Opening My Heart to Love Means Opening My Heart to Grief
By: Cami Thelander, Certified Grief Coach, Community Engagement Leader, Confident Grief Coach School Father’s Day has always been a time when I feel especially connected to my dad. He died when I was 11 years old, yet I still carry a deep belief that he continues to “parent” me. His death has shaped the way […]
When the Coach Becomes the Student: Why Professional Coaching Requires Continuous Learning
Five years ago, I founded The Confident Grief Coach School with a vision of creating a compassionate, evidence-informed, heart-centered approach to grief coaching. Like any meaningful body of work, our program has evolved over time — not because the foundation was flawed, but because growth requires humility, listening, and the willingness to keep learning. One […]
Grieving the Living: The Silent Loss of Family Estrangement
We don’t talk enough about the grief of losing someone who is still alive. No funeral.No closure.No clear path forward. And yet—millions of people are carrying this exact kind of loss every day. Family estrangement is far more common than most people realize. Research from Cornell University suggests that nearly 27% of Americans are estranged […]
There Is No Timeline for Grief: Releasing the Pressure to “Move On”
By: Cami Thelander, Certified Grief Coach, Community Engagement Leader, Confident Grief Coach School One of the most common and unspoken pressures people experience after loss is the expectation to “move on.” It may not always be said directly, but it is often felt—in the quiet pauses when others stop asking how you’re doing, in the […]
Grieving Without Heaven: When Loss Happens in a Secular World
As a certified Celebrant for funerals and celebrations of life, I am often asked to officiate a service because a family or their loved one was not affiliated with a formal religion or church. Most often, the family still holds some belief that they will see their loved one again—that there is a heaven where […]
Grief, the Nervous System and Why Small Daily Practices Matter
Grief is not just emotional. It lives in the nervous system. After a deep loss, many people notice they can’t focus, have lost motivation, and sleep patterns are erratic (either too much or too little). Often times we hear that they hardly recognize themselves anymore. People may view their grief responses as a weakness – […]
New Year, New Grief
In my grief group this month, one member shared that she is feeling some anxiety as she thinks about the new year approaching, because 2025 was the last year she got to spend with her partner. She expressed that she feels like she’s leaving them behind, knowing they will not be here as she steps […]
When Job Loss Becomes a Turning Point: Transforming Unemployment into Purpose and Healing
By Pat Sheveland, PCC, Founder & Lead Faculty, The Confident Grief Coach School The Hidden Grief of Unemployment When we think of grief, we often think of death – the loss of a loved one, a family member, or a friend. Yet grief shows up in many forms, including the loss of identity, security, and […]
When Grief Lives in the Body: A Walk Through Pain, Hope and Healing
It was already hot the other morning as I walked along our quiet country road. The kind of heat that settles in early and dares you to move. Still, I found myself snapping photos of nature’s latest gifts — bursts of wild color showing up like unexpected joy. The days of the past week had […]