Friends Missing Friends

70. Friend-Loss is a Disenfranchised Grief: with Rebecca Feinglos


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Today I chat with Rebecca Feinglos, grief expert and founder

of Grieve Leave. Rebecca is a certified grief support specialist, startup founder, and former state and local policy advisor. Rebecca founded Grieve Leave in 2021 as a way to document her experience on a year-long grief sabbatical, and process her own grief and loss— she lost her mother in her teens, her father suddenly in 2020, and her marriage in a drawn-out divorce. Grieve Leave has grown into a global community of 30,000 with online reach well into the millions that provides tangible takeaways, resources, and a healthy dose of humor, creating an entire movement around taking intentional time to grieve.

 

Rebecca and I chat about:

  • How friend-loss is a disenfranchised grief, and
  • how that affects our grieving process
  • Rebecca’s dear friend Courtney, who died 3 weeks
  • before recording this episode – the complexity of the grief, Courtney’s celebration of life, and more
  • The state of bereavement leave in workplaces (spoiler alert: it’s not great), and how it could be better
  • If you’re unsure whether or not you should attend the funeral – attend the funeral!
  • Grief is not logical
  • The limit to grief (and love) do not exist!
  • How grief can coexist with joy
  • And more!
  •  

    Resources:

    To get in touch with Rebecca or learn more about her, check

    out her website, podcast, and socials!

    Website: Grieveleave.com

    Podcast: Grief'd Up The Podcast

    Socials: @grieveleave

     

    Rebecca’s book recommendation:

    Grief is Love by Marisa Renee Lee

     

    Some of my fave quotes from this episode:

    “Grief will suffocate you if you don't make room for it.”

    “We need more grief-informed workplaces.”

    “Grief and love are totally intertwined.”

    “Always go to the funeral.”

    “Grief isn't logical.”

    “Your grief is valid, no matter the relationship.”

    “The limit to grief does not exist.” (catch the Mean Girls

    reference here?)

    “A life well lived is full of grief.”

    “You have built close relationships with people if you are grieving.”

    “The grief that we feel is totally parallel to the amount of

    joy we’ve experienced in our lives.”

     

    Get in touch:

    Thank you for listening to Friends Missing Friends. If you enjoyed it, please follow/subscribe, leave stars and a review—it’s so appreciated, and it helps the podcast reach more listeners!

     

    If you’re interested in being a part of a friend-grief

    group, fill out the interest form at friendsmissingfriends.com/griefgroup

     

    Instagram: @friendsmissingfriends

    Website: friendsmissingfriends.com

    Spotify for Podcasts page: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/friendsmissingfriends

    Leave a VM at FMF’s google voice number: 312-291-1781

     

    Feel free to reach out, by email or VM. I will respond! (And if you want me to share it on the podcast, be sure to explicitly

    give me permission to do so. Thanks y’all! Sending you love!).

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    Friends Missing FriendsBy Hannah Rumsey