually—320,000 of those being young people (ages 15-29). With the current system in place, trying to treat those...

In this mesmerizing episode of The Grief Girl, you'll hear a former addict's detailed story of his 20+ year battle with drugs and alcohol—including how his addiction began at the tender age of 12, his life of crime on the streets, detoxing in prison, and how he finally overcame his addiction. This story will give hope to addicts and their families, so please share it with anyone you know who needs a message of hope!  1:30 - Host Kristi Hugstad introduces Johnny Pearson, who is now the Drug...

In this episode of The Grief Girl, hostess Kristi Hugstad touches upon the many kinds of grief talking to expert Brad Stetson, who is a chaplain focused on providing compassionate and personalized memorial services. Brad is also an author and lecturer, and has dealt with and learned from significant losses that he shares with us today. 1:45 - Intro to Brad Stetson, whose personal experience with stillbirth led to his current line of work writing and conducting funeral and memorial...

In "Living with Schizophrenia—Is There Hope?", The Grief Girl host Kristi Hugstad speaks to Betsy Bryant, a mother of three children—the oldest of whom has been suffering from schizophrenia for twenty years. Betsy walks us through the start of her son's disease to the present day and how he has learned to live with it. This is an inspirational and educational story of dealing with an illness that doesn't yet have a cure, and how to keep a positive, healthy outlook through it all. 1:42 -...

In this episode of The Grief Girl, we meet a very special guest, Mark Carlisle, who shares the same mission with our host Kristi Hugstad: to abolish the stigma of mental illness, depression and suicide. Sit back and listen to Mark's story: the origin of his neuroses, the losses of his father to suicide and his mother to cancer, and his successful journey from a nervous breakdown. It's a unique yet story that will interest and hopefully help anyone who has ever suffered from anxiety or...

Meet Kristi Hugstad, whose husband's heartbreaking suicide by train took her on a journey that led her to her life's purpose: to abolish the stigma associated with depression, mental illness, and suicide. Loss isn't just death -- we grieve relationship, trust, career, identity, business, faith, etc. Grief is not the enemy -- it's the teacher. Below are our show notes, which you can use to help guide you as you listen: 0:00 – OCTalkRadio’s manager and sound engineer PaulRoberts introduces...

Welcome to the first episode of The Grief Girl with your host Kristi Hugstad! Here are our show notes you can use to guide you as you listen. 0:00 – Introduction to Kristi Hugstad and her mission to abolish the stigma of depression, mental illness, and suicide. She’s an advocate for anyone who is suffering a loss of any kind – including divorce, breakup, health, job, faith, trust, and identity – all different things that we grieve. You can come here for comfort and be reminded that you’re...