Grief Is My Side Hustle

Today Meghan sits down with the extraordinary Paolo Presta to talk about how honoring his beloved mother's life and death informs the passion and purpose he and his husband, Patrick pursue daily. Paolo has always been a big dreamer. Growing up in a large Italian family in Chicago, his dream was always to be a part of the entertainment business in Hollywood. It seemed impossible at the time, so he knew he needed a little help. For years, Paolo wrote to "The Oprah Winfrey Show" asking Oprah to help him fulfill that dream. Finally, in November of 2004, Oprah Winfrey surprised Paolo at his father's grocery store and gave him a speaking role on NBC's "Will & Grace". His reaction is regarded as one of the greatest surprise moments in "The Oprah Show" history! He then moved to Los Angeles where he transitioned from acting to working behind the scenes in the world of daytime talk shows ("The Ellen DeGeneres Show" & "The Talk"). All of those experiences brought Paolo to fulfill his greatest life-long dream of hosting his own talk show. His greatest mission is to show people that with a big dream and a lot of hard work, anything is possible!

Helping People and Organizations Navigate Change with Resilience, Connection & Purpose Kate Doerge is a USA TODAY bestselling author, motivational speaker, certified grief coach, and founder of Penny’s Flight Foundation. Through heartfelt storytelling, research-backed insights, and practical strategies, Kate inspires audiences to navigate change, embrace resilience, and lead lives filled with greater purpose and connection. After losing her father, her mother, and her 16-year-old daughter, Penny, Kate made the choice to transform unimaginable loss into a movement centered on hope, action, and possibility. That journey became the foundation for her bestselling book, Reimagining Grief, and the keynote presentations she now shares with organizations, leadership teams, healthcare systems, nonprofits, and conferences across the country. Kate’s presentations are emotional without being heavy, inspiring without being cliché, and always grounded in practical tools audiences can begin using immediately.

Today Meghan Talks talk Work Health with Ellen Kelsay. Ellen is president and CEO of Business Group on Health. She is a sought-after speaker and expert on health and well-being issues. Kelsay hosts the Business Group on Health podcast and has authored various industry publications appearing in Harvard Business Review, Modern Healthcare, Pharmaceutical Executive and Employee Benefit News, among others. She frequently contributes on an array of critical topics such as health care affordability, prescription drug pricing, transparency, well-being, mental health, health inclusion and innovation across the U.S. and globally. She has been recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare. She has delivered Congressional testimony and is frequently cited in the press. Business Group on Health is the longest standing and largest non-profit organization devoted exclusively to representing employers' perspectives on critical health, well-being and workforce strategy issues. The Business Group keeps its membership on the leading edge of innovation, thinking and action to address the delivery, financing, affordability and experience with the health care system. Leveraging its network of members and industry thought leaders, the Business Group drives change by sharing best practices, shaping health care policy and crafting innovative solutions to improve employee health and well-being and optimize business performance. Business Group members, many of whom have operations globally, include most Fortune 100 companies and over 450 companies in total who provide health coverage and well-being benefits for more than 60 million employees, retirees and their families in over 200 countries and territories. In addition to her role leading Business Group on Health, Ellen holds leadership roles across the health care industry including as Chair, National Board of Trustees for March of Dimes and as a Board member of The Leapfrog Group. Additionally, she is a Health Evolution Senior Fellow, a member of Women Business Leaders in Healthcare, Oliver Wyman’s Health Leaders Alliance and the Aspen Group. Ellen has a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology and business administration from the University of Richmond and is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Amanda McCracken dated over 100 men by her late thirties, certain she was doing everything right to find lasting love. She wasn't. At 39, her therapist handed her the word that finally made sense of it all: limerence — an obsessive, addictive longing that feels like love but runs on fantasy instead of reality. Ten years of research (and a lot of hard-won self-honesty) later, Amanda is a journalist and self-described "limerence expert" whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Vogue, National Geographic, and NPR. Her new memoir, When Longing Becomes Your Lover, blends neuroscience, cultural criticism, and raw personal story to unpack why we chase people who can't love us back — and how to stop. She hosts the podcast The Longing Lab, gave a TEDx talk on the subject, and coaches writers and speakers out of Boulder, Colorado, where she lives with her husband and daughter. Social handles Website: amandajmccracken.com Instagram: @amandajmccracken Facebook: Amanda Janae McCracken TikTok: @thelonginglab Podcast: The Longing Lab

Marisa Renee Lee is the award-winning, bestselling author of Grief is Love: Living with Loss and the newly released Waiting for Dawn: Living with Uncertainty. Her work on grief and healing has been featured on Good Morning America, NPR, Fox & Friends, in Vogue, and in The Atlantic, among other outlets. She previously served as a deputy director in the Obama White House and is now CEO of Beacon Advisors, a social-impact consulting firm. She holds a dual degree from Harvard College and lives in New York with her husband, Matt, and son, Bennett. Marisa cared for her mother, Lisa, who lived with MS and died of breast cancer in 2008 — the loss that shaped her thinking on grief. She's also spoken openly about infertility and pregnancy loss. Marisa's second book, published by Hachette (April 2026). Where Grief is Love reframed grief as an extension of love, Waiting for Dawn turns to the uncertainty that surrounds loss — chronic illness, systemic instability, the "in-between" that doesn't resolve on schedule. It draws on a two-year stretch in which she lost her mother-in-law and was navigating Long COVID while writing the book. Central idea: self-preservation, not forced positivity, is the way through prolonged uncertainty — offering a "compass," not a roadmap. Contact & Socials Website: marisareneelee.com Contact/booking form: marisareneelee.com/contact Instagram: @marisareneelee LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marisareneelee Facebook: facebook.com/marisareneelee Substack ("Holding Both"): marisareneelee.substack.com