Susan, your host, welcomes Stephanie Sarazin. Stephanie is a writer, researcher, and experiential expert in ambiguous grief. Her work began with her own experience of mid-life trauma, which sparked an ambitious journey — spiritually and around the world — to understand, name, and heal the grief she found within her. Her efforts revealed a first-of-its-kind definition for "ambiguous grief," whereby grief is onset by the loss of a loved one who is still living and wherein the experience of hope presents as a stage of the grieving process. Stephanie's work brings new resources to reframe disruptive, activating events as a gateway to discovering your highest self, in turn championing ambiguous grief as nuanced, natural, and navigable. Stephanie is also the founder of Rise Up Rooted, an online resource center for those navigating ambiguous grief, a grief educator, and a TEDx curator in her community. She is a graduate of Michigan State University and earned a Master of Public Policy from The University of Chicago. She is an avid reader, recreational runner, and aspiring camper, and lives in North Carolina, where she is training to trek to Mt. Everest's Base Camp. Her book, Soulbroken: A Guide for Your Journey Through Ambiguous Grief, is published by Balance, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, and was released in October 2022. It is currently available for order at Barnes & Nobel, Amazon, or your favorite independent bookseller.

Key Takeaways:

• Stephanie shares her grief story that started when she discovered that she was living in a marriage that was not what she thought it was.

• Ambiguous loss: Losing a loved one but not necessarily through death.

• Share your story; someone will benefit from it; you are not alone. It is an honor to share your story and to the listeners to hear it.

• Shame cannot grow when there is empathy.

• When talking to someone grieving, avoid starting sentences with 'At least…" since you are probably about to give a consolation prize that won't be appreciated.

• We are not taught how to show up for others. If you don't know what to say, try: "Thank you for telling me, I am glad you told me." This is a way of validating someone's grief.

• Sometimes holding hope can restrict healing and delay acceptance.

• Define what you have control over; focusing on what is possible for you to change will bring you closer to healing.

Resources

Tendrilsofgrief.com

Email Susan: [email protected]

Meet Stephanie

Learn more about Stephanie

Find her book Soulbroken: A Guidebook For Your Journey Through Ambiguous Grief at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.