An Interview with Rev. Dr. Brandon Hempel, DMin, BCC

At Heart to Heart Hospice, the care doesn’t end when a patient passes. Every family, every caregiver, and every individual navigating loss deserves support—and that’s where our bereavement services come in, with over 30 Bereavement Coordinators across our locations in Michigan, Indiana, Texas, and Oklahoma. Crucially, this support extends not only to grieving families but also to the dedicated professional caregivers and team members who support them.

Rev. Dr. Brandon Hempel, a full-time Bereavement Coordinator for Heart to Heart Hospice in Lansing, MI, has spent the past several years walking alongside families in their most difficult moments. From anticipatory grief before a loved one’s passing to the long journey of healing afterward, Dr. Hempel is there every step of the way.

A Path of Compassion and Teaching

Dr. Hempel’s path to hospice care is anything but ordinary. He began his career following in his father’s footsteps, working in automotive engineering at General Motors. But a calling to ministry led him to shift into pastoral work, combining compassion with hands-on service.

For over two decades, Dr. Hempel has served in various ministry roles, coaching pastors, leading home-based churches, and teaching theology as an adjunct professor at Spring Arbor University. He teaches around 1–4 classes a year, sharing his real-world experience with students and guiding the next generation of leaders.

This unique background combining the structured problem-solving of engineering with the deep compassion of ministry is what makes Dr. Hempel’s approach to bereavement care so effective.

Much of Dr. Hempel’s empathy stems from personal experience. Having faced loss himself, he understands the emotional terrain that grieving families navigate. That insight allows him to meet each person where they are with patience, compassion, and genuine care.

His work in hospice at began as a blend of chaplaincy and bereavement support. Over time, Dr. Hempel found his niche in bereavement care, helping families navigate grief with compassion, experience, and understanding. This deeply personal foundation of faith and empathy now defines his approach with families and the care team.

Walking Beside Families

Dr. Hempel’s work begins as soon as a patient enters hospice care at the Lansing, MI, location, supporting not only the individual but also their circle of family and friends and anyone else touched by their journey. As he explains, “Anyone in that circle is able to tap on my shoulder and get some extra support. Every person’s grief journey is individual, unique, and different—there’s no single recipe for healing.”

He continues, “You can’t cure a person’s grief, you can’t fix it. It’s never going to be gone. But in those immediate moments—pre- or post-loss—I get the privilege and honor to sit with people in the depths of their grief. To put an arm around their shoulder and say, ‘I’m here with you. You’re not alone in this. You’re not crazy. You’re not broken. There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s okay to cry.’”

Grief can start even before a loved one passes, a process known as anticipatory grief. Understanding and coping with these emotions early can help families move through the complex journey ahead. Heart to Heart Hospice provides resources, including strategies for managing anticipatory grief, to support families during this stage of loss.

Supporting Children and Teens Through Loss

For families with children and teens, grief can bring unique challenges. Younger family members may struggle to understand the permanence of loss, feel isolated from peers, or express emotions in unexpected ways. Dr. Hempel helps parents in the Lansing area identify these challenges and connect them with resources specifically designed for children and teens, ensuring they feel supported throughout the grieving process.

Dr. Hempel is a crucial resource in coordinating specialized support at the Lansing location, helping parents understand that they don’t have to navigate these unique emotional landscapes with their children alone. As he emphasizes:

“Every child and teen experiences grief differently, and it’s important that families know support is available. Our team guides parents through this journey and connects them with resources that can make a real difference.”

Common challenges for children and teens can include:

  • Struggling to understand and process the illness or loss of a loved one
  • Feeling isolated from peers who haven’t experienced similar grief
  • Acting out or withdrawing as a way of coping
  • Worrying about the well-being of surviving family members

Understanding Complicated Grief

Dr. Hempel explains that while grief begins before a loved one passes, complicated grief can arise when the mourning process significantly impacts a person’s daily life, lasting longer or feeling more intense than is typical.

Signs of complicated grief may include: 

  • Prolonged, intense emotions
  • Difficulty managing everyday tasks
  • Withdrawal from social connections
  • Noticeable changes in health and well-being. 

In these cases, Dr. Hempel works closely with families to provide additional support and, when needed, can connect them with professional counseling resources.

He advises, “Grief isn’t something to rush or fix—it’s something to walk through. Sometimes families need extra guidance, and that’s when additional support can make a meaningful difference.”

While complicated grief is often about the intensity or duration of emotions, grief from a complicated relationship stems from the nature of the relationship itself. Sometimes love and pain coexist, and unresolved conflicts or strained bonds can make mourning especially challenging.

Dr. Hempel recalls one family he supported who struggled with deep anger and unresolved pain after the death of a loved one. “Her grief was full of sadness and anger,” he explains. “There were things left unsaid, relationships strained, and no chance for resolution after that person passed. She told me more than once, ‘If it wasn’t for people like you, I don’t know what we would do. It would be much uglier.’”

For those processing grief after a strained or difficult relationship, Heart to Heart Hospice provides specific guidance on grieving someone from a complicated relationship, recognizing that every emotional journey is unique.

Supporting the Caregivers and the Care Team

Bereavement isn’t just for families; it’s also for the caregivers themselves. Dr. Hempel works closely with nurses, social workers, chaplains, and volunteers at the Lansing, MI, Heart to Heart Hospice location, offering support when losses touch the team personally.

One of the ways he nurtures the Lansing office team is through monthly breakfasts and collaboration meetings. What started with a simple gesture from one member of the management team—bringing bagels for the care team—quickly became a chance for Dr. Hempel to connect with staff, listen to their challenges, and support them in meaningful ways. “I tell them every time they come, this is your time. Close the doors—no bosses, no judgment. You can vent, cry, laugh, or just breathe. I’ll provide the food; you take care of yourselves for a bit,” he explains.

Dr. Hempel organizes these gatherings for nurses, social workers, home health aides, and chaplains at the Lansing office, tailoring each to the group’s needs. The sessions not only provide nourishment but also create a safe space to share struggles, celebrate meaningful moments, and prevent compassion fatigue. As Dr. Hempel says, “Our staff need to be supported just as much as our families do. And I feel called to that.”

By strengthening the team, Dr. Hempel ensures that every family benefits from compassionate, connected care. This approach is rooted in Heart to Heart Hospice’s philosophy of building meaningful relationships in hospice care.

Beyond supporting our team, Heart to Heart Hospice also creates opportunities to honor patients and families. The Lansing office now holds an annual memorial service each October, welcoming all hospice staff, as well as family and friends of patients who have passed. These services provide a meaningful opportunity to honor loved ones with music, candles, reflections, and a reception that allows families to reconnect with caregivers. Music plays a special role in these gatherings, too—volunteers like the Harmony Healers bring pianos, cellos, violins, and vocals to create a comforting, joyful atmosphere.

A Season of Support and Healing

As the holiday season approaches, grief can feel especially heavy. “Holidays are often the most difficult time because that’s when all the family gatherings happen,” Dr. Hempel notes. Heart to Heart Hospice offers extra support during this period, sending mailers and newsletters to provide guidance and let families know the team is available.

Our Bereavement Support During The Holiday Seasons blog provides guidance on honoring loved ones’ memories while finding moments of peace. Additionally, our Coping with Grief resource offers strategies for coping with grief, acknowledging that each person’s journey is unique.

Dr. Hempel and the Heart to Heart Hospice team are committed to walking alongside families, offering compassionate care and resources. “No one should face grief alone,” Dr. Hempel says. “Our goal is to be present, to listen, and to guide families with compassion—whether it’s their first holiday without a loved one or any day in the months ahead. We walk this journey together.”

To learn more about Heart to Heart Hospice’s bereavement services and how we can support your family or community, please contact us today or visit our Services page.