When Loss Changes Everything

Grief is one of the most profound human experiences, yet it's often the one we're least prepared for. Whether you've lost a loved one, experienced the end of a significant relationship, faced job loss, health changes, or any other major life transition, grief can feel like you're walking through a world that no longer makes sense.

I understand grief professionally and personally. I know what it feels like when people expect you to "move on" according to their timeline, when well-meaning friends say things that make you feel more alone, and when the weight of loss feels like it might crush you. There are ways to honor that love while learning to carry your loss.

Born from: Learning that grief isn't something to "get over" but something to carry with grace.

Every loss I've experienced - death, losing my best friend, sister, three close friends to cancer, a loved one to suicide - taught me something different about the landscape of grief. I discovered that grief is love with nowhere to go, and that healing doesn't mean forgetting. But learning to honor what we've lost while still engaging with life.

I facilitate grief work because I know how to help others transform their pain into a bridge back to living.

Grief is as Unique as Your Relationship

There's no "right" way to grieve, no timeline you should follow, and no stage you should be in by now. Your grief is as unique as the relationship you had with what or whom you've lost. Maybe your grief is:

• Complicated by circumstances - sudden death, suicide, estrangement, or unsaid moments

• Disenfranchised - loss that others don't recognize as significant (pet loss, miscarriage, divorce, job loss, kids grown up and moved out of home)

• Anticipatory - grieving someone who is still alive but changed by illness, addiction, or dementia

• Ambiguous - missing someone who is physically present but emotionally unavailable

• Layered - multiple losses happening close together or grief that brings up past losses

• Stuck - feeling like you should be "better" by now, but the pain remains overwhelming

All these experiences are valid, and all deserve compassionate support.

What Grief Support Looks Like

Meeting You in Your Reality - There's no pressure to "move forward" on anyone else's timeline. We start exactly where you are, in this moment, with whatever you're feeling.

Honoring Your Relationship - We'll talk about your person, your pet, your marriage, your job, your health, your dream - whatever you've lost. Your relationship with what you've lost doesn't end because they're gone; it transforms.

Making Space for All of It - Grief isn't just sadness. It can be anger, relief, guilt, fear, numbness, or even moments of joy. We'll make room for the full spectrum of your experience.

Practical Navigation - Grief affects everything - your sleep, you’re eating, your work, your relationships. We'll work together on practical strategies for getting through each day.

Creating New Rituals - Finding meaningful ways to honor your loss and maintain connection that feel authentic to you, not what others think you should do.

Understanding Grief Waves - Learning to navigate the unpredictable nature of grief - the anniversaries, the triggers, the moments when it hits you out of nowhere.

Grief Facilitation for Groups

Sometimes the most healing happens when we realize we're not alone in our grief. I facilitate grief support groups where people can:

Share Without Explanation - Be with others who understand that grief isn't linear and doesn't have an expiration date

Learn from Each Other - Discover coping strategies, rituals, and insights from others walking similar paths

Feel Less Isolated - Combat the loneliness that often comes with grief in a society that's uncomfortable with loss

Practice Speaking Your Truth - Find your voice in expressing your grief, your love, and your ongoing relationship with loss

Create Community - Build connections with others who won't judge your timeline or tell you to "move on"

Why Lived Experience Matters in Grief Work

I bring to grief support the understanding that can only come from having walked through my own valleys of loss. I know:

• The physical pain of grief - how it lives in your body, not just your mind

• The isolation - how people disappear when you need them most, afraid of your pain or their own mortality

• The guilt - for laughing, for crying, for living, for moments you forget they're gone

• The fear - that you'll forget them, that others will forget them, that the pain will never lessen

• The love that remains - and how to honor it while still engaging with life

Aswell as my training, I have learnt a lot through my own journey with so many losses and witnessed through walking alongside countless others in their grief.

I have also experienced unhealthy coping strategies for grief and loss. They can actually prolong or complicate the healing process. Here are some common problematic approaches people turn to, avoidance and denial, substance misuse, isolation and withdrawal, self-destruction actions and anger.

If you're struggling with grief, healthier approaches include seeking support from others, allowing yourself to feel emotions as they come, maintaining basic self-care, and considering professional counseling when needed.

Grief as Sacred Work

Grief is sacred work. It's how we honor what mattered to us. It's how we integrate loss into our lives without letting it define our entire existence. It's how we learn to carry love forward even when the person, relationship, or dream is gone.

Your grief deserves to be felt, honored, and held with tenderness. You don't need to grieve alone, and you don't need to rush through it to make others comfortable. Your love was real, your loss is significant, and your grief is a testament to what mattered most to you.

Healing doesn't mean getting over your loss - it means learning to carry it with grace. Together, we can find ways for you to honor what you've lost while still engaging fully with the life you have.

I am a training companion facilitator for Seasons of Growth, for adult, children and young people.