Do you find yourself not enjoying the precious moments of life because you are anticipating loss? Do you struggle with what to say to someone when they are mourning the loss of a loved one or going through a a tough time?
Join Amanda and her guest, Jessica Fein, author of Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes, host of the I Don't Know How You Do It podcast, and grieving mother and sibling, as they explore grief literacy and how to show up in meaningful ways for yourself, your family, and others in the midst of the chaos and uncertainty that accompanies grief (anticipatory or current). This episode is packed with tips for helping not only the parents of a grieving child but also the siblings.
In addition to Jessica's powerful and important story, other insightful and interesting conversation centers around:
- Creating "micro doses of hope," joy, and "corners of beauty" in moments when it's extremely hard to do so.
- Having a realistic perspective of hope and what is actually possible and achievable, so you don't feel constantly defeated and in despair.
- How to show up vulnerably in challenging, fragile, and painful situations.
- The importance of parents showing their emotions to their children in order to normalize difficult feelings.
- How to help children navigate their own big feelings during a time of crisis and grief.
- The "and/both" concept: living in both grief and joy simultaneously is possible.
- It's less about what you say and more about the actions you take when helping someone through their grieving process.
About Jessica
Author of Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes and host of the I Don't Know How You Do It podcast, which features real, raw, and rare conversations with people whose lives seem unimaginable from the outside. Her writing explores grief, resilience, and the unbreakable bonds of family, and has appeared in The New York Times, Psychology Today, Newsweek, The Boston Globe, HuffPost, as well as on TEDx stage recently talking about how grief literacy is an antidote to loneliness. Jessica is a relentless warrior in the memory of her dynamic daughter whom she lost to rare disease in 2022. Her work encompasses hope and humor, grit, and grace -- the tools that make up her personal survival kit.
Learn more about Jessica and find links to her book, podcast, essays, and more on her website.
Listen to her TedX talk here.
Read Jessica's blog on Substack.
Follow Jessica on Instagram and Facebook.
Listen to the I Don't Know How You Do It podcast on Apple.
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Music credit: "Surfer James" by Tom Deis. Source: Premiumbeats.com.
