124: Using Humor to Cope with Grief with Jordon Ferber

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Welcome to Rock Your Shine: After you’ve been cracked wide open. On this show, I sit down with people from all over the world to hear their transformational stories on their deep grief and loss journeys.

In this episode, I sit down with Jordon Ferber, a stand up comedian, podcaster and a bereaved sibling. We delve into Jordon's grief journey following the tragic loss of his 21-year-old brother, Russell, in a car accident on July 6th, 2002. Jordon shares how he established himself as a voice in the bereavement community, becoming the co-leader of the Compassionate Friends Manhattan Siblings Group for the past decade. He also launched his podcast 'Where's the Grief?'. His guests are (mostly) comedians who have experienced tragic loss.

In this episode, Jordon also discusses the challenges he faced in integrating his loss into his comedy career, as well as the benefits he found in participating in bereavement groups. Jordon's story is a testament to resilience, the healing power of supportive communities, and the potential for humor to bring light into our darkest moments.

He and his family run The Russell Ferber Foundation, which provides scholarships to the Culinary Institute of America. He produces a yearly comedy benefit show for the foundation, continuing to bring people together and carry on the spirit of his brother Russell through love and laughter. In his spare time, Jordon enjoys writing short blurbs about himself in the third person.

**TRIGGER WARNING** This episode covers sensitive subject matter and is not suitable for all listeners. If this topic could be a trigger for you, listen to this episode with a friend, a sibling, a loved one or a parent so you can talk about any emotions that come up for you. The contents of this episode are not intended to replace therapy and should not be taken as such. If you need immediate help, please call the crisis hotline listed below in our resources.

Listen in as we talk about:

0:00 Intro

1:33 His story about his brother Russell

3:30 How his family handled the tragedy

4:53 How standup comedy supported him through grief

10:45 His drinking and how it affected his life

12:22 What is ‘compassionate friends’

16:07 Starting to integrate loss into his life

26:16 The changing dynamic between him and his parents

31:23 How his brother's death changed his perspective on the world and his approach to life

33:57 Navigating friendships, losing friends, cutting people out

40:39 A shift to celebration