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. 132: Finding Meaning - David Kessler
Ep. 131: Permission To Grieve - Shelby Forsythia
Encore Ep. 11: Who Am I Now?
Ep. 130: Grief & PTSD - Megan Hillukka
Ep. 98: Under Pressure - Grief & December Holidays
Ep. 129: After The Dam Breaks - Pushing Grief Aside
Ep. 128: When The Thought Doesn't Count
Ep. 127: What God Is Honored Here? Shannon Gibney & Kao Kalia Yang
Ep. 126: When A Child Dies Of Suicide - Anne Moss Rogers
Ep. 125: Mini-Episode - Traci, Amira, & Alina
Ep. 124: A Weed In The Garden Of My Brain - Caroline Wright
Ep. 123: Mini-Episode - Ruby & Jana
Ep. 122: Meeting The Needs Of Grieving Children - New York Life Foundation
Ep. 121: The Goodbye Diaries - Marisa Bardach Ramel
Ep. 120: Mini-Episode - Megan, Michael, & Mason
Ep. 119: Grief & Parenting - Infancy & Toddlers
Ep. 118: Grief & Parenting - Age 5
Ep. 117: Mini-Episode - Josh & Sylvia
Ep. 116: Who Died? Episode 6 - A Guest Podcast Hosted by Grief Out Loud
Ep. 115: Comedy & Grief - Harry Jensen
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