Susan, your host, welcomes Michelle Ann Collins to today's episode. Michelle is the founder of Inhabit Joy, where she partners with individuals who have suffered grief, injury, or other types of loss as they recover, reclaim their wholeness, and build resilience for life's inevitable challenges.

After a series of losses, including the death of her mother, her husband's suicide, and continued estrangements from primary family members, Michelle combined the tools she had collected as a yoga therapist and wellness coach and studies in positive psychology, neuroscience, meditation and mindfulness, and spirituality to turn post-traumatic stress disorder into post-traumatic growth and resilience. With the addition of a certification in grief education and several bestselling books in which she shares her story, Michelle is helping others transform from barely surviving to joyful thriving.

Key Takeaways:

• Michelle shares her grief story when the love of her life died by suicide.

• Losing someone to suicide is a completely different grief.

• Guilt is involved in every death, even more in one that resulted from suicide.

• Thinking "If only" gives you absolutely nothing, you can't change what happened.

• Suffering happens in the space between where you are and where you want to be.

• Demystifying through the obituary, starting to talk openly about suicide.

• There are parts of society that believe that suicide is a sin.

• Change the term "committed" suicide to died by suicide.

• Let's talk about death more, we need to be better educated about it.

• Let go of the why.

• Michelle talks about her books and her mission as a Joy Spreader.

• Train for grief so that when you are faced with it, you will be ready.

• Michelle advises: You don't have to do everything all at once. Take care of yourself, and be your best friend. Get help!

Resources

Tendrilsofgrief.com

Email Susan: [email protected]

Meet Michelle Ann Collins

Visit Inhabit Joy

Surviving Spouse or Partner Suicide Loss: A Mindful Guide for Your Journey Through Grief, by Michelle Ann Collins

Supporting a Survivor of Spouse or Partner Suicide Loss: A Mindful Guide for Co-journeying Through Grief, by Michelle Ann Collins