For the Love of Grief with Claire Bidwell Smith

After losing her mom at eighteen years old and her dad at twenty-five, Claire Bidwell Smith devoted her entire life to grief work—to finding connection, meaning, love, and light amongst loss and grief. She is an author, a grief therapist, and a speaker; she hosts workshops and is a book coach; and, her most important title of all, she is the mom to two beautiful little girls (with another baby on the way!). Claire so beautifully and gracefully marries the shadow and the light in her life and in the lives of others. In fact, Claire’s first book, Rules of Inheritance, profoundly touched my life. It was the first memoir I read after my mother died. I found Rules while engaging in one of my favorite past times—strolling the aisles of a bookstore. It practically leapt off of the shelf and into my hands, and as soon as I read the description in the back I knew that was by no accident. I devoured her book in a day. Sobbed. And read it again. I saw so much of myself in her and I felt so much less alone (which is the beauty of memoirs). I am personally so grateful that Claire has chosen to share her light with the world, and I am so excited to share her and her light with you all!   IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT: How memoirs can make you feel less alone in grief (and in life) Her journey towards becoming a grief therapist Why the five stages of grief are misunderstood—what can go, and what is missing How grief never really goes away, but instead changes How the love and light in life is closely related to the loss and grief in life How Claire’s experience with a psychic medium led her into researching the afterlife and writing her second book Why it is important to feel connected to your loved ones even after they have passed How Claire speaks to her children about death Plus much more…   RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE Mentioned: Claire’s Online Grief Course Dr. Elizabeth Ross’s Five Stages of Grief The Tibetan Book of the Dead Edgar Allan Poe—The Raven Caitlin Doughty—Smoke Gets In Your Eyes John Kabat-Zinn—Full Catastrophe Living John Kabat-Zinn—Wherever You Go, There You Are   Connect with Claire: Website: https://clairebidwellsmith.com/ Instagram: @clairebidwellsmith Facebook: Claire Bidwell Smith Twitter: @clairebidwell   QUOTES “After my mom died, when I was eighteen, I didn’t know anyone who had been through anything like that and I just felt like I was surrounded by my peers, who were living a pretty normal life, going to college and, you know, away from home for the first time and my world felt really different.” “A lot of people struggle within the five stages of grief because they’re trying to make them work and they don’t really work.” “That’s the surprising thing about grief—it can really come back when you aren’t expecting it.” “The psychic mediums were amazing; they were really incredible. I had some experiences that completely changed my views of everything, and I had some experiences that were total bullshit—there was nothing good about it and you could tell the person was a charlatan. It was fascinating.” “The sense that people got when they felt connected to their loved one, it was phenomenal to see and I was like, I don’t give a fuck if it’s real.” “If you could pick any scenario to happen when you die, what would you want it to be?”   LET’S CONNECT Website: www.bryannadee.com Instagram: @bryanna_dee Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bryannadee Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bryannadee/