The Grief Wave: Currents of Sorrow and Strength

🧭 TL;DR | This Week at a Glance

✨ Profiles & Ideas
🏀 Caitlin Clark — The generational star transforming basketball and inspiring millions
🕯️ Echoes & Endings | Mark Knoller (1952–2025) — A life that turned statistics into a public record of accountability
🌊 The Tangled Net #10: The Death of Secrets — How transparency became trauma
🗻 Kokichi Akuzawa’s Record Summit — 102-year-old becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

📰 News & Currents
📺 Looming October Deadline — PBS cuts 15% of jobs in wake of federal funding cut
🔥 Inside the USAID Fire Sale — Around the world, defibrillators, motorbikes, and water towers are being donated, sold, or simply abandoned.
🎓 HBCU College Prep High School — First-of-its kind school opening in New York City

🎉 Events & Gatherings
🎭 Sep 5 — Let’s Write a Musical! opens in Los Angeles
🕯️ Sep 6 — Palisades Community Renewal Center Grand Opening
🍂 Sep 21 — Caring for the Caregivers (FREE clinician wellness event + dinner)
🌅 Sep 27 — HOPE Group: September Mindfulness & Deep Suffering Gathering — Final Session
🎉 Sep 27 — Jack Kornfield & Trudy Goodman’s 80th Celebration

🌊 California Grief Center
From therapy to groups to Catharsis Theater and training—we’re here for every step of grief

💌 Dear friends of The Grief Wave,

As we enter this new season together, I’m struck by how loss and resilience live side by side. Grief reshapes us, but it also invites us into community—into stories that remind us that courage, dignity, and creativity still rise even when so much feels uncertain. This week’s collection reflects that truth: a generational athlete rewriting what’s possible, a journalist who taught us the power of meticulous record-keeping, and a centenarian climber whose final ascent inspires us to keep reaching for what matters most.

The Grief Wave is here to hold both the ache and the awe. From reflections on the collapse of privacy in our digital age to the opening of a high school rooted in HBCU legacy, these stories remind us that the work of healing, justice, and meaning-making is ongoing.

Whether you find solace in community gatherings, a pause in mindfulness, or a glimpse into the lives of those who came before us, I hope this letter offers you both grounding and uplift.

✨ Profiles & Ideas

🏀 Caitlin Clark: The Generational Star Transforming Basketball and Inspiring Millions

A journey at the crossroads of talent, impact, and the future of women’s sports.

Caitlin Clark, point guard for the Indiana Fever, has already become one of basketball’s most iconic figures. From her record-breaking career at Iowa to her electric WNBA debut, she’s redefined what’s possible and sparked the “Caitlin Clark Effect,” inspiring record crowds and viewership.

Her sophomore season was cut short by a right groin injury, a frustrating setback that kept her off the court. Yet even in disappointment, Clark showed resilience — praising her teammates, thanking fans, and reminding everyone that leadership is about more than stats.

Through her foundation and her voice, she continues to uplift communities and young athletes. Clark’s story is proof that greatness lies not just in victories, but in the courage to rise, adapt, and keep dreaming.

🕯 Echoes & Endings | Mark Knoller (1952–2025)

A life that turned the mundane into the meaningful, transforming presidential statistics into a public record of accountability.

Mark Knoller, longtime CBS White House correspondent, turned the ordinary into the extraordinary by transforming presidential trivia into a living archive of accountability. His meticulous record-keeping made him the “unofficial statistician” of the presidency, reminding us that democracy depends on someone willing to count.

Behind the numbers was a man known for his generosity, humor, and humanity in a competitive press corps. This essay reflects on his legacy — and why remembering what matters is as vital in grief as it is in democracy.

🌊 The Tangled Net #10: The Death of Secrets

How transparency became trauma

In The Tangled Net #10: The Death of Secrets, we explore how the collapse of privacy has turned vulnerability into consumable content and reshaped mental health in the digital age. From viral breakdowns to surveillance systems, exposure has become constant.

The question now is how we adapt — finding resilience, dignity, and connection in a world where secrets no longer stay hidden.

🗻 Kokichi Akuzawa’s Record Summit

102-year-old becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

At 102 years old, Kokichi Akuzawa became the oldest person to summit Mount Fuji, an achievement recognized by Guinness World Records. Despite moments of doubt and physical struggle, he credited the support of family and friends for helping him reach the peak.

Akuzawa has climbed since his youth, but says this ascent was his hardest yet and likely his last. Now, he plans to focus on painting and sharing memories of the mountains that shaped his life.

📰 News & Currents

📺 Looming October Deadline

PBS cuts 15% of jobs in wake of federal funding cut

PBS announced it is cutting 15% of its workforce after Congress eliminated federal funding for public broadcasting, resulting in more than 100 lost jobs. CEO Paula Kerger said the organization faces a 21% revenue hit, forcing painful decisions that will affect every part of the system.

The cuts threaten not just PBS, but also local stations and communities that depend on public media — read the full article to see how these changes could reshape America’s broadcasting landscape.

🔥 Inside the USAID Fire Sale

Around the world, defibrillators, motorbikes, and water towers are being donated, sold, or simply abandoned.

The U.S. government’s rapid shutdown of USAID projects has led to a startling “fire sale” of humanitarian aid. Around the world, goods once meant to save lives—like medical supplies, water systems, vehicles, and even food for children—are being auctioned off for cents on the dollar, abandoned in warehouses, or destroyed outright.

The cost isn’t just financial. Experts warn that pulling back so suddenly could result in millions of preventable deaths by 2030, as communities are left without the support they once relied on. You can read the full piece to understand the scale of what’s being lost—and what it means for the future of global aid.

🎓 HBCU College Prep High School — First-of-its kind school opening in New York City

“It's important because it doesn't exist.” — Dr. Asya Johnson, principal of HBCU College Prep High School

New York City has opened the country’s first HBCU preparatory high school, created with Delaware State University to connect students with the legacy and opportunities of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. With more than 1,000 applicants for just 100 seats, the school promises not only college credits and guaranteed admission to DSU but also a community rooted in history, resilience, and social justice.

This moment feels especially significant as the nation debates rolling back diversity and equity efforts, echoing unfinished struggles that stretch back to Little Rock and beyond. The school’s mission is both an act of hope and a reminder: educational equality is not a completed story, but one we are still writing.

🎉 Events & Gatherings

🎭 Let’s Write a Musical!

Opening Friday, September 5, 2025 | 8:00 PM | Los Angeles

This heartfelt and inspiring production follows David Hamilton and his wife as they embark on writing a romantic comedy in the wake of David’s cancer diagnosis. As their real-life struggles unfold, so does the parallel story of Olive and Blake, a young couple in the 1950s navigating love, laughter, and life’s unexpected turns.

✨ Special Dates

• September 7: Special Guest — Lisa Pahl, The Death Deck

• September 12: Fundraiser for the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation

• September 13: TeenTix Night

• September 14: Stand Up To Cancer Night

🕯️ Palisades Community Renewal Center - GRAND OPENING!

Saturday, September 6 | 1:00–5:00 PM | Santa Monica

Join from 1–5 PM at 3212 Nebraska Ave, Santa Monica for the grand opening of the Palisades Community Renewal Center (PCRC) — a new space for healing, renewal, and connection after the January 2025 wildfires.

Enjoy interactive art with P.S. ARTS, learn about free counseling and wellness programs through Maple Counseling, sign up for upcoming workshops, and share food, music, and community.

All ages welcome. Free to attend and free parking.

🍂 Caring for the Caregivers: A New Season Beyond Burnout and Despair (FREE + Dinner)

Sunday, September 21, 2025 | 4:00–7:00 PM | Los Angeles (TBD)

The Provider Wellness Survey Project is a working group dedicated to strengthening the resilience and wellbeing of those who care for others. Mental health professionals are often exposed to high levels of stress, emotional exhaustion, and secondary trauma—this space is designed to help us come together, connect, and find support without judgment.

This is our first community meeting, and we are excited to invite you to join the conversation and share in a supportive circle.

Who Can Attend:
This gathering is open to clinicians of all levels and disciplines, including:

• Student Interns (MSW, MFT, PCC, etc.)

• Associate Therapists (ACSW, APCC, AMFT)

• Licensed Therapists (LCSW, LPCC, LMFT)

• Psychological Assistants

• Psychology Interns/Externs

• Psychologists (PhD/PsyD)

• Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners

• Psychiatrists

• Counselors of all backgrounds

• And other professionals working in mental health care

What to Expect:
Not a lecture, but a conversation.
Not isolation, but community.
Not just surviving, but building new seasons of strength.

Together, we’ll reflect, connect, and renew as we move from summer into fall.

Free and dinner will be served!

🌅 HOPE Group: September Mindfulness & Deep Suffering Gathering — Final Session

Virtual (Zoom) | Saturday, September 27, 2025 | 11:00–12:30 PM PT

Since 2020, HOPE has been a steady refuge in turbulent times—a place to pause, breathe, and remember we are not alone.

As we close this chapter, we turn gently upstream, carrying forward the spirit of presence into a new gathering devoted to grief, loss, change, and transition. Starting in October, we will meet this new age of grief with mindful awareness, heartful practice, and a compassionate online community.

💛 Donation-based & open to all. Join us Saturday mornings on Zoom.

🎉 A Joyful Celebration: Honoring the 80th Birthdays of Jack Kornfield & Trudy Goodman

Saturday, September 27, 2025 | 2:00–5:00 PM PT

Guided presence, shared stories, and gratitude for two beloved mindfulness teachers. Proceeds support InsightLA’s mission of access, equity, and care.

📅 Saturday, September 27 | 2:00–5:00 PM PT | Santa Monica + Live Online

🌊 Get Help from the California Grief Center

You do not have to grieve alone. Whether you have lost someone, lost your way, or carry unspoken sorrow, there is a place for you here.

What We Offer:

• Grief Therapy (in-person and virtual)

• Catharsis Theater (monthly gatherings)

• Virtual Support Groups (confidential and facilitated)

• Grief Counselor Training (Fall 2025)

Our Philosophy: We do not treat grief as a problem. We treat it as a passage.
Consultations are always free.

💛 With care,
Brian Stefan, LCSW
Founder & Clinical Director
California Grief Center

✅ P.S. Know someone quietly grieving?
👉 Forward this letter. You never know who needs it.
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