Why do we miss someone who hurt us?

In this deeply honest episode of Female Voices: Life & Loss, hosts LaWayna Berry and Teresa Reiniger explore one of the most confusing layers of grief: grieving someone who caused you pain.

Leaving a relationship that isn’t healthy should feel like freedom — but often it doesn’t. It can feel like loss, heartbreak, and the death of the future you thought you would have. LaWayna shares her personal story of divorce, trauma bonding, and the painful realization that love and harm can exist in the same relationship. Together, she and Teresa unpack the emotional complexity of attachment, the grief of lost dreams, and why protecting yourself doesn’t mean you didn’t love deeply.

If you’ve ever questioned why leaving still hurts, or why you miss someone who didn’t treat you well, this conversation will remind you that your grief is valid — and you’re not alone.

💬 Memorable Quotes

• “You’re not grieving the person. You’re grieving the potential.” — Wayna
• “To grieve something that didn’t happen doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.” — Wayna
• “You can miss someone and still protect yourself.” — Teresa
• “Grief does not validate the harm that you experienced.” — Teresa
• “It takes strength to turn and leave a relationship that isn’t healthy.” — Wayna
• “Grief isn’t something to get over. It’s something you learn to carry differently.” — Teresa

🧠 Topics Discussed in This Episode

● The emotional complexity of grieving someone who hurt you

● The grief of divorce and relationship endings

● Trauma bonding and emotional highs and lows

● Identity shifts after leaving a relationship

● Parenting and protecting children during conflict

● The difference between missing someone vs. needing them

🌱 Key Takeaways

● Grieving a relationship doesn’t mean the relationship was healthy.

● You can love someone and still recognize they are not good for you.

● Trauma bonds can create emotional confusion that makes leaving difficult.

● Protecting yourself and your children is a powerful act of self-respect.

● Grief often includes mourning the future you imagined, not just the person.

❤️ Why This Conversation Matters

Many people feel confused or ashamed when they still miss someone who hurt them. This episode validates those complicated emotions and reminds listeners: Grief doesn’t mean you made the wrong decision.It simply means you cared.

⭐ Support the Podcast

If this episode helped you:

✔ Follow the podcast

✔ Share it with a friend

✔ Leave a reviewYour support helps more people find healing conversations.

💖 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

📩 Email: [email protected]

📘 Facebook: Female Voices: Life & Loss Podcast

📸 Instagram: @femalevoiceslifelosspodcast

🎵 TikTok: @femalevoiceslifeloss

🔔 Subscribe, share, and leave a review to help more women feel seen, supported, and lessalone.

If you’ve tried staying busy, staying strong, staying positive — and you’re still hurting — this episode is for you.

In Episode 61, Teresa and Wayna begin a powerful new series called “The Hidden Layers of Grief No One Talks About.” Today’s focus is one of the most searched grief questions online: “How do I deal with grief when nothing seems to help?”

Together, they unpack why grief isn’t something you fix, conquer, or “win.” It’s something you learn to carry. From nervous system survival mode to brain fog, anger, delayed grief, and the pressure to “get back to normal,” this episode gently normalizes what so many women are silently experiencing.

If you’ve ever thought:

● “Why am I still like this?”

● “Shouldn’t I be past this by now?”

● “What is wrong with me?”

This conversation will remind you: Nothing is wrong with you. You are grieving.

💬 Memorable Quotes

Teresa: “You’re not broken. You are grieving."

Teresa: “Grief is not a problem to solve.”

Teresa: “You don’t make it stop. You learn how to carry it differently.”

Wayna: “I did everything right… and I still feel like I’m drowning some days.”

Teresa: “Grief doesn’t respond to logic. It responds to loss.”

Wayna: “Instead of asking ‘What’s wrong with me?’ say, ‘This is normal. I’m still grieving.’”

Teresa: “What if you stopped trying to win at grief?”

Wayna: “Some days, eat, bathe, hygiene — that’s the win.”

🧠 Topics Discussed

● The hidden and complicated layers of grief

● Why the “five stages” are often misunderstood

● Survival mode & nervous system responses

● Brain fog, exhaustion, and physical grief symptoms

● Delayed grief and feeling fragile years later

● The pressure to return to “normal”

● Self-judgment as a hidden grief layer

● Why grief cannot be fixed — only carried

🌿 Key Takeaways

● Grief is not linear and not a competition.

● Physical symptoms (brain fog, fatigue, pain) are normal trauma responses.

● You cannot “outwork” grief.

● Self-compassion is not weakness — it’s necessary.

● Healing begins when the nervous system feels safe.

● Small daily wins count.

● Professional support is not optional for many — it’s essential.

❤️ Reflection Questions for Listeners

● Where am I trying to fix something that needs to be felt?

● Am I judging myself for how long this is taking?

● What does my nervous system need today?

● Who feels emotionally safe for me right now?

If this episode resonated:

✔ Share it with someone who needs to hear they’re not broken

✔ Leave a review on Spotify

✔ Follow Female Voices so you don’t miss the next episode in this series

✔ Connect with Teresa & Wayna on Facebook and send your feedback

💖 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

📩 Email: [email protected]

📘 Facebook: Female Voices: Life & Loss Podcast

📸 Instagram: @femalevoiceslifelosspodcast

🎵 TikTok: @femalevoiceslifeloss

🔔 Subscribe, share, and leave a review to help more women feel seen, supported, and less alone.

Grief isn’t something you get over.

It’s something you learn to carry.

And you don’t have to carry it alone

What happens when the life you built… disappears overnight?

In this deeply honest and moving conversation, host Teresa Reiniger sits down with author Patti Sauer to talk about the kind of grief we don’t often name—the loss of identity that comes with chronic illness.

After nearly two decades as a middle school teacher, Patti was forced to step away from the career she loved due to Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)—a rare and debilitating neurological condition known as one of the most painful diseases in the world. What followed was not just physical suffering, but a profound identity crisis.

Who are you when the titles fall away? Through therapy, journaling, and unexpected encouragement, Patti rediscovered a long-buried part of herself: the writer. Her poetry collection, Brave Bird, was born from grief—but grew into something much bigger.

This episode is for anyone navigating chronic illness, career loss, depression, identity shifts, or the quiet grief of becoming someone new.

💬 Memorable Quotes

-“I felt like I failed at a job. I failed at a career that I loved.” — Patti

-“The worst that’s going to happen is someone is going to tell you no. And no is an okay thing.” — Patti’s counselor

-“I didn’t have this career, and I did not know where I was going from there. I had no other piece of me.” — Patti

-“Who I really am inside is not the teacher, not the wife, not the mom… it’s the integrity, the empathy, the caring.” — Patti

-“Healing doesn’t mean becoming who you were. It means rediscovering who you are now.” — Teresa

-“Grief does slowly heal. It never goes away… but hope is on the other side.” — Patti 🧠

Topics Discussed

● What Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) really is

● The grief of losing a career due to chronic illness

● Identity collapse after diagnosis

● Midlife identity shifts and empty nesting

● Dissociation and emotional shutdown

● Depression vs. grief: understanding the difference

● The power of therapy and professional support

● Journaling as emotional processing

● Fear of failing again after loss

● Rebuilding identity beyond titles

🌿 Key Takeaways

● You can grieve the loss of your life—even if you’re still living it.

● Chronic illness impacts more than the body; it reshapes identity.

● Depression and grief can feel similar—but naming grief matters.

● Your worth is rooted in character, not career.

● Asking for help is strength, not weakness.

● There is hope beyond identity loss—even if it comes slowly.

📖 Get Patti’s Book

Brave Bird by Patricia Sauer

Available:

● Bookshop.org (choose a local bookstore to support)

● Belleville Books in Belleville, Illinois

🙌 Shoutouts & Mentions

● RSDSA (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association) – vital resources for CRPS patients and caregivers

● Belleville Books – local independent bookstore in Illinois

● Patti’s writing community & publishing team

💛 If This Episode Resonated

If you’re navigating chronic illness, mental health struggles, or identity shifts:

● You are not alone.

● Your grief is valid.

● Professional support can change everything.

Please share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. Leave a review to help more women find these conversations. And remember: you are more than your titles.

🔗 CONNECT WITH THE GUEST

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patricia.v.sauer

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pattis.2012/

📧 Email: [email protected]

💖 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

📩 Email: [email protected]

📘 Facebook: Female Voices: Life & Loss Podcast

📸 Instagram: @femalevoiceslifelosspodcast

🎵 TikTok: @femalevoiceslifeloss

🔔 Subscribe, share, and leave a review to help more women feel seen, supported, and less alone.

Four months before her wedding, Carol became a widow.

In November 2019, Carol’s fiancé died suddenly of a massive heart attack — just as they were preparing to begin their married life together. What followed was shock, brain fog, financial fear, physical grief symptoms, and the painful unraveling of identity.

In this deeply honest conversation, Carol shares what it means to lose not just a partner — but your future. She opens up about survival mode, widow’s fire, the unexpected physical toll of grief, navigating finances alone, and why the second year can be harder than the first.

This episode is raw, real, and compassionate — for anyone walking through sudden loss, identity shifts, or grief that others don’t understand.

👤 GUEST INTRODUCTION

Carol Wylie's story includes multiple layers of loss: infertility, miscarriage, divorce, the death of her parents, job loss, and the death of a close friend. But in November 2019, her world changed forever when her fiancé died suddenly — four months before their wedding.

Now widowed at 44, Carol speaks candidly about the emotional, physical, financial, and identity-shifting realities of sudden loss — and what it takes to live again after everything you envisioned disappears overnight.

💬 MEMORABLE QUOTES

Carol: “The first fear that broke through the numb was, can I keep my house?”

Carol: “The only way to process grief is to walk straight through it.”

Carol: “People say, ‘I know exactly how you feel.’ You don’t. You can’t.”

Carol: “The second year is harder. The fog lifts. People expect you to be okay.”

Carol: “I didn’t want to be strong. I’d rather be weak and have him here.”

Carol: “Widow’s fire is a relentless need for physical touch — and no one talks about it.”

Teresa: “If you don’t release grief from your body, your body will begin to have major physical problems.”

🔎 WHAT WE DISCUSS

● Sudden widowhood before marriage

● Financial fear and life insurance realities

● Brain fog and physical grief symptoms

● Hair loss, appetite loss, and stress impact

● Identity shift from fiancée to widow

● The grief of infertility layered onto loss

● Widow’s fire and shame around physical needs

● Dating while grieving

● Why the second year is harder

● Social isolation and married friends pulling away

● The importance of support groups

● Compassion for mistakes made in survival mode

🌱 KEY TAKEAWAYS

● Grief is not only emotional — it is deeply physical.

● There is no timeline for grief, and no one can tell you how to do it.

● The second year often feels harder than the first.

● Financial preparation (life insurance, loan protection) matters more than we think.

● Survival mode decisions deserve compassion, not shame.

● Support groups can normalize what feels isolating.

💭 REFLECTION QUESTIONS FOR LISTENERS

● What part of your grief feels unseen or misunderstood?

● Are you allowing yourself compassion for survival decisions?● Where might you still be holding grief in your body?

● Who is a safe person you can talk to about your loss?

🤍 IF THIS EPISODE RESONATED

● Share it with someone navigating sudden loss.

● Leave a review to help other women find support.

● Follow Female Voices Life & Loss for future conversations.

📌 ABOUT FEMALE VOICES LIFE & LOSS

Hosted by Teresa Reiniger and Wayna Berry, this podcast holds space for real conversations about grief, identity, resilience, and healing after life-changing loss.

🔗 CONNECT WITH THE GUEST

📧 Email: [email protected]

📸 Instagram: @carolwylie2013

💖 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

📩 Email: [email protected]

📘 Facebook: Female Voices: Life & Loss Podcast

📸 Instagram: @femalevoiceslifelosspodcast

🎵 TikTok: @femalevoiceslifeloss

🔔 Subscribe, share, and leave a review to help more women feel seen, supported, and lessalone.

There is no pain more disorienting than losing a child—and no single “right” way to grieve.

In Episode 58 of Female Voices: Life & Loss, hosts Teresa Reiniger and Wayna Berry come together for a deeply compassionate, honest conversation about grieving parents, whether the loss is through pregnancy, childhood, or adulthood. Drawing from personal experience and professional practice as grief coaches and therapists, they explore how grief shows up differently for mothers and fathers, why talking about children who have died matters, and how parents can find tools, routines, and support that actually help.

This episode offers validation, practical tools, and gentle hope for parents navigating the unimaginable—along with reminders that healing does not mean forgetting, and grief does not follow rules.

💬 MEMORABLE QUOTES

● “There is no correct way to grieve.” — Wayna Berry

● “Just because someone talks about their child all the time doesn’t mean they’re grieving wrong.” — Teresa Reiniger

● “Moms especially want people to know about their children.” — Teresa Reiniger

● “We have to find things that lighten the load and remind us it won’t always feel like this.” — Wayna Berry

● “There are still memories, even when a child never breathed on this earth.” — Teresa Reiniger

● “Healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means finding ways to carry them with us.” — Wayna Berry

🧠 TOPICS DISCUSSED

● Grief after losing a child at any age, including pregnancy and adult child loss

● Why parents want—and need—to talk about their children

● Misconceptions about “grieving wrong” and how others judge grief

● How mothers and fathers grieve differently and why couples need support

● Tools for grief: support groups, therapy, routines, journaling, rituals, and movement

● Creating a coping skills planner to prepare for triggers and hard days

● Honoring children through rituals, tattoos, donations, and memorials

● Fear of forgetting and how to preserve memories intentionally

● Managing grief in the digital age and protecting your mental health on social media

● Resources and support options for grieving parents

✨ KEY TAKEAWAYS

● There is no right or wrong way to grieve the loss of a child.

● Talking about your child is a healthy expression of love—not a sign of being “stuck.”

● Parents in the same household may grieve very differently and still both be hurting.

● Planning support and coping tools before grief hits hard can be life-saving.

● Honoring a child can look many ways—rituals, writing, tattoos, donations, or quiet remembrance.

📣 SHOUTOUTS & MENTIONS

● Any Folks (Kirkwood, MO) — family grief support groups for all ages

● Megan Devine, author of It’s OK That You’re Not OK

● 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — mentioned as an important resource during crisis moments

● Bereaved Mother’s Day Event — hosted by Teresa Reiniger

● Upcoming grief support groups for parents and dads

💖 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

📩 Email: [email protected]

📘 Facebook: Female Voices: Life & Loss Podcast

📸 Instagram: @femalevoiceslifelosspodcast

🎵 TikTok: @femalevoiceslifeloss

🌐 Website: Female Voices: Life & Loss

🔔 Subscribe, share, and leave a review to help more women feel seen, supported, and lessalone.

Parenting doesn’t end when your child turns 18—it simply changes.

In this deeply honest and heartfelt episode of Female Voices: Life & Loss, hosts Wayna Berry and Teresa Reiniger unpack the emotional, often unspoken realities of parenting adult children—from college drop-offs and strained communication to breaking generational patterns, letting go, and learning how to stay connected without controlling.

Through personal stories, laughter, and vulnerable reflection, this episode explores how parenting evolves through every season: college years, adulthood, marriage, grandchildren,blended families, and the ongoing work of healing what was modeled before us. If you’ve ever wondered “Am I doing this right?”—this conversation is for you.

Wayna Berry, licensed professional counselor and co-host of Female Voices: Life & Loss, brings clinical insight, humor, and real-life experience as a single mother navigating the evolvingrelationship with her adult son.

Teresa Reiniger, grief coach, speaker, and co-host, shares her lived experience raising three daughters through every life stage—from college transitions to marriage and motherhood—while intentionally breaking generational cycles and modeling healthier emotional patterns.

Together, they create a space where honesty meets compassion—and where growth is alwayspossible.

Topics Discussed

● Parenting through the emotional shift from high school to college

● How adult children pull away—and why it’s often necessary

● Breaking generational patterns (yelling, emotional distance, lack of support)

● Letting go while still offering guidance and support

● Navigating pride, embarrassment, and celebration as parents

● Parenting adult children who are now parenting their own kids

● Communication vs. control in adult parent-child relationships

● Blended family dynamics and co-parenting challenges

✨ Key Takeaways

● Parenting never stops, but the role must evolve

● Awareness is the first step to breaking generational cycles

● Yelling may release stress—but it can shrink a child’s spirit

● Communication builds bridges where control creates distance

● You can parent differently than how you were raised

● Grace—for yourself and your children—is essential in every season

💬 Memorable Quotes

-“Parenting has never stopped—it just keeps changing.”— Teresa Reiniger

-“It took me twice as long to build him back up as it did to tear him down.” — Wayna Berry

-“Just because it’s how it’s always been done doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.” — Teresa Reiniger

-“Awareness creates the opportunity for change.” — Teresa Reiniger

-“I didn’t want my child to shrink—I wanted him to stand strong.” — Teresa Reiniger

-“Parenting adult children is a delicate dance.” — Wayna Berry

🔔 Call to Action

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a parent who’s navigating adult children, or leave a review on Spotify to help more families find these conversations.

DM us or tag us on social media:

● How has your relationship with your child changed over time?

● What generational patterns are you intentionally breaking?

📷 Bonus

We LOVE pictures—grandbabies, adult kids, family moments. Share them with us!

💖 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

📩 Email: [email protected]

📘 Facebook: Female Voices: Life & Loss Podcast

📸 Instagram: @femalevoiceslifelosspodcast

🎵 TikTok: @femalevoiceslifeloss

🔔 Subscribe, share, and leave a review to help more women feel seen, supported, and less alone.

What happens when grief arrives all at once—and refuses to follow the rules?

In this deeply moving episode of Female Voices: Life & Loss, host Teresa Reiniger sits down with Mon Trice Williams (aka Poet Emma Dree)—a widow, mother, poet, author, and curator of healing spaces—who shares how losing her mother, husband, and five other family members within single year reshaped everything she thought she knew about grief, self-care, and resilience.

Rather than trying to “fix” her grief, Mon Trice learned to listen to it—and what emerged was a powerful philosophy: self-care isn’t a one-time rescue, it’s a sustainable network. Through poetry, interactive open mics, serenity suppers, and immersive writing experiences, Mon Trice now creates healing spaces that help people process grief, identity shifts, and loss—together.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating grief, burnout, widowhood, or emotional overwhelm—and for those who feel pressure to be “high-functioning” while silently unraveling.

🌿 GUEST INTRODUCTION

Mon Trice Williams, also known as Poet Emma Dree, is a St. Louis–based poet, author, widow, and creative community builder. After experiencing compounded grief from the loss of seven family members in one year, Mon transformed her pain into purpose by curating healing spaces rooted in creativity, reflection, and connection.She is the resident poet at Sweet Art Café in St. Louis and the creator of interactive open mics, serenity suppers, and The Moving Page—a writing retreat on an Amtrak train. Her work centers on grief, identity, self-care, and the healing power of community.

💬 Memorable Quotes

● “Grief does not play by the rules—but it doesn’t have to win the game.” — Mon Trice (03:22)

● “I kept trying to fix my grief instead of letting it be.” — Mon Trice (03:44)

● “You can’t compartmentalize grief. If you suppress it in one area, it shows up somewhere else.” — Mon Trice (07:07)

● “Self-care isn’t a rescue plan. It’s a network that prepares you to take the hit.” — Mon Trice (09:48)

● “Failure isn’t final—it’s feedback.” — Mon Trice (23:18)

● “You don’t have to be a poet to heal through creativity. You just have to begin gently.” — Teresa Reiniger (37:55)

🧠 Topics Discussed

● Compounded grief and losing multiple loved ones in a short time

● Why high-functioning people struggle deeply with grief

● Brain fog, memory loss, and grief’s impact on cognition

● The myth of “getting through” grief quickly

● The eight pillars of holistic self-care

● Creativity as a form of emotional processing

● Building community-based healing spaces

● Interactive open mics and shared reflection as healing tools

● Parenting through grief and honoring different grieving styles

● Boundaries, rest, and redefining productivity

🌱 Key Takeaways

● Grief doesn’t follow a timeline—and comparing your grief to others is harmful

● Self-care must be proactive, consistent, and multi-dimensional

● You cannot “out-perform” or intellectualize grief

● Creativity can unlock healing when words feel inaccessible● Community reduces isolation and validates your lived experience

📍 Shoutouts & Mentions

● Sweet Art Café (St. Louis, MO) – Healing space & home base for open mics

● Rain Crease – Owner of Sweet Art Café and supporter of creative self-care initiatives

● Pageway Publishing – Publisher of Mon Trice’s children’s books and poetry

● Amtrak (St. Louis to Kansas City Route) – Home of The Moving Page writing experience

🧩 Reflection Question for Listeners

Who is part of your self-care network—and where might you be trying to do this alone?

🔗 CONNECT WITH THE GUEST

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emma.dree.7

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emma_dree_/

📧 Email: [email protected]

💖 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

📩 Email: [email protected]

📘 Facebook: Female Voices: Life & Loss Podcast

📸 Instagram: @femalevoiceslifelosspodcast

🎵 TikTok: @femalevoiceslifeloss

What happens when two grief coaches pause to reflect on a full year of powerful stories, laughter, and healing conversations?

In this special Episode 55 of Female Voices: Life & Loss, co-hosts Teresa Reiniger and Wayna Berry reflect on their first full year podcasting together. From meaningful guest stories and unexpected lessons to humor-filled moments and honest reflections on grief, growth, and connection, this episode is a heartfelt look behind the scenes of the podcast—and the women behind the microphones.

Together, they explore how storytelling creates healing, why laughter belongs in heavy conversations, what they’ve learned from their guests, and where Female Voices is headed next—including pop-ups, travel, and more international voices.

This episode is a reminder that grief is universal, healing is personal, and sharing your story might be exactly what someone else needs.

Episode Overview

In Episode 55, Teresa Reiniger and Wayna Berry come together—just the two of them—to reflect on a full year of co-hosting Female Voices: Life & Loss. They discuss the evolution of the podcast, the power of storytelling, lessons learned from guests, navigating grief with humor, and the importance of curiosity, community, and authenticity.

This episode blends reflection with laughter, offering listeners reassurance that even in the midst of loss, growth and joy are still possible.

💬 MEMORABLE QUOTES

● “Your story is powerful. When you open up, you help other women know they’re not alone.” – Wayna Berry

● “Grief is a human experience. No matter where you’re from, it shows up the same.” – Teresa Reiniger

● “Healing doesn’t mean it won’t be heavy—but there can still be laughter.” – Wayna Berry

● “Sometimes not being able to share your story is a sign you need more support.” – Wayna Berry

● “I learn just as much from our guests as they might learn from me.” – Teresa Reiniger

● “There’s a happy medium between sharing your story and taking over the space.” – Teresa Reiniger

🧭 TOPICS DISCUSSED

● Reflecting on one year of co-hosting Female Voices

● The power of storytelling in grief and healing

● Why curiosity builds meaningful connection

● Grief support groups vs. smaller, intentional spaces

● Caring for aging parents and role reversal grief

● Finding laughter and joy in heavy conversations

⭐ KEY TAKEAWAYS

● Sharing your story can create healing—for you and others

● Grief is universal, even across cultures and life experiences

● Laughter and lightness belong in conversations about loss

● Growth comes from authenticity, not perfection

● If telling your story feels impossible, support may be needed

📣 SHOUTOUTS & MENTIONS

● Dr. Pamela Buchanan – For impactful conversations on burnout and self-care

● Cindy Richardson – Life coach who shared wisdom around grief and divorce●Kimberly Berkeley – Sharing grief around parenting children on the spectrum

● Annie Eads – Conversations around assisted living and elder care

● Mentions of upcoming international guests and future collaborations

🎧 LISTENER CALL-TO-ACTION

💬 Share your favorite episode with someone who needs it

⭐ Leave a review to help more women find the podcast

📲 Like, follow, and share the show on social media

🎙️ Interested in being a guest? Reach out—first-timers welcome

📝 Tell us what topics you want covered in 2026

💖 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

📩 Email: [email protected]

📘 Facebook: Female Voices: Life & Loss Podcast

📸 Instagram: @femalevoiceslifelosspodcast

🎵 TikTok: @femalevoiceslifeloss

🔔 Subscribe, share, and leave a review to help more women feel seen, supported, and less alone.

What if everything you thought would make you happy… still left you feeling empty?

In this powerful and soul-stirring episode of Female Voices: Life & Loss, hosts Teresa Reiniger and Wayna Berry sit down with Silvia Resnik, an internationally accredited coach whose journey through loss, depression, and spiritual awakening led her all the way to Tanzania — and back to herself.

Silvia shares her experience as a lone-born twin, the grief she carried unknowingly for decades, and how encounters with the Maasai people profoundly transformed her understanding of healing, community, and purpose. Together, the trio explores grief, awakening, ancestral connection, self-love, and what it truly means to slow down in a world that never stops moving.

This episode is an invitation to reflect, reconnect, and remember that even after loss, new beginnings are possible.

We explore how grief, identity loss, and depression can become doorways to awakening. Silvia Resnik shares how discovering she was a vanished twin reshaped her life story, how her travels to Tanzania awakened a deeper spiritual connection, and how she is now giving back through her Empower Her Project, supporting Maasai women and girls.

This conversation touches on grief, spiritual awakening, ancestral presence, cultural healing, self-love, and practical ways to live with more intention and meaning.

💬 MEMORABLE QUOTES

● “I had everything, but I was unhappy. Inside, I felt hollow.” — Silvia Resnik

● “The community is everything. They don’t need big houses — they have connection.” — Silvia Resnik

● “Grief comes in waves. You never know what will trigger it.” — Wayna Berry

● “We don’t slow down enough to listen — and that’s where the answers are.” — Teresa Reiniger

● “Where there is shadow, there is always light.” — Silvia Resnik

● “Death is part of life — avoiding the conversation doesn’t protect us from the pain.” — Wayna Berry

🧠 TOPICS DISCUSSED

● Living as a lone-born (vanished) twin

● Depression, identity loss & emotional awakening

● Cultural healing & the power of community

● Spiritual connection, ancestors & grief

● Slowing down in a distracted world

● Women’s empowerment & global impact

● Coaching, self-love & inner healing

✨ KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR LISTENERS

● Healing often begins when we slow down and listen inward

● Grief and depression can be powerful teachers

● Community and connection are essential to healing

● Self-love is learned — and can be relearned

● Awakening looks different for everyone

● Giving back can deepen personal healing

📣 SHOUTOUTS & MENTIONS

● Silvia Resnik – ICF-Accredited Coach & Founder of Empower Her Project

● Empower Her Project – Supporting Maasai women & girls

● Maasai Community (Tanzania) – Cultural wisdom & healing inspiration

🔗 CONNECT WITH THE GUEST

🌍 International coaching & spiritual integration support

🤍 Open to collaborators, donors, educators & volunteers

🌐 Website: www.simple-life-journey.com

🌐 Upcoming: www.after-awakening.com

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/silvia.after.awakening

📧 Email: [email protected]

📸 Instagram: @coachsilviaresnik

💼 LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/silvia-resnik/

💖 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

📩 Email: [email protected]

📘 Facebook: Female Voices: Life & Loss Podcast

📸 Instagram: @femalevoiceslifelosspodcast

🎵 TikTok: @femalevoiceslifeloss

🌐 Website: Female Voices: Life & Loss

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Grief doesn’t only follow death—it also shows up when life turns out very different than we imagined.

In this powerful Episode 53 of Female Voices: Life & Loss, host Teresa Reiniger sits down with writer, speaker, and photographer Michelle Lee Steiner to explore life with a hidden learning disability, the grief that comes with unmet expectations, and the resilience required to keep going when the world underestimates you.

Diagnosed in kindergarten and repeatedly told what she wouldn’t be able to do, Michelle shares how she learned to adapt, advocate for herself, and redefine success on her own terms. This conversation offers encouragement for anyone navigating invisible struggles, educational systems, grief outside of death, or the long journey toward self-acceptance.

Episode Highlights & Topics Discussed

● Living with a hidden learning disability and being misjudged because “you don’t look disabled”

● The grief of realizing life will look different than planned

● The power of parental advocacy, IEPs, and early intervention

● Redefining success beyond traditional expectations

● Finding strengths in writing, speaking, and creativity

● Why grief also comes from limitations, not just loss of life

● How community, grace, and customized support matter💬

MEMORABLE QUOTES

-“Grief doesn’t only follow death. It also comes when life looks very different than what we planned.” — Teresa

-“One of the first things I would tell them is not to give up.”— Michelle

-“Success doesn’t always come in a package that we expect.”— Michelle

-“There’s nothing wrong with being disabled—whether you can see it or you can’t.”— Michelle

-“We don’t want someone else to decide what’s going to happen with our kids.”— Teresa

🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS

● Hidden disabilities are real, even when they aren’t visible

● Grief can come from limitations, transitions, and unmet expectations

● Advocacy and customized support can change lives

● Resilience often grows through encouragement and community

● Success is not one-size-fits-all

📚 ANTHOLOGIES MENTIONED

Michelle Lee Steiner has been published in the following anthologies:

1. Tough Kids

2. Perfectly Imperfect

3. [Additional anthology mentioned earlier in the episode]

4. [Additional anthology mentioned earlier in the episode](Links are available on Michelle’s website and will be included in the show notes.)

🎧 WHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR

● Anyone living with a hidden disability

● Parents, educators, and employers seeking understanding

● Listeners navigating grief outside of death

● People redefining success after life changes

📣 CALL TO ACTION

If Michelle’s story resonated with you:

● Share this episode with someone who needs encouragement

● Leave a review to support Female Voices: Life & Loss

● Explore the anthologies and resources mentioned

📬 CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.steiner.493966

📧 Email: [email protected]

📸 Instagram: @steiner7250

🌐 Website: https://www.michellesmission.com/

💖 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

📩 Email: [email protected]

📘 Facebook: Female Voices: Life & Loss Podcast

📸 Instagram: @femalevoiceslifelosspodcast

🎵 TikTok: @femalevoiceslifeloss

🌐 Website: Female Voices: Life & Loss

🔔 Subscribe, share, and leave a review to help more women feel seen, supported, and less alone.