Grief Grower

If you've ever felt broken, lost, or completely alone in your grief, this episode is for you. I'm sharing 15 short, nonreligious affirmations that have brought me comfort and a sense of stability in grief's hardest moments—along with insights from my students inside Life After Loss Academy.

These aren't fluffy or sugarcoated. They're honest, grounding, and written to meet you exactly where you are.

You'll hear:

• Three emotional pain points almost every griever faces

• 15 affirmations that actually help soothe the pain of grief (no toxic positivity here)

• Ideas for making affirmations part of your daily life

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Get FREE grief workshops, quizzes, and so much more on my website: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/links

Keep Grief Grower ad-free by becoming a Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/shelbyforsythia

Join my online course + community, Life After Loss Academy: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/life-after-loss-academy

Listen to more episodes of Grief Grower, view episode transcripts, and submit a question for the show: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/grief-grower-podcast

You've probably heard it—or maybe even said it: "I can't imagine what you're going through." It sounds compassionate on the surface, but it often creates emotional distance instead of connection.

In this episode, I explain why this common sympathy phrase misses the mark for many grievers and what to say that's actually comforting.

You'll learn:

• Why "I can't imagine" feels dismissive to grievers

• The deeper message this phrase unintentionally sends

• Short, compassionate alternatives to "I can't imagine what you're going through"

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Get FREE grief workshops, quizzes, and so much more on my website: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/links

Keep Grief Grower ad-free by becoming a Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/shelbyforsythia

Join my online course + community, Life After Loss Academy: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/life-after-loss-academy

Listen to more episodes of Grief Grower, view episode transcripts, and submit a question for the show: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/grief-grower-podcast

Poet William Bortz joins me to talk about grief, poetry, and finding appreciation after loss.

We explore how poetry can companion us through devastating experiences—and how William has begun reshaping Mother's Day into something gentler after decades of isolation and anger.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why poetry is uniquely helpful for grieving minds

• How to grieve intangible losses like hope, stability, and certainty

• The connection between grief and developing appreciation

• Relearning how to engage with Mother's Day after loss

• Poems and poets that help us feel seen, held, and understood in grief

Check out William's poetry books including The Grief We're Given and Many Small Hungerings: https://williambortz.wordpress.com/

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Get FREE grief workshops, quizzes, and so much more on my website: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/links

Keep Grief Grower ad-free by becoming a Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/shelbyforsythia

Join my online course + community, Life After Loss Academy: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/life-after-loss-academy

Listen to more episodes of Grief Grower, view episode transcripts, and submit a question for the show:https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/grief-grower-podcast

Ever find yourself doing something a little odd after loss—like wearing the same outfit for weeks or talking to your dead person's photo—and wonder, "Is this normal?"

In this episode, I'm sharing five coping strategies that might seem weird from the outside but actually help you navigate life after loss in grounded, helpful ways.

You'll hear about:

• The science behind grief and playing games

• Why talking to a photo (or a houseplant or a stuffed animal) isn't "crazy"

• How grief uniforms and grief meals can help with decision fatigue

• Why getting a drastic haircut after loss is not necessarily "chaotic," but symbolic and meaningful

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Get FREE grief workshops, quizzes, and so much more on my website: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/links

Keep Grief Grower ad-free by becoming a Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/shelbyforsythia

Join my online course + community, Life After Loss Academy: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/life-after-loss-academy

Listen to more episodes of Grief Grower, view episode transcripts, and submit a question for the show: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/grief-grower-podcast

When someone dies, social media can feel like the last thing on your mind. But often times, posting online the best way to update lots of friends and family at once. In this episode, I'll give you a clear, step-by-step framework for announcing a death on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media platforms with heart, compassion, and care.

You'll learn:

• What to say (and what not to say)

• Photo ideas that honor your loved one

• How to set kind-but-firm boundaries with your post

• Tips for logging off after you share

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Get FREE grief workshops, quizzes, and so much more on my website: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/links

Keep Grief Grower ad-free by becoming a Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/shelbyforsythia

Join my online course + community, Life After Loss Academy: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/life-after-loss-academy

Listen to more episodes of Grief Grower, view episode transcripts, and submit a question for the show: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/grief-grower-podcast

The quote: "Grief is just love with no place to go" is everywhere, but it doesn't tell the whole story of life after loss. In this episode, explore what grief really is, especially when love isn't the defining emotion.

You'll learn:

• Why "grief is love" doesn't work for everyone
• How grief shows up after painful or distant relationships
• What grief includes beyond love—like identity, longing, and relief
• Why every grief experience deserves validation and space

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Read my viral blog: Grief Is Not "Just Love With No Place to Go." Here's What It Really Is. https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/blog-archive/grief-is-not-love-with-no-place-to-go-heres-what-it-really-is

Get FREE grief workshops, quizzes, and so much more on my website: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/links

Keep Grief Grower ad-free by becoming a Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/shelbyforsythia

Join my online course + community, Life After Loss Academy: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/life-after-loss-academy

Listen to more episodes of Grief Grower, view episode transcripts, and submit a question for the show: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/grief-grower-podcast

You've heard the words loss, grief, mourning, and bereavement—but what do they really mean? In this episode, we explore how language shapes your healing and why getting clear on these terms can help you feel more grounded in your grief.

You'll learn:

• What "loss" actually refers to

• How the word "grief" holds both "bereavement" and "mourning"

• Why language can reduce shame and confusion

• How naming your experience helps you feel less lost

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Get FREE grief workshops, quizzes, and so much more on my website: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/links

Keep Grief Grower ad-free by becoming a Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/shelbyforsythia

Join my online course + community, Life After Loss Academy: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/life-after-loss-academy

Listen to more episodes of Grief Grower, view episode transcripts, and submit a question for the show: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/grief-grower-podcast

Five years since the world first shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, grievers are still asking: Where is the acknowledgment? In this powerful conversation with Modern Loss founder Rebecca Soffer, we talk about:

• Why COVID grief is still so raw for so many

• How good leadership supports—instead of minimizes—grieving people

• Our fantasy grief rituals to honor pandemic loss

• What meaningful acknowledgment could actually look like

• Why collective rituals still matter, even years later

Visit Modern Loss for articles, books, and more:https://modernloss.com/

Subscribe to the Modern Loss Substack:https://modernloss.substack.com/

Sign up for the 9th Annual Modern Loss Mother's Day Gift Swap:https://modernloss.wufoo.com/forms/z1xv7kv00g6e1pp/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Read Rebecca's 2020 article about COVID in NBC News:https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/covid-19-pandemic-will-be-outlasted-grief-pandemic-no-one-ncna1242788

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Get FREE grief workshops, quizzes, and so much more on my website:https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/links

Keep Grief Grower ad-free by becoming a Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/shelbyforsythia

Join my online course + community, Life After Loss Academy:https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/life-after-loss-academy

Listen to more episodes of Grief Grower, view episode transcripts, and submit a question for the show:https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/grief-grower-podcast

Journaling for grief can feel impossible when you're overwhelmed by loss. In this episode, I'm sharing seven compassionate journaling prompts to help you approach the blank page and begin writing—whether you're grieving a death, divorce, diagnosis, or identity shift.

You'll learn:

• Why the blank page feels so intimidating when you're grieving

• How metaphors can help you connect with your grief in a new way

• Seven gentle prompts to help you start writing (no pressure, no perfection)

• How journaling for grief can support healing after any kind of loss

• Personal stories and reframes to guide your writing practice

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Get FREE grief workshops, quizzes, and so much more on my website:

https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/links

Keep Grief Grower ad-free by becoming a Patreon supporter:

https://www.patreon.com/shelbyforsythia

Join my online course + community, Life After Loss Academy:

https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/life-after-loss-academy

Listen to more episodes of Grief Grower, view episode transcripts, and submit a question for the show:

https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/grief-grower-podcast

Grief isn't something to "get over"—it's something we grow with. In this episode, we explore what it means to be what I call a "grief grower" and how to grow through grief instead of "getting over it."

You'll learn:

• Why society gets grief wrong (and what to do instead)
• How to build a lifelong relationship with grief
• The truth about growing around grief (feat. Lois Tonkin's grief model from 1996!)

If you've ever wondered how to move forward with grief, this episode is for you.

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Get FREE grief workshops, quizzes, and so much more on my website:

https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/links

Keep Grief Grower ad-free by becoming a Patreon supporter:

https://www.patreon.com/shelbyforsythia

Join my online course + community, Life After Loss Academy:

https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/life-after-loss-academy

Listen to more episodes of Grief Grower, view episode transcripts, and submit a question for the show:

https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/grief-grower-podcast