We rarely talk about grief until it hits us. And when it does, most of us are completely unprepared — not just for the loss itself, but for how long it stays, how unexpectedly it returns, and how little the people around us know what to do.

In this conversation, we explore what grief actually looks like — not the tidy, linear version we're told to expect, but the real thing: the waves that knock you over years later, the loneliness of grieving while the world moves on, and the strange process of learning who you are without someone who was part of how you defined yourself.

We also talk about when grief gets stuck and what that means, why community can sometimes be more powerful than therapy, what to actually say (and do) when someone you love is grieving, and how loss — as unwanted and painful as it is — can quietly become one of the most profound catalysts for personal transformation.

Because grief doesn't ask for permission. But understanding it might change how you carry it.

I first met Lene at an art event. And what started as a chance encounter led to several meaningful conversations after in Bornholm and Copenhagen. And when she was preparing to launch her first book, she invited me to create her portrait, something that felt very special and gave me a window into the work she brings into the world.

Lene is a psychologist, researcher, educator, and author whose work focuses on one of the most universal and often misunderstood human experiences: grief.

She spent many years in the United States, where she completed both her PhD in Clinical Psychology and an MBA, before returning to Denmark to continue her work in grief research and support.

She has an impressive academic background, but that is not what I find most compelling is the way she has chosen to speak about grief.

Because so often, we think of grief as something to overcome, fix, or eventually leave behind.

Yet through her work with bereaved individuals, her research, and now her book “Til dig, der har mistet” For Those Who Have Lost Their Loved Ones), Lene offers a different perspective.

One that reframes grief not as a problem to solve, but as a natural response to love, loss, and being human. A perspective that replaces certainty with understanding, and quick solutions with compassion.

In a culture that often encourages us to move on, Lene helps people make sense of what it means to move forward, where losing a loved one can maybe result in a profound reframing of one's identity, values, and meaning in life..

And today, we're exploring how our understanding of grief changes when we stop asking how to get over it and start asking how to live with it.

0:00 - Introduction

1:59 - How grief is perceived across cultures

5:31 - The myth of "moving on" — why grief doesn't have an end date

7:20 - Grief as waves: what that actually means

9:39 - When grief gets stuck and it's time to seek help

13:05 - Why community can matter more than therapy

16:47 - How loss forces a reframing of identity and life

17:52 - The dual process model: two paths through grief

20:22 - Post-traumatic growth and what loss teaches us about ourselves

23:25 - Grief beyond death — loss of health, identity, and life as you knew it

24:49 - A practical guide: what actually helps when you're grieving

28:22 - How grief differs even within the same family

32:24 - What to say (and do) when someone you love is grieving

35:04 - Where to find Lene and her book

Idea and production Daniela Pacheco Branding

www.danielapacheco.com

Instagram @danielapachecofineart

Lene Holm Larsen

[email protected]

www.leneholmlarsen.dk

Ask a woman about her relationship, her diet, even her therapist, and she'll tell you everything. Ask her what's in her pension, and most go quiet. Not because they don't care, but because somewhere along the way, they were taught it wasn't something you talk about.

Elisabeth and I talked about why girls get told to color inside the lines and what that has to do with grown women still apologizing before asking for a raise. We talked about the loneliness of going freelance, of being the accompanying partner who moved for someone else's job, of choosing to stay single and realizing no one's coming to manage your pension for you. And we talked about why women will pay a hairdresser without blinking but won't pay for financial advice.

This isn't a finance lecture. It's a conversation, the kind Elisabeth has found it really happens around a dinner table, where everyone has a voice, and nobody has to pretend they've already figured it all out.

There is a special feeling of freedom when we get to share with others, our relationship with money.

Elisabeth has spent more than 15 years inside the world of financial services, from private banking and pensions to consulting and fintech.

She understands the system from the inside. And what makes her perspective so interesting is that she also understands what the system often fails to see. Because for many women, money is not just about numbers. It’s about confidence, identity, ambition, motherhood, negotiation, freedom, and many times… loneliness.

I’ve witnessed the growth of her community, Mad Money Club, over the last year, amazed how fast it went from a dinner someone mentioned as a comment to a whole international movement. Because women are not only looking for financial knowledge. We are looking for spaces where we can ask questions openly, share experiences honestly, and feel safe enough to learn without judgment.

The idea for Mad Money Club started from something surprisingly simple: Elisabeth wished she had more girlfriends she could sit with and talk money with. Without knowing it, she reframed how we should be approaching this topic. Because maybe the issue was never that women weren’t interested in money, but that we were never really invited into the conversation in a way that felt human.

The first time I heard Elisabeth speak at a PWN event, I left feeling something I hadn’t expected:

that maybe I, too, could become more confident and savvy with money. Not through pressure or expertise, but through proximity, openness, and conversation. Today, Elisabeth is building spaces where women can rethink their relationship with money, their sense of agency, and the stories they carry about wealth and worth.

And today, we explore what happens when we begin to reframe money and our relationship with it,

not as scary or a taboo, but as a tool for possibility, choice, and connection.

Idea and production Daniela Pacheco Branding

www.danielapacheco.com

Instagram @danielapachecofineart

You can find Elisabeth here:

https://www.madmoneyclub.com/

 Instagram,  madmoneyclub1  

 LinkedIn,  mad-money-club  

REFRAME - Stories from the studio Season 1 Episode 4

What happens to your sense of self when you uproot your life and start over somewhere new?

Most people focus on the practical side of moving, the paperwork, the language, the job search. But underneath all of that something quieter and more complex is happening.

What makes this conversation so rich is that Nanna doesn't just talk about transitions as an individual experience. She reframes them as something relational, something that happens between people, not just inside one person. And that shift in perspective changes everything.

In this conversation, we talk about:

— Why moving countries is never just a practical experience, it is an emotional one

— What happens to couples when one partner is thriving, and the other is lost

— How trying too hard to belong can make you lose the very parts of yourself worth keeping

— The hero's journey, and why it is a more honest map of life than anything we see on social media

— Why stress, grief, and identity loss in internationals is still largely taboo

— What companies get wrong about attracting — and letting go of — international talent

— The one thing that helps most when you are overwhelmed and don't know where to start

"You can't see the spot you're standing on. That's what therapy, and maybe the right conversations, can do."

This is a conversation for anyone who has ever moved, adapted, lost themselves a little, and wondered how to find their way back, alone or together.

Nanna began her career on a completely different path.

And a decade ago, she made a major shift, moving away from a corporate path in business development into the world of emotional health, relationships, and intercultural connection.

And in many ways, that transition says a lot about who she is.

Because Nanna understands something that many internationals eventually discover:

moving between cultures is not only a practical experience, it’s an emotional one.

After more than two decades of international life, including four expatriate assignments,

she has experienced firsthand what it means to adapt, belong, communicate, and sometimes lose parts of yourself in the process.

Today, she works as an Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist, supporting internationals, couples, leaders, and organizations as they navigate the complexity of intercultural life.

I met her many years ago, and she helped me create a new language for my new life. What I find especially interesting about her work is that she helps people reframe cultural differences, not as barriers, but as invitations to deeper understanding, emotional awareness, and connection.

Because so often, what looks like miscommunication on the surface is actually deeper. It can be about identity, expectations, belonging, and the way we experience safety with others.

Through therapy, workshops, and leadership training, Nanna helps people build stronger emotional and intercultural resilience, both personally and professionally.

And today, we’re exploring what happens when we begin to see culture, relationships, and even ourselves through a different lens.

Idea and production Daniela Pacheco Branding

www.danielapacheco.com

Instagram @danielapachecofineart

You can find Nanna here:

www.nannahauch.com

www.expathero.dk

Nanna LinkedIn:   / nannahauchfromexpathero  

Expat Hero LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company...

Gabriele has spent more than 30 years working across different industries, leading teams, navigating business, and understanding what drives people at work. But what makes her perspective so interesting is that she doesn’t look at performance separately from well-being.

She has this grounded way of talking about stress and mental health, not as weakness, not as something abstract, but as part of being human in environments that often ask us to keep pushing.

Through her consultancy, HEUN, she works with both Danish and international companies,

helping leaders and employees create healthier and more sustainable ways of working.

And what I find especially meaningful is that her work is not only about preventing burnout, It’s about reframing the way we think about success, productivity, and resilience in the first place.

Because sometimes the problem is not that we are failing, But that we have normalised ways of working that disconnect us from ourselves.

We met soon after I arrived in Denmark and we have built a beautiful friendship over the years by doing new activities that help us meet to create memories. She´s always open to my random ideas, even if they are out of her comfort zone. She’s a loving mother of two daughters, a runner, an avid reader and recently, she decided to take up bodybuilding, which I really admire.

And today, we’re exploring what it really takes to create a healthier relationship with work, performance, and ourselves.

What if the way we think about stress is part of the problem?

We live in a culture that has normalised pushing through. That treats exhaustion as a badge of honour and stress as either a weakness or simply the price of ambition. But what if we have been looking at it through the completely wrong frame?

In this conversation, we explore what stress really is, why we so often miss the signs until it is too late, and what it actually takes to build a healthier and more sustainable relationship with work and with yourself.

We talk about:

— The real difference between good stress and harmful stress

— The three-stage warning system your body uses before burnout hits

— Why stress symptoms and menopause symptoms are so easily confused

— The inner goal — and what happens when we quietly stop reaching it

— Why our patterns at work almost always trace back to childhood

— The generational tension between building resilience and setting boundaries

— Why stress is still so taboo — and what it costs us to keep it that way

— The one question that can interrupt autopilot and start changing everything

"97 to 99% of the time we are running on autopilot — without noticing what our body is actually telling us."

This is a conversation for anyone who has ever pushed through when they should have stopped and wondered what it would take to finally do things differently.

0:00 Welcome to the studio — introducing Gabriele.

1:37 What stress actually is — and what it isn't.

5:10 From boredom to burnout — how Gabriele got here.

7:33 Meaning, purpose and the inner goal.

9:32 The warning signs your body sends before burnout.

12:07 Can you work within this frame — or can you not?

15:32 Generational differences — resilience vs. boundaries.

19:33 Individualism vs. collective responsibility at work.

22:44 When you're already in the storm — reaching out for help.

27:33 Making mental health normal — the dentist analogy.

30:04 One thing to pay attention to — starting with the small things.

Idea and production Daniela Pacheco Branding

www.danielapacheco.com

Instagram @danielapachecofineart

You can connect with Gabriele here:

[email protected]

heun.dk

linkedin.com/in/gabrieleheun

Thanks to Aura Copenhagen for the beautiful flower bouquet.

https://auracph.dk/

Instagram @auracph

REFRAME - Conversations on the studio Season 1 Episode 2I’m a portrait photographer based in Copenhagen, creating visual stories and the best conversations happen in the studio and now I have found a way to share those conversations with you.Alice was part of my 50 Women Over 50 project, and from the very first conversation, I remember thinking, This feels easy.She has this mix of joy and calm that makes you instantly relax, like you’ve known her for much longer than you actually have.She says she’s Danish by birth and international by mindset, and honestly, I keep forgetting where she’s from. There’s no strong accent, no fixed perspective, just curiosity. And that’s very much her thing.Alice doesn’t jump in with opinions; she asks questions. The kind of questions that make you pause… and suddenly reframe things a little differently. She has this way of spotting potential everywhere, in people, in challenges, in moments that feel unclear. So it’s not surprising that this became her work.Today, she helps people connect the dots, find clarity and unlock possibilities they didn’t even realize existed. Which often leads to something bigger, rewriting their story, finding courage, and reconnecting with hope.She likes to call herself a self-discovery passionista, which honestly fits perfectly.In this conversation, we explore one of the most honest questions at the heart of REFRAME: what is the difference between choosing to reinvent yourself and feeling forced to? And why does that difference matter so much?What unfolds is a rich, warm conversation about control as an illusion, the pressure of trying to fit in without losing yourself, and the quiet but powerful act of pausing long enough to hear what's going on inside.— The difference between chosen reinvention and imposed change and why one feels so much harder— Why feeling stuck is actually the first step towards something new— How trying too hard to adapt can make you lose yourself entirely— The role of menopause in reconnecting women with their unfiltered truth— Why reframing isn't about changing facts — it's about changing what you focus on— Practical tools for when life feels too heavy to see clearly"We can rewrite our story. We're not changing the facts — we're changing what we focus on."This is a conversation for anyone who has ever felt caught in one frame — one version of themselves or their situation — and wondered if there might be another way to see it.0:00 Welcome to the studio — introducing Alice1:08 Where this conversation began — the 50 Women over 50 exhibition2:14 Chosen change vs. forced change — what makes the difference?3:03 When change is imposed — losing control, feeling unseen4:09 Finding the gift — how Alice approaches being stuck5:11 What brings people to ask for help6:00 Reframing from the inside — what's really going on?7:15 Feeling stuck vs. feeling seen8:36 Moving to Denmark — the challenge Alice didn't expect9:27 Taking your power back — agency as a choice10:55 "You will never be Danish" — the therapist's advice that changed everything12:00 Adapting without losing yourself13:13 What makes women over 50 start looking inward14:07 Menopause, unfiltered truth and reconnecting with yourself15:22 When a movie, a moment or a conversation opens something up17:20 Pressing pause — the courage to stop moving18:35 Social media, the pressure to perform and what really matters19:36 Reframing the pressure we put on ourselves20:19 Practical tools — tips for when you feel stuck23:23 Closing reflectionsIdea and production Daniela Pacheco Brandingwww.danielapacheco.comInstagram @danielapachecofineartYou can connect with Alice here:www.alicelerche.com  / alice.lerche.5  Instagram @alicelerche.dare2be   / alice-lerche-agerbæk-former-lerche-henriks...  Thanks to Aura Copenhagen for the beautiful flower bouquet.https://auracph.dk/Instagram @auracph

REFRAME - Conversations in the Studio Season 1 Episode 1

In this channel we explore new ways to see life, identity, craft, and experiences through intimate conversations with women in Copenhagen and beyond.

I’m a portrait photographer based in Copenhagen, creating visual stories and the best conversations happen in the studio and now I have found a way to share those conversations with you.

In this episode, Leslea and I explore what happens to your sense of self when everything you used to be, your job title, your language, your independence, suddenly disappears?

Leslea is the kind of woman who, no matter how many times you see her,

always meets you with warmth, empathy, and a kind of joy that feels like a big hug.

She moved to Denmark from Britain for love.

And what came with it was not simple.

Starting over.

No close circle.

Finding her place in a new job market.

Learning a new language.

At times, it felt like too much to hold.

But instead of resisting it, she moved through it, step by step,

transforming that vulnerability into something meaningful.

Today, she has turned that experience into her work, supporting others as they find their way into the Danish job market.

Over the years we have proven that any place is a good place to have a meaningful conversation, in the studio, in a café, at the beach. And today, we will explore what it means to reframe your identity

when your sense of self has been tied to your work, and migration asks you to see it through a different lens

This channel feels like a natural evolution after finishing my photographic project 50 Women Over 50 where I had the opportunity to have such interesting and meaningful conversations with all these women in my studio and felt the need to share the knowledge with other women.

If you are interested in learning, growing and connecting, this channel is for you. If you are looking for new photos, feel free to contact me, I value connection and will make my best to make you feel comfortable and intentional at the studio. I’m based in Copenhagen and accept traveling commissions too.

0:00 Welcome to the studio — introducing Leslea

0:55 Arriving in Denmark with high expectations

2:36 "I didn't know who I was anymore."

4:47 How struggle became her life's work

6:09 Finding community when you lose your tribe

9:41 Letting go of status to access the job market

12:38 Speaking Danish and having a different personality

14:26 The redundancy that changed everything

17:05 What most internationals get wrong about job searching

26:31 Breaking into Danish networks beyond the expat bubble

28:07 What she would tell her past self.

Idea and production Daniela Pacheco Branding

www.danielapacheco.com

Instagram @danielapachecofineart

Thanks to Leslea Petersen

https://englishjobdenmark.dk/

Instagram @englishjobdenmark

Thanks to Aura Copenhagen for the beautiful flower bouquet.

https://auracph.dk/

Instagram @auracph