In this second part of the Season 3 closer, Stewart moves from heart to hope — lifting out just a few of the nuggets of gold shared by guests this season. Through their stories and his own reflections, this episode explores how real-life wisdom can become real-life help for parents, teachers, and friends walking alongside kids and families in pain.

This isn’t about quick fixes — it’s about noticing, being present, and finding practical ways to make sure no one carries their pain alone.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

In this first part of the Season 3 closer, I’m speaking from the heart — no guest — about how this season’s conversations have impacted me personally.

Some moments have stirred memories from my own journey, while others have sparked fresh insight into what these stories could mean for your own life.

From unseen grief in children to the myth that “kids are just resilient,” I share clips from a few guests — and reflect on my own experiences — that reveal the invisible weight kids can carry, even when everything looks fine on the outside.

This is a heartfelt, behind-the-scenes look at some of Season 3’s themes, setting the stage for Part 2 of this closer, where I’ll highlight a few of the “gold nuggets” from these conversations. These are real-life stories with the potential to become practical resources Resilient Souls hopes to create — helping parents, teachers, and friends turn insight into real-life help for those walking through life’s storms.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. Why kids often carry more grief and stress than adults always realise — and how it can stay hidden.
2. The personal moments from Stewart’s life that this season’s conversations stirred up, and what they taught him.
3. Clips from guest stories from Season 3 that reveal the quiet, unseen weight kids can carry. Why the old saying “kids are resilient” can be misleading without the right support.
4. How noticing and being present can change a child’s (or adult’s) journey through pain.

… and much more!

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When Michael Chisholm reflects on his childhood, he sees how growing up in a home marked by conflict and pain shaped the man he became. Those unspoken wounds followed him into adult life, affecting his relationships and decisions—until he reached a turning point: realising that what you don’t work through, you pass on.

In this heartfelt conversation, Michael shares how doing the hard inner work helped him break the cycle for his own family, and why he now dedicates himself to supporting others — including young people in schools — to find hope, healing, and a different path forward.In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. How childhood experiences can quietly shape our adult relationships and choices
2. Why unprocessed pain often shows up in the next generation
3. The turning point where Michael realised change had to start with him
4. Practical steps he took to break destructive cycles and begin healing
5. The role of self-reflection, courage, and community in creating real change
6. Why empathy and understanding are key to supporting others on their journey
7. How his story now fuels his passion to guide and encourage others

… and much more!

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Resilient Souls ⁠⁠Podcast⁠⁠ or search ‘Resilient Souls’ wherever you get your podcasts

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When Elizabeth Moncrieff-Philp lost her husband in a devastating car accident, she suddenly found herself raising four children alone — while trying to hold space for their grief as well as her own.

In this powerful conversation, Elizabeth reflects on what it meant to keep showing up when everything changed. From navigating school routines to managing the different responses to trauma in her kids, she opens up about the kind of parenting no one prepares you for — and the surprising moments of grace and strength that carried her through.

What makes this even more special, is that Elizabeth made the decision to move her children to the school where I was working as a young teacher some time after the accident. One of her children ended up in my class — and I look back now, realising I didn’t have a clue how to support them.

That’s why conversations like this matter. They give us access to the kind of wisdom that can shape how communities respond to families walking through loss and grief.

Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or someone supporting others in hard seasons, this conversation offers real hope and grounded wisdom.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. What helped Elizabeth keep showing up when grief threatened to overwhelm
2. How she navigated four very different grief journeys in her children
3. The surprising power of small routines — like packing lunchboxes, or getting the uniforms ready — to create stability
4. How each of her children processed trauma differently — and what she might have done differently, knowing what she knows now.
5. The deep impact of teachers, friends, and community showing up with quiet support
6. How faith helped her hold tension between pain, hope, and healing
7. What she wishes more people understood about walking with grieving families

… and much more!

Explore More from Resilient Souls:

Resilient Souls ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠

Resilient Souls ⁠⁠Podcast⁠⁠ or search ‘Resilient Souls’ wherever you get your podcasts

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Elizabeth bio:

Liz was a mother of 4 young children when her husband Tom was killed suddenly in a car accident whilst they were on leave in Australia from their role as missionaries in Nepal. She currently works as a mental health social worker where she has learned a lot about resilience from the stories that have been shared with her.

When Felicity Baird’s husband, Matt, died after a long battle with cancer, she was left to navigate her own heartbreak — while helping three young children face theirs. What followed was a journey of loss, faith, and slow rebuilding.

In this moving episode, Felicity shares what helped her hold on when life fell apart — and how she continues to find strength and beauty in unexpected places. From practical ways to talk with children about grief, to the quiet presence of God in sorrow, this episode offers honest insight into parenting, faith, and resilience.

We talk about how to hold space for hard conversations, the importance of community, and why faith and grief don’t cancel each other out. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or someone supporting others through loss — Felicity’s wisdom will stay with you.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. How Felicity gently spoke with her children about death and grief
2. What helped her with her mindset — and why being honest about struggle matters
3. The role faith played in anchoring her through heartbreak
4. Practical ways to support grieving kids when you don’t have the answers
5. Why teachers often feel unsure — and how they can show up anyway
6. The small, life-giving ways community made a difference
7. What real resilience can look like in a family facing profound loss

... and much more!

Explore More from Resilient Souls:

Resilient Souls ⁠Website⁠

Resilient Souls ⁠Podcast⁠ or search ‘Resilient Souls’ wherever you get your podcasts

Resilient Souls ⁠Blog on Substack⁠

Stewart’s ⁠Book⁠

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Jacqui Page’s story is one of fierce love, deep faith, and resilience forged in the fire of the unexpected.

After years of waiting and praying, Jacqui and her husband welcomed a daughter into their lives—though not in the way they had imagined. From the very beginning, her daughter’s needs were significant, and Jacqui found herself in the thick of hospital corridors, tough conversations, and decisions no parent ever wants to face. She was fighting for time, connection, and the chance to simply be her daughter’s mum.

But Jacqui also knows that not every story ends the same way. Many parents carry profound disappointment or walk through unimaginable loss. There are often no clear answers, and certainly no one to blame. Still, she holds fast to this: that even when we don’t understand, God’s goodness is not undone.

This episode is for anyone navigating a path they didn’t choose—who still longs to find hope, meaning, and a way through. It’s a conversation about parenting without a map, trusting God in the dark, and discovering the sacredness of showing up with love, even when nothing is certain.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. What helped Jacqui stay grounded in the midst of crisis and complexity
2. How to hold onto faith when outcomes are uncertain and the questions are real
3. What support looks like when the medical system feels overwhelming
4. The emotional and relational toll of parenting in uncharted territory — and what sustained them
5. Why sharing your story (even when it’s messy) can create space for healing
6. How Jacqui continues to see her daughter’s life as a gift — not despite the challenges, but through them

... and much more!

Explore More from Resilient Souls:

• Resilient Souls ⁠Website⁠
• Resilient Souls ⁠Podcast⁠ or search ‘Resilient Souls’ wherever you get your podcasts
• Resilient Souls ⁠Blog on Substack⁠
• Stewart’s ⁠Book⁠

Follow Resilient Souls on:

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Jane Oundjian has spent more than 30 years helping people navigate grief. But long before she developed The Bereavement Journey — an award-winning UK-based grief support programme — Jane was just a teenage girl grieving her mother — quietly, and without much support.

In this episode, Jane shares her personal story of grief and healing: from losing her mother as a teen, to later losing her young child, to eventually creating one of the UK’s most trusted bereavement support resources. Along the way, we talk honestly about grief stacking up, what helps and what hurts, how to support children through loss, and why facing pain is the only way to move through it.

This is a gentle, deeply wise conversation — full of practical support for grieving parents, families, friends, and anyone walking through loss.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. Why grief doesn’t disappear just because time passes
2. How previous losses often resurface during new grief
3. The power of community and honest conversations
4. How unprocessed grief can show up years later in relationships
5. Why children need truthful, age-appropriate conversations about death
6. Practical ways to support grieving friends and family
7. How faith and big questions can coexist in the grieving process
8. Why being strong isn’t the same as being okay
9. A simple writing practice to help you begin the healing journey

Relevant Links from the Episode:

At A Loss – Helping Bereaved People Find Support and Well Being ataloss.org

The Bereavement Journey thebereavementjourney.org

Explore More from Resilient Souls:Resilient Souls Website

Resilient Souls Podcast or search ‘Resilient Souls’ wherever you get your podcasts

Resilient Souls Blog on Substack

Stewart’s Book

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Jane’s biography

Jane trained as a counsellor at Westminster Pastoral Foundation in 1993 and went on to train with Cruse Bereavement Care. She worked for them for many years in the North Kensington area, giving one to one bereavement support to clients and helping to run counselling training sessions for the Branch.

Jane has had her own bereavement experiences having lost her single parent mother at the age of 16 and also her first child when he was 14 months old. These experiences led her in 1995 to write and develop the original 5 session version of The Bereavement Journey which she ran for 23 years at Holy Trinity Brompton, before handing over the lead to Yvonne Tulloch in 2018 and the material to AtaLoss.

Jane was awarded an MBE for services to bereaved people in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2020.

Recommended books by Jane:

• A Grace Disguised, Gerald Sittser
• Necessary Losses, Judith Viorst

In Part 2 of this powerful two-part conversation, registered psychologist and grief coach, Ashley Mielke, shares what she’s learned after years of sitting with people in their darkest moments. Building on her personal story in Episode 28, Ashley offers compassionate and clear insights into how we can better understand, support, and walk with those who are grieving.

We explore toxic positivity, the myth of the ‘five stages of grief’, and why so many people feel unseen in their suffering. Ashley helps reframe grief not as something to fix—but something to honour, validate, and slowly work through.

This episode is for anyone wondering how to care well for the grieving—or how to walk through their own loss with gentleness and grace.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. Why ‘toxic positivity’ often causes more harm than good
2. Why the ‘five stages of grief’ don’t tell the full story
3. What to say (and what not to say) when someone you love is grieving
4. Why presence and permission are more powerful than advice
5. How grief can become stuck in the body if it isn’t acknowledged
6. How Ashley found a calling through her own deep loss
7. Practical ways to walk with others in their pain—without rushing them

Relevant Links from the Episode:
Ashley Mielke is a Registered Psychologist, grief coach, and founder of Ashley Mielke Coaching. She uses her lived experience and professional training to support others through deep personal loss and emotional healing.

Follow Ashley on Instagram: @ashleymielkecoaching

Websites:AshleyMielkeCoaching.com

HealMyHeart.ca

Grief Recovery Method

Explore More from Resilient Souls:

Resilient Souls Website

Resilient Souls Podcast or search ‘Resilient Souls’ wherever you get your podcasts

Resilient Souls Blog on Substack

Stewart’s Book

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Ashley Mielke is a psychologist, grief coach, and woman of deep faith. But long before any of that, she was a young girl navigating the quiet ache of having a father who was facing his own struggles—and learning to stay strong in ways no child should have to.

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Ashley shares her personal story of growing up with a parent who struggled with addiction, the complex emotions that came with that, and the eventual loss of her dad to suicide. It’s a raw, tender, and deeply relatable account of the kind of grief that often starts early in life—before we even realise we’re grieving.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever tried to stay strong for others, wondered why certain wounds never quite heal, or carried silent sadness into adulthood.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

How grief can begin long before a death or major loss

Why perfectionism and people-pleasing often mask deeper pain

The impact of growing up with a parent working through their own deep emotional needs

Why we sometimes need to ‘unbecome’ in order to properly begin the healing journey

How her father’s death changed everything—and awakened a calling

The role of faith in finding comfort, calling, and peace

Relevant Links from the Episode:

Ashley Mielke is a Registered Psychologist, grief coach, and founder of Ashley Mielke Coaching. She uses her lived experience and professional training to support others through deep personal loss and emotional healing.

Follow Ashley on Instagram:

@ashleymielkecoaching

Websites:

AshleyMielkeCoaching.com (website coming soon!)

HealMyHeart.caGrief Recovery Method

Explore More from Resilient Souls:

Resilient Souls Website

Resilient Souls Podcast or search ‘Resilient Souls’ wherever you get your podcasts

Resilient Souls Blog on Substack

Stewart’s Book 

Follow Resilient Souls on:

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LinkedIn

Get Involved or Reach Out:

Join the Community

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Bec Riley always dreamed of becoming a mum. But when infertility shattered those dreams, she and her husband began a long and lonely IVF journey filled with heartbreak, disappointment, and unexpected complications.

In this honest and deeply personal conversation, Bec reflects on the emotional and physical toll of IVF, the loneliness that often comes with it, and how her faith evolved along the way.

Eventually, a path she hadn’t planned—adoption and later embryo adoption—brought deep joy and began a healing journey in her life. This is a story of raw emotion, spiritual depth, and hard-won hope for anyone facing detours, delays, or heartbreak in their own story.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. Why infertility is often an invisible and misunderstood grief.
2. How Bec stayed anchored in her faith even when God didn’t answer her prayers as expected.
3. What it looked like to stop hoping ‘in the thing’ and start hoping ‘in God’.
4. The beauty and complexity of both inter-country adoption and embryo adoption.
5. Why being present and silent might be the best support you can give someone walking this road.
6. How to find light and take the next step when life feels too heavy.
7. Bec’s gentle encouragement for those feeling like there’s no way forward.

Relevant Links from the Episode:

Follow Bec on Instagram: @becjriley

Learn more about her church: @rivieracc_

Bec's recommended reading:

• The Common Thread by Catherine Sylvester
• Praying Through Infertility by Sheridan Voysey
• He Remembers the Barren by Katie Schuermann

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