265 – How We Heal Grief with Sharon Brubaker and Erica Honore

We as a society and individuals don’t do grief very well. For most of us, it’s something we’d rather just not “do” at all. Even knowing what to say to a grieving friend can leave us tongue tied and lost.

But as much as we wish it weren’t true, if we’re human, we’re going to experience loss at some point in life. And grief takes many forms. It can come with a change in lifestyle, a relationship or job we love or with the loss of a pet, sending a child off to school or of course, the death or loss of a loved one.

We all experience loss, but we don’t all experience grief…and we need to learn how to experience grief, because like any emotion, it heals when we turn toward it and allow ourselves to feel it.

In this episode, I’m talking with two beautiful women, sisters Sharon and Erica, grief specialists who guide others through grief based on their own personal journey of walking through grief together. Their journey started when Erica lost not one but two children, and they found how truly lacking they were for support and resources. They decided there must be a better way and began searching for ways to heal that actually worked.

In this episode, Sharon and Erica tell their honest, raw and real stories about loss and what it really looks like to heal.

Listen to discover: 

• The true definition of grief and how we all have multiple grieving experiences 
• The difference between experiencing grief and processing grief
• Why we should not compare our losses with someone else’s
• The main reason people get stuck in grief
• The importance of teaching our children how to grieve 
• The most important thing you can do for a griever

Sharon and Erica are full of such incredible insight and wisdom on what grief actually looks like, how to process it and why the traditional advice just doesn’t work. If you’re looking for advice on how to talk to or support someone who is grieving or how to heal from your own loss, I know this episode is going to help you see grief in a new way and let you know you’re not alone. 

“Grief is so overwhelming. It’s completely debilitating. It affects every area of your life, every single relationship you have. So, who wants that?” – Erica Honore

“The most powerful thing you could do is just sit with a griever.” – Sharon Brubaker 

“One of the most disrespectful things you can say to a griever is ‘I know how you feel.’” – Sharon Brubaker 

“Healing from grief is possible. But what happens as a society is that we say you’ll never get over that.” – Sharon Brubaker

“Some days, I’m going to cry. Some days, I’m going to be mad. Some days, I’m not going to know what I feel. But it’s all okay.” – Erica Honore