Grief has a way of pulling the air out of the room. It changes you—physically, emotionally, spiritually—and it doesn’t follow any neat, linear path, no matter how many well-intentioned people tell you it has “stages.” I know this not only from my studies as a counselor but also from personal experience. Losing a parent, or anyone who is part of the fabric of your everyday life, tears at the narrative of who we are and how we exist in the world. When I spoke with Debbie Heisler on our Language of the Soul podcast, I was struck by how her own story of unimaginable loss led her to the very work that now helps others heal. Debbie is an author ( Faith in the Middle , Whispers of Healing and Hope Grief Journal ), a grief coach, and a community advocate who has transformed deep personal pain into a source of connection and hope for others. Her story is tragic—her son was murdered in a custody dispute—but what stood out to me wasn’t just the loss itself. It was what she chose to do wit...
Opening a Chapter of Inspiration Served with a Heavy Dose of Reality