I had such a great discussion with Rachel Kodanaz for this episode. Rachel is the author of three grief-related books, and is an expert on returning to work after a loss – both from the perspective of the grieving person and the perspective of the employer. In fact, she consults with and speaks to organizations large and small on this topic. She's a widowed mom herself, having lost her husband when her daughter was just 2. She was employed in a large corporation at the time, and had to figure out how to make returning to work work for her family.

Some topics that Rachel and I discuss include:

• How she negotiated with her employer to take her toddler along on business trips;
• Getting creative to solve the time-crunch problems of raising a young child on her own;
• Myths about employees returning to work after a loss;
• Questions to ask yourself before returning to work, to make your return go more smoothly;
• Tips for discussing what you need with your employer;
• Thoughts on how much to share with a prospective new employer when looking a job;
• Tips for kicking the proverbial elephant out of the room when returning to work;
• EAP, FMLA, and other employment benefits that may be available;
• Suggestions for when you suspect colleagues may be resentful or think you're not pulling your weight; and
• Why you should have an "elevator speech" ready for when people say insensitive things.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Rachel Kodanaz.