Scar Tissue

In this episode, Melissa goes back to the basics. WHAT is grief? How long does it last? How can we understand it to better manage it. And what are do’s and don’ts when supporting someone through their grief journey?

About this podcast:

Grief, Guts & Smoothies. These three things changed my life – they might change yours too. Each episode we abandon our comfort zones to get a little gutsy and hold space to grow into stronger versions of ourselves.

In 2014, the birth of my daughter Leyden changed my entire world. Four months later, grief shattered it. I was broken, scared, lost, angry and hopeless. I didn’t want to live and wasn’t really sure how to.

I sought every mean to “fight” grief: researching, joining parent groups, and I even traveled outside of the country twice, to hear world-renowned grief speaker Dr. Raymond Moody.

Disappointed, I discovered like all adversities in life, there is no way to “beat” grief. But, thankfully, there were effective strategies I could employ when navigating such choppy waters. Whether it was understanding the gut-brain connection, or getting gutsy in my ability to face discomfort, the tools I learned, truly saved my life.

There are not nearly enough resources to support each other through uncomfortable challenges – be it loss of a job, a relationship, a sense of self…or life. Talking about uncomfortable things, well that takes guts. And we are going to get really gutsy here.

Connect with me:

Credits:

Catch up with me on socials!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissadlugolecki/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.dlugolecki

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-dlugolecki-b24988141/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@melissadlugolecki

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MelissaDlugolecki

Each year around Leyden’s anniversary, I speak to my congregation at Arlington Street Church. In this message, I reflect on the unspoken opportunities that destruction, adversity, and loss provide for us to reconstruct our world with mindfulness, beauty, and choice.

About this podcast:

Grief, Guts & Smoothies. These three things changed my life – they might change yours too. Each episode we abandon our comfort zones to get a little gutsy and hold space to grow into stronger versions of ourselves.

In 2014, the birth of my daughter Leyden changed my entire world. Four months later, grief shattered it. I was broken, scared, lost, angry and hopeless. I didn’t want to live and wasn’t really sure how to.

I sought every mean to “fight” grief: researching, joining parent groups, and I even traveled outside of the country twice, to hear world-renowned grief speaker Dr. Raymond Moody.

Disappointed, I discovered like all adversities in life, there is no way to “beat” grief. But, thankfully, there were effective strategies I could employ when navigating such choppy waters. Whether it was understanding the gut-brain connection, or getting gutsy in my ability to face discomfort, the tools I learned, truly saved my life.

There are not nearly enough resources to support each other through uncomfortable challenges – be it loss of a job, a relationship, a sense of self…or life. Talking about uncomfortable things, well that takes guts. And we are going to get really gutsy here.

Connect with me:

Credits:

Catch up with me on socials!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissadlugolecki/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.dlugolecki

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-dlugolecki-b24988141/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@melissadlugolecki

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MelissaDlugolecki

What Leyden’s birthday, being busy, and blank checks have in common. Plus 4 things to help during times of heightened challenge.

About this podcast:

Grief, Guts & Smoothies. These three things changed my life – they might change yours too. Each episode we abandon our comfort zones to get a little gutsy and hold space to grow into stronger versions of ourselves.

In 2014, the birth of my daughter Leyden changed my entire world. Four months later, grief shattered it. I was broken, scared, lost, angry and hopeless. I didn’t want to live and wasn’t really sure how to.

I sought every mean to “fight” grief: researching, joining parent groups, and I even traveled outside of the country twice, to hear world-renowned grief speaker Dr. Raymond Moody.

Disappointed, I discovered like all adversities in life, there is no way to “beat” grief. But, thankfully, there were effective strategies I could employ when navigating such choppy waters. Whether it was understanding the gut-brain connection, or getting gutsy in my ability to face discomfort, the tools I learned, truly saved my life.

There are not nearly enough resources to support each other through uncomfortable challenges – be it loss of a job, a relationship, a sense of self…or life. Talking about uncomfortable things, well that takes guts. And we are going to get really gutsy here.

Connect with me:

Credits:

Catch up with me on socials!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissadlugolecki/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.dlugolecki

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-dlugolecki-b24988141/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@melissadlugolecki

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MelissaDlugolecki

Each year around Leyden’s anniversary, I speak to my congregation at Arlington Street Church. This message, from the four-year anniversary, explores four strategies for overcoming grief, the importance of knowing your values, and why we should practice courage every day.

Highlights of this episode:

About this podcast:

Grief, Guts & Smoothies. These three things changed my life – they might change yours too. Each episode we abandon our comfort zones to get a little gutsy and hold space to grow into stronger versions of ourselves.

In 2014, the birth of my daughter Leyden changed my entire world. Four months later, grief shattered it. I was broken, scared, lost, angry and hopeless. I didn’t want to live and wasn’t really sure how to.

I sought every mean to “fight” grief: researching, joining parent groups, and I even traveled outside of the country twice, to hear world-renowned grief speaker Dr. Raymond Moody.

Disappointed, I discovered like all adversities in life, there is no way to “beat” grief. But, thankfully, there were effective strategies I could employ when navigating such choppy waters. Whether it was understanding the gut-brain connection, or getting gutsy in my ability to face discomfort, the tools I learned, truly saved my life.

There are not nearly enough resources to support each other through uncomfortable challenges – be it loss of a job, a relationship, a sense of self…or life. Talking about uncomfortable things, well that takes guts. And we are going to get really gutsy here.

Connect with me:

Credits:

Catch up with me on socials!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissadlugolecki/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.dlugolecki

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-dlugolecki-b24988141/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@melissadlugolecki

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MelissaDlugolecki

In the last episode, I touched on identifying the types of supporters in your life. I love a good analogy to sports; much like any successful team needs a roster of individuals who contribute DIFFERENTLY, we need to understand that not every person in our life can contribute to every need we have. When we become clear on this and place others in a position to succeed through our own clear expectations and celebration of their specific skills and personality - things in grief and life - get a whole lot easier and more enjoyable.

Highlights of this episode:

About this podcast:

Grief, Guts & Smoothies. These three things changed my life – they might change yours too. Each episode we abandon our comfort zones to get a little gutsy and hold space to grow into stronger versions of ourselves.

In 2014, the birth of my daughter Leyden changed my entire world. Four months later, grief shattered it. I was broken, scared, lost, angry and hopeless. I didn’t want to live and wasn’t really sure how to.

I sought every mean to “fight” grief: researching, joining parent groups, and I even traveled outside of the country twice, to hear world-renowned grief speaker Dr. Raymond Moody.

Disappointed, I discovered like all adversities in life, there is no way to “beat” grief. But, thankfully, there were effective strategies I could employ when navigating such choppy waters. Whether it was understanding the gut-brain connection, or getting gutsy in my ability to face discomfort, the tools I learned, truly saved my life.

There are not nearly enough resources to support each other through uncomfortable challenges – be it loss of a job, a relationship, a sense of self… or life. Talking about uncomfortable things, well that takes guts. And we are going to get really gutsy here.

Connect with me:

Credits:

Catch up with me on socials!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissadlugolecki/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.dlugolecki

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-dlugolecki-b24988141/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@melissadlugolecki

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MelissaDlugolecki

Struggling with the overwhelm and pain of losing my daughter, I had a less than rational response to learning a meaningful tree had been cut down from the Boston Public Garden. In my quest to know how this could happen (to me) I was humbled and stunned by the compassion and connection shared from a stranger.

Mary had every opportunity to turn me away or hang up the phone but instead, she listened. And that choice is one that continues to teach me the power we all must lead with open minds and open hearts. When we do, we might just change someone’s world.

Highlights of this episode:

About this podcast:

Grief, Guts & Smoothies. These three things changed my life – they might change yours too. Each episode we abandon our comfort zones to get a little gutsy and hold space to grow into stronger versions of ourselves.

In 2014, the birth of my daughter Leyden changed my entire world. Four months later, grief shattered it. I was broken, scared, lost, angry and hopeless. I didn’t want to live and wasn’t really sure how to.

I sought every mean to “fight” grief: researching, joining parent groups, and I even traveled outside of the country twice, to hear world-renowned grief speaker Dr. Raymond Moody.

Disappointed, I discovered like all adversities in life, there is no way to “beat” grief. But, thankfully, there were effective strategies I could employ when navigating such choppy waters. Whether it was understanding the gut-brain connection, or getting gutsy in my ability to face discomfort, the tools I learned, truly saved my life.

There are not nearly enough resources to support each other through uncomfortable challenges – be it loss of a job, a relationship, a sense of self… or life. Talking about uncomfortable things, well that takes guts. And we are going to get really gutsy here.

Connect with me:

Credits:

Catch up with me on socials!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissadlugolecki/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.dlugolecki

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-dlugolecki-b24988141/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@melissadlugolecki

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MelissaDlugolecki

Your grief is real; the grief someone else in your life may be carrying is real. The holiday season can amplify the intensity of the emotions and experiences attached to grief. While it’s impossible to try to avoid or dismiss the reality of this, it’s important to employ strategies to navigate through and position ourselves to feel the best we can through such challenge. Here I share 3 strategies to employ during the holidays (and in truth year-round) to support you in your journey.

Highlights of this episode:

About this podcast:

Grief, Guts & Smoothies. These three things changed my life – they might change yours too. Each episode we abandon our comfort zones to get a little gutsy and hold space to grow into stronger versions of ourselves.

In 2014, the birth of my daughter Leyden changed my entire world. Four months later, grief shattered it. I was broken, scared, lost, angry and hopeless. I didn’t want to live and wasn’t really sure how to.

I sought every mean to “fight” grief: researching, joining parent groups, and I even traveled outside of the country twice, to hear world-renowned grief speaker Dr. Raymond Moody.

Disappointed, I discovered like all adversities in life, there is no way to “beat” grief. But, thankfully, there were effective strategies I could employ when navigating such choppy waters. Whether it was understanding the gut-brain connection, or getting gutsy in my ability to face discomfort, the tools I learned, truly saved my life.

There are not nearly enough resources to support each other through uncomfortable challenges – be it loss of a job, a relationship, a sense of self… or life. Talking about uncomfortable things, well that takes guts. And we are going to get really gutsy here.

Connect with me:

Credits:

Catch up with me on socials!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissadlugolecki/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.dlugolecki

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-dlugolecki-b24988141/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@melissadlugolecki

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MelissaDlugolecki