After I lost my 25 year-old son, Daniel, in 2020, I wrestled with my new identity as a grieving mom. Everything felt different, and it didn’t take long for me to realize I was different, too.

I also felt confused and alone because no one around me knew how to talk about grief, so they either avoided bringing it up or they avoided me altogether.

Daniel's loss left me with more questions than answers: Where is he now? Where did he go? What happened to his soul? What even is a soul?

While reckoning with such questions in the midst of my profound grief, I threw myself into learning everything I could about death, grief, loss, and the afterlife.

In that process, I realized that I had been asleep for years. I was completely disconnected from my body. In order to get through the chaos of life as a teacher, wife, and mom to 5 boys, I had turned the volume down on my inner guidance -- my essential, authentic self -- so low that I could no longer hear the whisperings of my soul.

Being asleep meant that I couldn't grieve properly. I couldn't do the healing work I needed to do if I couldn't fully feel my emotions or hear what my essential self truly needed to heal.

So, I leaned into therapy, coaching, and spiritual tools to do my healing work. Soon, I was on the path of a spiritual awakening: I was no longer asleep. I remembered who I truly am.

Once I had done the bulk of my healing work, I began moving forward with my grief. I did this by listening to my inner guidance: what is my soul calling me to do? who am I meant to be now, after losing my son? where is my higher self leading me to go?

Little by little, I began taking steps to discover the answers to those questions. Spirit put a fire in my belly to help other people grieving the loss of a loved one, but I wasn't yet sure how.

Then something else began to happen: I was not only surviving and moving forward, but I was actually thriving alongside the grief.

I realized that two things can be true: I can fully grieve and I can fully live. At the same time! They can co-exist.

I grieve Daniel every second of every minute of every day.

I also live a happy, full, and productive life.

Despite this, one thing that still makes living with grief difficult at times is the lack of grief education in our culture. Because everyone grieves differently, there isn't one right way to talk about grief. And this means that most people avoid the topic altogether, for fear of saying or doing the wrong thing.

What helps me most in my grief is talking about Daniel, but others rarely ask me about him. Many grievers I know also feel hurt by the people in their life who never ask them about their loved one or their grief.

I feel called to do something about this, too.

Inspired by all I've experienced since losing Daniel, I started this business with a two-fold mission:

1. To support spiritually-minded grievers in first healing from the loss, then moving forward with their grief, and finally, growing from it.

2. To change the culture by normalizing how we talk about grief.

To me, grief isn’t something holy living up in the clouds. And it isn't something that should require a hand over the heart and hushed tones when we talk about it.

It’s time to bring grief down to earth where it belongs and get our hands dirty with it.

Are you with me?