Grief, Trauma, & Healing: Learning Intergenerational Joy w/ J.S. Park

TW/CW: Mentions of child ab*se, ICE v*olence, and other state-sanctioned v*olence. There was a brief mention of the late union-leader, Cesar Chavez during the recording of the episode on (3/10) before the recent allegations of s*xual assa*lt against Chavez came to light.

A great honor to bring in Joon “J.S.” Park to the podcast. J.S. is a Korean American based in Tampa, FL, and currently serves as a hospital chaplain. He’s a published author behind recent books such as 2024’s “As Long As You Need: Permission to Grieve” and 2026’s “We Are Made of Us.” He runs his IG account under @ JSPark3000 where he shares his knowledge and experience on grief and loss, as well as unlearning toxic masculinity and intergenerational trauma. We discuss these intimate experiences and how this is tied into his work as a chaplain and his deeper involvement in social justice causes. J.S. talks about why it was important for him to memorialize civilians k*lled in Gaza, under ICE custody, and other state-sanctioned violence through his social media.

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Bio:

J.S. Park is a hospital chaplain, published author, and online educator. For nearly eleven years he has been an interfaith chaplain at a 1000+ bed hospital that is designated a Level 1 Trauma Center. His role includes grief support, attending every death, trauma, and Code Blue, and end-of-life care.

J.S. has been interviewed by CNN, NPR, CBS News, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Bay News 9, and FOX13 Tampa Bay, among others, for his work in death and dying. He is the author of As Long as You Need: Permission to Grieve, published by W Publishing of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and an upcoming book on contending with our family-of-origin and family dynamics, published by Tarcher Books of Penguin Random House.

J.S. served for three years as a chaplain at one of the largest nonprofit charities for the homeless on the east coast. J.S. is a board certified chaplain and has a MDiv completed in 2010 and a BA in Psychology. He also has a sixth-degree black belt.

J.S. currently lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife, a nurse practitioner, and their daughter and son.

Instagram: jspark3000