Episode Description: In this powerful episode of Healing Starts with the Heart, grief specialist Sharon Brubaker takes us into the often-unspoken world of collective grief—the grief that doesn’t belong to just one person, one family, or one household. It belongs to all of us. When tragedy strikes a community—whether it’s a school shooting, a local accident, a sudden death, or a public loss—every face reflects the sorrow. And every heart carries a piece of it.

Sharon unpacks what it means to grieve together, how public mourning impacts private pain, and why it’s so hard to know what to say or do. Through her personal story and the communities she’s walked with through deep loss, this episode is a reminder: you are allowed to grieve, even if you weren’t the one closest to the loss.

If you’ve ever struggled to understand why you’re hurting after a tragedy in your town—or if you’ve watched your community rally and then fall silent—this episode will help you name it, feel it, and find a way forward together.

Key Points Covered:

• What community grief really is: How grief spreads beyond the immediate family and becomes a shared weight.

• The ripple effect of loss: Why neighbors, classmates, church members, teachers—even strangers—feel it too.

• When your grief becomes public: What it means when your pain is visible in grocery store aisles, in church pews, and across front porches.

• The awkwardness of support: Why communities show up with casseroles, candles, and balloon releases—because they don’t know what else to do.

• No grief is “too small”: Even if your connection was distant, your pain is real and valid.

• What happens after the funeral: Why grief gets louder in the silence after the ceremonies, when the door closes and the cameras are gone.

• The trap of being “community strong”: Why telling people to “stay strong” shuts down healing—and what to say instead.

• The importance of afterward support: How real community healing starts not just with rituals, but with consistent presence, honest words, and quiet connection.

Reflection Questions for Your Heart:

• Have you ever felt grief that didn’t “belong” to you, but changed you anyway?

• What role did you play in a collective loss—neighbor, teacher, nurse, friend?

• Who have you been meaning to check in on, long after the candles were blown out?

• What does your community need most right now: another event—or someone who will simply say, “I see you”?

A Note from Sharon: If you're hurting for your town, your school, your street, your neighbor—you're grieving. And you deserve space to feel it, too. Let’s stop pretending we’re okay. Let’s stop hiding behind strong. Real grief calls for real community. Let’s keep showing up for one another—not just for the funeral, but for the months and years afterward, when it matters most.

Listen weekly to Healing Starts with the Heart for truth-filled, compassionate guidance through the hardest parts of grief.

Follow Us: Website: healingstartswiththeheart.com Facebook: Healing Starts with the Heart Instagram: @healatthegriefschool TikTok: @thegriefschool

Join Us for Ongoing Healing: If you’re grieving quietly after a public loss, we see you. You’re not invisible. Join Sharon and our team at the next Grief Healing Weekend Intensive—a space for real healing, not just survival. You don’t have to carry this alone. Visit clickhereforhope.com for details.

Episode Description: In this raw, heart-opening episode of Healing Starts with the Heart, grief specialist Sharon Brubaker walks you through one of the deepest truths about loss—grief doesn't just take your person. It takes everything. And no one prepares you for that part.

With her own story and the stories of thousands of grievers she’s supported, Sharon names the unspoken: how grief sneaks in like a thief in the night and strips away your energy, your motivation, your peace, and even your sense of time. This isn’t just emotional pain. It’s physical, spiritual, mental—and it touches every part of your life.

If you’ve felt like grief broke something in you that you can't get back... this episode will make you feel seen. It’s not just you. This is what grief does. But this is also your invitation to take it back—your joy, your identity, your voice, your future.

Key Points Discussed:

• Grief doesn’t just take your person— It takes you, the version of you who felt whole before the loss.

• Energy depletion and physical exhaustion— Why simple tasks like getting out of bed, showering, or doing laundry can feel impossible.

• Loss of motivation and pleasure— The things you used to love may now feel meaningless or numb.

• Sleep disruption— Why nights are the hardest and how grief hijacks your ability to rest.

• Loss of confidence and focus— How grief impacts your ability to think clearly, trust yourself, and feel secure in your identity.

• The collapse of inner peace— Why your nervous system stays on high alert after your loss.

• Grief and identity loss— Feeling like a stranger in your own life and questioning your role in the world.

• Grief takes your voice— The silence we fall into when no one understands our pain or says the right thing.

• Time distortion— Feeling stuck in the moment of loss while time speeds up or slows down around you.

• Future grief— Mourning the dreams, milestones, and shared plans that will never happen.

• Control and patience vanish— How grief can make you feel emotionally raw, snappy, and out of control.

• The truth no one tells you— Grief may have taken everything... but you can take it back.

Journal Questions for Reflection:

• What’s something you’ve lost that no one talks about?

• What do you miss most about yourself—the version of you before the loss?

• Where do you feel most “not like yourself” these days?

• What’s one thing grief made you believe you couldn’t reclaim—but maybe you can?

Join the Journey: You were not given a life sentence when your person died. You’re allowed to reclaim the pieces of your life that grief tried to steal. The healing starts when you stop pretending you’re okay, and begin honoring what you’ve lost—and what you still deserve to feel.

Subscribe now to Healing Starts with the Heart for new episodes every Wednesday. You’re not alone. You never were.

Follow Us: Website: healingstartswiththeheart.com Facebook: Healing Starts with the Heart Instagram: @healatthegriefschool TikTok: @thegriefschool

Come to the Healing Weekend Intensive: If this episode spoke to the places in you that feel broken, we invite you to spend the weekend with us. You’ll learn how to reclaim your voice, your energy, your identity, and your hope. Click the link below to waitlist in the upcoming Grief Healing Weekend Intensive. We’re saving you a seat.

https://beacons.ai/thegriefschool

Certainly. Here’s the updated podcast description with bulleted key points while keeping the structure, tone, and clarity intact—no emojis, no fluff:

Episode Description:

In this deep and unfiltered episode of Healing Starts with the Heart, grief specialist Sharon Brubaker unpacks one of the most misunderstood truths about grief—that it’s not just sadness.

So many grievers are led to believe that they’re supposed to carry this endless, heavy sadness for the rest of their lives—that sadness is the whole story of grief. But in this powerful conversation, Sharon reveals what most people don’t talk about: that grief affects your entire body, your mind, your spirit, and your entire world.

With honesty, compassion, and her signature clarity, Sharon explores how grief is an all-consuming storm—how it shows up in brain fog, physical exhaustion, anxiety, disconnection from reality, and deep detachment from your own life. She reminds listeners that they are not broken, they are grieving—and that grief deserves real support, not silence.

If you’ve been stuck in the belief that “I’m just going to be sad forever,” this episode is a wake-up call and a warm hand reaching for yours. This is your reminder: your grief is valid, it’s big, it’s real—and you don’t have to carry it alone anymore.

Key Points Discussed:

• Grief Isn’t Just Sadness Why reducing grief to sadness keeps grievers stuck and unseen.

• The Full-Body Grief Storm How grief affects your nervous system, thoughts, beliefs, sleep, digestion, and sense of reality.

• Why You Can’t Think Your Way Out Grief is an emotional experience in the heart—not a logic problem for the mind to fix.

• Processing vs. Performing Why it’s time to stop pretending you’re okay and start moving the pain through your body.

• What Healing Actually Looks Like Sharon shares the need for action, truth-telling, and intentional space to feel without apology.

Journal Questions for Reflection:

• Where in your body are you holding your grief right now?

• What part of your life has grief touched that no one acknowledges?

• What have you stopped doing because of your grief—and what do you miss most about that part of yourself?

• What would it feel like to be witnessed in your grief without having to explain it?

Join the Journey: Grief isn’t something to be ignored or waited out. You deserve a safe space to land—a place where your pain is seen, held, and honored. That’s what Healing Starts with the Heart is here to offer.

Subscribe now for new episodes every Wednesday and start walking this path with someone who truly understands.

Follow Us: Website: healingstartswiththeheart.com Facebook: Healing Starts with the Heart Instagram: @healatthegriefschool TikTok: @thegriefschool

Check Our Programs: You’re not broken. You’re grieving. And Sharon is here to walk beside you—because she is you.

In this heartfelt episode of Healing Starts with the Heart, Sharon Brubaker opens the door to a topic many avoid—your grief story. Not the polite, watered-down version, but the real, raw, unfiltered story of what happened, what you felt, and what you still carry. Sharon explains why telling this story—first to yourself and then to others—is a necessary part of healing. She shares how the truth of our pain holds the key to transformation, connection, and true emotional release.

Whether you’ve lost a person, a dream, a relationship, or a piece of yourself—this episode invites you to step into your truth, name your grief, and be seen in your pain without shame or apology.

• Why your real grief story matters more than the “acceptable” version

• The physical, emotional, and spiritual toll of holding your story in

• How your brain and body record every detail of trauma and grief

• The difference between what we tell others and what we need to tell ourselves

• How society pressures us to hide our pain—and why that compounds it

• The power of grief storytelling in community and connection

• Sharon’s personal grief stories—and how they continue to evolve

• The freedom and healing that come from speaking your story out loud

• Who were you before your loss, and who are you now?

• What part of your story have you never said out loud?

• What do you still carry in silence?

• What changed in your life that no one else sees?

• What would it feel like to tell the truth about your grief story?

• What is something you lost beyond the person—was it safety, identity, future plans?

• What do you want the world to know about the depth of your pain?

Your grief story matters. All of it. Not just the death or the loss, but what it did to your soul, your routine, your identity. And while you may have been taught to hide your pain, Sharon reminds us that real healing starts when we stop editing our story to protect others. Speak the truth. Say what happened. Say what still hurts. Because when you tell your story, you make room for healing—not only for yourself but for others walking this same painful road.

Have a question, story, or want to connect with Sharon? 📧 Email: [email protected] 📱 Follow Sharon on TikTok: @thegriefschool 🌐 Learn more or join a healing program: www.thegriefschool.com ✨ Join the community: clickhereforhope.com

In this empowering episode of Healing Starts with the Heart, Sharon Brubaker pulls back the curtain on one of the greatest grief misconceptions: that we need to learn how to grieve. Sharon reveals a deeper truth—we were all born knowing how to grieve. From your first cry to your instinct to reach out when in pain, grief is not something to be taught but something we’ve been taught to forget. Through raw, compassionate storytelling and the powerful example of a client who found her way back to healing, Sharon reminds us that grief is not a flaw—it’s our body and spirit doing exactly what they were designed to do. If you’ve ever questioned your tears, your numbness, or the way your grief looks—this episode is for you.

Key Points Discussed:

• You didn’t lose your ability to grieve—you were born with it

• The world unteaches us how to grieve by rewarding silence and pretending

• Grief is a full-body, nervous system experience—not just emotional pain

• Your grief is not wrong, too big, too heavy, or something to be fixed

• Real healing begins when we stop performing and start expressing honestly

• A powerful story of a widow rediscovering her voice in Grief Study Hall

• Why your body still remembers how to release what hurts—without needing a manual

Journal Questions for Reflection:

• When did you first start to believe your grief was “too much”?

• How have you been performing instead of feeling your grief?

• What rules or messages about grief have shaped your current experience?

• How has your body been trying to express grief—and have you been listening?

• What would it look like to stop apologizing for your grief?

• Are you willing to trust that you still know how to grieve?

Conclusion: You don’t need to learn how to grieve—you need to remember that you already know. Your tears are not signs of weakness, your pain is not brokenness, and your emotions are not something to hide. They’re sacred. They’re real. They’re part of the healing. Sharon invites you to stop apologizing, stop performing, and return to what your body, your heart, and your spirit already know how to do: grieve.

Contact Us: Have a question, story, or want to connect with Sharon? Email: [email protected] Join the Grief Study Hall every Tuesday from 1–3 PM CST Facebook: The Grief School Facebook Group TikTok: @thegriefschool Website: clickhereforhope.com

In this raw and deeply honest episode of Healing Starts with the Heart, Sharon Brubaker invites listeners into the messy, painful, and necessary truth of what it means to lean in to grief. Instead of hiding, numbing, or pretending you’re okay, Sharon challenges you to stop running from the pain and start facing it head-on. This is not about suffering for suffering’s sake—it’s about healing the only way that works: by feeling it all. If you’ve ever told yourself, “If I let this out, I’ll never stop crying,” this episode is for you. Sharon unpacks the myths we’re told about grief, the lies we believe to stay strong, and what it truly means to begin moving pain through you—not around you.

Key Points Discussed:

• Why avoidance only deepens and prolongs grief

• The dangerous myth that time alone heals grief

• What “leaning into the pain” actually looks like in real life

• How grief lives in the body—and what happens when we suppress it

• The truth about emotional numbness and false strength

• Why staying “composed” is not the same as healing

• The power of sitting with your grief, naming your pain, and giving it space

• The importance of breaking free from performative grieving and moving into true processing

• How leaning in, little by little, helps you reclaim pieces of yourself

• Real-life stories of clients who finally allowed themselves to cry—and what happened next

• Why grief is not a lifetime sentence, unless you choose it to be

Journal Questions for Reflection:

• What pain have you been avoiding in your grief?

• Where in your body do you feel the heaviness of your loss?

• What lies have you been told (or believed) about being strong?

• What might shift if you gave yourself permission to fall apart today?

• Can you name a moment when you chose numbness over feeling? What did that cost you?

• What part of your grief needs to be witnessed right now—by you?

Conclusion: Grief demands to be felt. Not hidden, not ignored, not scheduled. And the truth is, real healing only begins when you choose to lean in. You don’t have to be strong. You don’t have to pretend. You just have to show up—to your own pain—with honesty and compassion. You’ll find that in the leaning, there’s light. There’s breath. There’s a path forward.

Contact Us: Have a question, story, or want to connect with Sharon? 📧 Email: [email protected] 📱 Follow Sharon on TikTok: @thegriefschool 🌐 Join our healing spaces: www.thegriefschool.com ✨ Be part of our community: clickhereforhope.com 💬 Join us for Grief Study Hall (Tuesdays 1–3 PM CST) or Processing the Pain of Grief (Thursdays 7 PM CST)

In this unforgettable episode of Healing Starts with the Heart, grief specialist Sharon Brubaker shares the story of the exact moment her life split into “before” and “after.” Through a searingly honest account of the phone call that changed everything—the loss of her nephew Austin—Sharon takes listeners inside the collapse that grief can cause. This isn’t a conversation about “moving on” or checking boxes—it’s a journey through the mess, the silence, and the search for truth. If you’ve had that day—the one where it all fell apart—this episode is for you.

• The moment grief hit: June 17, 2006—the call that shattered Sharon’s life

• The illusion of “ordinary” before a loss, and the unbearable clarity after

• How the world keeps spinning while your life stops

• The raw, physical, full-body nature of grief

• Society’s failure to understand or support grieving people

• The myth of strength: why being “strong” isn’t always helpful

• Why no one is coming to save you—and how Sharon created the help she needed

• The role of silence, breaking down, and choosing to face the pain head-on

• Why The Grief School and Grief Study Hall were born—from brokenness to building

• The truth: You are not broken. You are grieving. And you don’t have to do it alone.

• What was the moment that split your life into “before” and “after”?

• How did your body respond to the shock of your loss?

• What lies about grief or “being strong” have you believed or been told?

• Where in your life have you been waiting for someone to save you?

• What truth are you ready to say out loud about your grief?

Grief isn’t polite. It doesn’t knock first. It wrecks, rewires, and reshapes everything. But even in the rubble, there is still breath, still hope, and still a path through. If you’ve had that day—the one that broke you—you are not alone. And if no one ever told you: you don’t have to carry this forever. You just have to walk through it. One breath at a time. One truth at a time.

Need more support or want to connect with Sharon? 📝 Join Grief Study Hall: Every Tuesday, 1–3 PM CST 📚 Read the Book: Grieve That Sht* — grab it at clickhereforhope.com 📸 Follow Sharon on TikTok: @thegriefschool 💌 Email: [email protected]

Episode Summary: In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Healing Starts with a Heart, grief specialist Sharon Brubaker explores the raw truth behind her book Grieve That Sht*. Through honest storytelling and lived experience, Sharon unpacks “the grief sh*t”—the real, often unspoken pain that comes with loss—and what it actually feels like in the body, mind, and soul. This episode is a lifeline for anyone navigating the devastating aftermath of grief and looking for real talk, not clichés.

Key Points Discussed:

• The origin and meaning behind the book title Grieve That Sht*

• What "the sh*t" really is: the messy, painful, and often invalidated experience of grieving

• Grief as a full-body, biological, emotional, and intellectual experience

• The myth of “moving on,” “closure,” and other harmful expectations

• Why people say the wrong things, and how to hold your truth anyway

• You can’t outthink grief—you have to feel your way through it

• Grief is more than death: it includes lost dreams, identities, relationships, and futures

Journal Questions for Reflection:

1. What does "the grief sh*t" look like in your life right now?

2. When have you tried to “outthink” your grief, and how did that feel in your body?

3. How do you resist grief—and what might it feel like to let go just a little?

4. What parts of your life or identity have you grieved that weren’t related to death?

5. What’s one honest answer you could give someone if they asked how you’re really doing?

Conclusion: Grief isn’t just emotional—it’s physical, spiritual, and all-consuming. It changes everything, and there’s no handbook, no timeline, no “right” way to do it. But one truth remains: you are not broken. You are grieving, and your body knows what to do. You don’t have to hold your breath through it—you can let yourself breathe again. Let this episode be your reminder: you’re doing a damn good job just making it through today.

📬 Contact Us: Need more support or want to connect with Sharon? 📚 Get on the waitlist for Grieve That Sht*: clickhereforhope.com 📸 Follow Sharon on TikTok: @thegriefschool 💌 Email: [email protected]

A Wake-Up Call for Every Griever

Episode Summary: In this powerful kickoff to Healing Starts with a Heart, Sharon Brubaker gets real about what it means to truly grieve. This episode introduces the unapologetic truth behind her upcoming book, Grieve That Sht*. Sharon shares the raw inspiration for the title, why she refuses to sugarcoat grief, and why it’s time for all grievers to stop hiding.

If you’ve ever felt suffocated by forced positivity, misunderstood by the people around you, or overwhelmed by the hidden layers of loss—this episode is for you. This is more than a conversation. It’s a declaration. It’s your permission to grieve loudly, deeply, and truthfully.

Key Points Discussed:

• The story behind the bold title Grieve That Sht*

• Why we need to stop hiding in our grief

• The difference between grieving the person vs. grieving the secondary losses

• The lies grievers are told by society—and why they don’t help

• The world’s broken response to grief and how it adds to our pain

• Sharon’s personal journey and the defining moment that sparked this movement

• The true meaning of giving yourself permission to heal

• What it means to grieve on your own terms

• How the book and Sharon’s grief programs are transforming the healing process

Journal Questions for Reflection:

• What “grief sh*t” have you been carrying that no one sees?

• How has the world responded to your grief, and how did that make you feel?

• In what ways have you felt pressure to “move on” before you were ready?

• What would it look like for you to grieve truthfully and unapologetically?

• Where do you still need to give yourself permission to heal?

Conclusion: This episode sets the tone for a new kind of grief healing journey—one rooted in truth, resilience, and radical permission. Sharon isn’t just writing a book. She’s starting a movement. One that says you no longer have to grieve in silence, put on a brave face, or make other people comfortable. You get to grieve this sh*t. All of it. Every last bit. Because that’s how healing starts—with a heart wide open.

Contact Us: Have a question, story, or want to connect with Sharon? Email us at: [email protected] Follow Sharon on TikTok: @thegriefschool Learn more or join our next healing weekend at: www.thegriefschool.com You can also follow and connect with us at: clickhereforhope.com

Grieve That Sht – A Wake-Up Call for Every Griever

In this powerful kickoff to Healing Starts with a Heart, Sharon Brubaker gets real about what it means to truly grieve. This episode introduces the unapologetic truth behind her upcoming book, Grieve That Sht*. Sharon shares the raw inspiration for the title, why she refuses to sugarcoat grief, and why it’s time for all grievers to stop hiding.

If you’ve ever felt suffocated by forced positivity, misunderstood by the people around you, or overwhelmed by the hidden layers of loss—this episode is for you. This is more than a conversation. It’s a declaration. It’s your permission to grieve loudly, deeply, and truthfully.

• The story behind the bold title Grieve That Sht*

• Why we need to stop hiding in our grief

• The difference between grieving the person vs. grieving the secondary losses

• The lies grievers are told by society—and why they don’t help

• The world’s broken response to grief and how it adds to our pain

• Sharon’s personal journey and the defining moment that sparked this movement

• The true meaning of giving yourself permission to heal

• What it means to grieve on your own terms

• How the book and Sharon’s grief programs are transforming the healing process

1. What "grief sh*t" have you been carrying that no one sees?

2. How has the world responded to your grief, and how did that make you feel?

3. In what ways have you felt pressure to “move on” before you were ready?

4. What would it look like for you to grieve truthfully and unapologetically?

5. Where do you still need to give yourself permission to heal?

This episode sets the tone for a new kind of grief healing journey—one rooted in truth, resilience, and radical permission. Sharon isn’t just writing a book. She’s starting a movement. One that says you no longer have to grieve in silence, put on a brave face, or make other people comfortable. You get to grieve this sh*t. All of it. Every last bit. Because that’s how healing starts—with a heart wide open.

Have a question, story, or want to connect with Sharon? Email us at: [email protected] Follow Sharon on TikTok: @thegriefschool Learn more or join our next healing weekend at: www.thegriefschool.com You can also follow and connect with us at: clickhereforhope.com