After her son passed away from cancer, Erica went on an 8-year journey where she felt and acted insane. It was eventually discovered that Erica had PTSD and it's taken her only up until last year to finally feel somewhat normal again and to recognize her triggers. She shares both the emotional and physical toll the loss of her son took on her and what has helped bring her back to a bit of normalcy as she continues on.

Key Takeaways:

• Erica lost her son to cancer.
• Erica went to therapy and spent her time trying to convince her therapist that she was crazy. She felt insane.
• Everything in Erica's life just kept surfacing, the grief she had experienced even when she was two years old, and she couldn't turn it off.
• Not only did Erica suffer the emotional effects, but she had an intense physical response to grief as well.
• Erica was diagnosed with PTSD and she would randomly pass out when she got too stressed out.
• The next phase Erica went through was fear. She had fear everywhere she turned.
• Erica shares tactics and strategies she used to keep her grounded.
• Erica felt like this for 8 years and it was only until the last year and a half did she feel like a normal person again.
• It's taken time for Erica to feel healthy again.
• Your body reacts to what you're thinking.
• When Erica went back to work for the first time, it was really hard.
• Erica got stuck in her grief when she saw her son decline.
• It feels like a full-time job to keep herself somewhat 'normal'.
• Erica was working before the pandemic. Now she's unemployed. She's not sure what's next for her.
• Susan and Erica talk about their relationship with God after the passing of their loved one.
• When it comes to grief, get a therapist! You're not crazy if you have someone to help you through this journey.
• If you have bad or evil thoughts, it doesn't mean you're suicidal. You've gone through something very dramatic in your life. Practice forgiveness.
• If you think you're losing your mind or going insane, this is very normal in your grief journey.

Resources:

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

After her son passed away from cancer, Erica went on an 8-year journey where she felt and acted insane. It was eventually discovered that Erica had PTSD and it’s taken her only up until last year to finally feel somewhat normal again and to recognize her triggers. She shares both the emotional and physical toll the loss of her son took on her and what has helped bring her back to a bit of normalcy as she continues on. 

Key Takeaways:

• Erica lost her son to cancer. 
• Erica went to therapy and spent her time trying to convince her therapist that she was crazy. She felt insane. 
• Everything in Erica’s life just kept surfacing, the grief she had experienced even when she was two years old, and she couldn’t turn it off. 
• Not only did Erica suffer the emotional effects, but she had an intense physical response to grief as well.
• Erica was diagnosed with PTSD and she would randomly pass out when she got too stressed out. 
• The next phase Erica went through was fear. She had fear everywhere she turned. 
• Erica shares tactics and strategies she used to keep her grounded. 
• Erica felt like this for 8 years and it was only until the last year and a half did she feel like a normal person again. 
• It’s taken time for Erica to feel healthy again. 
• Your body reacts to what you’re thinking. 
• When Erica went back to work for the first time, it was really hard. 
• Erica got stuck in her grief when she saw her son decline. 
• It feels like a full-time job to keep herself somewhat ‘normal’. 
• Erica was working before the pandemic. Now she’s unemployed. She’s not sure what’s next for her. 
• Susan and Erica talk about their relationship with God after the passing of their loved one. 
• When it comes to grief, get a therapist! You’re not crazy if you have someone to help you through this journey. 
• If you have bad or evil thoughts, it doesn’t mean you’re suicidal. You’ve gone through something very dramatic in your life. Practice forgiveness. 
• If you think you’re losing your mind or going insane, this is very normal in your grief journey. 

Resources:

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Kate Arnold is the Washington D.C. Franchise Owner of The Bar Method. When she found out there wasn't a Bar Method studio in D.C., she knew she had to be the one to fix that! The positive community makes this place so much more than just a fitness gym. She shares why it's so important to care for your mental health and practice self-care as well as offers tips on how to best incorporate a bit of gratitude into your everyday life.

Key Takeaways:

• How do you unlock the right doors to create space for healing?
• Kate shares her background and why she decided to focus on wellness and self-care.
• Susan shares why she loves The Bar Method.
• How did Kate first discover the importance of self-care?
• Kate has changed a lot through her self-care journey and has so much love in her life.
• Life is short and anything we can do to enhance the time that we have is so important.
• Susan had so little to be grateful for when her husband passed, but when she took on a gratefulness practice, she was able to see the good in the small moments.
• Just start small.
• It's important to have a why when practicing self-care.
• Move your body! It's very important to help with your mental health.
• Don't feel guilty if you don't do it. You don't need guilt on top of grief.
• If you have a bad day, you can get back up.

Resources:

Barmethod.com

Kate on LinkedIn

Kate on Facebook

Kate Arnold is the Washington D.C. Franchise Owner of The Bar Method. When she found out there wasn’t a Bar Method studio in D.C., she knew she had to be the one to fix that! The positive community makes this place so much more than just a fitness gym. She shares why it’s so important to care for your mental health and practice self-care as well as offers tips on how to best incorporate a bit of gratitude into your everyday life. 

Key Takeaways:

• How do you unlock the right doors to create space for healing? 
• Kate shares her background and why she decided to focus on wellness and self-care. 
• Susan shares why she loves The Bar Method. 
• How did Kate first discover the importance of self-care? 
• Kate has changed a lot through her self-care journey and has so much love in her life. 
• Life is short and anything we can do to enhance the time that we have is so important. 
• Susan had so little to be grateful for when her husband passed, but when she took on a gratefulness practice, she was able to see the good in the small moments. 
• Just start small. 
• It’s important to have a why when practicing self-care. 
• Move your body! It’s very important to help with your mental health. 
• Don’t feel guilty if you don’t do it. You don’t need guilt on top of grief. 
• If you have a bad day, you can get back up. 

Resources:

Barmethod.com

Kate on LinkedIn

Kate on Facebook

Becky Tuma lost her daughter, McKenna, to sudden infant death syndrome when she was only 3 months old. Becky returned to work after two weeks and the work environment was different. People were trying to ignore the elephant in the room. Becky shares her grief journey and shares advice on how to best handle grief in the workplace.

Key Takeaways:

• How do you get back to work after experiencing a devastating loss?
• Becky shares her grief journey and the loss of her daughter.
• The physician that cared for her daughter and helped her through this journey will forever be in Becky's memory. He did a wonderful job.
• You can ask why all day long, but in the passing of a loved one, it's hard to find those answers.
• What was Becky's transition back to work like?
• When Becky came back, she was locked out of almost everything. Was she being fired?
• Susan shares what happened when she came back to work after Paul died.
• We train for so many 'what ifs' like hostile work environments and sexual harassment cases, but no one trains for grief and the passing of a loved one.
• Becky left her job because she felt like she wasn't wanted or welcomed.
• When someone is grieving at work, it's important to create space for them to move through that grief, with support.
• How can employees best advocate for themselves?
• It's okay to not know how to properly do this.
• If roles were reversed, you'd want someone to advocate for you.
• What advice does Becky have for organizations on how they can be better stewards of grief in the workplace?
• Challenge yourself to be different and work towards making the employee experience better.

Becky Tuma lost her daughter, McKenna, to sudden infant death syndrome when she was only 3 months old. Becky returned to work after two weeks and the work environment was different. People were trying to ignore the elephant in the room. Becky shares her grief journey and shares advice on how to best handle grief in the workplace.

Key Takeaways:

• How do you get back to work after experiencing a devastating loss? 
• Becky shares her grief journey and the loss of her daughter. 
• The physician that cared for her daughter and helped her through this journey will forever be in Becky’s memory. He did a wonderful job. 
• You can ask why all day long, but in the passing of a loved one, it’s hard to find those answers.
• What was Becky’s transition back to work like?
• When Becky came back, she was locked out of almost everything. Was she being fired?
• Susan shares what happened when she came back to work after Paul died.
• We train for so many ‘what ifs’ like hostile work environments and sexual harassment cases, but no one trains for grief and the passing of a loved one.
• Becky left her job because she felt like she wasn’t wanted or welcomed.
• When someone is grieving at work, it’s important to create space for them to move through that grief, with support.
• How can employees best advocate for themselves?
• It’s okay to not know how to properly do this.
• If roles were reversed, you’d want someone to advocate for you.
• What advice does Becky have for organizations on how they can be better stewards of grief in the workplace?
• Challenge yourself to be different and work towards making the employee experience better.

Faith Wilcox lost her daughter, Elizabeth, to a rare form of cancer called Osteosarcoma. The journey was very tough, but over the years Faith has learned to love and appreciate the beauty of life. She shares her grief journey and the strategies she used to move forward after the passing of her daughter.

Key Takeaways:

• Faith lost her daughter to cancer and shares her story.
• When her daughter, Elizabeth, was going through cancer, she experienced a lot of sadness and a lot of isolation from her friends.
• 4 years after Elizabeth passed, Faith attended a college reunion and it was very difficult for her.
• If Faith is in a situation or a group where people can not relate to her or she feels uncomfortable, she is completely okay leaving that setting. There's nothing wrong with doing that.
• How has Faith been able to feed her soul and move forward?
• Faith took the time to write a book, which will be coming out in June 2021.
• It took Faith 15 years after the passing of her daughter to write her memoir.
• Faith shares a poem she wrote on the podcast today.
• It's been 20 years, how has life been for Faith right now?
• There is no timeframe for grieving.
• Faith honors her daughter by helping others through their grief journey.
• Faith created Journals of Hope and attends the MassGeneral Hospital for Children to help parents and grandparents journal out their feelings.
• Be kind to yourself.
• Never give up on hope. You can, and will, recover and you will have rewarding experiences.

Resources:

Faithwilcoxnarratives.com

Faith Wilcox lost her daughter, Elizabeth, to a rare form of cancer called Osteosarcoma. The journey was very tough, but over the years Faith has learned to love and appreciate the beauty of life. She shares her grief journey and the strategies she used to move forward after the passing of her daughter. 

Key Takeaways:

• Faith lost her daughter to cancer and shares her story. 
• When her daughter, Elizabeth, was going through cancer, she experienced a lot of sadness and a lot of isolation from her friends. 
• 4 years after Elizabeth passed, Faith attended a college reunion and it was very difficult for her. 
• If Faith is in a situation or a group where people can not relate to her or she feels uncomfortable, she is completely okay leaving that setting. There’s nothing wrong with doing that. 
• How has Faith been able to feed her soul and move forward? 
• Faith took the time to write a book, which will be coming out in June 2021. 
• It took Faith 15 years after the passing of her daughter to write her memoir. 
• Faith shares a poem she wrote on the podcast today. 
• It’s been 20 years, how has life been for Faith right now? 
• There is no timeframe for grieving. 
• Faith honors her daughter by helping others through their grief journey. 
• Faith created Journals of Hope and attends the MassGeneral Hospital for Children to help parents and grandparents journal out their feelings.
• Be kind to yourself. 
• Never give up on hope. You can, and will, recover and you will have rewarding experiences. 

Resources:

Faithwilcoxnarratives.com

Betsy Kammerud is a licensed clinical social worker providing clinical service to Hospice Savannah families for over eight years. One approach does not fit everyone on their grief journey. In this episode, Betsy shares her advice on how grieving families can build healthy coping mechanisms when dealing with a loss of a loved one.

Key Takeaways:

• A little bit about Betsy and her background in hospice.
• When someone passes, Betsy asks the family how they'd like to honor that person.
• When her husband passed, Susan decided to write a letter to Paul every night.
• People might believe at some point your grief is going to end. That's just not how that happens.
• We go through a wide range of emotions, not just the ones listed in the 5 stages of grief.
• Group therapy gets you into a room with people who get it.
• What are the five things Betsy wants people to remember during their grief journey?
• Give yourself permission to feel, even if it's happiness or sadness.
• There is so much loss of power when someone is dying.
• How can you regain your power in a healthy way?
• How can someone practice a 'grounding' exercise?
• If someone makes you feel awful when you're around them, stop hanging around them!
• You deserve to be surrounded by people who love and support you.
• Betsy offers three pieces of advice for people who are currently grieving.
• Even if you don't feel like it, eat something every day. Sleep when you can. Take care of yourself.
• Don't beat yourself up on the unknown and unchangeables.
• Honor your grief path, honor your connection with your loved one, honor yourself. Walk your own path.

Resources:

Hospicesavannah.org

Betsy on LinkedIn

Betsy Kammerud is a licensed clinical social worker providing clinical service to Hospice Savannah families for over eight years. One approach does not fit everyone on their grief journey. In this episode, Betsy shares her advice on how grieving families can build healthy coping mechanisms when dealing with a loss of a loved one. 

Key Takeaways:

• A little bit about Betsy and her background in hospice.
• When someone passes, Betsy asks the family how they’d like to honor that person. 
• When her husband passed, Susan decided to write a letter to Paul every night. 
• People might believe at some point your grief is going to end. That’s just not how that happens.
• We go through a wide range of emotions, not just the ones listed in the 5 stages of grief.
• Group therapy gets you into a room with people who get it. 
• What are the five things Betsy wants people to remember during their grief journey? 
• Give yourself permission to feel, even if it’s happiness or sadness. 
• There is so much loss of power when someone is dying. 
• How can you regain your power in a healthy way? 
• How can someone practice a ‘grounding’ exercise? 
• If someone makes you feel awful when you’re around them, stop hanging around them! 
• You deserve to be surrounded by people who love and support you. 
• Betsy offers three pieces of advice for people who are currently grieving. 
• Even if you don’t feel like it, eat something every day. Sleep when you can. Take care of yourself. 
• Don’t beat yourself up on the unknown and unchangeables. 
• Honor your grief path, honor your connection with your loved one, honor yourself. Walk your own path. 

Resources:

Hospicesavannah.org

Betsy on LinkedIn