#30 Living Beyond Loss, with Special Guests Heidi Gutierrez & Dave Gruben

Join family therapists and authors Nancy Saxton-Lopez and Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio for a conversation about love, loss, and resilience with special guests Heidi Gutierrez and Dave Gruben, hosts of  Laugh at the Odds Podcast with Heidi and Dave: 

https://laughattheoddspodcast.buzzsprout.com 

https://linktr.ee/LaughAtTheOddsPodcast 

Heidi Gutierrez and Dave Gruben are no strangers to loss. They are two halves of a widowed couple, having lost Arnel and Bianca in 2014 and 2016, respectively. In early 2020, Heidi lost her Mom to cancer, and in 2013, she lost her then-eight-year-old nephew Adrian to a fatal anaphylactic reaction to cow’s milk. They also have each lost animal companions, most recently in May 2021, when Heidi had to say goodbye to Ziggy, a mini schnauzer rescue that she adopted eight months following her husband’s passing. Dave lost three of his own dogs, Quentin, Chester, and Apollo, between 2014 to 2019.   

They are the creators and hosts of “Laugh at the Odds Podcast with Heidi and Dave,” a bi-weekly podcast about love, loss, widowhood, and hope. They offer their perspectives as a young, interracial widowed couple, while dispensing advice from seasoned professionals and engaging in meaningful conversations with inspiring widows and widowers featured in each episode.   

Dave is the father of a sardonic and intelligent seven-year-old boy, Benji, and Heidi is Momma to her other adopted mini schnauzer, Xena. Together they raise and shuttle their family between their two homes in New Jersey.   

As always, Ken and Nancy welcome your stories, comments, questions and suggestions for future topics. Nancy can be reached at nsaxtonlopez@csmpc.com and Ken at kenddv@gmail.com. 

The Pet Loss Companion (book) on Amazon.

This program is a friend of Dakin Humane Society in Springfield, Mass. Dakin is a 501 (c) (3) community-supported animal welfare organization that provides shelter, medical care, spay/neuter services, and behavioral rehabilitation for more than 20,000 animals and people each year. Since its inception in 1969, Dakin has become one of the most recognized nonprofit organizations in central Massachusetts and a national leader in animal welfare. You can learn more about Dakin and make a donation at dakinhumane.org.