Welcome to season 2 and we are starting off in a very important way. We are talking about grief and men in this episode.

In this heartfelt interview, Morgan Berry shares his profound journey through grief, loss, and healing. Discover how he created Men's Haven, a supportive community for men, and learn valuable insights on navigating grief, mental health, and building resilience.

Key Points

• Morgan Berry's personal losses and grief journey
• The creation and mission of Men's Haven
• The importance of community and vulnerability in healing
• Tools and insights for navigating grief and emotional pain

Here are some takeaways

Morgan created Men's Haven to support men through grief. Authenticity is crucial for healing from grief. Men often feel pressure to be strong and stoic. Grief can be compounded by multiple losses. Family dynamics influence how we handle grief. It's important to allow oneself to feel emotions. Men's health is often neglected in favor of caring for others. Loss of identity can occur after significant grief. There is no right way to grieve; everyone experiences it differently. Understanding grief can help in supporting others. Loss of the future can profoundly impact one's life. Grief can lead to a reevaluation of relationships and legacy. Planning for the future is a loving gift to those left behind. Grief has ripple effects that touch all areas of life. Men often need a safe space to express their grief. Grief is a natural part of life and should be embraced. It's important to seek tools and resources to navigate grief. Grief can be an expression of love that honors those lost. Understanding one's emotions is crucial in the healing process. Sharing experiences can help others feel less alone in their grief.

Thank you Morgan for sharing your own unique story of loss, grief and the story of how you are creating a safe haven for men to heal.

This episode talks about a little retreat in Oyosoos BC called Build Your Brave. It is my first official speaking gig. I was on a panel with 4 other amazing women. It confirmed how much I want to be a speaker and its something I believe I can do. I feel its so important to have the hard conversations, the ones we avoid but need to have.

It also brought me to my first book The Hardest, Not the Worst Year. A Widows Journey. Why that title? What that year taught me and how I came to be where I am today.

I share my experience, in hopes you don't feel so alone. I hope you listen. If you need support on this journey I'm right here and I'd be honoured to walk with you.

Check out my website www.kathiepowell.ca to find out what it is I do and what my offering are. Book a free discovery call and lets talk.

Love, Kath

I have to laugh or I might cry...I am by no means an expert in the area. I share my personal experiences and the horrors of it.

On this journey at this point I am feeling the pull for connection with an intelligent, fun, honest man with integrity. I have not found that. This is not about replacing my husband but I will not settle for less than the type of man he was. So, I may never find that person and that is okay.

This has been a very teachable moment.

Be careful out there, you never know what you are going to get. It's a very vulnerable place to be. How does one navigate this ... I think my story might be a cautionary tail. (insert eye roll). At every turn you are being judged by your appearance and I get it...even when we meet people in person there is that first look. Attraction, chemistry ... maybe? This is not an easy place to be so if you are out there please share your wisdom.

From what I understand you need to do a lot dating before you find someone you might even consider going on a second.

...it might just have to be an organic meeting for me...

In this episode we talk about life after the death of their father, life choices, friendships, fear of other losses, how they navigate life and how their perspectives have changed.

Here are some questions our youngest daughter shared with us for this podcast. Unfortunately I didn't get them in time to share on the video but here they are in print.

1. What was it like to go back to life after your father died? Being a mother, wife, friend, employee??? It felt surreal, like I was watching my life happen from a distance, almost like a sort of dissociation. A lot of it was going through the motions after dad died.
2. What parts of your life feel emptier without your dad, and what parts have grown or deepened because of his influence? I miss being able to text with dad...he wasn't much of a texter, he always responded with an emoji more often than not, but he always responded. I'm not sure what parts of me have deepened or grown since he died, if I'm honest.
3. How has losing your father reshaped your sense of of yourself as a daughter, or simply as a person? It feels like there's a part of me that is missing, it will always be missing.
4. Do you ever feel pressure to take on an of your fathers roles within the family? No because no one can be him. There's no point in trying to fill the void he left because it would be impossible.

If you are an adult child who has experienced the death of a parent, a surviving parent or a someone curious about grief tune in this is worth the watch. To listen we are on apple, spotify, amazon etc.

Thank you for being here.

If you like this please subscribe, like and share. Lets keep the conversation going.

Two of my 3 daughters share their personal experience with grief with the death of their father. In this episode they share some memories of him as a father, and the unique experience of becoming a caregiver when your father is dying. Where they found support, their roles and how grief has changed over the past 2.5 years. This in only part 1 we have so much to talk about here.

We need hugs as humans because we are wired for connection, physically, emotionally and neurologically. Touch is our first language, it releases oxytocin, it can regulate our nervous systems. Hugs can bridge the gap between words and help us feel bonded to others.

This podcast is another vulnerable account of a grieving human in search of a feeling not a relationship.

Today, we talked about how grief affects the brain. It’s not just something we feel emotionally, grief shows up in the way our brain works too. It can make it harder to think clearly, remember things, or even make simple decisions.

And the truth is, grief doesn’t look the same for everyone. It depends on the relationship and how we show our love. Some people cry, some go quiet, some feel numb, others feel everything all at once. There’s no right or wrong way to grieve.

Grief shows up in your body, your thoughts, and your heart and when you understand what’s happening inside, you can give yourself a little more compassion. So if you’re feeling foggy, scattered, or just not like yourself, you’re not broken. You’re grieving.

My guest today is the amazing Tatjana Kozak a woman with a beautiful sense of self, peace, awareness and hope. She shares her stories of loss, of love and life embracing all things. We talk about end of life work, the end of life experience losing a loved one, we talk about finding love after the loss of the love the love of your, the stigma, the uncertainty and how Michael her first husband had a hand in sending Robin her husband now and the pain of pet loss. Grief is unique and you are the expert in your story of loss. We grieve what we love and what we loose. Tune in and find out more about Tatjana's grief journey.

A vulnerable, honest expression of a moment in time trust was cracked but somehow we found our way back.

"Now, on this side of the story, I carry the ache of that omission, the regret of time lost, and the comfort of those final days where love didn't ask for perfection only presence."

Today I get the honour and privilege of speaking with my dear friend Sue who I met last year shortly after her husband of almost 40 years died. She made the bold move of coming to a virtual Grief Over Dinner. We connected deeply. She is honest, loving, smart, and insightful. She is grieving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend and works in a high pressure job. To know her is to love her for real.

This podcast is not curated or edited - its raw, real, honest conversation.

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