When her father died of cancer, a few days before her 18th birthday, Laurel Braitman started running. Running towards the academic and professional accomplishments her father pushed her to achieve and running away from the intense shame and guilt she carried about their last conversation. It wasn’t until her 30’s that Laurel stopped running long enough to face her greatest fear: feeling her feelings.
Laurel’s newest book, What Looks Like Bravery: An epic journey through loss to love, chronicles her quest to connect with grief and how it led to the biggest adventure of all - opening up to love.
In our conversation we delve into:
Growing up with her father’s illness and the threat of him dying
Running from guilt & shame in grief
Overachieving as a coping mechanism
Wanting to be a “geriatric kid” at Josie’s Place, a peer grief support program for children & families
What Laurel learned about grief from being a volunteer facilitator in that program
Learning a new way of being in the world & staying open to love
Having a “cosmic do-over" in helping her mom at the end of her life
Ep. 171: Reckoning With Grief At The End Of Life - BJ Miller
Ep. 170: Grief & Identity - Alica Forneret
Ep. 169: When It Comes To Grief, What Counts? - Shelby Forsythia
Ep. 168: Giving Forward - Grief & The Foster Care System (Derrick Kirk)
Ep. 167: (Trying To) Understand Suicide - Paula Fontenelle
Ep. 166: Emotions Aren't Problems - Krista St-Germain
Ep. 165: As The Shock Wore Off - Grief's Second Year (Mira Simone)
Ep. 164: Supporting Children & Teens In Grief - Kevin R. Carter, LCSW
Ep. 163: Capital L Love - Caring For A Parent With Alzheimer's (Brianne Grebil)
Ep. 162: When The Professional Becomes Personal - Alesia Alexander, LCSW
Ep. 161: Preserving Memories -Love Not Lost With Ashley Jones
Ep. 160: The Shared Room - Kao Kalia Yang
Ep. 159: Back To School With Grief & The COVID-19 Pandemic - A Tip Sheet
Ep. 158: Growing (Up) With Grief - One Teen's Story
Ep. 157: Let's Talk About Loss - Beth French
Ep. 156: Death As Resistance - Dr. Kami Fletcher
Ep. 155: Gratitude, Guilt, & Grief - Ty Alexander
Ep. 154: Memories And Legacy - CircleIt & Art Shaikh
Ep. 153: Big Emotions In Grief - Jenny Delacruz, LPC
Ep. 152: Teenage Grief Sucks - Natalie Adams
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