Entertainment
12 Questions for a Grief Therapist
In Cup of Jo’s newly relaunched career column, we ask people to share the big and small lessons they’ve learned on the job.
Grief therapist Natalie Greenberg runs her own practice in Manhattan and works with students at the NYU Counseling Center. She tells us what people don’t realize about grief and how strangers react to her job at dinner parties…
When were you first drawn to therapy?
When I was a kid, my father was an addict, and our family attended Al-Anon, a support group for families and friends of addicts. He’s now been sober for 17 years, but I always understood that therapy was a resource for people during difficult times.
Did you always know you’d become a therapist yourself?
Not at all. After graduating college with a communications degree, I nannied for a family and took a year to figure out what I wanted to do next. During my free time, I set up phone calls with my friends’ parents and interviewed them about their jobs, asking ‘What was your degree? How did you decide to do this? What are the pros and cons of your career?’ And that’s how I learned about social work, and how it has career paths that are similar to psychology, but have more of a social justice lens.
How did you choose to specialize in grief?
At age 22, I lost my mom to suicide. I had no idea how to process her death, and I didn’t know if I was allowed to talk about it with family and friends. Especially because suicide felt like a scary taboo subject. So, when it came to choosing a therapy specialty, I sat down and thought, ‘What is something that I feel especially equipped to help with?’ Grief came to me very quickly.
How do strangers at parties react when they hear you’re a grief therapist?
It’s a funny litmus test! People either ask a million questions or change the subject right away. People also sometimes say, ‘You’re going to psychoanalyze me!’ And, sure, it’s ingrained in me to look out for patterns. But at the same time, psychoanalyzing is work, and I don’t want to work at a party.
What’s the most challenging job you’ve had?
I worked in the Psychiatric ER at Bellevue, the busiest psychiatric hospital in the country. At first, the idea of working there terrified me, but I learned so much. During my second month, Hurricane Sandy flooded the hospital, and I saw firsthand how a hospital operates during a natural disaster. I also learned how to work in an a violent setting, since some patients would come in while intoxicated or psychotic and injure our staff. Going to therapy while working there was key for my own mental health.
You lost your mom at 22. What advice would you give young people who are grieving?
Losing my mother so young was extremely isolating. None of my friends had gone through anything similar; they didn’t know how to show up, and I didn’t know how communicate my needs. I ended up attending a grief group called The Dinner Party, an organization that hosts dinners for young people who have lost family or friends. It also felt so good to be able to talk with people my age about the grieving process without stigma. I’m obsessed with the organization and refer them to many of my clients.
Tell us about a work moment you’ll always remember.
Once during a session, a patient was describing a loss, and I started crying. Afterward I was very insecure and wondered whether I’d acted unprofessionally. My clinical supervisor reassured me, ‘You’re a therapist, but you’re also a human, and you’re responding to something really sad. What more could someone want than for their therapist to be human?’ That moment shifted my idea of how a therapist should show up for their patients, and validate them. In the early days of psychoanalysis, therapists were primarily men who acted like a blank slate. Those types of therapists still exist in some capacity, but that’s not who I am and that’s not the kind of therapist I want to be.
What’s your #1 advice for someone who’s interested in becoming a therapist?
You can be good at therapy but you also need to learn how to run a small business. You need to be organized. You need an accountant and lawyer. You need to know how to hustle.
How can we show up for friends who are grieving loved ones?
Grief lingers and can manifest on random days. So, keep checking in on your friends weeks, months, and even years afterward. For friends and family, I’ll put the death anniversaries of their loved ones in my calendar, so I’ll remember to reach out. Also, come up with your own saying, other than ‘Sorry for your loss’ because it can feel empty. It can be hard to find the right words, but to try to say something a little more genuine — like what you remember about that person, or even acknowledging that you don’t know what to say but you are here for them.
How has your own grief for your mom changed through the years?
My relationship with her has healed a lot since her passing. We didn’t have a close relationship when I was growing up, but now that I’ve experienced the stresses of adulthood and parenthood, I can understand her life a bit better. I can also now see how certain traumas that she experienced affected her parenting. Having that understanding makes it easier to take her off the parent pedestal and see her more as a human who went through hard things.
That’s beautiful.
Since her death, I’ve had dreams where she’s there with me. In those dreams, it doesn’t feel contentious. Instead, it’s always calm and healing, and we talk about unresolved issues. And when I wake up, I feel relieved knowing that my subconscious wasn’t angry or blaming — it’s trying to work things out.
If someone’s grief feels overwhelming, what advice would you give?
I like to help clients come up with meaningful rituals that memorialize this person. When it’s my mom’s birthday or death anniversary, I buy the Le Petit Écolier chocolate biscuit cookies that she loved, then light a Yahrzeit candle and listen to Fleetwood Mac. The ritual doesn’t have to be formal, it’s all about honoring the person that you lost.
Thank you so much, Natalie. What other careers would you like to see featured?
P.S. What it’s like to be a baker and how to navigate a career change.
(Photo illustration by Diana Moss.)
Entertainment
T-Mobile down: Why SOS mode shows up on your phone
Updated on July 27 at 7:48 a.m. ET — T-Mobile informed Mashable that it had fully restored service by 10:53 p.m. The company provided Mashable with the following statement:
We have fully restored service for all customers and sincerely apologize for the difficulties. We know that customers rely on us to stay connected to what matters most, and we appreciate their understanding as we prioritized resolution.
Updated on July 27 at 10 p.m. ET — Beyond its initial statement, T-Mobile has no update on the outage.
“Our teams are actively working the reports of technical challenges impacting some customers,” the company said in a statement to Mashable. “Any service impacts are in the process of being resolved and are our highest priority. We know how critical it is to stay connected, and every available resource is focused on resolving this as quickly as possible.”
In the meantime, many T-Mobile users are going to X and Reddit to complain.
A post on Reddit about the outage already has more than 5,500 comments, and users are trading rumors about the possible cause of the T-Mobile outage, as well as potential fixes. We’ll continue to update this post as this story develops.
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As of this writing, Downdetector shows that thousands of users are still actively submitting error reports. In addition, Status Gator reports that the outage is nationwide, with T-Mobile-connected providers like Mint Mobile and Boost Mobile also experiencing problems.
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Updated on July 27 at 5:47 p.m. ET — Users on X are still complaining about a T-Mobile outage, and the topic is currently trending. However, user error reports on Downdetector have slowed since reaching a peak at 4:58 p.m. ET.
T-Mobile users appear to be experiencing disrupted mobile service on Monday afternoon.
More than 64,000 users reported problems as of 5:15 p.m. ET, according to Downdetector. User error reports started to spike at 3:48 p.m. ET, and as of this writing, they’re continuing to climb. The majority of users either listed the problem as “no signal,” or simply “mobile phone.”
Credit: Screenshout courtesy of Downdetector
Shortly after the issues were reported on Downdetector, searches surged on Google for SOS mode, which can appear on devices when service is disrupted. SOS mode means your phone should still be able to make emergency calls via satellite if needed.
On X, dozens of users complained of an outage, with some users specifically complaining about SOS mode.
A Mashable editor provided this screenshot of their phone stuck in “SOS Mode.”
Credit: Mashable
Entertainment
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 28, 2026
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you’ve ever watched football.
As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections: Sports Edition?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
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Here’s a hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: Type of football roles
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Green: Ways to hit a tennis ball
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Blue: Extra points
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Purple: Sounds like a number
Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Football Positions
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Green: Tennis Shot Descriptions
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Blue: Worth Two Points/Runs
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Purple: Ends in a Number
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today’s Connections: Sports Edition #673 is…
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
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Football Positions: GUARD, LINEBACKER, RUNNING BACK, TIGHT END
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Tennis Shot Descriptions: BACKHAND, DROP, SLICE, SMASH
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Worth Two Points/Runs: 2-RUN HR, LAYUP, SAFETY, WRESTLING REVERSAL
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Ends in a Number: CONINE, END ZONE, HEAVYWEIGHT, WITTEN
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.
Entertainment
NYT Pips hints, answers for July 28, 2026
Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.
Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.
Currently, if you’re stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.
How to play Pips
If you’ve ever played dominoes, you’ll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we’ve shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don’t necessarily have to match.
The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.
Here are common examples you’ll run into across the difficulty levels:
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Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.
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Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.
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Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.
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Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.
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Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.
If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.
Easy difficulty hints, answers for July 28 Pips
Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 2-0, placed horizontally.
Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 2-0, placed horizontally; 5-0, placed vertically.
Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally; 1-0, placed horizontally.
Less Than (1): Everything in this space must be less than 1. The answer is 1-0, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. The answer is 6-0, placed horizontally.
Medium difficulty hints, answers for July 28 Pips
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 1-6, placed horizontally; 6-6, placed horizontally.
Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally; 0-2, placed vertically.
Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically; 4-2, placed vertically.
Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically; 5-6, placed vertically.
Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically; 5-6, placed vertically.
Hard difficulty hints, answers for July 28 Pips
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.
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Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-6, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (0): Everything in this space must be greater than 0. The answer is 3-6, placed horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-0, placed vertically.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-0, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-0, placed horizontally.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-3, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (0): Everything in this space must be greater than 0. The answer is 5-3, placed horizontally.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
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