Grief Unfiltered: Stories from Grow Through Your Grief

In this episode of Grief Unfiltered, sisters Krystle and Danette discuss their unique grieving processes after losing their father. They share personal experiences about how grief manifested differently for each of them despite facing the same loss. The conversation covers the early days of grief, the relief and challenges of losing a loved one to a prolonged illness, and how societal and familial expectations can add pressure to the grieving process. They also emphasize the importance of therapy and open communication in healing, offering support and advice for those feeling isolated in their grief.

🌱 Ready to grow through your grief? Get my Befriend Your Grief course for the support and tools needed to transform your pain into a meaningful journey. 

🌧️ Want to see how your grief is affecting you? Download my free quiz and complete it at your own pace. 

🌐 Website: https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/

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

Subscribe to Grief Unfiltered + download each episode on Apple, Spotify, or Android.

In this episode of Grief Unfiltered, hosts Krystle and Danette discuss the pressures that come with the new year, especially for those who are grieving. Instead of traditional New Year's resolutions, they propose setting gentle intentions to care for oneself. They emphasize the importance of allowing grief to take up space, resting without guilt, and being honest about one's feelings. The episode includes practical tips for integrating these intentions into daily life and offers a guided listener reflection to support those navigating grief. The hosts also share personal experiences and the significance of being compassionate to oneself during this challenging time.

🌱 Ready to grow through your grief? Get my Befriend Your Grief course for the support and tools needed to transform your pain into a meaningful journey. 

🌧️ Want to see how your grief is affecting you? Download my free quiz and complete it at your own pace. 

🌐 Website: https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/

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

Subscribe to Grief Unfiltered + download each episode on Apple, Spotify, or Android.

In this heartfelt episode of 'Grief Unfiltered,' sisters Krystle and Danette candidly discuss their personal experiences with grief, particularly during the challenging holiday season. They reflect on their journey of dealing with the loss of their father, sharing their emotions around anniversaries, holidays, and family traditions. The sisters emphasize the importance of allowing oneself to feel and process grief, discuss the impact of grief-induced anxiety, and share coping mechanisms such as therapy, self-care, and open communication. They offer practical advice and support to listeners who are navigating their own grief journeys. The episode concludes with a reminder that grief takes time and space, and that no one has to go through it alone.

🌱 Ready to grow through your grief? Get my Befriend Your Grief course for the support and tools needed to transform your pain into a meaningful journey. 

🌧️ Want to see how your grief is affecting you? Download my free quiz and complete it at your own pace. 

🌐 Website: https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/

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

Subscribe to Grief Unfiltered + download each episode on Apple, Spotify, or Android.

In this heartfelt episode, two siblings converse about their emotions and experiences leading up to and on their late father's birthday. They reflect on the anxiety, memories, and unexpected reminders that surfaced during the week. They discuss how grief resurfaces in various ways and share personal anecdotes about maintaining their dad's memory through traditions and everyday actions. The episode underscores the importance of kindness, the complexity of grief even years later, and the value of keeping loved ones' memories alive.

🌱 Ready to grow through your grief? Get my Befriend Your Grief course for the support and tools needed to transform your pain into a meaningful journey. 

🌧️ Want to see how your grief is affecting you? Download my free quiz and complete it at your own pace. 

🌐 Website: https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/

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

Subscribe to Grief Unfiltered + download each episode on Apple, Spotify, or Android.

In this heartfelt episode, the hosts reflect on the upcoming 74th birthday of their late father, marking a decade since his passing. They share personal anecdotes, fond memories, and the unique traditions they uphold to honor his memory each year, from favorite meals to humorous stories that highlight his distinctive personality. The conversation delves into the challenges of coping with loss, the continued influence of their father on their lives, and the importance of family support. They emphasize the significance of maintaining traditions and the bittersweet nature of remembering a loved one who is no longer physically present.   

🌱 Ready to grow through your grief? Get my Befriend Your Grief course for the support and tools needed to transform your pain into a meaningful journey. 

🌧️ Want to see how your grief is affecting you? Download my free quiz and complete it at your own pace. 

🌐 Website: https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/

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

Subscribe to Grief Unfiltered + download each episode on Apple, Spotify, or Android.

In this deeply personal episode, the host is joined by her sister Danette to recount the last week of their father's life as he battled terminal lung cancer in hospice care. They share their emotional journey, from the initial phone call signaling the end was near, to the intimate and challenging moments of witnessing their father's decline. With raw emotions and heartfelt anecdotes, they reflect on the importance of family support, self-care during grief, and the bittersweet beauty of being present during a loved one's final days. The sisters aim to offer comfort and solidarity to others facing similar experiences.

🌱 Ready to grow through your grief? Get my Befriend Your Grief course for the support and tools needed to transform your pain into a meaningful journey. 

🌧️ Want to see how your grief is affecting you? Download my free quiz and complete it at your own pace. 

🌐 Website: https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/

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

Subscribe to Grief Unfiltered + download each episode on Apple, Spotify, or Android.

In this episode of Grief Unfiltered, we’re talking about something that doesn’t get nearly enough airtime: the tangled mess of grief and health anxiety.

You know, when your chest feels tight and your brain skips the “maybe I’m stressed” step and jumps straight to “I’m dying”? Or when you swallow weird, and suddenly you’re Googling dry drowning and planning your will? Yeah. That.

Krystle shares how her grief showed up physically—from panic attacks in PetSmart to skipping doctor’s appointments for years out of fear. She talks about the anxiety spirals, the WebMD rabbit holes, and why it all makes so much sense when you’ve watched someone you love slowly (or suddenly) lose their health.

This episode is a reminder that you’re not crazy, you’re grieving, and that healing includes your nervous system too.

We’re naming it. We’re grounding it. And yes, we’re bringing some dark humor to it (Dead Dad Day, anyone?).

If you’ve ever diagnosed yourself with something terrifying… and then you were fine five minutes later, this one’s for you.

[00:00] Welcome to Grief Unfiltered
[00:34] “Is this a panic attack or a heart attack?”
[01:40] The PetSmart incident & full-body grief
[03:20] Health anxiety is real—and terrifying
[05:25] Swallowing wrong & spiraling into worst-case scenarios
[07:00] Why grief makes us hyper-aware of our bodies
[08:42] Cancer trauma and fear of going to the doctor
[10:33] Avoiding the dentist and bloodwork (because, anxiety)
[13:15] When your body says “danger” (even if there’s none)
[15:02] Naming the anxiety and grounding in the present
[17:00] Meet Frankie, Krystle’s anxiety alter ego
[18:15] The power of support, therapy, and finding “your person”
[20:00] Dark humor and how grievers survive awkward moments
[22:30] You’re not alone (even when your brain says otherwise)

🌱 Ready to grow through your grief? Get my Befriend Your Grief course for the support and tools needed to transform your pain into a meaningful journey. https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/befriend-your-grief

🌧️ Want to see how your grief is affecting you? Download my free quiz and complete it at your own pace. https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/how-grief-is-affecting-me

🌐 Website: https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/

🎶 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@growthroughyourgrief

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

Subscribe to Grief Unfiltered + download each episode on Apple, Spotify, or Android.

In this deeply personal episode of Grief Unfiltered, Krystle shares the day her life was split in two: before and after her dad’s terminal cancer diagnosis.

She takes us through the moment she got the call, the slow unraveling of his health, and the emotional toll of anticipatory grief. From weekly lunch dates to his final days in hospice, Krystle opens up about what it felt like to love, to lose, and to begin again.

If you’re navigating grief—or supporting someone who is—this episode offers comfort, connection, and a reminder that you’re not alone in how messy and complicated it all feels.

[00:00] Welcome to Grief Unfiltered
[00:34] Content warning & context: "the day my life was split in two"
[01:25] Life before the diagnosis: newborns, postpartum, exhaustion
[04:07] Anxiety, depression, and a toxic job (unrecognized at the time)
[05:25] Her relationship with her dad through childhood
[07:06] Weekly lunch dates and growing into friendship
[08:40] The day of the call: a normal rainy day turns life-changing
[10:32] "It’s cancer" – and everything shifts
[13:01] How it was misdiagnosed for months
[14:11] The bad cancer: fast-spreading, not treatable with a pill
[15:30] Treatment, retirement, and the emotional decline
[16:36] The fall, emergency surgery, and devastating scans
[19:12] Entering hospice and the "mindf***" of not knowing what comes next
[20:35] The final weeks: ice cream, joy, and small comforts
[22:15] When he became unresponsive—and then rallied
[25:23] Saying goodbye with laughter, love, and one-liners
[26:46] His final moments and the quiet beauty of passing
[29:32] The complicated feelings of relief and grief
[32:36] The surreal aftermath and emotional shock
[33:25] The wave of logistics, planning, and showing up
[34:41] Standing room only: honoring his legacy
[36:06] The moment it really hit: “my life will never be the same”
[37:34] The transformation that began with loss
[38:45] Living fully, saying yes, and carrying him everywhere
[39:13] Outro: "Healing isn’t a straight path, but we’re walking it together"

🌱 Ready to grow through your grief? Get my Befriend Your Grief course for the support and tools needed to transform your pain into a meaningful journey. https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/befriend-your-grief

🌧️ Want to see how your grief is affecting you? Download my free quiz and complete it at your own pace. https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/how-grief-is-affecting-me

🌐 Website: https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/

🎶 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@growthroughyourgrief

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

Subscribe to Grief Unfiltered + download each episode on Apple, Spotify, or Android.

🖤 Trigger Warning: Includes discussion of a fatal car accident, trauma response, and sudden loss.

In this raw and completely unscripted episode of Grief Unfiltered, Krystle shares the emotional fallout from witnessing a fatal car accident earlier the same day. It’s a story about shock, helplessness, survivor’s guilt, and the way sudden trauma can resurface deep grief, even for people you didn’t know.

Krystle talks through the exact moment it happened, the bystander guilt that followed, and how it stirred memories of her dad’s death and the early days of her grief.

This is an unfiltered, deeply personal episode—recorded not as a polished message, but as a moment of real processing.

[00:00] Welcome to Grief Unfiltered
[00:28] What happened: recording hours after witnessing a fatal accident
[01:15] The moment of the crash: what Krystle saw and felt
[03:42] Pulling over, shock setting in, the bystander effect
[06:56] Realizing the cars were on fire and people were trapped
[10:02] Thinking about the people who weren’t going home
[13:27] The ripple effect: someone’s entire life just changed
[15:14] Survivor’s guilt and “should I have helped?”
[20:08] Krystle’s husband helps her process the guilt
[22:58] Reflecting on how close it could’ve been
[25:47] Acknowledging: “It wasn’t my time”
[27:25] When unexpected trauma reactivates your grief
[30:58] Feeling that ache for strangers—and their families
[33:26] Final reflection + an invitation to connect
[34:57] Outro: take care of yourself and drive safe

🌱 Ready to grow through your grief? Get my Befriend Your Grief course for the support and tools needed to transform your pain into a meaningful journey. https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/befriend-your-grief

🌧️ Want to see how your grief is affecting you? Download my free quiz and complete it at your own pace. https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/how-grief-is-affecting-me

🌐 Website: https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/

🎶 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@growthroughyourgrief

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

Subscribe to Grief Unfiltered + download each episode on Apple, Spotify, or Android.

What’s harder—losing someone suddenly, or watching the decline for months (or years)?
Let’s be real: both hurt like hell.

In this episode of Grief Unfiltered, I’m breaking down the emotional differences between unexpected and anticipated loss. I’ve lived through both—getting that shocking phone call I never saw coming, and the long, excruciating goodbye to my dad. Both kinds of grief leave a mark, but they show up in different ways—and they ask different things from us.

We’re talking about trauma, guilt, exhaustion, regret, caretaking, and the pressure to “stay strong” when you’re falling apart inside.

Whether you’re grieving someone you lost in an instant or someone you said goodbye to over and over again… your grief is real. And you’re not alone.

[00:00] Welcome: Grief doesn’t come in one flavor
[00:34] What makes sudden loss feel like a gut punch
[01:55] Personal story: losing Justin and my cousin
[06:45] The shock, the guilt, and all the what-ifs
[07:45] Anticipatory grief: the pain before the loss
[08:58] Watching my dad fade
[17:00] Saying goodbye: the beauty and brutality of it
[24:09] Comparing grief: why it’s not a contest
[26:47] What support looks like for each kind of grief
[28:57] Final thoughts: your grief is valid, no matter how it started

🌱 Ready to grow through your grief? Get my Befriend Your Grief course for the support and tools needed to transform your pain into a meaningful journey. https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/befriend-your-grief

🌧️ Want to see how your grief is affecting you? Download my free quiz and complete it at your own pace. https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/how-grief-is-affecting-me

🌐 Website: https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/

🎶 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@growthroughyourgrief

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

Subscribe to Grief Unfiltered + download each episode on Apple, Spotify, or Android.